Which Ty Cobb
 

If you guys had to pick what Ty Cobb card you want the most for $10,000 or under, what would you pick for long term investment? I am trying to decide between the following:

E92 (mid grade)
1914 Crack Jack (low grade)
1911 Sporting Life M116 Blue Pastel (PSA 7)

I was also thinking about E94 but personally do not like the front of the card, but might consider it because of its rarity.

Think Postcard which you can get in nicer condition which will also give you higher upside for return.

From an investment standpoint, of those listed I would go for a Crackerjack, however, personally, I would probably get the best conditioned t227, d304, or e101/e102 I could find in that price range. I feel those are some of the best looking Cobbs in a normal size. You are going to have a very hard time finding a midgrade e92 for under $10k since the card only comes in crofts candy and cocoa and even those are quite elusive. When available, even really poor examples typically start around $2500-$3000. For something to be part of my personal collection, without question, I would go with an m110.

DJ

'Prequel' Duplicate Post....bad, bad fat fingered typing.

I think the Sporting Life set is both undervalued and underappreciated.

- but you said '..M116' which is the designation for the Sporting News issue not the Sporting Life.

CJ's may have peeked...but go for it if you can get a great price.


Depending on how close you can get to $10K, you shouldn't have to settle for less than mid-grade.

best Cobb
 

Yes, The Sporting Life in nice mid grade plus would be a wise choice. A while ago one popped up on ebay with reasonable price, I even talked with the seller, but my budget at the time made me pass, wish I hadn't.

Also consider the T206 Bat On or Bat Off in a near perfect centered PSA 5, 6 or 7 - budget dependent. Or somehow score a PSA 5 T206 green for reasonable.

Are 3s considered mid-grade? Honest question; not sure where the low to mid cut-off is. That said, 14 CJ Cobbs in 3 are going for $20k. So a 2 would better fit the budget or a higher grade 15. Hard to go wrong with any Cobb in my opinion.

I agree with this for the most part. If I was looking for a cobb in this range I'd be looking at cj, a nice t206, t3, or a t227. Not only for investment potential but also to have a nice looking card I would enjoy owning.

Personally, I try very hard to get only EX 5 or higher, but sometimes as in Babe Ruth where I've taken a 4.5 or Wagner, where I have a 4.

I consider 5 the mid-grade and that condition is generally both collectible and affordable.

- but emotion and obsession can change all that.


.

My choice would be a 1910 Washington Times Ty Cobb. However, in all the years mighty Mastro offered their glorious resplendent catalogs, just once did I ever recall seeing them offer a Washington Times of Mr. Cobb. It was ungraded, about VERY GOOD. If they had offered another, I suspect I would have noticed that dynamite of a card.

At this point, this prime regional / food piece would likely be considered "a sleeping giant". If and when the next one shows up in a major auction house catalog, I suspect the firm will know, or research what they have before them, and give the piece its due place and prominence.

There may be earlier Ty Cobbs, but who cares? The 1910 Washington Times Ty Cobb has that combination of beauty, scarcity when issued, and being outright devastatingly rare today. These are the ingredients of a greatest score and highlight to any Ty Cobb connoisseur. I take nothing away from the T-3 or the T-206 green. Their owners are most pleased, granted. However, if I owned those two, the one card I'd want to add more than any other Tyrus Raymond is the Washington Times. No, I do not own one; wish I did!

My ten cents worth.:p

Wishing you well with which ever card you wish to pursue. A Colgan's Chips just came to mind; with this one, at least it is available now and then. A tough obstacle will always be in front of you---at this point most prime specimens of any worthwhile Cobb will be entrenched in a set or a PSA Master Ty Cobb collection. Then again, collections do get broken up.....

---Brian Powell

[QUOTE=clydepepper;1593946]I think the Sporting Life set is both undervalued and underappreciated.

- but you said '..M116' which is the designation for the Sporting News issue not the Sporting Life.

This is the exact card I meant....sporting life m116 but I would go for except a PSA 7.

http://www.goodwinandco.com/mobile/l...b_sgc_4_vg_ex_

I think in general the 1914 CJ is in more demand. However, for investment value mid to high grade usually do a lot better than low grade. (For prewar, I usually think Authentic to 2 is low grade, 3-5 is mid grade and 6 and above is high grade.) Therefore, I'm thinking E92 might be better and then the 1914 CJ in low grade, but if you find one with really nice eye appeal and not much staining on the front of the card.

Actually I like seeing a little staining on the 1914 CJs as most came that way. 1915 should be clean. If I had to pick from the OP list then the CJ would be the best by far as its an iconic card.

See the 15 CJ Cobb in Oct pick up thread. That's a nice sub $10k example!

Agreed.
As nice of a CJ Cobb as you can get (I would keep it to a 1914, as mentioned). The flip grade is a bit less important at the 10k level and it's not going to be high grade technically (again, at this valuation level)...I was looking at them yesterday, myself. :)

I picked this one up last week..
It's a 15 with good eye appeal except for the obvious.

I think I did real well on it! 🏆

id go with a cj or a green t206.

I can't say that I've ever had a $10,000 budget, but I think I'd go for the e92 or the 1914 CJ. The CJ has the classic haunting Cobb image...

What would you guys pay for a 1914 CJ Ty Cobb PSA 2, 2.5, and 3? I'm trying to get a ball park figure what I am going to be spending once I locate this card. I really want Shoeless joe but his is about double Cobbs price. I wish I had both. lol

I am often wrong and my baseball card "investments" usually don't pan out...and this was not on your original list, but if I were going strictly for investment, not considering the intermediate joy/pride of ownership, I think I would shop the T206s hard and try to get one or more nice example of each. Collecting a T206 set is and will always (so long as there is a hobby) a goal of many hobbyists. It is a great gateway drug to prewar. Nice examples of T206 Cobbs have appreciated pretty well over the last couple of years, the cards are attractive and popular. To a degree you will spread out your risk. A nice T205 might be another good addition. More common is not always a bad thing.

To give you a benchmark, a 14 CJ 3 was sold in Heritage last spring for around $20K with the juice, and there's a 3 in REA that's already at $19K with the buyer's commission. Not sure on 2s, however, as their eye appeal can vary more dramatically.

Here's another one to consider which is rare and comparatively cheap....at least at the moment:

http://bid.robertedwardauctions.com/...e?itemid=41674

:)

Consider...
 

Perhaps consider the 1922 E121 Ty Cobb, batting - has same image as CJ but black & white - great looking card - just oozes vintage - classic. Really tough find in nice shape.

Also note about T206's in PSA 5 or 6 grade (great investments), there was a T206 Cobb bat on PSA 6 just recently listed on eBay for $13,500. with near perfect centering. Gorgeous! I was going to suggest taking a look as it is very nice. Then I looked for it this morning and it has been removed and not for sale, hmmm, maybe a deal was done?