Ty Cobb 1910 E98 Card, PSA Gem Mint 10 (2024)

“He may well have been one of the greatest players of all time— some say he should be number one among Baseball’s 100— but he was also probably the most disliked superstar ever. He was cruel, nasty, vicious, on the edge of neurotic behavior throughout his career. He would be an awful example of a baseball hero.”

So wrote Maury Allen in 1982’s Baseball’s Best 100. But Cobb’s infamous orneriness never dissuaded collectors.

“When investing in baseball memorabilia rule number one: the bigger the name, the better the return,” notes Ron Keurajian, a baseball historian and Cobb collector. “You can make the argument that Ty Cobb, the Georgia Peach, was the greatest player ever, even better than Babe Ruth. He holds the record for holding records.”

At the same time, Cobb’s notoriety was the essence of his persona. He got into fistfights with opponent and teammates with equal frequency. His image of flying spikes high into catchers personified his ferocity. He supposedly had no friends in the game.

“Growing up in Detroit I can remember the old timers reminiscing about Cobb,” Keurajian adds. “Psychotic, homicidal, monstrous, and my personal favorite: a ‘rolling ball of hell,’ were just some of the names they called him.’

What few people realize was that Cobb’s will to win may have even been exceeded by his talent as an investor. Not only that, but his savviness as an investor matched his mellowness in old age. He was one of the wealthiest pre-free agency ex-ballplayers, racking up a fortune worth $12.1 million, according to the Beverly Hills-San Francisco investment firm of E.G. Griffin Corp. when he passed away in 1961 (For the record, that’s $105 million in 2021 dollars.)

Much to the undoubted surprise of those who suffered Cobb’s wrath, the devil incarnate used his riches for plenty of good deeds. He erected a hospital in his hometown, established and supported an educational foundation to give college scholarships and financial aid to needy and worthy young students, and wrote checks out to ex-players he knew who were down on their luck.

When you dig into Cobb’s backstory, you shouldn’t be surprised with his savvy and kindness. “His distinguished lineage included lawyers, doctors, Revolutionary War heroes, politicians, and two Civil War brigadier generals,” wrote Donal Honig in Image of their Greatness. “His father [a college graduate] was at one time or another mayor, state senator, schoolteacher, country school commissioner, and editor of the local paper.”

His mother, a Southern belle, was from a well-fixed family. In an era when ballplayers were mostly ruffians, Cobb had claims to class. “Cobb came from circ*mstances several cuts above that of most professional ballplayers,” writes Charles Alexander in Our Game.

As he left home for his first minor league team, Cobb’s father wished him well with these gentle parting words: “Don’t come home a failure.” After bouncing around for a few seasons and earning no more than $50 a year, Cobb was eventually sold to the Detroit Tigers in 1905 for the sum of $750.

During his first professional season with the Detroit Tigers in 1905, he lived in a $10-a-week boarding house, while taking home $1,200 per year salary. Within two years, he was leading the league in hitting with a batting average of .350, and by 1909, he led the Tigers to three straight American League pennants. Following the 1909 season, Cobb was given a $1,000 bonus and his salary was raised to $9,000 per year, after which he became one of the leagues fiercest salary negotiators, this despite the reserve clause that bound all players to their own team in perpetuity.

For Cobb, salary was as much about the money as it was about a sign of respect.

Ty Cobb 1910 E98 Card, PSA Gem Mint 10 (2024)

FAQs

What is the most valuable Ty Cobb card? ›

The most valuable Card of Ty Cobb is currently 1909 American Tobacco Company T206 White Border #NNO Ty Cobb PSA 8 by American Tobacco Company T206 White Border from 1909 with a worth of approx. $168000.0. Other Cards of Ty Cobb to watch are: 1976 Topps #346 Ty Cobb by Topps from 1976 with a value of approx.

Are Ty Cobb cards worth anything? ›

Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Value: $125,000

The 1914 issue features print on the back that is right side up while the 1915 issue features printing that is upside down. With 144 cards in the set in total, Cobb is one of the keys alongside legends like Christy Mathewson, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Honus Wagner and Walter Johnson.

What is the oldest PSA 10? ›

Manufactured in 1910, this Ty Cobb E98 Red card has remained perfectly preserved since, and is believed to be one of the most scarce and well-conditioned pre-war cards in circulation. Only two Ty Cobb E98 PSA Gem Mint 10's are known to exist in the world.

What is the rarest baseball card to find? ›

1909-1911 Honus Wagner T206

Considered the rarest and most valuable baseball card in existence, there are only about 50 copies of this full-color card from 1909 to 1911, known as the T206 Wagner. In 2016, one sold at auction for $3.12 million.

What is the most valuable Ty? ›

Ty's Princess Bear is the most expensive single Beanie Baby. The Princess Bear, also known as the Princess Diana Bear, was released in October 1997. Princess Bears are deep purple, with a purple ribbon and white rose emblem.

What does PSA 10 gem mint mean? ›

A PSA Gem Mint 10 card is a virtually perfect card. Attributes include four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus and full original gloss. A PSA Gem Mint 10 card must be free of staining of any kind, but an allowance may be made for a slight printing imperfection, if it doesn't impair the overall appeal of the card.

