T206 Honus Wagner headlines next SCP Auction
Update (Dec. 12): The Wagner sold for $403,664.
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By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
The Holy Grail of baseball cards is heading to the auction block tomorrow via SCP Auctions.
It’s a PSA 1 copy of the T206 Honus Wagner baseball card and it’s the highlight of a sale that runs through Dec. 6. It’s a grouping that also includes Jackie Robinson‘s Hall of Fame plaque — and one of only two confirmed 1949-season game-used bats — as well as parts of three notable collections.
The Wagner is estimated to command as much as $400,000, according to the company. It is a new find and was graded on the floor of the National Sports Collectors Convention this year.
“Unveiling a fresh T206 Honus Wagner card is a dream scenario for any hobby professional,” said SCP’s Dan Imler. “The known supply of T206 Wagners will never begin to quench the exceeding collector demand for what is not just the most famous baseball card in the world, but one of our nation’s most-celebrated treasures. And to have it be a part of such an immense and diverse find of previously unknown T206s makes this one of the most exciting tobacco card finds in recent years.”
The Wagner is big, but it’s not alone on the treasure front as there will be pieces from the Newport Sports Museum, the private collection of former New York Yankee Bill “Moose” Skowron and pieces from noted collectors Delbert Mickel and Bill Riddell.
Mickel, who was a game-used jersey collector, has a Willie Mays 1967 Giants uniform, a Hank Aaron 1968-69 Braves jersey and a Pete Rose 1967 Reds jersey among several items in the auction. Riddell was a bat collector and among the 30 lots in this auction are gamers from George Kelly, Charlie Gehringer, Mickey Cochrane, Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench and Roberto Clemente to name a few. Skowron’s World Series rings, contracts and other items will be up for grabs, while items from the Museum include a collection of USC Trojan trophies and national championship items.
For more information, visit scpauctions.com.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisolds2009.
