Even the most beat up copies of the T206 Honus Wagner sell for at least six figures, just as long as it's deemed authentic. He had a photograph of the card taken before the transaction with Mastro and claimed that the card in the photo looked significantly different from the photo of Gretzky's card. Examining Font In Player's Name On Front Of T206 Card One of the first areas to examine when authenticating a T206 card is the front text area where the player's last name and team name are located on the bottom of the card. My son has a T206 Honus Wagner card and we are trying to figure out if it is a reprint or what. From there, youll likely want to contact a major auction house. The famousT206 Honus Wagnersold for a record $7.25 million in a private sale facilitated by Goldin Auctions, the company said Thursday. 1910-1911 M116 Sporting Life Doc White SGC VG 3 Chicago White Sox FREE SHIP! There are only 60 Honus Wagner baseball cards left in the world, ESPN estimates, and the last time one went to marketin Aug. 2021it sold for $6.6 million, becoming the most expensive sports . [2] In 1933, the card was first listed at a price value of US$50 in Jefferson Burdick's The American Card Catalog (equivalent to $1,000 in 2021), making it the most expensive baseball card in the world at the time. Honus Wagner and the Rarest and Most Valuable Baseball Cards These two columns alone will help you identify reprints of T206s and all other cards, especially Pre-WWII cards. It's the most valuable baseball card ever sold. All Rights Reserved, T206 Honus Wagner Baseball History of the Worlds Most Famous Card, Bill Mastro admitted to trimming the card, 2022-23 Topps UEFA Club Competitions Variations Guide, Top Selling Sports Card and Trading Card Hobby Boxes Hot List, 2023 National Sports Collectors Convention Guide - Autograph Signers, 2023 Topps Home Run Challenge Baseball Cards Checklist and Game Details, 2022-23 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie Card Checklist, Gallery & Hot List, http://goldinauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=1861, 2022-23 Panini Select Premier League Soccer Cards Checklist Added, 2023 Panini Select Draft Picks Football Cards, 2022 Leaf Vivid Baseball Cards Checklist Added, 2023 Topps Game Within the Game Baseball Cards Checklist Gallery. [1] The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series. He hit .328 for his career in 2,794 games. Graded a PSA 5 EX (MC) by PSA, this is one of the highest graded Wagner's you'll find. After years of refusing to have the card graded, the owners agreed to have the card examined by a fringe grading service, Card Collector Services, who also ruled that the card was simply a well-produced reprint. "[80] The Roman Catholic nuns auctioned the card, which despite its poor condition was expected to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000. Bill Hughes[33] was the official grader of the card, working for PSA at the time. The short amount of time it has remained in the hands of a single owner is indicative of the commodity status the card has achieved. [38] Inside the memorabilia community, there was speculation that the card had been cut from a printing sheet during the deal made with Mastro. The 1909 T206 Wagner is considered the "Holy Grail" of sports card and the SCG 3 is one of the five best-known examples in existence. Mr. Mangasarian said the card seemed authentic and stated he would attend the auction for the card later on if the card could be taken out of the thick lucite holder for a closer examination. It is graded PSA 1. Lol I find it highly strange that 10 of the 50 something Wagner 206 owners have commented on this article. [52] On July 15, the card was sold to Brian Seigel, a collector from California, for $1.265 million (equivalent to $1.991million in 2021). [29] With Sotheby's 10% buyer's premium, the final price of the card came out to $451,000 (equivalent to $897,262 in 2021), nearly four times the pre-auction estimate. Now, Robert Edward Auctions has its hands on another Wagner. [45] In 1993, illusionist David Copperfield used the popularity of the card as part of a magic trick which he performed during a TV Special. The T206 set itself is the most popular pre-War baseball card set in the hobby. Your inbox approves RB enters top 10 Men's basketball . Then it has on the back the story about him not wanting his name associated with tobacco. [12][13], The typical card in the T206 series had a width of .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}1+716 inches (3.65cm) and a height of 2+58 inches (6.67cm). And perhaps no card is as revered as a T206 Honus Wagner. There is no easy explanation, either, for the cool-down that much of the market has experienced over the last few months. It seems that on a regular basis, a T206 is sold for a record amount. Im sure it took more than 300 hours to find those lol! [47] On February 24, 1996 (the 122nd anniversary of Wagner's birthday), the grand prize drawing for the card was held on CNN's Larry King Weekend. The story of the most famous and valuable baseball card in the world continues to be told. All Items matching: 2022 Topps 206 - Honus Wagner He explained that all T-206s have dark brown letters printed for the team's name and player's name and this one was in black. Sheen had