1909-11 T206 Ty Cobb (Portrait - Red)
1909–11 T206 Ty Cobb
Detroit Tigers · American League · Super Print print series · also a T213-1 Coupon back
The 1909–1911 T206 Ty Cobb (“Portrait - Red” pose) is part of the legendary “White Border” tobacco set — The Monster. This card depicts Ty Cobb, a member of the historic Detroit Tigers (American League), and was printed in the Super Print series, known with 15 tobacco-brand backs. Across PSA and SGC, roughly 4395 examples have been graded, with only 89 in NM 7 or better — a reminder of how tough this issue is in high grade.
About Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb entered professional ball in 1904 with the Augusta Tourists of the South Atlantic League and debuted for the Detroit Tigers on August 30, 1905. A center fielder, he starred for Detroit through 1926 (player-manager 1921–1926) before finishing with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1927–1928. The dominant hitter of the Deadball Era, Cobb won a record 11 (or 12) batting titles, hit over .400 three times, and retired with a .366 career average, 4,189 hits, and 897 stolen bases. His 1911 season was one of his finest—a .420 average while leading the league in runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBI, slugging, and steals. Nicknamed "The Georgia Peach" for his home state, the fiercely competitive Cobb ignited baseball's first players' strike in 1912 after being suspended for attacking a heckler. In 1936 he headlined the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame class. This green portrait is among the T206 set's most coveted cards.
Sources: Baseball-Reference · SABR
Confirmed backs (15)
Chip colour marks each back's rarity tier. See the full T206 back rarity ranking →
Population (PSA · SGC)
| Grader | Total | NM 7+ | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 & Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 2740 | 69 | 85 | 209 | 370 | 477 | 610 | 920 |
| SGC | 1655 | 20 | 32 | 107 | 185 | 292 | 286 | 733 |
NM 7+ bundles grades 7–10; 1 & Auth bundles grade 1, 1.5 & Authentic. Totals are subject-level (summed across all backs). Population as of 2026-06.
PSA by back
| Back | Graded |
|---|---|
| Polar Bear | 302 |
| Sweet Caporal 1910 | 277 |
| Piedmont 1910 | 275 |
| Sweet Caporal | 265 |
| Piedmont | 219 |
| Sweet Caporal 1911 | 207 |
| Piedmont 1911 | 168 |
| Old Mill | 126 |
| Tolstoi | 53 |
| Sovereign 1910 | 42 |
| Ty Cobb | 21 |
| El Principe de Gales | 20 |
| Sovereign | 19 |
| American Beauty 1910 | 16 |
| Cycle 1911 | 14 |
| Carolina Brights | 10 |
| Lenox | 9 |
| Cycle 1910 | 8 |
| Sovereign 1911 | 7 |
| Cycle | 6 |
| Hindu | 6 |
| Drum | 2 |
| Broad Leaf 1911 | 1 |
| Unknown back | 667 |
SGC by back
| Back | Graded |
|---|---|
| American Beauty 1909 | 1 |
| American Beauty 1910 | 7 |
| Broad Leaf 1911 | 3 |
| Carolina Brights 1909-11 | 10 |
| Cycle 1910 | 12 |
| Cycle 1911 | 13 |
| Drum 1910 | 1 |
| El Principe de Gales 1909-11 | 11 |
| Hindu 1909-11 | 1 |
| Lenox 1909-11 | 7 |
| Old Mill 1909-11 | 100 |
| Piedmont 1910 | 327 |
| Piedmont 1911 | 200 |
| Polar Bear 1909 | 1 |
| Polar Bear 1909-11 | 299 |
| Sovereign 1910 | 49 |
| Sovereign 1911 | 8 |
| Sweet Caporal 1909-11 | 2 |
| Sweet Caporal 1910 | 334 |
| Sweet Caporal 1911 | 219 |
| Tolstoi 1909-11 | 50 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1909-11 T206 Ty Cobb card?
The Ty Cobb (Portrait - Red) is one of 524 subjects in the T206 "White Border" tobacco set issued 1909-1911, the hobby's most iconic vintage set (nicknamed "The Monster"). It pictures the Detroit Tigers player and was inserted in cigarette packs across 15 different tobacco-brand backs.
How rare is this T206 card?
Across PSA and SGC, roughly 4395 examples of the Ty Cobb have been graded, with only 89 grading NM 7 or higher, so mid-grade copies are obtainable while high-grade examples are genuinely scarce.
Which backs does the T206 Ty Cobb come with?
The Ty Cobb is confirmed with 15 tobacco-brand backs: American Beauty, Broad Leaf, Carolina Brights, Cycle, Drum, El Principe de Gales, Hindu, Lenox, Old Mill, Piedmont, Polar Bear (Scrap), Sovereign, Sweet Caporal, Tolstoi, Ty Cobb Back. The back brand is a major driver of both scarcity and value.
Is the T206 Ty Cobb valuable?
Value depends heavily on the back brand and the card's grade: common backs in low grade trade modestly, while scarce backs and high grades command strong premiums. Check the current T206 Cards listings and eBay options above for live pricing.
Other poses of Ty Cobb
More Detroit Tigers cards
Sources: t206resource.com, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and Inside T206 by Scot Reader. Card data & population compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-07-01.