r/whatsthisworth • u/TemporaryEmployee465 • 1d ago

Ty Cobb’s golf tourney prize Likely Solved

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My wife found this at a thrift store here in the Bay Area. She was going to melt it down and make some jewelry and I said no way. I did the research and found the archived newspaper talking about this golf tournament. He participated in and this appears to be what he won. No idea how it ended up at a thrift store but the country club is also local.

532 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

89

u/tdenstad 1d ago

u/jason_at_heritage

He’s active here in the r/baseballcards sub

71

u/Jason_at_Heritage 1d ago

Yeah- don’t melt that down….

7

u/TemporaryEmployee465 23h ago

Haha seriously! Question: what would I do to get this appraised?

97

u/Jason_at_Heritage 23h ago

If you shoot me an email at jsimonds@ha.com with some pictures and approximate size (looks like it’s slightly bigger than an ash tray?) I’ll have a couple experts chime in and get you an idea of value. Great piece!

34

u/NotAThrowaway_11 23h ago

The Rick Harrison of Reddit

26

u/swervin_mervyn 22h ago

So, you're saying that it will be valued at $25k, but the best he can do is $100?

8

u/8years47weeks 17h ago

$150 and that's really more than he's comfortable paying

6

u/swervin_mervyn 17h ago

But he's got to get it polished, and it's going to sit on the shelf for a while.

2

u/ParsleyBeneficial123 51m ago

That's 100 cash, 50 in store credit

12

u/Ok-Parsnip9774 1d ago

Speak his name and he shall appear!

2

u/Judi_Chop 5h ago

I BELIEVE

2

u/Pokewok66 11h ago

How did that end up at a thrift store, was it just taking up space at some point?

1

u/bearfootmedic 10h ago

Boomers are dying after years of collecting shit. A lot of it's worthless but there are always odd gems. I'd have donated this without knowing, especially if it was mixed with a bunch of other stuff.

My parents have already started telling me things to not get rid of. It's insane. They have a 8,000 dollar chair and apparently a bunch of valuable fabric etc.

1

u/FocusedIntention 31m ago

Boomer possessions are the best! They don’t want it and the items don’t owe them anything so if they spent a couple hundred or more on it and you’ll take it, they’ll GLADLY give it to you if you just haul it out! It’s not like they’re going to start an eBay account, take measurements and list it.

123

u/chappy0215 1d ago

no clue of value but WOWEE andto the right collector I'd imagine a substantial amount

92

u/greengrass11 1d ago

Contact Heritage auction house and see what they tell you.

37

u/TemporaryEmployee465 1d ago

Thanks all! I may just reach out to Heritage!

104

u/Jason_at_Heritage 1d ago

Hey there- my name is Jason Simonds from Heritage Auctions, I am the Sports Consignment Director here in NYC. This thing is amazing. Don’t melt down a trophy that Ty Cobb won. If you shoot me an email with some pictures to jsimonds@ha.com I will ask a couple experts and get you an appraisal on this for free. If you choose to auction, I would be happy to include this in an upcoming Catalog Sale. A beautiful piece.

53

u/Hairy_Transition6901 1d ago

lol'd at "Don’t melt down a trophy that Ty Cobb won"

14

u/Worldly_Ad_6483 19h ago

Throw it in the fire Frodo!

2

u/Primary-Hold-6637 16h ago

Spit out my beer reading this, omg. Lmao.

3

u/TemporaryEmployee465 23h ago

Thanks I will reach out via email!

13

u/Luckyfella4 1d ago

I've bought and sold from Heritage numerous times. They're really, really good.

12

u/Brandbll 1d ago

Please give an update!

34

u/GarlicNo69 1d ago

No fucking way that has a 99 cent bric a brac sticker from Goodwill. I'm going to bed.

(Good find, very jealous!)

24

u/Redheadmane 1d ago

Heritage auctions These are the people you need to be speaking with

25

u/haikusbot 1d ago

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1

u/UKophile 6h ago

Good bot!

35

u/UG0TTRUMPED 1d ago

It is very hard to put a dollar amount on this one of a kind item. Take it to or mail away to a very high end sport memorabilia auction and put it up for sale i think that is where it would bring the most. Or get it appraised and List on ebay

6

u/ky80sh83nd3r 1d ago

Hard to put a dollar amount you say? Seems like they settled on .99 cents.

6

u/SBNShovelSlayer 21h ago

In that case, I'll offer double. Hell, let's call it $2.00. I'll even pay shipping, cause I'm a good guy.

16

u/bendover912 1d ago

Absolutely do not put it on ebay. At best you'll lose like 15% in fees, more likely and at worst you're buyer will return it and probably just send back a rock in a box.

12

u/Freerollingforlife 1d ago

Where else would you sell it - an auction house will take more than 15%

10

u/tinman91320 1d ago

eBay is great but not for high end one off items. Years back I had a 2k + book.. so I listed it on eBay for $1200.. Figured a quick sale for something I paid a few dollars for.

Well only got low ball offers. So I decided to send it specialty book auction. Sold for over 3k.. The buyers just weren’t looking on for this rare on eBay! Sure I paid 25% in fees.. but they got that top dollar!

1

u/Freerollingforlife 1d ago

Yeah wouldn’t disagree that if you can find a speciality sale for high value items you’d certainly want to explore that.

7

u/MiniB68 1d ago

Higher fees but you get it in front of the right people and actively work to increase the return. Also almost zero chance of getting scammed through auction house.

