Unquestionably the key to what many believe to be the most beautiful of all cabinet card issues, the T3 Turkey Red Ty Cobb certainly qualifies as "iconic" among prewar collectors; the image of Cobb glaring at the viewer while choked up on the bat, belt buckle pulled to the side, is recognizable by virtually everyone in our hobby. This example is quite appealing for the grade, with an extremely strong image marred primarily by chipping at the left edge, a stain at the upper right, and surface wear resulting in a few spots of paper loss within the image area itself - primarily at and below Cobb's knees, but also to a lesser degree in the upper area on his cap. Paper loss on the reverse is the result of long-ago scrapbook removal, certainly contributing to the technical grade but irrelevant when considering eye appeal. As with other cards from the issue, the T3 Cobb is often found in lower grades, as many young collectors displayed the oversized cabinet cards by tacking them to their walls or mounting them in albums; pinholes and back damage are common. Beyond the technical assessment, however, one must consider the quality of the image itself, which in this case is extremely strong for the grade, despite the aforementioned paper loss and surface abrasions. An outstanding card, desirable in any grade, one of the hobby's true "blue chips."

Size: medium
Condition: yes