Ty Cobb Photograph Appraisal

Vintage-Style Ty Cobb and Tristram Speaker Black and White Photograph

This item is a black and white photograph featuring legendary baseball figures Ty Cobb and Tristram Speaker, along with two other unidentified men in period-accurate suits and caps. The central figure, Cobb, is seen wearing a heavy knit sweater and baseball pants, characteristic of the early 20th-century athletic aesthetic. The photograph appears to be a modern or mid-century reproduction rather than an original silver gelatin print from the era, evidenced by the tonal quality and presentation. It is mounted within a rectangular red cardstock matting. The matting shows visible signs of wear, including creasing and a distinct horizontal line of adhesive tape across the center, which obscures part of the image and the mat itself. The condition of the matting is fair to poor due to the tape residue and surface scuffs, though the image itself shows good contrast with visible details in the textures of the clothing. There are no visible maker's marks, signatures, or embossed stamps on the front of the image or the mat. The framing style and the subjects suggest an estimated age for the original scene in the 1910s-1920s, while the physical object likely dates to the late 20th century.