If you're a baseball fan and like exploring the history of the game, we hope you have a really big piggy bank. A 1914 Cracker Jack baseball card of legendary Detroit Tiger Ty Cobb is up for auction and the current bid (as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 5) is $210,000. According to Heritage Auctions, the card will be available for bidding until 7:00 p.m. Monday, January 24.

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It shows the "Georgia Peach" with clear period details including his baggy flannel Tigers jersey with long sleeves and a high collar, and his wide grip on the bat. It is against the blood-red background, reminiscent of the T206 card that many consider the definitive cardboard of Cobb.

Ty Cobb 1 - ha.com
Ty Cobb 1 - ha.com
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The 1914 Cracker Jack Baseball set consists of 144 subjects, including Cobb, and each card has a shot of the players and a brilliant red backdrop. The cards measure 2 1/4" by 3”. They were inserted in boxes of the sugary popcorn snack. Cardbacks devoted half the area to a short player biography and the rest to text promoting the set and the product.

Ty Cobb (back) - ha.com
Ty Cobb (back) - ha.com
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According to PSA Authentication and Grading Services, very few of these thin-paper baseball cards survived and the 1914 issue was only found packaged with the delicious sticky candy treat. Their close proximity with syrupy Cracker Jacks inside severely damaged the condition, including stains and darkening associated with the sugars as well as dents, dings, and creases while the piece bounced around unprotected within the container. So this Cobb card is a complete gem. But again, you better have some big money if you want it.

A less valuable, but very interesting and unusual item related to Ty Cobb was auctioned last month. A check he wrote and signed to a Chinese laundromat on Christmas Eve 1948 was sold on December 18. You can read about it and see pictures HERE.

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