loaned the card to the All Star Cafe where it was stolen and later recovered by the FBI. Then, if a second dealer is an option, thats a good way to compare. That looks like an even better bargain after a 2009 Mike Trout rookie card set a baseball card record at $3.9 million last August and a 1952 Mickey Mantle beat it with a $5.2 million sale price in January. The front and back of the T206 Honus Wagner being sold by Robert Edward Auctions. The card attracted lots of media attention over its questionable authenticity, including being a feature segment on the highly rated sports documentary program, HBO Real Sports. Belonging to the brother of Sister Virginia Muller, he left all his possessions to the Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame convent. The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card depicts the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner, known as "The Flying Dutchman," a dead-ball era baseball player who is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time. The T206 Honus Wagner card has long been viewed by collectors as the "Mona Lisa" of sports cards. My honus wagnor has a yellow box on the back that says it worth 20,000 then says why honus took his picture off tabacoo cards. We've received your submission. Copperfield had Gretzky sign a reprint of the card, then proceeded to tear the card into four pieces, after which he restored it and magically removed the signature. Sports Card Guaranty's population report shows they've graded 10. The folklore of the card hinges on its uber-rarity (somewhere between 50 and 60 copies exist) and multiple theories on why so few Wagners exist, including: Wagner's printing plate breaking during production, A copyright dispute between artist and tobacco company, The most popular theory, offered up by Wagner's family and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, is that Wagner didn't want to promote smoking tobacco to children and asked the card be pulled from production, The most logical theory is Wagner realized he wouldn't be compensated fairly for his name, image and likeness and objected. Kindest regards. "[14] These discrepancies were taken advantage of by so-called "card doctors", who trimmed corners and dirty edges to improve the appearance of the card. There was also a private sale in June of a 1914 Babe Ruth card at a price that was said to beat $5.2 million but was not publicly disclosed. 1987 Hygrade All-Time Greats Red Back Honus Wagner T-206 - GD/VG - eBay This card has not changed hands as many times as some other Wagners but it has still sold for significant amounts each time: Charlie Sheen is a notoriously huge baseball fan and over the years he has accumulated quite a collection of different cards and memorabilia, including this Honus Wagner card in poor condition graded PSA 1. The publicity the latest T206 Honus Wagner received proved, once again, that regardless of condition, deep-pocketed collectors and investors are willing to pay huge amounts for this rare card. Johannes Peter "Honus" "Hans" Wagner Born:February 24, 1874 - Chartiers, PA Died: December 6, 1955 - Carnegie, PA Batted:RH Threw:RH Position:SS Career BA:.328 Managerial Record:1-4 Teams: Louisville Colonels NL (February 24, 1874 - December 6, 1955) Pittsburgh Pirates NL (1900-1916; player-manager: 1917) Standard Shipping (eBay Standard Envelope for Trading Cards, Stamps, Postcards & Coins up to $20) Estimated between Fri, May 5 and Tue, May 9 to 23917 With that transaction, there was a sudden renewed interest in baseball card collecting. Ray personally stated that Mastro might have been doing this to prevent others from trying to trace the card. Then who knows. When it came time for that card to come out, it wasn't that he wasn't paid. Seller information. But nearly everyone agrees: The truly high-end cards will continue to rocket up, insulated from any broader stabilization or downturn. Connelly consented and took the card across the country to prospective buyers. Do you guys have any information on the Honus Wagner card up that is up for auction now at Goldin Auctions? In October, 2013, controversy finally caught up with the Gretzky Wagner as Bill Mastro admitted to trimming the card. Gibbs could not afford the taxes on the card, so she decided to consign the card to an auction later on. This early 20th-century card of Honus Wagner is one of just two copies known to exist. Card is in Near Mint to Mint condition. Perhaps, the most famous is the Gretzky T206 Honus Wagner. The card, produced by the American Tobacco Co. between 1909 and 1911 as part of what is now known as the T206 series of baseball cards, is in extremely limited supply and has been setting price. [11] Two years later, the ATC was broken up into several major companies as part of the United States Supreme Court ruling in United States v. American Tobacco Company, 221 U.S. 106 (1911). To give you an idea, here are four of the most popular cards from the sets and their respective populations (number of them graded) by PSA currently: So, that should give you a good picture of how scarce Wagner's card is relative to others in the set. Otherwise, checking out PSA (psadna.com) and having them check it out, although this costs money. "[22] However, Wagner chewed tobacco, and he had previously appeared in advertisements for many tobacco products, including a cigar baseball trading card in 1899 and a newspaper ad for Murad cigarettes during the 1909 World Series. [84] In May 2020, Gregorio Amor and a team of investors, purchased the card. A rare, century-old Hogus Wagner baseball card previously owned by actor Charlie Sheen will be auctioned later this month with an estimated value of US$3 million, according to . An inside look at why the T206 Honus Wagner card sold for a record $6.6 Regardless of the specific reason, what is known is that, unlike other cards in the set, the T206 Honus Wagner is disproportionately short-printed compared to other cards in the series. