Rare Honus Wagner rookie card sells for a record $192,000 at online auction

A rare Honus Wagner rookie baseball card, one with a photo of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame shortstop dressed in a suit, was auctioned Sunday night to a private collector for $192,000.

The card was one of two issued in the W600 Sporting Life cabinet cards series, with the other depicting Wagner dressed in uniform. The card also identifies him as John “Hans” Wagner, an “outfielder of the Pittsburg (N.L.) Club of 1902.” Wagner, an eight-time batting champion who played 18 seasons for the Pirates, had 3,420 career hits and is regarded as the greatest shortstop in baseball history.

Bidding on the W600 Wagner rookie card was conducted online by Robert Edward Auctions in Chester, N.J., which called it “bright, fresh, and clean, with slight, even corner wear, and a flaweless portrait image.” The opening bid began at $50,000 and the card was expected to sell for at least $100,000.

“This broke the previous record for the card in this condition (3.5, on a scale of 10), so we were very pleased with the action on the card,” said Brian Dwyer, president of Robert Edward Auctions, noting that the previous record was $168,000 in February 2018. “Wagner is one of the magical names in baseball, so he was well-represented in the auction.”

Other items included an original photo of Wagner batting in 1911 that sold for $13,8000 and cards of Wagner from 1909 for $13,000 and a 1910 photo for $10,500.

The entire auction included 2,900 pieces of sports memorabilia, Dwyer said, and sold for $9.1 million. A 1959 Roberto Clemente game-used bat also was in the auction but did not meet the seller’s reserve price of $60,000. Bidding started at $20,000 but the highest bid was for $56,000, Dwyer said.

The W600 Wagner rookie card differs from the 1909-11 T206 card of Wagner in uniform, which is regarded as the most famous and valuable baseball card and set a world record by selling for $3.12 million in 2016.

“The T206 has an incredible story, an incredible lore around it,” Dwyer said, adding that the most popular tale is that Wagner balked at his likeness being associated with tobacco. “It’s probably the most widely collected pre-war set, so you’ve got a card of a very important Hall of Famer that has this fascinating story of why or why not Honus Wagner wanted his image on this card. It’s rare and revered for more than a century.”