T206 Honus Wagner Sells for $1.23 Million

Over night, a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for nearly $1.25 million. The online auction, which was conducted by Goodwin & Co, finished with 14 bids and fell within estimates that suggested it would go for between $1 million and $1.5 million.

This particular T206 Honus Wagner has a Sweet Corporal back and is graded SGC 40 Very Good. The official closing bid for the Wagner card was $1,232,466.34.

According to Joe Holleman of St. Louis Today, the card is headed to New Jersey. The buyer wishes to remain anonymous at this time.

The Goodwin & Co. auction saw another huge sale with a 1909 T206 Eddie Plank reaching $330,825.95. The card is graded SGC 70 and is the best known Plank to have the "Piedmont 150 Subjects" back.

The 1909 T206 Honus Wagner is considered to be the benchmark against which all other trading cards are measured. Considered to be extremely rare, the legend behind it has further fueled its value and prestige. Pulled from production, some suggest Wagner was taking a stance against smoking as the card was distributed with tobacco products. Others say Wagner simply wanted to get paid more.

The card's legendary status was further raised when Wayne Gretzky and former Los Angeles Kings owner, Bruce McNall, bought one at the height of the baseball card boom in the early 1990s.

That same card has changed hands several times since. Ken Kendricks, the Arizona Diamondbacks managing general partner, bought the card for a record $2.8 million.

You can read an in-depth history on the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner here.

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1909-1911 HONUS WAGNER COLGAN'S CHIPS W T206 PHOTO GRADED ORIGINAL SGC AUTHENTIC

$249,999.99

BB - 1909 T206 - Piedmont 150 - Ty Cobb - Green Portrait - GOOD - Rare

$17,000.00

Bill Shipke - 1909-11 T206 - Piedmont - Very Good

$95.00

ORIGINAL 1909-11 SWEET CAPORAL BOX FACE FRONT T206 CARDS - GREAT DISPLAY PIECE

$76.35

1909 T206 Christy Mathewson Portrait SGC 40 VG 3. Great Price!!

$1,850.00

1909 T206 CHIEF BENDER POOR PIEDMONT 350-460 NO TREES HOF PSA 1 PHILADELPHIA

$240.00

1909 T206 TY COBB BAT ON SHOULDER Piedmont 350 PSA AA

$3,600.00

1909-11 T206 Walter Johnson Portrait Sweet Caporal 150/30 PSA A (Authentic)

$1,999.88

1909 T206 KID ELBERFELD VG SWEET CAPORAL 350 GHOST FIELDING WASHINGTON SENATORS

$78.00

1909 T206 ED LENNOX VG PIEDMONT 350 BASEBALL BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

$66.00

1909 T206 Ty Cobb "Bat Off Shoulder" Sweet Caporal Card HOF - Certified PSA 1 MK

$3,740.00

1909 T206 Ty Cobb "Bat Off Shoulder" Sweet Caporal Card HOF - Certified PSA 2

$5,460.00

1909-11 T206 Sovereign 350 Harry Hinchman RARE BACK Low Printed Card Population

$49.99

1909-1911 T206 OLD MILL JAKE STAHL Glove Shows SGC AUTHENTIC RARE PRINT ERROR

$230.00

1909 T206 150 Christy Mathewson Piedmont White Cap SGC A Stunning Card Beautiful

$2,599.00

1909 T206 Cycle 350 Bob Bescher Portrait SGC Authentic Very Rare Tough T206 Back

$179.99

1909 T206 ORVAL OVERALL POOR PIEDMONT 150 PORTRAIT BASEBALL CHICAGO CUBS

$78.00

1909 T206 BUCK HERZOG FAIR PIEDMONT 350-460 BASEBALL BOSTON RUSTLERS

$90.00

1909~T206 ⚾️ Clark Griffith Portrait Sweet Caporal 350 SGC 3.5 VG+ “NICE CARD”👍

$472.00

Jimmy Williams 1909 Sweet Caporal T206 SGC 1

$66.00