7

u/plasticbagroadkill 1d ago

Wow…. That is such an amazing find! Definitely in the top 5 of thrift store finds that I have ever seen! Congratulations!

4

u/gatorbeetle 1d ago

How this made it to the floor at a Goodwill is beyond me. They usually catch good stuff like this. Congrats, incredible find.

5

u/UndeadBuggalo 23h ago

So wait, GW sold a SILVER dish for .99? That’s insane. Meanwhile over here if you want a bracelet that’s fake, It’s gonna be 5.99.

6

u/Undrwtrbsktwvr 1d ago

According to Google, W. M. Greuner had a habit of getting sued for numerous things…

3

u/Rush_Is_Right 1d ago

RemindMe! 1 week

3

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4

u/Naptownfun316 1d ago

This belongs in a museum!

5

u/Primary-Hold-6637 16h ago

So do you!!!

2

u/papanikolaos 1d ago

RemindMe! 1 week

4

u/Lakeguy67 1d ago

I think it belongs to the lawyer on CNN

4

u/nice1priscilla 1d ago

I like your tie, Ty.

2

u/JaeGME 1d ago

As a kid that grew up next to royston GA, KEEP IT, if nobody else, old rich money georgians will collect it!

1

u/Delta8ttt8 1d ago

At least $.99 obviously.

1

u/SeanInMyTree 1d ago

I’ll give you $1.98, bam doubled your investment.

1

u/slZer0 1d ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/backwardsfan 1d ago

Castlewood is a beautiful course here in Pleasanton!

1

u/harrypooper3 1d ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/LeverpullerCCG 1d ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/shtynky 1d ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/Weird-Day-1270 23h ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/Glittering_Ad366 18h ago

that belongs in a museum!

1

u/ifly46niner 18h ago

remind me! 1 week

1

u/polishbroadcast 18h ago

The lawyer!?

1

u/olderevergreen 17h ago

Sweet Lord....this is special!!

1

u/DamnitTed 16h ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/Moondog_71 12h ago

Imagine what else was in that box of donations

1

u/wesley-presley 10h ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/Dry_Jello4161 4h ago

I see a lot of bric but not much brac $.50 is what I can offer

1

u/Prior-Subject6077 4h ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/Wishpicker 3h ago

It’s cool but I think you should remember that the last one that sold went for $.99 at a Goodwill

1

u/SuperThiccBoi2002 3h ago

God damn I need to go to the thrift stores y'all go to, coolest shit I ever find is old tractor manuals or music books lol

1

u/kazz9201 53m ago

RemindMe! 1 week

1

u/Smart_Principle8911 51m ago

!remindme 1 week

-15

u/melkor555 1d ago

I don't think it is same Ty Cobb

18

u/levybunch 1d ago

It could be the same one. Cobb died in 1961. Apparently he was an avid golfer and as competitive in golf as he was in baseball.

-17

u/melkor555 1d ago

Maybe but more likely if it was Georgia and I would think they would say something like baseballer ty cobb or some other reference.

21

u/goofytigre 1d ago

After retirement, Ty Cobb lived in Atherton, California, a mere 30 miles from Pleasanton, California, where the Castlewood Country Club is located.

7

u/Darryl_Lict 1d ago

Yup. He spent his retirement pursuing his off-season avocations of hunting, golfing, polo, and fishing.

In the winter of 1930, Cobb moved into a Spanish ranch estate on Spencer Lane in the affluent town of Atherton located south of San Francisco, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula.

1

u/SBNShovelSlayer 21h ago

don't forget drinking.

2

u/Kealanine 19h ago

The news article didn’t give you a single context clue? Like, at all?

1

u/government_ 1d ago

This man spent many years playing baseball in Augusta, ga.

-9

u/Darryl_Lict 1d ago

I doubt it was Trump's Lawyer.

1

u/Kealanine 19h ago

What does that even mean 🤣

1

u/Darryl_Lict 1h ago

Ty Cobb, not the baseball player, was Whitehouse attorney during the prior Trump administration.

-44

u/jellystoma 1d ago

Melt it down. The guy was a racist ahole

6

u/BeebleBoxn 1d ago

Times were different. Shouldn't involve the Woke mentality when it comes to Antiques there's collectors out there for every famous person especially Sports Memorabilia.

-30

u/jellystoma 1d ago

"Times were different" It wasn't ok then either.

14

u/BeebleBoxn 1d ago

This isn't the sub for it This is to find out about an item and what it's value is not what you would do with it.

-28

u/jellystoma 1d ago

There is never a wrong time to call out racists

7

u/MojoRisin762 1d ago

He's dead.... get over yourself.

1

u/SBNShovelSlayer 21h ago

Thank you for your service.

/s

-6

u/JaRulesLarynx 1d ago

I don’t think that’s true

5

u/Dizzydsmith 1d ago

It’s pretty well documented that he was. I don’t think that’s the discussion for here though. This is a very unique piece of history and this piece really should be in a museum. I think this is easily a 5 figure item.

2

u/JaRulesLarynx 1d ago

Also well documented that he wasn’t the monster portrayed in the book/movie. Knowing that I’d think it would make a person feel better about the piece.

Agree 5 figures. Even cooler since it’s a trophy for something unrelated to the reason he is famous. I’m not sure how much that would increase the value. I’d be interested to find out what it’s appraised at.