Signed Ty Cobb Tobacco Cards

[Powell]

I own the Bat Off signed Cobb

[T206Collector]

Thanks for sharing Powell. I hope this provenance is helpful to you in supporting the value of that beautiful card.

[Powell]

Yes, thank you very much! Great work!

[Fred]

Paul,

Please DO NOT interpret this wrong.

I think signed cards are one of the coolest collectibles, especially from the T206 era players. You seem very on top of everything that is T206 signed. I don't think I can recall anybody that is as passionate or into the signed card niche as you are with these cards. That said, in the past couple of years we've seen a huge influx of tainted signed cards.

If you were to guess, what percentage of signed T206 cards do you believe/think are forged?

Has this changed the way you collect?

Do you take any special measures when reviewing these cards for purchase?

I see a signed T206, especially if it is fountain pen ink, and just about melt. I used to look at signed contracts, checks, documents as a method of collecting signatures but recently I've been shying away from them because I've seen a huge influx of certain signatures that makes me uncomfortable. I realize that in some cases there have been a few large collections of signatures that hits the market and typically I'm good with buying something from those collections, but overall, this environment has made me re-think collecting signatures.

I'm sure a majority of your signed T206s are legit and am grateful that you share your knowledge and scans of your cards along with things like the catalog excerpts.

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by Fred

In the past couple of years we've seen a huge influx of tainted signed cards.

If you were to guess, what percentage of signed T206 cards do you believe/think are forged?

Has this changed the way you collect?

Do you take any special measures when reviewing these cards for purchase?

Great questions.

First, there are lots of fakes out there. Most of them are fairly obvious upon serious inspection and a modicum of research. Starting in 2015, it is also pretty obvious that some absolutely serious forgers got involved that made my area of the hobby really tough. I think these expert forgers entered the game due to the crazy prices that were turned out in a 2013 Heritage Auction. Cards that could be had for a couple of hundred dollars in 2007 or 2008 were now selling for thousands. So if you try to sell me a signed T206 card that I can’t trace to a legitimate collection before 2015, I am not likely to be all that interested.

Stated another way, I search for cards that came out of collections I trust, that I know have been around for 10+ years. I maintain a library of dozens of cards I know exist in private collections and that I am always interested in adding. If I know the owner, I follow up with the owners once in awhile to remind them of my interest.

The Uncle Jimmy auction, for instance, is solid provenance. There are lots of small time Uncle Jimmy’s, and they occasionally divest. I know some but I’m always searching for others, and then trying to preserve the provenance that auction houses stopped including because a PSA label mattered most.

Additionally, I am interested in evidence of a sale prior to 2015, like ebay or an auction house. Beyond that, obviously full JSA LOAs are dated.

SGC authenticated autographed cards with the green label, either with JSA, or without (beginning Mike Root era circa 2013), are pre-2015.

The SGC Authentic red label began no later than October 2015.

PSA original red label and blue label are pre-2015. PSA red label with the hologram on the front of the flip are circa 2015 and later.

Beckett JSA dual-cert on flip existed pre-2016.

I will still consider cards sold/authenticated in 2015 and later if there is proof of the signature's existence prior to 2015. So, an SGC Authentic red label may be fine with me, if you can show evidence of the autograph's existence prior to 2015 (e.g., 2007 Pittsburgh Find, or the Tom Marsilio collection sold by Steiner in May 2018).

So, yes, the way I collect is way different now. But, not many people are selling either. So there’s not much to buy. Nearly all of my purchases over the last 2 years have been when I find one from the Jeff Morey collection or the Pittsburgh Find. Always looking to add those.

If you’ve got a signed T206 card you are considering buying or selling, I’m happy to let you know if I know where it came from.

[JoeRand]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. A signed Cobb tobacco card is indeed a dream come true. I appreciate the exchanges we’ve had and love my 5 signed T206 cards and my signed 1914 Cracker Jack Smoky Joe Wood card... all pieces of history. If I ever part with any you’ll be the first person I contact, your passion for this part of the hobby is awesome.

[PowderedH2O]

One thing that I notice with each of these Cobbs: In each existence, the signature is in a nice location... never over his face, never over his name on the card... I assume these to be legit, which tells you that Cobb wanted this collector to have cards that looked good, not with a signature in a crappy spot or all over the best part of the card. That kind of goes along with the "Cobb wasn't such a bad guy after all" mentality that has surfaced over the past few years.