Ty Cobb Port Red

Tyrus Raymond Cobb (1886–1961) appears here on the T206 White Border tobacco set in the famous "Portrait, Red Background" variation — one of four distinct Cobb cards in the issue and arguably the most iconic of the entire 524-card series. The deep crimson backdrop sets the Detroit Tigers outfielder's image apart from the painted-grandstand poses dominating the rest of the set, and the resulting card has been a centerpiece of every serious deadball collection for more than a century. The left-handed hitter, right-handed thrower was 22 going on 23 when American Tobacco issued the series, and he was already in the middle of what would become a career as the American League's pre-eminent batter, having won the AL batting title in 1907 and 1908 and on his way to seven straight more. Cobb's combative style on the bases — the slashing slides, the spikes-high reputation that may or may not have been deserved — made him the most-discussed and most-photographed player of the era, which is why T206 honored him with four variations rather than the two or three given to most stars. He played 22 seasons for Detroit before finishing with two years in Philadelphia. He died July 17, 1961 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 as a member of the inaugural Cooperstown class, receiving the highest vote total of the original five elected.