Baseball card collectors know well that the T206 Honus Wagner card is considered the most popular and perhaps most rare sports memorabilia item in existence.

Yet there is another card in the same series that puts the Wagner to shame in terms of scarcity.

The Ty Cobb card that was distributed inside Ty Cobb tobacco tins from 1909-1911 is far more scarce, with perhaps as few as a dozen in existence. While most of the T206 series was issued in cigarette packs and distributed across the eastern and southern parts of the country in fairly large quantities, fewer people bought the Cobb tin. Only a handful survive today and almost all show major wear. While at least 50-75 Wagner cards are believed to have been issued before it was pulled from production by the American Tobacco Company, the quantity of Cobb with Cobb tobacco back cards is perhaps 20% of the Wagner total.

A Cobb with Cobb advertising back sold recently in an auction conducted by Goodwin and Company out of St. Louis. The card, professionally graded fair by Sportscard Guaranty, drew 25 bids and sold for $57,903. A nice price, certainly, but nothing like the six figure bids drawn by the Wagner on the occasions when one comes up for sale.

Of course, there are other Cobb cards that are much more common in the T206 set and many collectors are satisfied with those, but the true T206 fan longs for the day when he can add the King of the Smoking World card to his master set.

Related posts:

1. T206 Baseball Card Articles
2. Mint T206 Wagner Card: Where is it Now?
3. Honus Wagner Card Nets $925,000