Breaking the bank has many connotations in life, but simply being priced more than you can afford is one of the go-to uses of the phrase. The T206 set is littered with cards that are becoming priced out of the grasp of traditional vintage baseball card collectors. One player that fits that bill easily is Ty Cobb. A full slew of T206 Ty Cobb cards just broke the bank at auction.

Heritage Auctions had a major auction for the weekend ending August 22, 2021, and a rare Ty Cobb back example of the red T206 Ty Cobb just fetched $310,000 before the fees, and the buyer’s premium put the card up at $372,000 before any additional fees and taxes. This card is from the notorious “Lucky 7” find, but it certainly was not the only card from this auction that commanded six-figure sales prices.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. The same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds is being used to buy high-end collectibles. And a $372,000 price is exponentially larger than a typical stock purchase. True sports collectors with a passion to own that card may own it for years. But the investor class owns it solely to sell for a profit at a later date.

This “Lucky 7” example of the red Ty Cobb T206 card was only the tip of the iceberg. It was not the highest item sold in the auction. In fact, it was not anywhere close to being the most expensive item at the latest Heritage Auction — not even for all the Ty Cobb items available.

Collectors Dashboard witnessed most of these Ty Cobb cards that were up in this auction as they were on display at Heritage’s booth at the National Sports Collectors Convention this summer. To say that it was an impressive display was an understatement. Imagine seeing almost every variation of a T206 Ty Cobb card that exists. There are four different images of Cobb that were used by The American Tobacco Company from 1909 to 1911. The Ty Cobb back with his own brand is rare, but so are others (Broad Leaf, American Beauty, Carolina Brights and so on).

The most expensive Ty Cobb card that sold was the 1911 T205 Piedmont Gold Border Ty Cobb PSA 8 grade. This has the gold borders which show any blemish or ding and very few cards in this set exist in the higher grades as a result. It sold for $420,000 after 24 bids.

• A signed players contract for Cobb for 1914 to 1915 sold for $348,000 after 24 bids.
• An extremely rare “green portrait” T206 Cobb autographed card sold for $228,000 after 62 bids.
• A 1922-23 game-used bat (PSA/DNA GU 9) sold for $216,000 after 34 bids.
• An original photo used for the T206 card (bat off shoulder) sold for $192,000 after 33 bids.
• A 1911 Broad Leaf T206 SGC 1 (torn) sold for $150,000 after 15 bids.
• An original news photograph (from ~1912) sold for $93,000 after 50 bids.
• A T206 “blank back” red portrait SGC Authentic sold for $60,000 after 31 bids.
• A Ty Cobb cut plug tobacco tin (~1910) sold for $46,800 after 14 bids.
• A T206 Sovereign 150 “Bat on Shoulder” PSA 7 sold for $43,200 after 27 bids.
• A T206 American Beauty 350 w/frame red portrait PSA 5 sold for $48,000 after 20 bids.
• A T206 Carolina Brights red portrait SGC 20/1.5 sold for $48,000 after 22 bids.
• A T206 El Principe De Gales red portrait PSA 4.5 sold for $48,000 after 26 bids.
• A T206 Sovereign 460 red portrait PSA 2 sold for $48,000 after 14 bids.
• A Cycle 350 red portrait PSA 3 sold for $43,200 after 26 bibs.
• A T206 Piedmont 350-460/42 red portrait PSA 5.5 sold for $36,000 after 15 bids.
• An original photograph (1908) of Cobb sliding home (from The Ty Cobb Collection, PSA/DNA) sold for $32,400 after 31 bids.
• A 1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Ty Cobb with pastel background PSA 8 sold for $30,000 after 44 bids.
• A T206 Old Mill red portrait SGC 60/5 sold for $26,400 after 23 bids.
• A T206 Tolstoi red portrait PSA 3 sold for $18,000 after 22 bids.
• A 1916 M101-4 Sporting News Cobb #38 PSA 7 sold for $17,400 after 30 bids.
• A T206 Sweet Caporal 350-460/25 red portrait SGC 5 sold for $13,800 after 19 bids.
• A T206 Sovereign red portrait PSA 4 sold for $13,200 after 25 bids.
• A T206 Piedmont 350/25 red portrait PSA 5 sold for $12,600 after 12 bids.
• A T206 Sweet Caporal 350/25 red portrait PSA 5 sold for $11,100 after 23 bids.

Along with the Ty Cobb back on the T206 and the T205 that sold for even more, those items above come to more than $2.6 million combined. It may be quite some time before a single collection of T206 Ty Cobb cards like this is ever on display again.

After looking at the auctions with sales prices under $10,000 for Ty Cobb items, there were at least 30 more items, some of which were T206 cards, with sale prices down to $1,000 and many more of the photos from the Ty Cobb collection which sold for under $1,000.

As for the items that sold for the highest price from the August 21-22 Heritage Auction that outsold the stunning Ty Cobb items, these were as follows:

• 1980 Magic Johnson NBA Finals clinching Game 6 worn and signed Lakers jersey sold for $1.5 million.
• 1920 Babe Ruth Game Used and Signed Bat sold for $870,000
• 1985 Pete Rose Game Used & Signed Career Hit #4,191 Bat sold for $855,000
• 1910 Old Mill Series 8 Shoeless Joe Jackson SGC 3 sold for $540,000
• 1957 Topps Bill Russell rookie #77 PSA 8.5 sold for $630,000
• 1985 Michael Jordan game worn and double-signed Air Jordan 1 Rookie sneakers sold for $615,000
• 1970 Hank Aaron 3,000th Career Hit game-worn and signed Atlanta Braves Jersey sold for $540,000
• 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams Rookie #92 PSA 9 sold for $480,000

Is it still safe to say that sports memorabilia prices can break the bank? That seems pretty obvious.