(LOT 70)
1907 Dietsche Ty Cobb Rookie - Batting PSA 4 VG-EX
The most sought-after Hall of Famer's card is typically associated with their inaugural Major League season and labeled a "rookie card". Unfortunately, in Ty Cobb's case, this is where it gets slightly sketchy since his first appearance on a professional baseball related card was not realized until 1907 and in that calendar year, a significant number of issues were distributed with his hallowed image. Cobb broke into the Major Leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 1905, playing in a mere 41 games while hitting a paltry .240. Quickly, Cobb bounced back in 1906 to bat an impressive .316, the first of an unfathomable 23 consecutive years of exceeding the exalted .300 benchmark. Throughout his incomparable 24 seasons, he led the American League a record 12 years in batting average including an incredible 9 consecutive years from 1907 thru 1915, ultimately leading to his record setting .366 lifetime batting average. After his sterling 1906 season, he stroked 212 hits in 1907, his first full season in which he batted .350 and captured his inaugural batting championship. Due to his newly found star status, manufacturers began utilizing his image on various postcards throughout the 1907 season. Some of these postcards include the A.C. Dietsche, Wolverine News, H.M. Taylor, and ultra-rare Steel Tubes, with all of these issues staking claim as Cobb's true rookie cards. The Dietsche postcards were distributed in 1907 by the A.C. Dietsche company of Detroit, Michigan.

The 1907 series included 16 Detroit players, with the set's key subjects being the two iconic "Georgia Peach" batting & fielding subjects. These 1907 Ty Cobb postcards reside as two of Cobb's true rookie cards, with the flipside's "Copyright 1907" text along the left edge stating the exact year the card was distributed. Presented here just happens to be a spectacular PSA 4 VG/EX 1907 Cobb "Batting" Dietsche postcard, with only twelve PSA examples surpassing this mid-grade assessment. Cobb's hallowed batting image literally "jumps" off the surface due to impeccable photo contrast. This superb offering exhibits a bold/dark background, eye pleasing even corner wear consistent with the grade, no obtrusive surface flaws, and an unmarked verso. As previously stated, the "1907" text is situated along the verso's left edge, and the brief Ty Cobb bio that ends by stating: "He is almost sure of leading the American league in batting for the season of 1907". While the A.C. Dietsche company was surely accurate with their final statement, what they or nobody could possibly predict was that Cobb would go on to lead the league in batting not only in 1907 but for 9 consecutive seasons. In closing, this is a grand opportunity to seize one of Cobb's bona fide inaugural cardboard mementos, proudly standing tall as one of the Georgia Peach's most exalted cardboard mementos!

MIN BID $4,000
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