1915 T214 Victory Tobacco Ty Cobb SGC 30

• Sold For: $22,325
• Year: 1915
• Auction: 2009 February
• Lot #: 1
• Auction Category: Prewar Baseball - T Tobacco Cards

The multiple tobacco baseball series originating in Louisiana include some of the most intriguing offerings in the hobby. Despite exhaustive research and rampant collector speculation, the particular details of the sets released from 1910-1919 throughout the “Bayou State” are difficult to pinpoint. What is known is that because of distribution or humidity, or both, locating viable examples from these issues can be a daunting challenge. Graded 30 Good 2 by SGC, the offered 1915 T214 Victory Tobacco Ty Cobb is presumably the rarest tobacco card of the “Georgia Peach” to have been cataloged. While industry experts reported twelve of the famed T206 Cobb with Cobb back have surfaced, only three graded T214 Victory Cobb examples ((2) SGC 30, PSA 2) have been confirmed. Being that both PSA and SGC have reported only five T214 Victory examples graded above the (VG-EX) grading tier, this Cobb (Red Portrait) could easily be considered mid-grade. Although the card has varying degrees of creasing, along with soft corners and edges, none of those detractors negatively affect the piercing image of the fiery Georgian. The blue name/team type is pronounced, while the all-important advertising reverse is slightly off-center with minor soiling and a fingerprint. Interestingly, on the advertising reverse Victory Tobacco promises that 90 designs comprise a full set. To date, less than 60 players have been cataloged as part of the T214 Victory designation with only 53 total graded by either PSA or SGC. The 2009 edition of the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards states “Of the several tobacco sets issued in Louisiana in the early part of the Twentieth Century, the T214 Victory cards are considered the most difficult to find.” This elite collectible is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the vintage card enthusiast with an eye for the very best.