Within 48 minutes of the auction opening for the T206 Honus Wagner card at Goldin on Wednesday, seven bids had flown in to bring it to a record price.
With more than two weeks still left in the auction, bidding sits at $3.54 million, including buyer’s premium. That is a record for any T206 Honus Wagner PSA 1 example and already the fifth-highest price for a T206 Wagner in any grade.
According to Goldin, the card changed hands privately for an undisclosed sum in 2020. Previously, the card sold publicly in 2010 for $282,000.
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Last year marked the first time in 30 years no T206 Wagner sold publicly.
In April, another Wagner with inferior eye appeal, graded PSA Authentic/Restored, sold for $1.98 million, a price which was far from a boon for the famed card, which industry experts say has never been sold for less than its purchase price.
In this instance, the sale price narrowly surpassed the previous purchase price, but realized a paltry gain compared to historical sales records.
It would appear based on the strong performance of the “Connecticut Wagner” at Goldin in the early days of the auction that last month’s disappointing result was more of an indictment on the quality of that specific example than the market as a whole.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.