Summer 2019 - Item detail
1916 Tango Brand Eggs Ty Cobb - Previously Uncataloged Batting Pose!
- Sold For:
- $66,000
- Year:
- 1916
- Auction:
- 2019 Summer
- Lot #:
- 757
- Category:
- Prewar Baseball - 1910s and 1920s Cards
Presented is a superb and previously uncataloged example of Hall of Famer Ty Cobb from the 1916 Tango Brand Eggs series! The offered example recently surfaced as part of a large collection assembled by an old-time collector during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Spanning the nineteenth century through the 1950s, his collection featured scores of important Hall of Fame cards but perhaps none more significant than this Tango Eggs Ty Cobb. Featuring Cobb in a batting pose reminiscent of his E106 American Caramel card, the offered example now represents only the second confirmed Tango Eggs card of Cobb but also the very first example known to exist with this pose. It is also THE Cobb card referenced in the well-known letter circulated by a family who made a large discovery of Tango Eggs cards more than twenty-five years ago.
The existence of the Tango Eggs Ty Cobb card was always subject to great debate. In 1993, when a family made a significant find of Tango Eggs cards (which accounts for almost all of the known Tango Eggs circulating in the hobby today), they sold them to a major dealer who famously advertised cards from this find for sale. Two years later, the family decided to sell the remainder of their cards and issued a letter which listed the approximate quantities of each card in the find. At the bottom of list, marked as "unique - only one card," was Cobb. Some collectors doubted the family's recollection since no Cobb had surfaced at the time or in the years since. In 2011, a severely worn Tango Eggs example of Cobb leaning against a bat was offered at public auction, marking the first appearance of a rumored Cobb card in the nearly two decades since the large find. That example did not originate from the family's find but rather from another new-to-the-hobby collection of 1910-era tobacco cards and Cracker Jacks found in Louisiana. While collectors reveled at the sight of a Cobb card from this enigmatic set, many wondered about the note at the bottom of the letter which teased another Cobb card out there.
For more than two decades, the Cobb card from the letter had quietly remained in the collection of a serious prewar-card enthusiast who networked with the two dealers involved in the original discovery and the subsequent sale until he was able to locate the Cobb. It turns out that the family had offered the Cobb card to a professional advising them on the legal and financial workings of their estate in lieu of payment. Our consignor was able to locate the card, make an offer, and acquire it for his collection, where he has kept it as a crown jewel all this time alongside scores of other Tango Eggs cards acquired through the traditional channels from the same family. (Nearly two dozen are offered in this auction from his collection.) The discovery of this card strongly supports a theory that the set originally included more cards than what is currently known (even if no examples have survived). Perhaps there were really forty-eight cards in the Tango Eggs set, exactly as there are in the E106 American Caramel set? We will probably never know, but it is a reasonable theory given the discovery of this Cobb card which shares the same image. Tango Brand Eggs cards are very similar in design to the 1915 E106 American Caramel set, but with different captions that do not reference Federal League teams since they were issued in 1916. The fronts have a glossy coating similar to E106 and T214 Kotton Tobacco cards. The backs feature advertising for L. Frank & Company's Tango Brand Eggs.
This is a fascinating, and perhaps unique, card from one of prewar card collecting's most legendary sets. Graded GOOD 2 by PSA (submitted by REA), the card presents extremely well, with bold colors, a crisp image, centering to the left, and even wear at the corners. A horizontal crease is responsible for the assigned grade but does not detract from the overall superior appearance. This is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of card collecting's most significant rarities, a newly cataloged Tango Eggs Ty Cobb worthy of even the most advanced collection! Opening Bid $2,500. Estimate (open).
The existence of the Tango Eggs Ty Cobb card was always subject to great debate. In 1993, when a family made a significant find of Tango Eggs cards (which accounts for almost all of the known Tango Eggs circulating in the hobby today), they sold them to a major dealer who famously advertised cards from this find for sale. Two years later, the family decided to sell the remainder of their cards and issued a letter which listed the approximate quantities of each card in the find. At the bottom of list, marked as "unique - only one card," was Cobb. Some collectors doubted the family's recollection since no Cobb had surfaced at the time or in the years since. In 2011, a severely worn Tango Eggs example of Cobb leaning against a bat was offered at public auction, marking the first appearance of a rumored Cobb card in the nearly two decades since the large find. That example did not originate from the family's find but rather from another new-to-the-hobby collection of 1910-era tobacco cards and Cracker Jacks found in Louisiana. While collectors reveled at the sight of a Cobb card from this enigmatic set, many wondered about the note at the bottom of the letter which teased another Cobb card out there.
For more than two decades, the Cobb card from the letter had quietly remained in the collection of a serious prewar-card enthusiast who networked with the two dealers involved in the original discovery and the subsequent sale until he was able to locate the Cobb. It turns out that the family had offered the Cobb card to a professional advising them on the legal and financial workings of their estate in lieu of payment. Our consignor was able to locate the card, make an offer, and acquire it for his collection, where he has kept it as a crown jewel all this time alongside scores of other Tango Eggs cards acquired through the traditional channels from the same family. (Nearly two dozen are offered in this auction from his collection.) The discovery of this card strongly supports a theory that the set originally included more cards than what is currently known (even if no examples have survived). Perhaps there were really forty-eight cards in the Tango Eggs set, exactly as there are in the E106 American Caramel set? We will probably never know, but it is a reasonable theory given the discovery of this Cobb card which shares the same image. Tango Brand Eggs cards are very similar in design to the 1915 E106 American Caramel set, but with different captions that do not reference Federal League teams since they were issued in 1916. The fronts have a glossy coating similar to E106 and T214 Kotton Tobacco cards. The backs feature advertising for L. Frank & Company's Tango Brand Eggs.
This is a fascinating, and perhaps unique, card from one of prewar card collecting's most legendary sets. Graded GOOD 2 by PSA (submitted by REA), the card presents extremely well, with bold colors, a crisp image, centering to the left, and even wear at the corners. A horizontal crease is responsible for the assigned grade but does not detract from the overall superior appearance. This is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of card collecting's most significant rarities, a newly cataloged Tango Eggs Ty Cobb worthy of even the most advanced collection! Opening Bid $2,500. Estimate (open).