A CURATED SELECTION OF GREAT CARDS
Few prewar cards in the hobby have been the beneficiary of the recent boom than the red background portrait card of Ty Cobb from the T206 issue. Certainly one of the more frequently-found “key” cards in the set, demand for the card seemingly knows no bounds, regardless of condition. Presented here is an extremely attractive collector-grade example, with a rich, red background and a tougher Polar Bear reverse. General wear and light areas of foxing, as well as a few product stains ubiquitous among Polar Bear cards, are responsible for the technical grade. Some light staining is visible at the bottom-left corner. Centering and image registration are both strong, a very appealing card for the grade. 39. 1909-11 T206 Polar Bear Ty Cobb (HOF - Red Background) - SGC GOOD 2 MINIMUM BID: $1,000
40. 1888 N173 Old Judge Cabinets John Clarkson (HOF) - PSA VG 3
41. 1909-11 T206 Ty Cobb (HOF - Red Background) - PSA GOOD+ 2.5
Vivid red-background Ty Cobb portrait, well-centered with bright coloration. Some moderate staining at the lower border and a faint corner crease at the top right reduce the technical grade, with some of the staining also visible at the bottom edge of the reverse. Since hobby prices began to take off in 2020, the red background Cobb has become more and more emblematic of card collecting’s increasing popularity. Always desirable, the red Cobb has become iconic, one of the more important cards in the T206 set.
The first example of this pose we have seen and the only one assessed by PSA, a beautiful and rare N173 cabinet photo of Hall of Famer John Clarkson, the image corresponding with that of pose #78-3 in the N172 Old Judge issue. Conservatively graded VG 3 by PSA, the image is crisp and well-defined, with Clarkson’s dark uniform contrasting against the “stadium” backdrop so familiar to Old Judge collectors. Aside from perhaps the Cap Anson and Buck
Ewing cards, all N173 cards are extremely rare, this one particularly so. The mount is largely clean, the Old Judge ad at the bottom still bold and legible. Very light soiling is visible on the reverse. Grader notes indicate wear at the corners is largely responsible for the grade, but the card remains one of the cleanest from the issue that we have handled.
MINIMUM BID: $1,000
MINIMUM BID: $4,000
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