SCP Auctions November 2010 Internet Auction

In 1909 the American Tobacco Company issued its landmark T206 set of baseball cards. The set, issued over a three-year span from 1909-1911, featured virtually all of the baseball players of the day, and eventually included 523 different cards. The T206 set is the seminal issue from that era, containing some of the most beautiful, original and expensive cards ever produced including what would become one of the most iconic and sought after collectibles in the world – the T206 Honus Wagner. Numerous myths have been perpetuated with regard to the reason for the scarcity of the T206 Honus Wagner card. One of the prevailing theories was that Wagner insisted that he be paid by the tobacco companies for the use of his image, causing the production of his card to be halted. Today, most knowledgeable collectors subscribe to the well-documented theory that Wagner simply did not want children to be influenced into buying cigarettes just to get a picture of him. Over the course of the last century, volumes have been written and countless tales have been spun about the T206 Wagner card. It has become an icon, and a part of classic American Folklore. To this day, it is estimated that only about 60 examples of the T206 Wagner have surfaced with the vast majority bearing substantial creasing or other physical imperfections. At one point is time this example too showed severe distress including handling wear, back damage from mounting and borders that had been trimmed away. Encapsulated and assessed ""Authentic"" by PSA, this Wagner specimen has undergone expert professional restoration that has dramatically reinstated its former glory. Its present aesthetic quality resembles that of an attractive, VG example. The careful and precise process of restoring this Wagner's appearance has been thoroughly documented. The process involved painstaking graft-attachment of natural material (from a contemporary, T206 ""donor"" card), along with the application of similar strategies to the front and back surfaces. The result – which, it's fair to say, stands as a classic success story in the science of archival restoration – is a relic that has been given the opportunity to enjoy rebirth in a viable approximation of its original configuration. The procedures necessary to bring about the second incarnation of the card’s as-designed size, colors and features were, of course, carefully planned and meticulously documented. A copy of the restoration report is available upon request. Owning a “Wagner” is a dream for most collectors familiar with its legend. Among the privileged fraternity of collectors who are able to fulfill that dream, most are reluctant to part with what is looked upon as the ultimate trophy in the hobby. This offering presents a significant and exceedingly rare opportunity.