Winter Auction 2016 Closing January 30th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/31/2016
Presented here is an original tobacco tin that once housed the smoking product known as, "Ty Cobb Granulated Cut Plug." While the employment of the word "rare" is sometimes overdone in the collectibles industry, but it's certainly fitting, here. It's generally understood that fewer than ten examples of this extraordinary container are confirmed to exist.
Some hobby scholars still consider the "Ty Cobb with Ty Cobb back" card to be a variation within the T206 issue that was produced at the same time as that set's release. Those who have actually seen the card first-hand, though, widely agree that it is different in its production quality from all other T206's, and that it was probably produced as a single-card advertising insert. The actual production dates of the Ty Cobb Tobacco brand are not known, but these tins probably didn't appear until sometime after the known 1909 to 1911 period of the T206 inserts' release. A solid conjecture would be that a few colorful containers like this one -- with their attractive gold-and-red color scheme -- debuted on tobacconists' shelves sometime between 1912 and 1914. Based on the dearth of known specimens, it seems that the smoking brand's lifespan was both very short and regionally limited.
Measuring 4-1/2"-tall, this unrestored relic boasts a bright and attractive appearance. Its matching lithography on the front and back sides pictures the baseball immortal who lent his name to the brand of tobacco that the piece once protected. The item carries degrees of surface scuffing, oxidation and wear consistent with the levels seen in the majority of tins of this one's type and age. The hinged lid remains operable. A spectacular and thought-provoking antique, with strong visual appeal.