1907 Wolverine News Ty Cobb Rookie (Batting) PSA 4—Highest Graded & None Better

• Sold For: $4,406
• Year: 1907
• Auction: 2012 September
• Lot #: 3
• Auction Category: Prewar Baseball - Early 1900s Cards

The 1907 campaign marked the first instance that the Detroit Tigers conquered the American League and earned a berth into the World Series. In preceding campaigns, mainstay (Wahoo) Sam Crawford helped turn the Tigers into a respectable franchise. However, in 1907, it was the emergence of 20 year-old Ty Cobb that finally put the squad “over the top”. Understandably, the city of Detroit was whipped into a frenzy by the success of their hometown squad. Capitalizing on this fervor, in October 1907 the Wolverine News published a series of nearly 3-1/4 x 5-1/4” black-and-white postcards depicting members of the team. Graded VG-EX 4 by PSA, the offered 1907 Wolverine News Ty Cobb rookie (Batting) pose is the highest graded of the Hall of Famer judged by the third-party authenticator with none better. When infrequently encountered by hobbyists, such century-old postcards are typically stamped or have written notations. This ephemeron is absent of any writing and was never used as a correspondence medium. The obverse depicts an intense Cobb plying his craft amidst a ballpark setting at the dawn of his career, a season in which he would terrorize American League pitching to the first of eleven batting titles. The crease-free and clean image is framed by well-defined corners and crisp edges. Careful removal from a photo album did not result in any paper loss or serious reverse imperfections. Immaculately preserved and an instant cornerstone for any advanced pre-war gathering.