“If you had a chance to sell your entire collection, and start over, what would you shoot for?” 

This question would pop up in my head from time to time.  Whenever it would, I would start to place a value on my collection, and start to daydream about what I would build the next go ’round.  

You may have done this before, too.  Maybe it sounded something like this in your head:  “If I sold these 100 cards for $25 each, I’d have $2,500.  What card (or cards) with a high WOW factor would I get?”  

After my sell off in 2018 of the large bulk of my Canseco supercollection, my daydreaming became a reality.  I started mapping out what really got me excited in this hobby, and I was drawn to pre-war vintage.  After grabbing a bunch of various types of vintage cards, I eventually sold those off, but was in return armed with the knowledge of what various vintage cards were worth, and the feeling of what specific cards really excited me.  

At the very top of the list was a card considered by many to be the most beautiful card ever created, from a set that is also considered to be the most beautiful ever created:  The 1911 T3 Turkey Red Cabinet Ty Cobb.  

To me, the Turkey Red Cobb gives off Mona Lisa vibes – like it should be in a museum.  It is a card that graced many a sports card collecting magazine from my youth. I viewed it as one of the untouchables in our hobby.  

Recently, an Auction House posted one for sale – and featured a Turkey Red Cobb as the main attraction.  it was *beautiful*.  The front presented like a $50,000+ copy, whereas the back had paper loss – that is my kind of card!  

As it ran over the course of a month, I watched carefully, and went back and forth … could I possibly be the winner?  No way.  No way someone is going to not bid higher than me.  But what if they don’t? What if I am the winner of this Mona Lisa?  

As the days turned to hours, which turned to minutes, which turned to seconds, I found that I was the winner!  I couldn’t believe it.  After years of searching for the right one, I got one! 

Here it is: 

There are no real blemishes on the front to speak of, and the colors/artwork are simply exquisite.  I’m super happy to have this in my collection!  Though it is a PSA 1, when it comes to aesthetics, just like age, the grade is just a number.