If one and only one Honus Wagner… $10-15k budget

[sycks22]

I've always loved the D322 Tip Top Bread Wagner. Same picture as the T206 and won't cost you 6 figures. Rare enough that it'll continue to go up in value.

[Casey2296]

1914-1915 Cracker Jack

[Belfast1933]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

1914-1915 Cracker Jack

Oh man… I love CJ cards! Good idea

[x2drich2000]

Originally Posted by sycks22

I've always loved the D322 Tip Top Bread Wagner. Same picture as the T206 and won't cost you 6 figures. Rare enough that it'll continue to go up in value.

Me too. I believe it is the closest to a T206 you can get. I know some will argue E90-2, E104-2, or E103 instead but they lack the same color scheme. The only problem I see with this pick is I'm not sure $10-15k is going to get you one unless it is an absolute beater. I know I wouldn't sell mine for anywhere close to that at this point.

[Econteachert205]

M116 pastel

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

We have an E90-1 Wagner Batting coming up in our May Pre War auction with a gorgeous front but paper loss on the back. Brutally tough card to find, but the grade (it's at SGC right now) will likely make it under your price range or at the bottom of it at most. Definitely looks like him, and a very short printed card with a cool image, great colors and a popular set.

[Touch'EmAll]

Colgan's Chip. Same photo as T206, heckuva lot cheaper.

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by Touch'EmAll

Colgan's Chip. Same photo as T206, heckuva lot cheaper.

That’s a beauty.

I like the square proof version myself.

[doug.goodman]

I would aim at one of the first m113 issues...

Or, maybe an m101...

Or, the Blum's bulletin

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

We have an E90-1 Wagner Batting coming up in our May Pre War auction with a gorgeous front but paper loss on the back. Brutally tough card to find, but the grade (it's at SGC right now) will likely make it under your price range or at the bottom of it at most. Definitely looks like him, and a very short printed card with a cool image, great colors and a popular set.

I thought this pose was significantly easier than the e90-1 throwing?

[Rhotchkiss]

Anything with a portrait. D322 is great bc it’s literally the t206 pic, as is the W600 type 4. E103, E90-2, E104-2 (if you can find one), and the M116 sporting lifes (preferably blue).

Cracker Jacks are awesome, but it’s a later year, it’s a side pic ahd a terrible pic.

Wagner is most famous for his t206. Whatever most resembles that is what you should get.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Anything with a portrait. D322 is great bc it’s literally the t206 pic, as is the W600 type 4. E103, E90-2, E104-2 (if you can find one), and the M116 sporting lifes (preferably blue).

Cracker Jacks are awesome, but it’s a later year, it’s a side pic ahd a terrible pic.

Wagner is most famous for his t206. Whatever most resembles that is what you should get.

This would be my take as well, 100%. Any example with the iconic Horner portrait will age well in your collection. People recognize the T206, and most of those will recognize the image on other issues. E90-2/E104-2 are great and as already mentioned the D322 is the closest to a T206 (same image direction, similar color). That said, the M116 would probably be the most doable in your price range. I also prefer blue, but the pastel is a great looking card too and a nice value.
M116 Hans Wagner Blue enhanced (2).jpg

If you're not married to his portrait, I love the E95 (and E94). You don't get a great shot of his face, but it's such a great image and so very identifiable as him. Also very doable in your price range.
E95 Honus Wagner (2).jpg

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I thought this pose was significantly easier than the e90-1 throwing?

It absolutely is, but both are very short prints. PSA has 177 graded Cobbs but only 54 total Wagners, 17 throwing and 37 batting. SGC has graded 171 Cobbs and 76 Wagners, 30 throwing and 46 batting. Not sure where the e90-1 numbers come from on the big chart posted above, but I get a total of 348 Cobbs, 130 Wagners, 47 Throwing, and 83 batting.

I use Cobb as the point of comparison under the supposition that these cards would be graded at roughly the same rate. The combined Wagner total is behind EVERY HOF'er total(Combined totals in the case of someone like Keeler) So I would argue that both poses are brutally tough. with combined only about 35% of the total of a Cobb and less than 50% the total of most HOF'ers

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

It absolutely is, but both are very short prints. PSA has 177 graded Cobbs but only 54 total Wagners, 17 throwing and 37 batting. SGC has graded 171 Cobbs and 76 Wagners, 30 throwing and 46 batting. Not sure where the e90-1 numbers come from on the big chart posted above, but I get a total of 348 Cobbs, 130 Wagners, 47 Throwing, and 83 batting.

I use Cobb as the point of comparison under the supposition that these cards would be graded at roughly the same rate. The combined Wagner total is behind EVERY HOF'er total(Combined totals in the case of someone like Keeler) So I would argue that both poses are brutally tough. with combined only about 35% of the total of a Cobb and less than 50% the total of most HOF'ers

kinda what i thought...thx for confirmation. Wonder why there re so fewer hanses than cobbs in similar issues????? Could it be related to the tobacco theory somehow???? Or lack of compensation???

[brunswickreeves]

Regarding the e90-1 POP, I may have calc'd wrong but when I ran this a couple mos ago, I saw 61 on PSA (44 batting, 17 throwing) and 80 on SGC (46 batting, 30 throwing, 4 not defined), for a total of 141 (90 batting, 47 throwing, 4 not defined). I love the Cobb comparison analysis, indeed points to fact that the e90-1 is a relatively very scarce issue and highly valuable.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I thought this pose was significantly easier than the e90-1 throwing?

In my experience, and I have been collecting Wagner for a while, the batting pose is generally more common than the trowing pose in all back variations, but still many batting poses are still tough to find. E90-1 is an example of this, on a relative basis. For such a large and widely distributed set, I find that both Wagner poses are oddly difficult in e90-1, with throwing being the more difficult if the two. Throwing is downright scarce (probably on par with Speaker). But even the batting pose is much tougher to find than other big names of the set, such as Cobb, Mathewson, Young (Boston), and Jackson

[theshowandme]

I am incredibly bias to this one

[Leon]

I wonder if Wags had anything to do with his card being more scarce in E90-1?

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

In my experience, and I have been collecting Wagner for a while, the batting pose is generally more common than the trowing pose in all back variations, but still many batting poses are still tough to find. E90-1 is an example of this, on a relative basis. For such a large and widely distributed set, I find that both Wagner poses are oddly difficult in e90-1, with throwing being the more difficult if the two. Throwing is downright scarce (probably on par with Speaker). But even the batting pose is much tougher to find than other big names of the set, such as Cobb, Mathewson, Young (Boston), and Jackson

[bnorth]

E90-2 would be my pick. I actually like it way more than the T206.

[hcv123]

Tip top, 1914 CJ and E90-2 are great cards, but don't think you'll find nice eye-appeal examples in your budget


1915 Cracker Jack or

E92 batting would be my thoughts

[jimq16415]

If I remember right somebody was organizing a group break a while ago of an M116 set and the Wagner was good looking and graded maybe a 2 or 3. If you can find out if that break ever happened, the card might be available and affordable. It might be long gone, but it was a portrait card, and I think the blue background. The grade was because of some paper loss on back. If it's not available sorry to waste your time/

[Yoda]

A E103 Wags might be doable for your budget. Scarce, fragile and expensive but a beautiful rendition.

[brunswickreeves]

The 1910 W-UNC Wagner is actually the other right facing T206 color image in addition to the 1910 Tip Top Bread. W-UNC has a total POP of only 7 graded cards, vs 64 total POP for the 1910 Tip Top Bread issue.