Lot # 81: 1926 Ty Cobb & Judge Landis – Original PSA Type 1 Underwood & Underwood Photo – Measures Approx. 6-1/2” x 8-1/2” – Full PSA Type 1 LOA

Category: Photos

Starting Bid: $300.00

Bids: 1 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Spring Fever Auction 2018",
which ran from 4/28/2018 12:00 PM to
5/19/2018 7:00 PM




(LOT 81)
1926 Ty Cobb & Judge Landis – Original PSA Type 1 Underwood & Underwood Photo – Measures Approx. 6-1/2" x 8-1/2" – Full PSA Type 1 LOA

Here is one you don't see very often! This iconic Underwood & Underwood photo portrays two of baseball's iconic figures during the 1926 season, Tyrus Raymond Cobb and "Judge" Kenesaw Mountain Landis. The irony of these two immortals striking a pose together is overwhelming, for similar to "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and the "Black Sox Scandal", few people realize that Ty Cobb was actually at huge risk of being banned from baseball for allegedly "fixing" an Indians/Tigers game on September 26, 1919 along with Tris Speaker, Smoky Joe Wood and Dutch Leonard. Cobb always denied he bet $2,000 on the Detroit vs. Cleveland game, but in 1926, Leonard sold letters written by Cobb and Wood (relating to the incident) to American League President Ban Johnson.

The alleged fix was now public knowledge but as the story goes, in lieu of how the "Black Sox Scandal" had nearly ruined baseball forever, Judge Landis ultimately decided NOT to proceed in banning Cobb, Speaker, Wood and Leonard. Understandably, Landis greatly feared that America's Pastime could not survive another major gambling related scandal, especially considering it involved two of baseball's greatest players (Cobb and Speaker). Further irony is that Landis' "take no-action" behavior was a complete contradiction from his following legendary statement after banning eight Chicago White Sox players: "Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a baseball game, no player who undertakes or promises to throw a baseball game, no player that sits in conference with a bunch of crooked gamblers where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball".

The photo itself portrays impeccable contrast and clarity, with Cobb exhibiting an atypical grin and Landis depicting his standard stoic facial expression. Cobb proudly dons his period style Tigers uniform, the final season he would for the Tigers before moving on to end his career with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics for the 1927 and 1928 campaigns. The illustration has managed to amazingly elude any serious surface flaws, reflecting no right border and only some stock loss near the lower left corner. The verso reveals a portion of the original Underwood & Underwood credit stamp and a significant caption that details the "fixing game" incident as follows: "WHEN THEY WERE FRIENDLY – This interesting photograph of Tyrus Cobb and Judge K.M. Landis was taken some time ago in Chicago, and shortly after, Cobb is alleged to have been a party to the famous bet episode.

At the time the photo was taken, Landis appears to have been saying something very pleasant to Cobb. A significantly historical offering of two baseball immortals, it turns back the clock to an ultra-sensitive era when our National Pastime was still recovering from the Black Sox fix, and most certainly would have unraveled had additional superstars such as Cobb or Speaker shockingly joined "Shoeless" Joe as permanent outcasts! - Full PSA Type I LOA

MIN BID $300
_

Views: 680