Cards per box: 1
Base set completion:  N/A

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
A Word From Ty Cobb (1) – "would"

What's Buzz-worthy: This one is exactly what it says it is -- a word from Ty Cobb -- as in a word from a lengthy hand-written letter from the tip of one of his famed green-ink pens presented as a cut autograph would be ... but without the steep price for his six-letter sig. The cuts come from letters authenticated by JSA and this release is one that was fully authorized by Cobb's estate via CMG Worldwide. As part of the release you can actually see the lengthy letter from 1955 that apparently made up this one -- 24 pages -- and the company released scans of the letter so collectors can find their word. Anybody want to search out mine? (A future weekend project for me ... maybe. It's all in the gallery below.)There are chase elements here as every 10-box case will include a something from a lineup that includes potential silver-, gold- and platinum-enhanced cards (165 between all types), as well as 30 printing plates, 15 proof sheet redemptions, 10 cuts where "Ty" is the word -- essentially a half-autograph -- and then some unique 1/1s and a redemption for a signed Hall of Fame card. There's also one case out there where every box includes one of these hit cards. Why buy this? Well, I'm not going to be shopping for a Ty Cobb autograph any time soon, so this was an affordable way to get as close as it gets -- and the presentation is pretty solid with the well-designed and simple box as well as simple cardboard in the design and touches. I felt like I got a little lucky with my word here -- not a "the" or "an" -- but not anything specific, either. There are some newer releases out there taking this approach, too. There's a newer and far pricier Babe Ruth release from this company that's a little more advanced than this and then this one from a different manufacturer that has a mix of players. The price of a Ty Cobb letter is at least a couple grand and good stuff will cost far more -- as high as $7,000 for cut autos put into packs based on a recent eBay search. I thought this was an interesting way to get something similar since I won't be chasing those types of items for this Hall of Famer.

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