LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. — When it comes to the Holy Grail of baseball cards, half a card is better than none.
A torn 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner card -- with most of the Hall of Famer’s face visible but most of his uniform jersey missing, sold for $475,959 in an online auction Saturday night.
The card was sold Saturday night in a sale hosted by SCP Auctions of Laguna Niguel, California. The final price includes a buyer’s premium.
Half a Honus. Still more valuable than 90% of sports cards. #thehobby #whodoyoucollect #honuswagner #T206Wagner pic.twitter.com/ctGI2GWjOY
— SCP Auctions (@SCPAuctions) February 6, 2022
The card was graded as authentic by Professional Sports Authenticator, a card and memorabilia grading service. It has been in a private collection since 1995, according to Sports Collectors Daily.
The card opened at $25,000 and drew 19 bids, according to SPC Auctions.
The Wagner card was issued in American Tobacco Co. cigarette boxes, according to The Athletic.
>> Record breaker: T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sells for $6.606M
In August, a fully intact Wagner card, graded PSA 3, sold for $6.606 million, regaining its throne as the highest-priced sports card of all time.
That card, which contained an advertisement for Sweet Caporal cigarettes on the back, was sold during Robert Edward Auctions’ Summer Auction in 2021 and carried a grade of very good (3 out of 10) by Sportscard Guaranty Corp.
That topped the previous record held by a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card that sold for $5.2 million in January, according to PWCC Marketplace. That card was bought by actor Rob Gough, according to Sports Collectors Daily.
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