The best Detroit collection in existence?

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Posted By: Joann

I picked the title of this post carefully, as I am very aware of some advanced Detroit collections - Joe Maple, Joe G, Joe Jones, etc. But what I saw may be the best overall Det collection out there.

I was out of town last week on business. One of my co-worker's mom has a boss there that I have been hearing is an avid Detroit fan and collects Detroit Tiger things. While I was out there we stopped to see his collection. Unfortunately, he only had an hour or so.

He had 3 or 4 3-ring binders - thick ones - that he had gotten out of the safe in the basement. I can't imagine what he didn't get out. He mentioned he has the full T206 minus the Big Four. He's been collecting for years and of course got a lot of his cards for $30 give or take, and what I saw was probably VG-EX average, with many better.

I opened the first page of the first binder, and saw all of the Detroit OJ's and an EX N162 Brouthers, and thought "Whoa. This is going to be serious." I didn't know he collected anything vintage. This is what he had just in that book:

(Note: "All of the" means all of the Detroit players in that set)

Many of the OJ's
All of the T206's
All of the T205's
All of the T207's
All T201's
All T202's - most without the center crease
All T3's that I could remember, including Cobb
A gorgeous Fatima Detroit Team card
A really nice T227 Cobb
Several of the Dietzche postcards
All Ramly's
All E95's including a Cobb that about knocked me over
All E96's
All 1933 Goudey's
All 1934 Goudey's
All of the Diamond Stars
All of the later Goudey's (don't know the years)
All PlayBalls 1939-1941
All Batter Up's
All 1949 Leaf's
All 1952 Topps. In fact, all Detroit players from all sets after 1952 and up to about 1960.
All Glendale meats. All.
All Red Man
Tons of Exhibits starting in 1921 and up, including Cobb

I can't even remember them all. And this was JUST ONE BOOK. There were cards in there I've never seen in person, and cards I've never even seen pictures of.

The next books were all autographed photos and postcards - autos he got himself by sending them in. Many of these were Rowe (?) postcards or photos? I don't remember but he mentioned them several times.

Page after page after page of auto'd cards and PC's. And that's just the few books he got out of the safe. They went back to the 20's and on.

Then we went up to the "Baseball Room". OMG. The floor along one wall of this room, plus every inch of closet space, was stacked with boxes with full team sets of every year up to maybe 1990 or so. These picked up where the sets in the books left off.

There was a cabinet with N28's, blankets, someone's game used shoes, etc. And ... and ... and ... a Ty Cobb bat. He explained the provenance of it and I was convinced - from a grandson of Cobb or something. I have no doubt whatsoever that this was Ty Cobb's bat. Not necessarily game used, but definitely vintage with the thicker handle. He had about 5 bats, but the only one I remember is the Cobb.

Oh, and laying around in this cabinet was a perfect Ty Cobb signed check in a screwdown holder.

There was the double Sporting News (Sporting Life?) Detroit Team in a frame on the wall - the 8x10's. WS tickets from each of the Tigers' WS years. Team photos from WS years with almost all autographed (starting w/the 1935 series).

On the opposite wall were four custom cases of auto'd baseballs, each holding about 60. Mostly Detroiters, but also HOF'ers, Buck O'Neill and a few other Negro Leaguers, a few past commissioners (hee, including Bart Giamatti and a Pete Rose).

And autographs. He has an index card file and a 3x5 auto of every living Tiger. There have been 1400+ Tigers in their history, and he has autos of all but about 200. If they played even an inning, they're in there. He also has a card file for Tiger minor leaguers. If they ever play at all for the major league club he transfers the card into the main drawer.

Sorry for the long description, but I was just beyond blown away. I had no idea his collection went back so far - I thought it was going to be more modern. He was tickled that I was so caught up in the vintage. He said that if he can get any interest at all from anyone, all they want to see the recent things. He said he's never shown the collection to anyone that had the slightest interest, let alone enthusiasm, for the older cards. I think he enjoyed showing it as much as I enjoyed seeing it.

I only wish I'd had more time. Now I think of some of the things I saw and wish I'd spent more time lingering. But it was his wife's birthday and we were already kind of intruding.

He doesn't collect as much now, except to make sure he gets autographs of all Tigers. Oh. And not one card was graded. I'm not sure he would even know what the grading system is or who the companies are.

I often think that all of the "big collectors" are on this board, but learned differently last week. I told him that seeing this collection was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and it was.

So with much, much respect for the Michigan Joe's and their extremely advanced collections ... this might be the best one out there.

Sorry for the long post. Just had to share this with people that would appreciate it. I'm sure I've left some things out, even with the lengthy post.

Joann


Edited to add: All the CJ's.
Edited to correct OJ line