Students who occupy the new Women’s College general residence hall this fall will be surrounded works of art whose creator has an interesting backstory: a baseball bearing his signature sold on e-Bay for $33.95. Although the artist never played professional baseball, his grandfather certainly did. The collectible ball’s inscription reads: “Christopher Cobb. Ty Cobb’s grandson.”

Grandfather Cobb had what is known in baseball as a “good eye” for a hitter. The Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer managed to get wood on more major league pitches than just about anyone in baseball history. Shop online for a ball with the Ty Cobb’s signature and you will see prices close to $8,000.

Brenau acquired Christopher Cobb’s artwork from anonymous donors who got them on settlement of debts from the brief time the artist lived in Gainesville, Georgia – about 200 prints, drawings and paintings this year and another 200 set for delivery in 2017.

According to Brenau President Emeritus John Burd, who has shown a particularly good eye himself in acquiring art for the university’s permanent art collection over the past 30 years, says the Cobb collection includes “some really very nice pieces.”

Brenau Galleries Director Nichole Rawlings picked the drawings for display in the residence hall and says other pieces will be displayed in other campus locations. “They really are a nice addition [to the residence hall],” she says. “They add a lot to it, and I think the students will be pleased.”

The residence hall opening concludes a $6.5 million ForeverGold improvement project that also added the four sorority houses that opened in 2015.

For more information about how to support student experience and the Women’s College visit forevergold.brenau.edu.