(LOT 9)
1907-09 Dietsche Postcard Ty Cobb Fielding SGC 3.5 VG+
RARE GEORGIA PEACH ROOKIE VARIATION!!! For every standout ballplayer, the most sought-after card is typically associated with their inaugural Major League season and labeled that player's "rookie card". Unfortunately, in Ty Cobb's case, this is where it gets slightly sketchy since his first stand-alone appearance on a professional baseball-related card was not until 1907, and in that calendar year, a number of issues were distributed with his image. Cobb broke into the Major Leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 1905, playing in a mere 41 games and hitting a paltry .240. Quickly, Cobb leapt forward in 1906 to bat an impressive .316 average at the plate, the first of a remarkable run of 23 consecutive years of exceeding the .300 benchmark. Throughout his incomparable career, he led the American League a record 12 times in batting average including an incredible nine consecutive seasons from 1907 through 1915! After his sterling 1906 season, he stroked 212 hits to post a .350 batting average, claiming his first hit title.

Because of this newly found star status, manufacturers far and wide began utilizing his image on various cardboard-related products beginning in the 1907 season, mainly postcards and the extremely rare W600 Sporting Life Cabinet. The postcards include the A.C. Dietsche, Wolverine News, H.M. Taylor, and Seamless Steel Tubes with all of these issues staking a claim as Cobb's inaugural rookie edition. The 1907 A.C. Dietsche issue just happened to include two different subjects of the 20-year-old Georgia Peach, with these two separate cards portraying a "Fielding" and "Batting" image of the feisty Cobb. As vintage collectors are well aware of, the "Fielding" subject is much scarcer than the "Batting" pose, with the combined PSA and SGC population reports justifying that notion. Of the 159 total encapsulated copies (at the time this was written), only 20 represent the obscure 1907 Cobb Dietsche Fielding pose, with this stellar SGC 3.5 VG+ offering standing as one of a pair of the highest graded issues from SGC! Only four PSA examples have achieved a higher assessment.

While any of the 1907 Ty Cobb postcards reside as one of his "true" rookie cards, it is the A.C. Dietsche Fielding specimen that suffices as one of the most uncommon and valuable issues. Seldom surfacing for the taking, over the past several years, low-grade examples have traded between $14K-$25K, while rare for the grade VG+ specimens now fetch between $25K-$40K, with no end in sight for its seemingly unlimited investment potential. Cobb's exalted central image depicts the fiery superstar reaching out, glove in hand, for a batted ball, with the sepia-toned illustration reflecting spectacular contrast and crystal-clear clarity. The dark hued background reveals no obtrusive creases, revealing some typical surface snow that plagues virtually all of the 1907 Dietsche Cobb's. Some surface wear is evident with all for corners revealing virtual even wear consistent with the grade. Included on the back is a brief biography of Cobb (he was only 20) and bold "A.C. DIETSCHE, Detroit, Mich., 1907" copyright text along the left edge, validating its irrefutable 1907 distribution year. Interestingly enough, what nobody could possibly realize at the time was that Cobb, only three years into his career, would go on to lead the league in batting not only in 1907 but, as previously mentioned, for an untouchable nine consecutive times, placing his indelible mark on our National Pastime as one of its all-time greatest!

MIN BID $10,000
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