PSA-1 Wagner sold for a record price of $110K

Written by T206museum (May, 2004)

A PSA-1 T206 Honus Wagner with Sweet Caporal back (Lot #440) sold for $109,639 in April 2004 MastroNet Auction. This final bid set a record price for a PSA-1 Wagner once again. The next highest price for a PSA-1 T206 Honus Wagner was from SportsCards Plus Auction that sold for $92,256 backed in August 2003.

This is one of the very few collectibles on earth for which no explanatory description is required, and for which verbal inducement intended to pique interest is utterly redundant. The mere sight of a T206 Wagner is sufficient to provoke an unbelievably pleasant sensation, unique to each individual, within the emotional core of a baseball enthusiast. Wagner's legend is well-traveled, particularly as it relates to this small but majestic printed piece with the distinctive orange background, but the specifics of each T206 Wagner's singular journey remain bountifully intriguing. We recognize the likeness of the Dutchman at once, but related questions immediately ensue. "Where has this card been? What has it seen?" Those wonderings are compelling in each Wagner card's own instance. They only add even more fuel to the magnetic wish to possess it, and, in so doing, to contribute to the card's personal time-line's path.

Graded PR-FR 1 by PSA, one of just 21 examples in existence to merit fully graded authentication. Rather than being disrupted overmuch by an assessment that might, at first blush, be perceived as negative, this specimen's mystique is sparkling and intact. Creases trace a latticework about the cardfront's central subject, but the observer sees at once that Wagner's gaze has remained solid and direct - as if mere fingers would dare to touch those eyes! Viewed casually, the piece works its magic with time-tested effectiveness and power, and, studied closely, its evidence of handling forms gripping testimony with respect to the relic's immutability and endurance. The reverse's advertisement marks the card's long-ago embarkation into the world as a Sweet Caporal promotional giveaway, but its subsequent peregrinations have carried the keepsake through dimensions about which we can only speculate. A card that's entirely new to the hobby, this specimen has never before been offered publicly. It was quietly discovered among a stack of T206's by our consignor, years ago, and it has continued to reside in privacy since that time.

Here is the item that has inspired the industry from its earliest days, and the artifact which continues to be the ultimate goal for every enthusiast. Honus Wagner's presence elevates any collection like no other force on the planet, but so lamentably few of the industry's finest assemblies have the opportunity to attain the resultant, ultra-elite status thus afforded. This special card, with its signs of natural circulation displayed proudly, represents the cherished essence of the innumerable, rewarding lifetimes spent in pursuit of collecting fulfillment.

Final Bid: $109,639