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prewarsportsI read a recent biography of Honus Wagner which had a first hand account of the T206 story a few years back. Supposedly the American Tobacco company paid all players $10 each through an agent, and the agent also got $10 for signing each player. Wagner refused, but he knew the agent and Wagner sent him a check for $10 to make sure he wasn't losing money by him not signing a contract with the tobacco company. This agent did not cash the check and displayed it for years and told the story to thousands of people.
This story may be a little off on the exact facts since I do not have the book in front of me, but I know the amount was $10 and I read it in the Wagner biography which was recently published by 2 Pittsburgh area scholors by the University of Pittsburgh. Sounds to me like the Wagner myth has been solved long ago so why do people still refer to it as an open question?