1909-11 T206 Ty Cobb GREEN PORTRAIT SGC 5 EX (PWCC-A)

Sometimes, the best players truly make all the difference. Such was the case for Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers on May 12, 1911, in the final game of a series against the New York Yankees. New York jumped out to an early lead, but Cobb’s heads-up base running in the bottom of the seventh inning produced the game-winning tally. With two runners on, Cobb doubled to left. After teammate Donie Bush slid under the tag on a close play at the plate, New York catcher Ed Sweeney began arguing with the umpire, and the rest of the Yankees infielders joined the dispute. As the New York Times reported, Cobb took advantage of New York’s lazy play. “Cobb, observing that third base was unguarded, trotted amiably up there. No one saw him. So, he tiptoed gingerly along toward the group at the plate. He did not come under the observation of the public until he was about ten feet from the goal all base runners seek, where for a few seconds, he stood practically still, peering into the cluster of disputants before him, looking for an opening to slide through. He found one and skated across the plate with the winning run under the noses of almost the entire New York team, Sweeney touching him with the ball when it was too late.” The Times dubbed Cobb “the most original of ballplayers” after the heads-up play. As Cobb began laying the foundation of his Hall of Fame career with a Triple Crown in 1909 and the MVP award in 1911, the American Tobacco Company did the same for one of the most notable sets in trading card history. The ATC produced hundreds of cards for its vaunted 1909-11 T206 set, bringing life to baseball players, who served as kings of America’s sports scene at the time. Cobb has four variations in the set, including a “Green Portrait” offering. This SGC 5 example of Cobb’s Piedmont 350/25-backed card earned the PWCC-A (Above Average—Top 30%) Eye Appeal designation for its centering, color, surfaces, and edges. Cobb never took his eye off the ball to accumulate 4,189 hits and records of 12 batting titles and a career .366 batting average, and collectors will need to watch this iconic card closely throughout this month’s Premier Auction—or someone else may swoop in to win it. You can learn more about this card in PWCC’s A Guide to Ty Cobb’s Baseball Cards. https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/definitive-guides/a-guide-to-ty-cobbs-baseball-cards