Top T206 Collection Nets Over $8 Million

The All-Time Number One T206 set on the PSA Registry is no more. Broken up and sold card-by-card in a special catalog sale through Heritage Auctions, the collection of 520 cards netted over $8.15 million when the final numbers were calculated Friday.  The pre-auction estimate of just under $3.5 million itself was more than doubled. 

Every card in the auction was among the best of its kind and avid fans of the hobby’s most popular pre-War set responded with their wallets.  Heritage officials say nearly 80 percent of the cards set record prices.  Heritage says it received multiple calls from owners of T2o6 cards anxious to consign after they saw the results.

“This might have been the most significant trading card auction in history,” said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions for Heritage. “The finest example of the greatest tobacco issue, absolutely shifted the marketplace on its axis.”

The collection did not include a T206 Honus Wagner but two of the most sought after cards in the set were featured and neither disappointed.  A PSA 7 Eddie Plank sold for $690,000 while a PSA 8 Sherry Magee (“Magie”) error card landed at $660,000.  The Magee is the highest graded example known to exist while the Plank has a population of three with one other example rating higher.

Among the other sales that established new records for the grade:  

• $360,000 – 1909-11 T206 Old Mill Ty Cobb (Green Portrait), PSA NM-MT 8, Pop Eight, None Higher

• $264,000 – 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal 150/649 Overprint Christy Mathewson (White Cap), PSA Mint 9 – Pop Two, None Higher

• $192,000 – 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal 350-460/42 Overprint Ty Cobb (Portrait-Red), PSA NM-MT 8
• $66,000 – 1909-11 T206 Piedmont 350 Tris Speaker, PSA NM-MT 8 – Only One Higher

• $192,000 – 1909-11 T206 Piedmont 150 John McGraw (Finger in Air), PSA Gem Mint 10 – Pop One

• $144,000 – 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal Ty Cobb (Bat On Shoulder), PSA NM-MT 8 – None Higher

• $84,000 – 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal 350/30 Vic Willis (St. Louis, With Bat), PSA Mint 9 – Pop One, None Higher

• $78,000 – 1909-11 T206 Piedmont 350 Jake Beckley, PSA NM-MT 8 – Pop One, One Higher

• $78,000 – 1909-11 T206 Piedmont 150 Hal Chase (Throwing-White Cap), PSA Gem Mint 10 – Pop One, None Higher

• $60,000 – 1909-11 T206 Piedmont 150 Clark Griffith (Portrait) – the finest T206 Griffith “portrait” of any brand in the hobby, PSA Mint 9

• $50,400– 1909-1911 T206 Sovereign 150 Johnny Bates – PSA 10 – Pop One, None Higher

• $26,400 – 1909-11 T206 Piedmont 150 Red Kleinow (New York-With Bat), PSA Gem Mint 10 – Pop One

Prices include a buyer’s premium tacked on to all winning bids.

You can see the most watched T206 cards on eBay here.

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About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 35 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]