A Ty Cobb Type 1 Vintage Photo From Ty Cobb's Own Collection? Hell Yes!

My love of Type 1 Original Photographs continues to be strong and a primary driving force behind my collecting. I check a few sources often and when a beautiful vintage photo pops up that also aligns with one of my player PCs, I make a concerted effort to lock it down. Today's featured photo fits that bill and I was absolutely thrilled to scoop it up off of eBay a couple of years ago.

Tyrus Cobb is in the building! This stunner was available online for some time before I pulled the trigger. I wanted it from the beginning but it was pricey and I was hoping there might be a price reduction from the seller if it sat long enough. Eventually I rationalized that the small amount it might be discounted did not outweigh missing out on it entirely.

This circa 1927 image of Cobb as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics is extra special because of the man he is standing near and what he signifies in relation to the Georgia Peach. The other man is Fielding H. Yost, head coach of the Michigan Wolverines football team who led the school to six National Championships.

Yost and Cobb are together in this photo because the A's were in Detroit for Ty's first game back after leaving the Tigers. It was a true celebration on "Ty Cobb Day" and Yost is sporting a ribbon on his jacket with that phrase. I love the photo itself, the story behind it, and the Philadelphia elephant mascot on Cobb's uniform being prominently displayed.

The other draw to this photo that certainly played a role in the amount of cash I had to shell out is that Cobb actually owned it. The photo comes with a letter of provenance from a woman whose grandfather was a close personal friend of Ty after they met as teenage teammates. He gifted his friend the photo and it eventually made it down to the young lady. Owning a piece of Cobb history from Cobb himself was just too good to pass up!