(LOT 29)
1907-09 Ty Cobb H.M. Taylor Rookie Postcard – Postmarked 1907 - SGC 1 POOR
GEORGIA PEACH ROOKIE!!!... Ty Cobb's inaugural stand-alone appearance on a professional baseball related card was not until 1907, a year in which a significant number of cardboard 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 in batting average a record 12 years, including an incredible nine consecutive years from 1907 through 1915. After his sterling 1906 season, he stroked 212 hits in 1907, his first full season in which he batted .350 and captured the first AL batting title. Due to his newly found star status, manufacturers began utilizing his image on various cardboard related products throughout the 1907 season including various postcards and the extremely rare and ultra-valuable W600 Sporting Life Cabinet.

Some of the postcard issues include the A.C. Dietsche, H.M. Taylor, Steel Tubes and Wolverine News, with all four issues staking a claim as Cobb's hallowed rookie card. Unlike the A.C. Dietsche issue that is widely seen throughout the hobby, H.M. Taylor postcards are few and far between, as well as portraying a breathtaking Cobb batting pose. That said, presented here is an SGC 1 Poor H.M. Taylor Ty Cobb 1907 Rookie postcard that just happens to include a highly coveted "OCT 12, 1907" postmark on the verso, substantiating its true Ty Cobb rookie card stature! Finding any H.M. Taylor Rookie Cobb is no simple task, let alone one revealing a 1907 postmark. The combined SGC & PSA census reports only list 46 encapsulated copies, less than a third of the 160+ 1907 Dietsche Cobb postcards that have been slabbed by both these grading companies. This Cooperstown worthy heirloom reveals a youthful Cobb commencing his legendary swing that ultimately led to his record breaking .366 lifetime batting average.

The sparkling central image has remained basically unscathed and depicts atypical fine centering, with the background grandstands adding to its captivating vintage luster. Relatively clean surfaces and superb clarity/contrast are the highlights of this Rookie Cobb keepsake that has fallen short of a higher assessment due to corner wear, standard toning, a lower left corner chip, and the flipside's critical "OCT 12, 1907" U.S. Post Office stamping as well as the scripted "Miss Maureen Richards" addressee. A bona fide Ty Cobb rookie offering officially linked to the 1907 campaign, it serves as a steadfast reminder of how the Georgia Peach began his unparalleled career only two years earlier before embarking on one of baseball's most extraordinary careers!

MIN BID $2,000
_