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 by Old Sports Cards, LLC, Wagner was upset at the company for using his likeness without sufficiently compensating him, Wagner did not want his image associated with tobacco and smoking since these cards usually found their way into the hands of kids. And finally, we get to. [85][86], President of PSA, Joe Orlando said "The PSA EX 5 (MC) 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner (serial number 15385994) is, without question, one of the top examples of this historic card known. Thanks for contacting us. Production of the card was cut short due to a dispute between Wagner and American Tobacco. T206 Honus Wagner All Cigarette Tobacco Card Back Backs Reprint Novelty 16 Card Lot 5 out of 5 stars (5) $ 19.99. As Lifson commented, the Copeland deal revitalized the industry and "created an incentive to sell these great cards."[41]. Rare Honus Wagner baseball card sells for $7.25 million If you hang around this hobby long enough, you'll find there are many quirks in how baseball card values are determined. [75] Connelly met a card dealer in New York City, Mike Mangasarian, who was sent on behalf of a prominent collector to check the card out. [29] The card became known as the "Gretzky T206 Wagner" to the public. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2008-2023 The Cardboard Connection. This is when Gretzky approached the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) company to grade the card, resulting in the aforementioned PSA 8 NM-MT grading. In 2019, Rally Rd announced that it was going to begin selling shares in the card at $52 each. How do I contact the PSA or BVG for authenticity? However, many long believed the card to have been trimmed at some point in order to achieve such a high grade. The exact reason for this has become something of legend, but it has been widely accepted to be one of two scenarios. What is the best, fairest way to get the values of an older, 50/60 yr, card collection. A T206 Wagner given a two on the PSA's 110 grading scale sold for $75,000 in September 2000. History is just a couple of mouse clicks away. Honus Wagner T206 card sells for record $7.25 million [83] It is currently on display in the Rally Rd Showroom in the Soho section of New York City. Unsurprisingly, the ATC asked for Wagner's permission to have his picture on a baseball card. 1? This ungraded or "raw" card, as it's referred to in the hobby, is currently housed at the New York Public Library. PSA's population report shows they've graded 34. [27] They stopped production of the card, however, after Wagner denied authorization. One particular T206 Honus Wagner of suspect provenance is the example owned by John Cobb and Ray Edwards of Cincinnati. HONUS WAGNER 1909 T206 Cigarette SOVEREIGN Back REPRINT - Baseball Card SOVEREIGN variation back The Most Valuable Baseball Card - once sold for $2.8 Million! By comparison, there are hundreds of Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Walter Johnson and other Hall of Famers from the set whose cards have been professionally graded. 'Believe in the power of cheese': How a group of rookies helped give the Brewers the best vibes in baseball, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [79] The card came with her brother's handwritten note: "Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century! The Wagner card is considered to be the Mona Lisa of baseball cards. There is thought to be fewer than 50 authenticated copies in the industry. Wagner refused to allow production of his baseball card to continue, either because he did not want children to buy cigarette packs to get his card, or because he wanted more compensation from the ATC. eBay officials decided to remove the listing the day before the auction was scheduled to begin. The bidding for the Pirates' legend's card began on July 23 and opened at $1 million. The ATC ended production of the Wagner card, and a total of only 50 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public (the exact number is unknown), as compared to the "tens or hundreds of thousands" of T206 cards, over three years in sixteen brands of cigarettes, for any other player. Step By Step Guide To Spotting a Fake T206 Card An IPS expert determined that the card dated back to 1910, which would be consistent to the time period when the card was distributed. 