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1935 Ty Cobb Signed Coca-Cola Stock Certificate
Sold For:
$19,975
Year: 1935
Auction: 2007 Spring
Lot #: 8
Auction: Featured
Extremely rare and significant Coca-Cola stock certificate, for 100 shares of Class A stock, issued to and signed on the reverse by Ty Cobb. Ty Cobb's financial acumen and association with Coca-Cola as an early investor is legendary, both to the history of Ty Cobb and the history of Coca-Cola. This is the only Coca-Cola stock certificate issued to Ty Cobb that we have ever seen. The certificate, dated December 31, 1930, bears Cobb"™s name on the front and is numbered "2053." Cobb later transferred this stock to his daughter Shirley, and that transaction is duly recorded on the reverse. The preprinted transfer declaration, dated May 2, 1935, assigns Cobb"™s 100 shares to "Miss Shirley Cobb," and has been flawlessly signed in black fountain pen (grading "10") by "Tyrus R. Cobb" in acknowledgment of the transaction. Both an Internal Revenue Service and New York State stock transfer tax stamp appear on the reverse. While Ty Cobb"™ legacy on the field of play needs no recounting here, what is less known by many fans is that Cobb was baseball"™s first millionaire player. He achieved that status in large part not from his salary as a ballplayer but due to his shrewd business investments during the early 1900s. Cobb, though he was not college educated, came from a well-to-do family in Georgia. His father was a local schoolteacher and Cobb"™s lifestyle was one of privilege, not hardship. His natural intelligence, combined with his father"™s insistence on educational excellence, prepared him well for his future career. Unlike most of his teammates, Cobb didn't squander his money, but instead invested it wisely. He was an early shareholder in both Coca-Cola and General Motors, two of the most successful companies in American history, and the profits he reaped from those investments alone made him extremely wealthy. His investment in Coca-Cola had a special significance for him, as the company was based in his home state of Georgia. Of all of Cobb"™s business ventures, it is his association with Coca-Cola that is best remembered today. Cobb was not only a major shareholder up until his death in 1961, but also a prominent spokesperson for the company. This is a simply an extraordinary document in all respects, made all the more desirable by the signature of the famed "Georgia Peach" on the reverse. The certificate (12 x 8.5 inches) bears three vertical folds and a number of staple holes, as well as official perforations. In Excellent condition overall. LOA from James Spence/JSA.
Reserve $2,000. Estimate $4,000/$6,000.
SOLD FOR $19,975.00