If you know anything about baseball cards, you know about the T206 Honus Wagner card.
And if you know nothing about baseball cards, you probably have no idea why 6 square inches of cardboard with one amazing story are worth more than 99% of homes in the U.S.
The Wagner was back in the news this month, when a previously unknown T206 card surfaced on the new season of Ken Goldin's popular Netflix show, "King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch."
In 1909, the American Tobacco Company printed the now-famous T206 set to promote their cigarette and tobacco brands.
At the time, Honus Wagner was one of the biggest stars in baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop debuted in 1897, quickly becoming the best hitter in the game. By 1909, Wagner had already won seven batting titles and had become the face of the game — earning the nickname “the Flying Dutchman” thanks to his speed around the base paths.
Wagner was originally featured in the T206 set, but he quickly put a stop to the production. Many believe it was due to Wagner’s concern over his likeness being used to market cigarettes, to children — a story first told by renowned collector John D. Wagner, who heard it directly from Honus directly.
Over the years, the exceptional rarity of these cards, combined with a rich tapestry of lore, has produced some of the most expensive sales in the world.
With less than 50 graded across PSA and SGC, each Wagner has a story.
From passing through the hands of Wayne Gretzky or Charlie Sheen to a nunnery in Baltimore and beyond, each and every Wagner could be a feature film.
That’s excluding price tags, which, of course, makes things all the more interesting. Routinely setting the record as the world’s most expensive card, Wagners have been selling for eye-popping sums for decades.
In 2000, The Gretzky Wagner became the first $1 million card, nabbing $1.3 million.
The same card crossed $2 million in 2007.
Another card, known as the “Jumbo Wagner,” cleared $3 million in 2016.
In 2021, we saw a Wagner sell for a record $6.6 million, only to be outdone by a sale the following year of $7.5 million, which remains the high watermark for the card … for now.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.