T206 PSA 8 Wagner Question

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Posted By: ErikV

In reading the CNN story Neal posted, a portion of the the article stated:

In fact, the fabled Honus Wagner card, which was produced by the Sweet Caporal Cigarette Company in 1909, is currently the most expensive card in existence, worth a cool $1.265 million.

I believe the most recent SMR still has the PSA 8 T206 Wagner listed at the same price.

The Wagner card in question last sold in July 2000. Previous to that it sold in 1996 for $640,500 and prior to that was in 1991 in which Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall purchased it for $451,000. (I believe the last Wagner that sold in a public auction was the Frank Nagy GAI 3.5 card that sold in December 2005 for $456,057.)

My question to the board is, if the PSA 8 sold today how much would it sell for? Or, what is a realistic value of the card today? Anyone want to venture a guess.

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Posted By: peter ullman

less than 1.2 million.

pete in mn

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Posted By: barrysloate

My guess is 2 million. I think buyers are willing to put blinders on and believe in the PSA grade. Their wish to own it will trump the facts.

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

It all depends on whether the folks with past knowledge come forward and show their evidence of the card having been trimmed.

If they do... then all bets are off.

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Posted By: Brett

The PSA 8 Wagner is trimmed !!

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

I would say more than it sold for last time. $1.5 to 2 million would not surprise me.

How many people in the hobby have the kind of disposable income to pull the trigger on this deal? Not many. The buyer will be someone who wants to say that he owns the most valuable card in the world. More power to him. I don't think the controversy surrounding the card will be a factor if it hasn't been up to now.

What card holds the record for the SECOND highest price ever paid for a baseball card? (Not including previous sales of the PSA Wagner).

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Posted By: barrysloate

I think it's REA's Baltimore News Ruth.

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Posted By: JimB

The Nagy Wagner GAI 3.5 (currently SGC 40) sold for over $450k.

I have heard rumors that the current owner has been offered $2 million for the Gretzky PSA 8, but turned it down.
JimB

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Posted By: Peter Spaeth

I wish that people who don't have evidence, or aren't willing to provide it, would not assert as a FACT that the card is trimmed. If you would like to make out a case based on publicly available scans of the card, and offer an opinion as to why from the scan you see evidence of trimming, that would be appropriate in my view. If you have other compelling evidence, that would also be appropriate in my view. But to just say it's trimmed, or to say I know it's trimmed but without providing your support, is not fair to the current owner.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Bruce- I misunderstood your question. I thought you meant the highest price outside any T206 Wagner.

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Posted By: Joe Tocco

I heard the story about the current owner turning down $2 million a couple of years ago. I believe it. With the vintage card market gains over the last 6 years, and the increasing notoriety of this particular card over that same time, my best guess would be $2.5-3 million.

Joe

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Posted By: TONY Galovich

About 2 weeks after the current owner purchased This card, a cash offer was tendered from a japanese consortium in the $2 million area....the current owner turned the offer down......
If offered today I wouldn't be surprised to see it fetch $2.5 to $3 mil or more..if 2 serious parties are interested

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Posted By: leon

Who on this board has definitively said they know the Wagner PSA8 to be trimmed?

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

Actually, Barry, you got the question right, in spite of the way I worded it.

I meant to say, which card holds second place, behind the PSA 8 T206 Honus Wagner, for price paid, excluding the other times this particular Wagner has changed hands, and what was that price?

My point was that at $1.265 million, the PSA Wagner didn't just edge out the Number 2 valued card by $10k or by $25k, but rather, by several hundred thousand dollars. The breaking of the million dollar barrier certainly created more buzz than if the card had sold for, for example, $923,576. So the owner became not only owner of the highest price card ever but also the first million dollar card.

I imagine that, counting all T206 Wagner transactions, Wagners would hold most of the top ten spots.

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Posted By: Rick

It is the card...

2.5 to 3 mill.

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Posted By: Rich Mueller

From SportsCollectorsDaily.com...

quote from Brian Wentz of BMW Sports in T206 Wagner story:

"We expect the PSA 8 to sell for over $2 million sometime in the next year," Wentz said. "Once that happens, we will probably sell ours."
(Wentz says he has 4 ungraded).