The surviving portion of the world’s most sought after baseball card is heading to a new home after SCP Auctions sold it Saturday night for $475,960. Torn nearly in half at one point in its life, the T206 Honus Wagner card has been tucked away in a private collection since 1995.
It’s believed to be one of the first cards ever graded and authenticated by PSA and remains in the original holder that was used by the company to encapsulate cards more than 25 years ago. The circumstances of why the card wound up torn have been lost to time. It’s one of approximately 60 authentic copies issued in packs of cigarettes in 1909 before Wagner is believed to have asked for it to be removed from production.
The card generated 18 bids after the auction opened on January 19. It was the highest selling item among 574 lots.
A 1952 Topps Eddie Mathews rookie card graded PSA 8 also crossed the six figure mark, bringing a record price of $161,215, topping the previous record by nearly $70,000.
Bidders also chased an autographed copy of Michael Jordan’s first NBA trading card. The 1984-85 Star Company Jordan, graded BGS 8.5 with a 10 autograph grade from JSA, sold for $91,000.
SCP also offered the three home run balls hit by Atlanta Braves players during the sixth and deciding game of the 2021 World Series. The ball hit by Jorge Soler that cleared the stands and was picked up by a neighbor across the street from Houston’s MinuteMaid Park netted $70,745 while Freddie Freeman’s seventh inning blast that completed the 7-0 whitewash of the Astros went for $23,351. The fifth inning home run ball hit by Dansby Swanson did not meet a pre-determined reserve price.
Other memorabilia sold included vintage tickets, photographs, autographs and championship rings.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning photo believed to be the exact copy used to produce the New York Herald Tribune sports page chronicling Babe Ruth’s final visit to Yankee Stadium in 1948 sold for $62,256.
A 1930s Lou Gehrig photo, autographed and inscribed by the Yankee great to teammate Earle Combs went for 44,428.
Other items sold included:
- 2010 Chicago Blackhawks championship ring $78,709
- 1984 Michael Jordan shoes from US Olympic Trials $56,596
- Autographed 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle card $39,382
- 1980-81 Topps Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rookie card BGS 9.5 $37,668
- 1968-69 ABA Minnesota Pipers warmup jacket $29,586
- Fernando Tatis’ MLB debut game-worn cap $20,724
Complete results can be found here.
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