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Dan Hajducky
Multiple Authors
A recently unearthed 1909 Sweet Caporal T206 Honus Wagner card, having been extracted from a newly issued tobacco pack and retained within the same family for over a century, has fetched $5.124 million (including buyer’s premium) at Goldin Auctions. This sale ranks as the third most expensive T206 Wagner, following the $6.606 million purchase in August 2021 and the private sale for $7.25 million in August 2022.
This particular Wagner received a grade of 1 from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA); the two more costly Wagners were evaluated by the Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC) and received grades of 3 and 2, respectively.
“We are privileged that the Shields family selected us to represent this historic card that has been with them for 116 years,” stated Ken Goldin, CEO and founder of Goldin, in a statement.
This Wagner was owned by Douglas and Dennis Shields, whose grandfather Morton Bernstein, son of the founder of The National Silver Company, began collecting and preserving trading cards in the early 1900s. After acquiring F.B. Rogers Silver Company in 1955 and moving west, he displayed his cards in frames throughout his businesses; when The National Silver Company closed, the cards were relocated to a warehouse and eventually passed down to Dennis and Douglas.
Goldin first announced the card in December, a discovery highlighted in Season 3 of Netflix’s “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch.”
“Tonight, the Shields expressed their excitement about the sale — and we hope the new owner cherishes it as much as they did,” Goldin added. “The T206 Honus Wagner continues to be considered the Mona Lisa of sports cards.”
The story behind the T206 Wagner stands out as one of the most celebrated in the sports card realm, as the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop requested the American Tobacco Company to cease its production in 1909. Theories about its rarity suggest everything from a printing plate error to Wagner’s (unlikely) objection to promoting tobacco to children or Wagner being a sort of NIL pioneer by disapproving the use of his likeness without appropriate compensation.
Another Wagner is also making headlines. An SGC Authentic (graded below a 1) is currently valued at $2.318 million with six days remaining at Heritage Auction.
