(LOT 174)
1910 Novelty Cutlery Ty Cobb & Honus Wagner PSA 1 PR
COBB & WAGNER!!! Considered extremely rare, this PSA 1 PR 1910 (inadvertently labeled 1907-09) Novelty Cutlery Ty Cobb/Honus Wagner offering resides as one of only six examples on the combined PSA and SGC census reports! Its immense stature stems from the fact that it boasts both Cobb and Wagner, baseball's two greatest pre-WWI icons, presented on a single subject. Measuring the standard postcard size of 3-1/2" x 5-1/2", it was issued the year after Wagner's Pirates would best Cobb's Tigers in the classic 1909 World Series, with this resounding pose of the Flying Dutchman shaking hands with the Georgia Peach taken before the opening game. Indeed, the 1909 season would finally see Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers pitted against Wagner's Pittsburgh Pirates in the Fall Classic.

Up to that point, there was a general consensus that these two immortals were the finest players in their respective leagues. Including the 1909 season, Wagner had already captured seven National League batting titles (including the last four consecutive titles), with Cobb claiming three consecutive batting championships from 1907-1909 (on his way to nine successive batting titles). Thus, their coupled existence begged the ultimate question: "Who's king of the hill?" Fans anxiously awaited this fierce battle that would eventually be won by Wagner and his Pirates in a tightly contested seven games. More significantly, Wagner totally dominated Cobb, batting a robust .333 (vs. Cobb's paltry .231) and stealing six bases (vs. Cobb's two). The Flying Dutchman would also score and knock in more runs than Cobb, easily besting him on baseball's grandest stage.

Issued in 1910, it was originally thought that Novelty Cutlery subjects were distributed between 1907 through 1909, until extensive research revealed that several of the set's subjects could not be possible before the appropriate 1910 timeframe. The exalted image of baseball's two greatest stars from that era stands as the perfect testament to what their sheer existence truly meant to the grand old game. It effectively turns back the clock, serving as a steadfast reminder of why baseball is unquestionably noted as America's Pastime while making any passionate collector feel young again.

While the card itself certainly depicts a number of condition issues, including rounded corners and an abundance of diagonal creases in the lower left quadrant as well as several creases in the card's center to upper region (including a wrinkle running directly through the classic central image), the critical Cobb/Wagner crystal-clear sepia tone illustration, unmarked postcard back, and right to own a copy literally steal the show. This notion is substantiated by an SGC Authentic (Altered) example fetching $14,400 some four years ago, long before the pricing points of Wagner/Cobb cards soared to their current stratospheric heights. One of the most resounding images extant, it transcends time to when both of these baseball "gods" shook hands directly before the commencement of the 1909 World Series. Furthermore, it serves as the perfect example of an over a century-old card whose technical assessment is rendered virtually irrelevant due to both its eye-pleasing iconic illustration and utmost rarity!

MIN BID $3,000
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