(LOT 567)
1909-11 T206 Ty Cobb Bat Off Shoulder Piedmont 350/25 PSA 7 NM
PACK-FRESH TYRUS!!! Regarding sheer hobby stature, any of the four T206 Cobb subjects stand right alongside other pre-war icons such as the T206 Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth Baltimore News/M101 Rookie, Cobb with a Cobb Back, T206 Eddie Plank, and Goudey Lajoie. In 1909, the American Tobacco Company (ATC) fully recognized that Tyrus Raymond Cobb was the premier ball player of the day (with all due respect to Wagner) and proceeded to issue four different Cobb subjects in their renowned T206 tobacco card distribution. Two of those poses included Cobb portrait images, while the other two portrayed the iconic Tigers star in bat-on-shoulder and bat-off-shoulder poses. All four of these Ty Cobb keepsakes are included in PSA's Top 2500 Sportscards publication with high-grade specimens being both extremely coveted and scarce. That said, presented here is a breathtaking PSA 7 NM Ty Cobb Bat Off Shoulder Piedmont 350 Subjects/Factory 25 marvel with only nine other Piedmonts graded higher!

Issued in 1910, at this juncture Tyrus had already captured three consecutive American League batting titles, and the 1910 campaign would see the immortal Georgia Peach post another league-leading mark (.382), as well as pacing the Junior Circuit with a spectacular 1.004 OPS. Cobb would move on to claim an unprecedented 12 batting titles in a 13-year stretch, nine of which were achieved in consecutive fashion from 1907-1915. A 1936 HOF charter member, his .366 lifetime batting average is widely regarded as one of baseball's unbreakable records, and his status as one of our National Pastime's greatest players is forever embedded in the hearts and minds of baseball enthusiasts. Cobb's unparalleled legacy is synonymous with the aesthetic brilliance of this miraculous century-old offering, boasting a crystal-clear bat-on-shoulder image of the bygone Motor City star.

Sparkling colors include bold gray hues on his classic Detroit flannels as well as an array of vibrant yellow, blue, orange and green background tints, and you can literally feel Cobb's intensity emanating from his stoic facial expression. Indeed, Tyrus appears as if he is about to unleash his classic swing that ultimately led to 4,189 safeties, and you can see the wood-grain detail on Cobb's bat, the smoke emanating from the smokestack, and his classic hands-apart grip that serves as a steadfast reminder of how the Georgia Peach controlled every one of his majestic swings. Excellent centering between four dazzling white borders only reveals the slightest partiality towards the upper edge, and to reiterate, the clean surfaces are highlighted by the radiant background hues, creating one of the finest settings you will ever encounter on this highly coveted T206 gem. Preventing a higher grade is subtle wear at the utmost corner tips, with no glaring surface flaws/wrinkles evident on either side.

The final exclamation point is the verso's bold midnight blue Piedmont 350 Subjects/Factory 25 advertisement, with the overall visual appeal consistent with the world-class PSA 7 assessment. A bona fide keeper this 114-year-old masterpiece has stubbornly defied time by retaining the majority of its original pack-fresh attributes. Earlier this year, another PSA 7 Bat Off Shoulder example falling short of this offering's astonishing eye appeal fetched $60K, with two separate PSA 8 subjects realizing lofty $264K and $222K sales over the past several years, a true testament to the unequivocal prestige of this majestic Cobb offering. Simply stated, near-mint T206 Ty Cobb subjects don't surface for the taking every day, and it might be quite some time before the next high-grade Bat Off Shoulder example reveals itself with such a spellbinding array of factory-issued qualities!

MIN BID $15,000
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