1908-09 Rose Company Ty Cobb SGC 80 EX/NM 6....

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Feb 23, 2019 for:

Sign-in or Join (free & quick)

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

The finest known example in the hobby!

1908-09 Rose Company Ty Cobb SGC 80 EX/NM 6. Glorious aesthetics, supreme rarity and the ultimate star power join forces here to form one of the most impressive cardboard commemoratives to emerge from the rough and tumble Dead Ball Era. The two-year production run of the gorgeous relic coincides with the first two of Cobb's twelve American League batting titles, the latter recalling Cobb's sole Triple Crown performance.

He'd appear in the World Series as well each of these years before the start of a pennant drought that would haunt him the rest of his professional days. Add to this list of superlatives the presence of this representation at the pinnacle of the population rankings and you have a postcard that reigns supreme by just about every metric of measurement, a first class ticket to an elite collecting brotherhood.

The design of this 5.5x3.5" postcard utilized similar production traits of the beloved T204 Ramly issue, pairing slick embossing with luxurious gold foil to frame a black and white photographic portrait that rose to hobby prominence on the portrait versions of Cobb's T206 entries. (Edit: The portrait was shot by Carl Horner.) Verso is unmarked, bucking a trend that saw most of the Rose Postcards pressed into service for their intended roles. Corner wear is minor, but appears to be the primary consideration in the listed grade, as there is little other cause for complaint. It's likely that this example was never purchased and survived in its remarkable state of preservation as lost "dead stock," destined to rule the hobby a century in the future.