1914 Babe Ruth Rookie Would Be More Valuable Than T206 Wagner In Good Condition?

[Old-T206]

http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/23/bas...all-cards.html


One Wagner rookie card miraculously survived the last century in near-mint condition. Dubbed the "Gretzky Wagner" after it was purchased by the hockey star for $451,000 in 1991, the card sold for $500,000 in 1995, then for $640,000 in 1996, $1.265 million in 2000, $2.35 million in March of 2007 and $2.8 million in September of 2008. Fleischer estimates it would bring $3 million today--and that a comparable Ruth rookie would go for $3 million to $5 million


Interesting... just wanted to let you guys know that. Does anyone know how many copies of the 1914 babe ruth rookie?

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Old-T206

One Wagner rookie card miraculously survived the last century in near-mint condition.

Apparently, the standards of what constitutes a miracle have dropped considerably since the time of Moses.

[paul]

I believe Wagner and Ruth went head to head recently, both in the same condition "1". Wagner won.

[slantycouch]

Originally Posted by Matt

Apparently, the standards of what constitutes a miracle have dropped considerably since the time of Moses.

Given the choice, I'll take a Wagner, please.

[Kehfee]

I never really thought of the T206 Wagner as his rookie card. Don't recall anyone referring to it as that either.

[rdixon1208]

Given the choice, in a "1", I would take the Ruth

[rhettyeakley]

Being realistic, if a high grade (PSA/SGC 8) Ruth Baltimore News came onto the market I could see it perhaps breaking the $1 million mark, but I really couldn't see it going much beyond that. The Wagner card transcends merely baseball card collecting and has almost become an icon. Even though Ruth is more famous than Wagner, when it comes to baseball cards Wagner will always be king.
-Rhett

[Wesley]

Interesting article.

"Jackson's 1910 Old Mill second-year card is worth $200,000 in good condition."


The PSA 2 T210 Jackson sold in SCP for $71,328 plus juice.

[terjung]

Of course... neither one is the rookie card. I suppose you could make the case for the Ruth pre-rookie to be considered a rookie (erroneously) due to it being the first issued card, but that one is at least a discussion. Then again, it is obviously a new guys foray into posting, he deserves some slack.

To the intent of the question, the T206 certainly has a mystique about it that transends pre-war vintage card guys. It is one of the few (or maybe the only) cards that shows up in newspapers and on the evening news. The Gretsky Wagner is so reknowned that it is a status symbol and it would seem that the owners don't care whether it is trimmed or not. (As an aside, there isn't much debate as to whether it is sheet cut or not). Again, the mystique of owning the T206 Wagner is unmistakeable. The Baltimore Ruth minor league pre-rookie is a fantastic card, but doesn't carry the same weight. Personally, I would rather have a nice 1915 M101-4 or M101-5 Ruth rookie than the Baltimore Ruth. It would certainly be cheaper. To answer your question though, I don't forsee any card consistently outdoing the T206 Wagner from a cost standpoint if all else is equal (including grading) - simply due to the intangibles. Truth be told, the T206 Wagner is not that hard to find as long as you have the money. I think PSA has graded 27. SGC has graded 9. Beckett has graded at least 1. I have been led to believe that the total number (including raw) is up near 60.

As far as the Baltimore News Ruth, it is much more scarce. SGC has graded 4. I'm sure somebody could look up the PSA pop report on it, but it has been reported that there are around 10 in existence. I remember hearing that one was lost in a move though... not sure if that would take it from 11 to 10 or 10 to 9, but 10 is a fair ballpark number.

[E93]

In the most recent REA auction, the T206 Wagner went for more than twice what the BN Ruth did in the same grade. As great as the Ruth card is, I don't think Honus needs to move over just yet.
JimB

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by terjung

Then again, it is obviously a new guys foray into posting, he deserves some slack.

Hey Brian,

The OP was actually quoting the author of the Forbes article...so it is that author's mistake in the published article.

Cheers,
Blair

[GrayGhost]

Good topic. If I hit the lottery, Id rather have a Wagner (real one of course) in any condition thats authentic. The status and the lore of the card is legendary, as most others have said on here.