Our love with Wagner

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

OK... first, you can't compare the numbers. Gwynn had a sweet swing. But I saw him field and throw. He isn't in the class of Wagner. Tony belongs in the Hall (not Puckett nor Carter), but Tony isn't Wagner.

Collins and Speaker were great, Lajoie very great. But read Ritter!!!! Read what these guys say about their contemporaries. Honus was the Man.

I have to figure if the T206s players have a pick up game in heaven, Honus is picked first every time.

Bryan mentions the Chapman incident, which lead to tighter better balls, and the idea of keeping white visible balls in play. One change often overlooked involved bat physics. Bats of the T206 era were longer, with thicker handles and less taper. With Ruth shattering the ozone, players changed to slightly shorter bats, with bigger barrels, the center of gravity moved outward, and thinner handles. In T206 days 2 bats might last you a season, today 2 bats might not last a plate appearance.

Honus could play every position. He was the Man. All the skills. Blazing speed, super glove, smart, competitive, durable, he was the Man. That is why he got baseball's first endorsement, Jack Hillerich paid him to use his name and likeness on bats. I suspect that taste of compensation prompted him to ask about his likeness on the cards of the American Tobacco Company.

This link will get you to an article about it.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005509020409

So the answer is yes, the T206 Wagner affects the value of all Wagner cards a bit. I have a Wagner card, I wanted a Wagner card, and it is an E102. I wanted a Plank card, too. And I got one, an E90-1. Yes, it has a slight effect. Him being one of the best players ever, an initial inductee to the Hall of Fame, and a good guy doesn't hurt values either.

Now wasn't that Mino Wagner a beautiful sight!

Frank.