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Posted By: David Smith

Following up on Ted and Barry's ideas, could the Cobb with Cobb back be a later attempt by ATC to copy the Louisiana cards??

Maybe someone associated with ATC saw the Coupon cards and thought the glossy fronts would be a better marketing tool for the kids (Ooh, shiny). I mean Topps, Upper Deck, etc did it with newer cards.

Maybe the Cobb card was a test issue. ATC already had the front, just needed to print up a new back and add the gloss. They then could have decided that was not the way they wanted to go and scrapped the whole plan and started with a fresh design--T207. They have glossy fronts.

Maybe, as I have read somewhere, the Cobb back was a promo card for the Ty Cobb tobacco brand and was given out ONLY at a coming out party for the new brand. I thought I read that there was a theory that the card was used as an admittance ticket for a party. Only those who had the card was allowed entrance into the party. This would explain the different N.C. printing company, the limited production run and the limited geographical distribution.

The five found in the book could have been a kid's collection. His parents went to the party and picked up the other four when they saw them laying on a table. The couple of cards mentioned that wre found in Louisiana could have been from Louisiana tobacco executives. Maybe ATC was going to merge with the makers of Coupon or at least have a distribution deal with them and invited some executives to the party. Later, the deal could have been called off. Who knows?.

Either way, I wouldn't mind owning a Cobb with Cobb back.

David