What is the most rare PSA 10 card? ›

The most expensive Pokémon card is the Pikachu Illustrator which sold for $5.275 million in July 2021. It's the true Holy Grail of Pokémon card collecting and only one PSA 10 is known to exist.

What does gem mint mean? ›

Gem Mint. A card that receives a grade of ISA 10 is nearly flawless. This card has tremendous eye appeal that is unaffected by any minor print dots. It has all of its original gloss. The centering on the front of the card is between 50/50 and 55/45.

What is the rarest football card? ›

Top 20 Most Valuable Football Cards Of All Times
  1. 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Tom Brady Autograph #144. ...
  2. Patrick Mahomes 2017 Panini National Treasures Black #161 Rookie Patch Autographs. ...
  3. 1971 Topps Terry Bradshaw Rookie Card. ...
  4. 1935 National Chicle #34 Bronko Nagurski.
Mar 16, 2023

Are Nolan Ryan cards worth anything? ›

The most valuable Card of Nolan Ryan is currently 1972 Topps #595 Nolan Ryan PSA 10 by Topps from 1972 with a worth of approx. $45600.0.

What baseball card is worth $1000000? ›

These cards, like the T206 Honus Wagner and the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, are incredibly rare and sought after by collectors. In conclusion, the T206 Honus Wagner and the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle are two of the most valuable baseball cards in the world, with both cards selling for over $1 million.

What is the holy grail of baseball cards? ›

The "Holy Grail" of baseball cards is the T-206 Honus Wagner issued in 1909. Reportedly, approximately 50 were ever made. Today, very few exist, making it the most sought-after sports card in history. It was created and distributed by the American Tobacco Company and came in a pack of cigarettes.

How can you tell if a baseball card is rare? ›

If a player's card was part of the last series to be printed in a given set, it's usually considered more rare since fewer of them were printed.

How can you tell if a Ty Beanie is rare? ›

The main way to identify a valuable Beanie Baby is to check its tags – both swing tag and “tush tag”. Each generation had a different tag design, so you should be able to identify which generation yours belongs to using this chart.

What Beanie Babies are collectors looking for? ›

While the Beanie Baby craze of the '90s may be long gone, collectors are still willing to fork out for rare and special edition Beanie Babies. The Beanie Babies with color defects, spelling mistakes, and tush tag errors are sometimes valued more highly due to their unique and collectible nature.

What makes a Ty Bear rare? ›

Unique and rare models are difficult to locate, as Ty Inc. only made a few thousand of each style. These beanies are very collectible. Unique and Rare beanie babies come from the first, second, and third generations.

What is the rarest football player card? ›

A 1935 National Chicle #34 Bronko Nagurski sold for a whopping $350,000 in January 2011. The card features a portrait of Nagurski in his Bears uniform running straight toward the viewer, with a blue and yellow background. It's one of the rarest and most expensive football cards in existence.

Is Ty Cobb better than Babe Ruth? ›

No matter how one views the numbers, Ruth was the better offensive player. The only surprising result is that Cobb was slightly better at driving in runs, which brings up major differences between them. Ruth drove in many of his runs with the long ball; Cobb did it with singles, doubles and triples.

What is the most expensive Topps football card? ›

A PSA 10 sold for $430,500

Yes, I counted. These 1971 Topps Terry Bradshaw Rookie Cards are particularly expensive not only because of his celebrity status but also because there are very few PSA 10s out there. And honestly, I think we all marvel at the fact that Bradshaw used to have so much hair.

What is the rarest Babe Ruth baseball card? ›

In September of 2021, a copy of his 1914 Babe Ruth baseball card with the Orioles reportedly went for $6 million. It surpassed the record for the most expensive collectible ever sold held by a 1952 Mickey Mantle card, which went for $5.2 million.

Who has the rarest card in the world? ›

The title of 'world's rarest trading card' is split between two quite distinct cards: the 1996 World Champion and the Shichif*ckujin Dragon. Only one specimen of each card exists anywhere in the world.

What is the rarest NFL rookie card? ›

1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski

Produced in 1935 by National Chicle, this card features the legendary Chicago Bears fullback, Bronko Nagurski. With only 36 known copies in existence, this card is considered the “Holy Grail” of football cards and can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.

What is the most legendary football card? ›

1. Pelé 1958 Alifabolaget Base #635 PSA 9 – $1,330,000. Pelé is a three-time World Cup winner and is considered by many to be the best soccer player in history.

What made Ty Cobb so good? ›

Cobb was the best player in an era when baseball was played by tough men in low-scoring games where every base gained and every run scored was crucial. He might have spiked more players than anyone, but that's because he was on base more than anyone else, stealing more bases than anyone ever had.

What did Babe Ruth think of Ty Cobb? ›

BABE RUTH CONSIDERS TY COBB GREATEST PLAYER EVER. Make no mistake about that. The old boy was the greatest player I ever saw or hoped to see. When I was pitching, I had fair success against all the other great hitters, but Cobb was one guy I could never get out.

Who struck out Ty Cobb the most? ›

That fact is astounding in and of itself, but it gets even crazier. Ruth would go on to strike out Cobb six more times throughout his career, including once with the Yankees, in a spot start on June 13, 1921—oddly enough Cobb was Ruth's only strikeout that day.

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