Invaluable, the world’s leading online marketplace for fine art, antiques and collectibles, today announced a partnership with Royka’s Auctioneers to offer online bidding on a single lot auction featuring a rare photograph and handwritten letters from baseball legend Ty Cobb. The auction will take place on August 9, 2016 at 6:00pm EDT. Bidders can view the lot on Invaluable.com and bid during the live auction both online and using the Invaluable mobile app.

An old steam trunk sitting in a house outside Royston, Georgia contained 40 years of letters written to Erwin Manley, a retired rural mail carrier. The letters mainly concerned personal affairs, but at the bottom of the trunk were seven letters from 1904 to 1907 written to Manley, a former pitcher with the Royston Reds, from his boyhood teammate, Ty Cobb.

The letters consist of handwritten personal and baseball content from 1904 and one letter that dates to 1907, along with signed envelopes and the only known photo of Ty Cobb in a Georgia Tourists uniform. The letters begin 10 days prior to Cobb’s professional debut.

Also included with the lot is a letter of provenance from the heir of the Manley family where the letters descended in; a copy of the three page letter from Wesley Fricks, National Ty Cobb Historian and a founder of the Ty Cobb Museum in Royston, Georgia; and a letter of authenticity from Paul Royka, owner of Royka’s. 

Wesley Fricks, who authenticated the letters, stated, “I am truly amazed at these letters and what they reveal about this young ball player’s early life.”

Paul Royka, the appraiser and auctioneer who appraised the find said, “It’s truly amazing to read the letters before Tyrus Cobb knew he would become the baseball legend Ty Cobb. The content is so personal and endearing.”  

Ty Cobb is still considered one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game, and was one of the first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. in 1936. To view the lot and bid online, please visit Invaluable.com. To view the 38 page catalog, please visit www.Roykas.com.

About Invaluable

Invaluable is the world’s leading online marketplace for buying fine art, antiques and collectibles. Working with more than 4,000 of the world’s premier auction houses, dealers and galleries, Invaluable helps buyers from 200 countries connect with the things they love. With best-in-class online bidding technology, along with a fixed-price retail platform, Invaluable provides sellers with e-commerce and marketing solutions, as well as auction management software. Recently called “one of the fastest growing e-commerce sites in the art world” by Blouin ArtInfo, Invaluable has also been recognized by Deloitte’s 2015 Technology Fast 500™ and the 2015 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® program. Headquartered in Boston, Invaluable also has offices in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium and Australia. For more information, visit www.Invaluable.com or follow us on Twitter at @InvaluableLive.

About Royka’s

Paul Royka is a nationally known fine art, antique & collectibles expert.  He has authored several books and appeared on several popular TV programs.   His clients include individuals, museums and institutions throughout the U.S.  Royka's handles large collections, estate liquidation for trust attorneys or single item consignments. Based in central Massachusetts, Paul meets with clients throughout New England. For more information, visit www.roykas.com.