After a relative dearth of opportunities for collectors to purchase the famed T206 Honus Wagner card at public auction over the last few years, 2026 has started off strong.
After Goldin Auctions currently sold a newly discovered Wagner, Heritage Auctions sold the SGC Authentic Garagiola Wagner early Sunday morning for $3.6 milliong.
The Garagiola Wagner, named for its previous owner, baseball player and broadcaster Joe Garagiola, has only sold once publicly — in 2021 for $2.52 million.
According to Garagiola’s son, who originally consigned the card to Heritage in 2021, his father traded his 1954 Giants uniform from their World Series championship season, among other items, for the card decades ago.
The sale was slightly higher than the $3 million estimate. When dealing with the most iconic and one of the rarest cards in the hobby, comps are always tough to come by, however, the $3 million estimate fell within reason and even proved to be a bit conservative considering the growth of the industry and the high-end market since its last sale in 2021 and the premium placed on non-restored copies.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.