1910 T-206 Honus Wagner - Wagner Estate, CMG Reprint Card Just a short six months later, the card was sold to another anonymous collector for $2.8 million. Because of its rarity, history and the iconic Hall of Famer it depicts, the T206 Honus Wagner has been coveted, pursued, owned and sold by industry executives, Hollywood moguls, athletes and entertainers. Wagner was offered a $20,000 contract by the Chicago White Sox, but turned it down and continued to play with the Pirates. Honus Wagner 1914 Cracker Jack E145-1 #68 The beauty of the 1914 Cracker Jack set has not been forgotten. But it's believed there may be less than 60. The figure eclipsed the $6.606 million fetched for another T-206 Wagner almost a year ago to the day. Your best bet is to have it graded and authenticated by PSA or BVG. 1 one month into the season? The card is a T206 Honus Wagner -- one of the move coveted sports cards on the planet -- that dates back to 1909. People who can play at that level understand that this is an opportunity thats not going to come around often, Dwyer says, and so when you have an opportunity to acquire something that is so rare, that is so special and so revered, and that is in such good condition as the example that were selling, youre going to see tremendous interest and prices that generally are record-setting.. A bidding competition between Mike Gidwitz, Mark Friedland and an unknown phone bidder ensued. The T-206 is one of the reasons I do what I do and why serious collectors around the world love this hobby so much. Best of luck and feel free to keep us posted. Honus Wagner is the highlight of this 11-card set issued by American Caramel that honors the Pittsburg (how the city's name is spelled on the cards) Pirates 1909 team that defeated the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. The card was given this designation by PSA due to its oversized nature. HONUS WAGNER 1909 T206 Cigarette SOVEREIGN Back REPRINT - Baseball Card Thanks. One such example is known in the industry as the 'Jumbo Wagner' [shown on the right]. [21], The reasons for Wagner's strong negative reaction to the ATC's request have been the subject of much speculation. On August 16, 2021, it was announced that a T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $6.606 million, which includes a 20% buyer's premium, breaking the record for highest-selling sports card of all time. The "MC" in the grade refers to the fact that it was miscut, hence its extra size. [29] Copeland received around $5 million for the entire collection. I am interested in selling my T206 Honus Wagner card. As a result of the publicity generated from the financially successful Gretzky T206 Honus Wagner, a number of previously undiscovered legitimate T206 Wagner cards have surfaced. It topped the price sold in August 2021. [60], On December 4, 2012, Mastro was indicted on federal fraud charges, and entered a plea of not guilty. I thought I was Lucky to own 3 52 Mantles. No T206 Honus Wagner card has graded higher than PSA 8 NM-MT but if one is ever to be found in better shape than thatwho knows what its value would be? 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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Home Baseball Baseball Cards T206 Honus Wagner Baseball History of the Worlds Most Famous Card. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Collectibles marketplace Goldin announced on Thursday that a T-206 Honus Wagner has sold in a private sale for $7.25M, a record amount for a sports card. 1. The card, produced by the American Tobacco Co. between 1909 and 1911 as part of what is now known as the T206 series of baseball cards, is in extremely limited supply and has been setting price records for more than 80 years, most recently in 2016 at $3.12 million. The bidding prices far exceeded the pre-auction estimates, as a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card sold for $49,500, more than three times the initial pre-auction price estimate. Half of a T206 Honus Wagner card sells at auction for $475,960 - ESPN The size and scope of the deal revitalized interest in the sports memorabilia market as investors saw it as a means of sheltering money in turbulent economic times, free from the volatility of the stock market and other traditional investment tools. Produced by the American Tobacco Company for its T206 series of baseball cards between 1909 and 1911, the Wagner has reached such mythical proportions that it is often simply called The Card. That blew away the previous. This card, which resides in one of the most popular sets of all time, features one of baseball's greatest players and it remains the symbol of trading card collecting. [62] Mastro's plea agreement was rejected by a judge. He didn't want kids to have to buy tobacco to get his card. Burdick had his reason. Honus Wagner T206 baseball card, a Holy Grail, sells for $7.25 million The Trout and the Mantle were just two in a slew of record or notable sales that also included a $5.2 million LeBron James card (which set a mark in April for a basketball card) and a $3.75 million Wayne Gretzky card (in June, a new peak for a hockey card). Another example sold for $6.6 million in August 2021, making it the most expensive sports card. The police launched an investigation, but found no evidence of wrongdoing. we have a honus wagner cars 350-460 with a gretzky signature at the top is it worth anything.. Hi Ryan, On May 28, 2019, it was announced that a PSA-graded 2 (Good) card was sold by private transaction to an unnamed buyer for $1.2M. [35] Bill