This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/10/2022
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Ty Cobb was incredibly smart with his earnings from playing baseball. Throughout his career, Cobb made a series of shrewd investments that enabled him to retire in a style more befitting a captain of industry than mere ballplayer. One of Cobb’s smartest financial moves was to be an early investor in a Georgia-based soft drink company called Coca-Cola. Besides his share of the company, Cobb featured in many Coca-Cola advertising campaigns beginning as far back as 1907. Cobb’s early buy-in eventually turned into him being one of Coca-Cola’s largest shareholders with a seat on the company’s board of directors. Cobb’s image was used by the company long after his retirement as a player, as can be seen in this advertising display from 1947. Measuring approximately 13” x 15”, the cardboard display shows the Georgia Peach back in his heyday, swinging a bat in his Detroit Tigers uniform on a sunny afternoon. The tasteful display is completed with a brief recap of his Hall of Fame credentials along with the trademark Coca-Cola bottle and red circle logo. This sign is in original unrestored condition and shows minor edge wear and chipping and some very slight staining in a faint vertical line along the right side of the piece. The sign is otherwise in Excellent condition. One of the finest Ty Cobb advertising pieces ever produced, linking two of the most iconic American inventions: Coca-Cola and baseball. To read an article about this collection from Sports Collectors Daily, click here.