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 . Three are also known to have the Piedmont backing, making it the rarest version of all. It's the face of an entire hobby. This particular T206 Honus Wagner stands out from other known examples and therefore gives it placement as a top-notch specimen. 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. He has variously stated he purchased the card at an estate sale from "an old couple" for $1,800 in 1983 or 1984; he claimed not to know who Honus Wagner was at the time of purchase. Votto back with Reds after rehab . Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. Ray, who later stated he "had a money situation," agreed to Mastro's terms of the deal. 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. An outraged Edwards dismissed the accusations as "bullshit," adding that they would not have been made "if we were white. $3.25M a record sale for Honus Wagner baseball card. N.J. auction house Read more here. The Gretzky T206 Wagner was first sold by collector Alan Ray to the famed sports memorabilia dealer named Bill Mastro, the one-time owner of Mastro Auctions. Heck, or even one worth $450,000 for that matter! There's really no way of knowing for certain. Linda (ID 58011) Once proven authentic, the card is potentially worth A LOT. The first thing people usually ask is: how much is a T206 Honus Wagner card worth? Honus Wagner, Long Baseball's Most Valuable Card, Is Poised To Reclaim And finally, we get to. [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. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1992 Baseball Silver Card 1oz. Widely considered the most valuable baseball card of all-time, the T206 Honus Wagner has been the subject of great debate and, at times, controversy. We've received your submission. The expert ruled that the "paper stock was consistent with the time that card would have been made." Half a Honus. FREE shipping Add to Favorites RARE 1992 Honus Wagner "The Flying Dutchman" Framed Lithograph Print by Kelly Russell Studios, Inc. #1595 Cooperstown Collection 5 out of 5 stars (145 . [26] The ATC had already produced a number of T206 Honus Wagner baseball cards; the exact number is unknown, but is speculated to be between 50 and 200. Honus Wagner and the Rarest and Most Valuable Baseball Cards [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). Collectibles marketplace Goldin announced on Thursday that a T-206 Honus Wagner has sold in a private sale for $7.25 million, a record amount for a sports card. 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. 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. T206 Honus Wagner All Cigarette Tobacco Card Back Backs Reprint Novelty 16 Card Lot 5 out of 5 stars (5) $ 19.99. Elected to the Hall of Fame in its inaugural year, Wagner was truly one of the greats. Free shipping for many products! These two columns alone will help you identify reprints of T206s and all other cards, especially Pre-WWII cards. 1936 National Chicle Fine Pens Honus Wagner | PSA CardFacts 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. 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.. Another raw T206 Wagner can be found at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Do you know how much it is worth? [42] Mastro contacted Sotheby's, the renowned New York auction house, and asked them to accept the Copeland memorabilia collection on consignment. 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. The first suggests that Wagner, a Hall of Fame shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, didnt want his likeness used to market tobacco. Mastro has told colleagues in the memorabilia circuit that he purchased the card from a printer, which was not Ray's profession. And since there's no indication they'll become cheaper anytime soon, the Honus Wagner card will remain a dream for many collectors as long as this hobby exists. [10] During the presidency of "trust-buster" Theodore Roosevelt, the ATC was subjected to legal action from the government, in hopes of shutting down the monopoly in the industry. I thought I was Lucky to own 3 52 Mantles. Thanks for contacting us. One such example is known in the industry as the 'Jumbo Wagner' [shown on the right]. A T206 Wagner owned by renowned collector Frank Nagy sold for $456,000 in December 2005, through Mastro's auction company. Mile High Card Company will offer what's known as the "All-Star Caf Wagner" in its next catalog auction, set to open Thursday, March 10. So this Wagner is a collectible that really does transcend the hobby.. [28], In 1991, National Hockey League player Wayne Gretzky purchased a mint condition 1909 T206 Honus Wager baseball card, with a Piedmont cigarette brand back, at a Sotheby's auction. In February, 2007, Siegel then sold the card privately to an anonymous collector for $2.35 million.