How many different Wagners have sold publicly?

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Frank A

I was at a local auction in, I believe New Milford, Connecticut back in the mid 1980's and watched one sell for $36,000. I did not have $36,000. Thought it was a good deal. The buyer was from Cooperstown.

If it's the same one,

Woodbury Ct. Nutmeg Auctions.

I was also there. They waited for the eventual buyer to arrive, moving on to other lots after a brief delay then going back to it once he arrived.

I still have the auction catalog somewhere.

What got funny was that the card was a pretty clear f-p, creased and writing on the back. Over the next year it was offered by a string of dealers in SCD, and each time it's grade got better.... Not alterations, just wishful grading. Last ad was I think for 9K and calling it VG.

[steve B]

The one from Woodbury might... just maybe could also be #39 the Chesapeake Wagner.

Which would be strange for it to turn up in two different finds after being sold fairly often.

I'll have to compare the picture once I find the auction catalog. That won't be soon, as it's with a bunch of "less organized" stuff.

[Robert_Lifson]

The Paul Leonard Wagner sold in 1993 for approximately $32,000 is definitely card # 39a (and also # 39b) in the T206Resource Wagner Gallery. This card was offered by REA in June 1995 (it was Lot 937). When offered, I nicknamed it “The Cooperstown Wagner” because it was prominently displayed at Tom Catal’s “Mickey’s Place”, an institution in Cooperstown, and had been seen by many thousands of baseball fans in Cooperstown. The minimum bid was $39,000 (a lot at the time, now a rounding error). I was OK with the high minimum bid (though it was much more than I preferred; after all, it was a Wagner!) The consignor was fine if it sold or didn’t sell. I was happy to be able to offer it but knew going in that with this minimum bid it was 50/50 if it was going to sell.

On the night of the auction close it still didn’t have the opening bid (strictly due to the high minimum bid) and finally a very prominent collector/dealer (who is still around and a valued member of Net54) made a reasonable proposal just before we shut down the auction to get a slight break on the price all of which came directly from REA’s commission but allowed us to sell the card and make everyone happy. By memory (and I could be off a little but this is what I recall) the total sale price was $39,500.

When the card came up for auction again in 2014 as part of a massive collection of 3500 T206s assembled by a collector in Chesapeake, SCP dubbed the collection “The Chesapeake Find” and renamed the Wagner “The Chesapeake Wagner”.

[marzoumanian]

Thank you, Rob "Just the Facts" Lifson. You come through whenever you're needed. Peace.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by marzoumanian

Thank you, Rob "Just the Facts" Lifson. You come through whenever you're needed. Peace.

+1