Tyrus Raymond Cobb (1886-1961) played most of his professional baseball career for the Detroit Tigers from 1905-1926, finishing with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1928. Winner of 12 batting titles and the 1911 American League Most Valuable Player award, Cobb was a fierce, spikes-in-your-face competitor, amassing a .367 career batting average and 4,191 hits. Known as the "Georgia Peach," Ty Cobb was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1936.
Here are ten valuable Ty Cobb baseball memorabilia items that any Ty Cobb fan or sports collectibles buff would love to own. The immortal Ty Cobb rides again...
Ty Cobb 1911-14 General Baking Company Baseball Card
General Baking Company issued baseball cards with their Star Bread, French Bread and Little General brands during the 1911-14 era. One super rare Ty Cobb example in graded/certified SGC 20 fair 1.5 condition sold at auction for $6,572.50.
Ty Cobb Autographed Photo
Ty Cobb autographed material is always in demand. A black-and-white photograph snapped near the end of Cobb's career and signed in his trademark green ink – "To Richard from Ty Cobb" – brought $4,481.25 at auction.
Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker Signed Baseball
Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker got together in Toronto on October 10, 1928, taking time out to sign a Reach Official Baseball made in Canada. This gem, featuring Speaker's signature on the sweet spot and Cobb's on the northern panel, sold at auction for a whopping $19,120.
Ty Cobb 1909-11 Sweet Caporal Red Baseball Card
Vintage tobacco cards are tops with collectors. A graded/certified Ty Cobb T206 1909-11 red portrait version issued by Sweet Caporal in SGC 84 near mint 7 condition fetched $7,767.50 at auction.
Ty Cobb and President Warren G. Harding 1923 Original Photograph
Ty Cobb and President Warren G. Harding met on April 3, 1923, at Warren Park in Augusta, Georgia. Harding died four months later of pneumonia on August 3, 1923. An original framed photograph picturing Harding and Cobb shaking hands
brought $113.53 at auction.Ty Cobb Signed Canceled Check
An October 1, 1952, check drawn on Tyrus R. Cobb's account at the First National Bank of Nevada is made payable to cash and signed in green ink by Cobb. The reverse side is endorsed by Frances F. Cobb, Ty's second wife. This canceled check sold at auction for $902.23.
Ty Cobb 1961 Golden Press Baseball Card
Card #25 in the 1961 Golden Press baseball series features a fine rendition of Ty Cobb at the plate. One example in graded/certified PSA mint 9 condition brought $101.58 at auction.
Ty Cobb E93 1910 Standard Caramel Baseball Card
In 1910 the Standard Caramel Co. of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, issued a 30-card baseball set. One Ty Cobb example in graded/certified PSA excellent-mint 6 condition sold at auction for $6,273.75.
Ty Cobb 1939 Handwritten Letter
Ty Cobb often responded to autograph requests from fans. One autograph seeker received a one-page handwritten/signed letter from the Hall of Famer on Cobb's personal stationary dated July 21, 1939. That letter was sold at auction for $1,314.50.
They All Know Cobb 1913 Baseball Sheet Music
Vintage baseball-related sheet music can be very valuable. One sheet published by William Murphy Pub. Co. of New York in 1913 titled "They All Know Cobb" features the Detroit Tiger on the cover. One surviving example in very good condition brought $478 at auction.
Credits
- All auction results courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas