This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/10/2015
Whether you view him as an arrogant, intolerant individual with racist tendencies and a propensity for engaging fans in the audience in fistfights, or as a loyal teammate with a soft spot for children and a desire for fairness towards black ballplayers, as a newly released biography asserts, there can be no argument that Tyrus Raymond Cobb remains one of the absolute greatest players to ever set foot on a diamond. The all-time career batting average leader, with a stunning .366 lifetime average, earned a reputation as a dirty player who would sharpen his spikes in hopes of inflicting serious wounds to opposing players, but according to Roger Peckinpaugh, a period shortstop, that reputation may be undeserved. "I don't know how many times I tagged Ty Cobb out at second base, yet he never so much as spiked me," say Peckinpaugh. And while it is undisputed that Cobb leapt into the stands to attack a fan who had been heckling him, there is also an account of him entering the grandstand to check on a woman who had been struck by a foul ball. And while often depicted as an uncaring, cold-hearted miser, it should be noted that he did a considerable amount of charity work after successfully investing in Coca-Cola, and he was often seen thrusting dollar bills into the hands of hungry kids. All that aside, however, what is important at this time, in this current sports memorabilia auction, is one of the most important baseball cards to come up for sale in years. The 1910 E93 Standard Caramel issue consisted of thirty subjects, one of them being Cobb, and offered for your consideration is the single highest-graded example in existence, an absolutely dizzying MINT 9 specimen as determined by PSA. Not only is this the only example in the grade, the population report indicates that only 13 examples from the entire set have ever attained the exalted grade (two of the others are being offered elsewhere in this auction!), with not a single GEM MINT specimen on the planet. The attributes of the offered card read like a collector's dream! To begin, the central image is perfectly registered and focused, an anomaly for the issue that is plagued by errant print runs resulting in blurry images. The entire interior presents as a divine artistic canvas, with not a single flaw or imperfection evident. As can be seen in the scan, the centering is absolutely spot-on, the solid background pigment that makes the issue so endearing is deeply saturated and unfaded, and all four corners extend to vertices of absolute magnificence. The borders are completely blemish-free, blazing forth with an alabaster brightness seldom, if ever, seen within the issue. The reverse is equally magnificent and impressive, boldly struck and showing absolutely no signs of product staining. This stunning collectible keepsake is, quite simply, as close to sheer perfection as you will ever see! If you desire the best of the best and wish to take your world-class baseball card to the highest possible level, you owe it to yourself to give this masterpiece your undivided attention!