The fielding pose is much rarer than the batting version.
Photo by Love of the Game Auctions
In June 2017, the winner of a Heritage sports auction paid $5,520 for a very scarce 1907 Ty Cobb “rookie” postcard in good condition PSA 2 (on a scale of one to 10) after 15 bids. Recently, the winner of an example of the same card in the same condition in a Love of the Game Auctions paid $18,000 after 30 bids.
Noted Love of the Game Auctions:
“Extraordinarily rare ‘fielding’ pose variation from the 1907 Dietsche Postcards set, issued in conjunction with the Detroit Tigers’ appearance in the 1907 World Series. Two Cobb poses were included with the issue — one more common example picturing Cobb at bat, and a second picturing him fielding. This is generally considered to be the earliest postcard, making it frequently considered to be his rookie card.” (emphasis mine).
Cobb’s better known T206 tobacco trading card first appeared in 1909. Skeptics who regard postcards as greeting cards for mailing rather than collectibles for trading seem to be left in the dust.
Adds Dean’s Cards, “it appears that the Dietsche Cobb fielding pose was replaced with the batting pose early in the print run.” As a result, there are 50 examples of the batting pose in PSA’s population report, compared to just 12 of the fielding one.
“The Dietsche Cobb sale did not surprise me at all, because I had another one in SGC FAIR 1.5 in my LAST auction [November 2018], which sold for $13,200,” Al Crisafulli, owner of Love of the Game Auctions, told me. “I expected the PSA 2 to go higher.”
The batting version averages $1,900 in comparable condition.
The $18,000 example was a new discovery found along with a bigger group of Dietsche Tigers among a vintage collection of non-sports postcards.
The closest parallel to this card is the 1925 Lou Gehrig Exhibit postcard rookie, among the hobby’s hottest issues. Sports Collectors Daily called it “a true hobby sleeper for decades. As interest in the rookie cards of iconic players intensified over the last couple of years, collectors and investors have begun to zero in. The result? A remarkable surge in selling prices.”
Over the past five years, the 1925 Gehrig in good condition has skyrocketed 18 times in value, from $2,474 to $45,000, according to Vintage Card Prices.
For his part, the Georgia Peach had just two seasons under his belt when the back of his 1907 card predicted that he was destined for greatness:
“Tyrus R. Cobb is recognized all over the country as one of the most sensational players the game has ever had. He is noted for his tremendous speed; his brilliant sliding ability, his batting, throwing and fielding. He is almost sure of leading the American League in batting in the season of 1907.”
Sure enough, in 1907, Cobb led the league in batting average (.350), hits (212), RBIs (119), and stolen bases (53). For the record, his season’s stellar batting average was 16 points below his lifetime average over a 24-year career.
The back of young Cobb’s card predicts greatness.
Photo by Love of the Game Auctions