Mastro, a sports memorabilia dealer who later founded Mastro Auctions and became one of the most powerful figures in the industry, heard the news, and immediately jumped on the offer. Included in the above auction, a PSA 1 card sold for $110,000. Its called the Jumbo Wagner. In 1991, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and then owner of the Los Angeles Kings, Bill McNall, purchased the card for $451,000. No matter the reason(s), so few copies have made it to 2022 that the Wagner is routinely called the holy grail or Mona Lisa of trading cards. Ray would not say where he acquired the card, to this day . In 2015, Robert Edward Auctions sold one off for $1.32 million, considered a steal even at the time. Otherwise, manually looking things up on eBay is also a good way to get a second opinion just pay particular attention to condition, which is very important for vintage stuff. The current owner is Ken Kendrick, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who purchased the card privately in 2007 for $2.8 million. Mastro offered one of the other T206 Wagner cards in his personal collection to Lifson as payment for the $25,000 that Lifson fronted him for the Gretzky T206 Wagnerclaiming that Lifson could sell the lower quality one for $30,000 and make a quick $5,000 profit. Additionally, many leading hobby experts regarded the card as a fake, including PSA president, Joe Orlando. By that logic, theoldestcard of thebestplayer ever should be the most expensive, right? LOL thats what I was thinking. Not all Honus Wagner baseball cards have been professionally graded by PSA or SGC. The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card depicts the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner, known as "The Flying Dutchman, a dead-ball era baseball player who is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time. Hughes admitted to knowing that the card had been altered when he graded it. Fun fact:this particular card was the first card that PSA ever graded. Heck, or even one worth $450,000 for that matter! Honus Wagner Cards and Buying Guide - The Cardboard Connection The consultant stated that a decent counterfeit of the card could only be produced from a "master pressman with 510 years experience, and would require a machine which would cost between $500,000 and $2 million. [43] Sotheby's advertised Copeland's items as the "Copeland Collection of Important Baseball Cards and Sports Memorabilia" to attract hobbyists and other potential clients. [5] These transactions have made the Wagner card the most valuable baseball card in history. That's where the demand comes into play. Some memorabilia collectors have dismissed Ray's claims, saying that the photo hardly proves any doctoring was ever done on the card. On August 3, 2022, a SGC Grade 2 T206 Honus Wagner card sold for $7.25 million in a private sale, breaking the record for the most expensive card. Courtesy SCP Auctions The damaged Wagner card sold at auction recently for $475,960. [50], Michael Gidwitz, the same individual who battled with Gretzky and Mark Friedland for the card at the Copeland auction in 1991, won the Christie's auction with a bid of $641,500 in 1996 (equivalent to $1,108,367 in 2021). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Gretzky T206 Wagner was first sold by Alan Ray to a baseball memorabilia collector named Bill Mastro, who sold the card two years later to Jim Copeland for nearly four times the price he had originally paid. Let's take a look at some of the most famous: This is the finest known example of the T206 Honus Wagner card, having received a grade of 8 Near Mint - Mint from PSA in 1991. [48] At around 9:00p.m., Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, one of King's guests on the show, pulled out the name of one Patricia Gibbs, a postal worker living in Hollywood, Florida. "[72], Card Collector Services graded the card and officially ruled that it was indeed a reprint. It is estimated that less than 60 of the T206 Honus Wagner cards still exist. In later years, Mastro Auctions was the subject of an FBI investigation for using unscrupulous methods such as card doctoring, price-fixing and shill bidding to increase profits. As Connelly pointed out, the collectors chose not to make bids because "[w]hen eBay pulled the card it raised too many questions about its authenticity."[76]. [44] Pre-auction estimates placed Copeland's T206 Honus Wagner at a price of $114,000. ! Source PropertyRoom.com's trusted merchant, Sports Collectibles, presents this online auction for the above 1910 T-206 Honus Wagner - Wagner Estate, CMG Reprint Card. The card was printed with the original 1909 orange color (#179), and also in blue (#307) and red (#456). The T206 Honus Wagner card is quite simply in a league of its own and a mere pipe dream for millions of collectors. He helped the Pirates to a World Series in 1909 and won the batting title eight times. Obviously, we need to get to $5 million before we can get to $6 million, before we can get to $7 million, says REA president Brian Dwyer, but based on the early activity, based on the reception and the interest that were seeing, we do believe that theres going to be significant interest as the auction progresses..
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