Rare Ty Cobb Tobacco Tin
Photo Credit: Heritage Auctions, HA.com
Extremely Rare Ty Cobb Tobacco Tin - The Finest Example on the Planet! When an auction house is in the enviable position of offering a special and complete set of T206 cards that includes a "Magie", Eddie Plank and even Honus Wagner it seems odd that the first two are not cards that have attained a mythical status. For generations, baseball cards have come wrapped in a wax or foil paper paired with a piece of gum that was either a sugary delight or a sugary failure depending in the chewer. For decades before that, baseball cards were associated with tobacco. Smoked by Native Americans for ages before Europeans came to the continent, tobacco's history is far longer and just as storied, as the game that became our national pastime. "T-Cards" as they are affectionately designated, are the heart of many collectors' passion. The advent of inserting portraits of baseball players with tobacco products required packaging. While the most common is the pack, the tobacco tin was utilized and here we have the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of tobacco packages - the incredibly rare, circa 1910 "Ty Cobb Granulated Cut Plug" tin!
Measuring in at 3" x 5" x 1". Any one of the precious few that still exist would be a coup to offer at auction. On a scale of "1 to 10," exhibiting almost a complete absence of surface scratches, dents, chipping or flaking rates a "Mint 9" and is unquestionably the finest example known on the planet! The survival of such a relic borders on miraculous. The startling condition also means great visual appeal, even the aging tax stamp, still firmly attached, alone guarantees its condition unique. How a century of Georgia summers failed to introduce massive oxidation and rusting is a question only the baseball gods can answer. Certainly, we see this piece being on display. We envision it leisurely rotating under a warm spotlight befitting the center of attention within one of the finest baseball card/memorabilia collections.