Ty Cobb pencil clip - any info would be appreciated

[Archive]

Posted By: Shane Hardie

Hi

This is my first post. Someone over at the PSA boards said that I should post this here to possibly get some info.

I ran across this Ty Cobb pencil clip. I was wondering if any of you guys had any info on it. It may not be worth a dime. I just don't know. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Archive]

Posted By: Tom Boblitt

but I believe them to be 1970's or so. Almost always in bad condition--don't know if they were artificially aged or what. Don't expect big bucks for it. I see them sell on ebay for $5-$15 or so. About the only pencil clips that really have value that were issued during the period were the 1950's Cleveland Indians clips and the 1950's St. Louis Browns clips. At least they're the only ones I know of in series or team sets. There are some one off type stuff but nothing really valuable that I've seen.

[Archive]

Posted By: Shane Hardie

Thanks for the info. That's what I was afraid of.

[Archive]

Posted By: Anonymous

Tom is right... I have often heard these referred to as "Fantasy Pieces". The Indians and Browns versions are the only ones authentic to the time period.

The mega-stars (like Cobb) were produced much later and must have been artificially "aged". Sort of like all of those ad signs you see on ebay, that are made to look old.

[Archive]

Posted By: Paul Muchinsky

Your item is definitely a fantasy, not a reproduction. It is possible the reverse of the image has a maker's mark, perhaps a union logo bug. Odds are good the union didn't exist when Cobb played. My favorite fantasy piece (the seller swore it was original) is a retractable ball-point pen with an image of Christy Mathewson and his name. At least it wasn't a roller-ball pen.

[Archive]

Posted By: Steve

Actually, the unions did exist and loved sticking their labels (and local IDs) on everything they produced, much to the chagrin of shop mgt. As confirmed, these clips are indeed modern however.

Shane, Curious, is there a union bug printed along the edge?

[Archive]

Posted By: Tom Boblitt

Don't have a union logo. The union logo was probably not required when those were made........

[Archive]

Posted By: Paul Muchinsky

Not to get overly technical, but a very large number of labor unions represented workers in the manufacturing sector. A printers union represented workers who printed paper; it didn't represent metal workers. Each union had its own logo. Most collectors think the presence of the union logo means an item must be vintage. This is true 99% of the time, but not always. Speaking only for pinbacks, it is possible to "fabricate" a union bug on a piece of metal to create the illusion the item is vintage.

[Archive]

Posted By: Shane Hardie

It is at home right now, but from memory, I don't think it does. I will check when I get home.