Wagner Card Sells for Record $2.3M
LOS ANGELES — The "Mona Lisa" of baseball memorabilia, an almost mint condition 1909 Honus Wagner tobacco card, arrived in Los Angeles yesterday in the company of an armed guard but without its new owner, a mysterious Southern California collector who shelled out most of a record $2.35 million for it.
The tiny scrap of colored cardboard, barely 2 1/2 inches tall and not quite 2 inches wide, made an auspicious arrival at a Dodger Stadium news conference, carried to the podium in a formidable-looking black valise by a grim-faced, equally formidable-looking armed guard.
As SCP Auctions officials removed and opened a small red case to reveal the card's cover — one featuring a youthful and handsome Wagner in his Pittsburgh Pirates uniform, his hair parted down the middle — camera flashes popped and heads craned for a better look.
Even the guard, the burly off-duty Lt. Michael Florio of the Los Angeles Police Department, cracked a smile. As a baseball fan, he said afterward, he rated the opportunity to hold the card right up there with his other great sports memory, having seen Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Famer, Sandy Koufax, pitch.
"The T206 Honus Wagner card has long been recognized as the most iconic, highly coveted and valuable object in the field of sports memorabilia," the managing director of SCP Auctions, Dan Imler, said. "Its legacy has transcended popular culture."
