Circa 1917 Ty Cobb Original Charles Conlon Photograph PSA/DNA Type I - Image Used for Multiple Cards Including 1919-1921 W514 and 1921 W551 Strip Cards

Sold For:

$19,000

Year:

1917

Auction:

2025 Marketplace

Lot #:

MP66

Category:

Exceptional Original Photography

Superb original Charles Conlon photograph capturing Ty Cobb as a member of the Detroit Tigers, circa 1917. Charles Conlon was the preeminent baseball photographer of his era and his most famous work, the 1909 photo of Cobb sliding into Jimmy Austin at third base, is perhaps the most recognizable baseball image ever produced. Cobb was one of Conlon's favorite subjects and many of the finest Cobb photos we have today originate from his gifted lens. The offered example is no exception and features Cobb displaying his unorthodox "hands-apart" hitting style as he poses outside the batting cage prior to a game. In fact, written on the back (by whom we cannot be sure, but perhaps Conlon himself) is four lines of text reading "Ty Cobb's unique grip/ on the bat/ Hands four inches/ apart." Cobb is captured in his gray road uniform as two of his teammates look on. Flawless clarity is displayed throughout and one can even see the customary wrap of tape wound around the handle of Cobb's bat. This image formed the basis for two of Cobb's iconic strip cards, the W514 and W551 issues. Cobb was still at the peak of his powers around the time this photo was taken, compiling a league-leading average of .383 in 1917, the first of three consecutive years in which he would claim top honors among batters. The photograph has survived in exceptional condition, with only a few very minor flaws around the perimeter, common to nearly all working photographs. Similarly, the reverse shows numerous production-related marks and remnants, including several Culver Pictures Inc. stamps as well as the previously mentioned notation about Cobb. A breathtaking original photograph featuring Ty Cobb by one of the game's most legendary photographers.