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.
With Goldin Auctions currently selling a newly discovered Wagner, Heritage Auctions is now poised to sell the SGC Authentic Garagiola Wagner in March, with the card carrying a pre-sale estimate of $3 million.
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.
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 falls within reason. It might even 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.
The newly discovered Wagner currently at Goldin has already earned 28 bids in its first 24 hours of bidding to bring it over $4 million (including buyer’s premium) with 30 days remaining. That card is graded PSA 1, and numerically graded Wagners earn a hefty premium over their authentic counterparts.
The timing of both sales, which will be effectively competing with one another despite their difference in grade, will act as a test to see how deep the demand for these grails goes.
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Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.