CGC Cards Grades Rare 1915 Cracker Jack Honus Wagner Worth Thousands

Another pre-war vintage baseball card featuring an iconic MLB Hall of Famer was recently authenticated and graded by CGC Cards™, adding to the growing list of highly sought-after rarities that have been entrusted to CGC Cards experts. A collector submitted a 1915 Cracker Jack #68 Honus Wagner, which was certified as authentic and earned a grade of CGC 2.5.

1915 Cracker Jack #68 Honus Wagner graded CGC 2.5 Click images to enlarge.

Nicknamed the Flying Dutchman, Wagner is arguably most well-known for his 1909-11 T206 card that at times had the distinction of being the most expensive sports card in the world. So, it's understandable that his other cards are valuable as well, like this particular example from the 1915 Cracker Jack set. Highlighting the rarity of the vintage set, the CGC Cards Population Report contains only 10 total cards featuring nine different players, with the Wagner example standing out as one of three Hall of Famers.

For only two years, the Cracker Jack company issued baseball card sets, inserting cards into their products in 1914 and 1915. The debut 1914 Cracker Jack Baseball set included 144 cards, but the 1915 set was expanded to 176 cards. Each set featured colorful images of players on a red background with the headline "Cracker Jack Ball Players" at the top and the player's name, city and league at the bottom.

Most of the players from the 1914 set carried over to the 1915 set, with a handful of new players included and others updated to reflect transitions to another team or league. As similar as the cards from each set are, there are many obvious differences as well, such as the image variations used for the same players featured in the 1915 set.

In addition, the 1915 set is printed on a thicker card stock, but the most glaring difference is on the back. Although each set's reverse side features the card number, player biography and an advertisement, the 1915 backs are printed upside down. The advertisements on each set also offered collectors a complete 1915 Cracker Jack set as a mail-in offer for 100 Cracker Jack coupons or one coupon and 25 cents. A special album made to hold the cards was also offered for 50 Cracker Jack coupons or one coupon and 10 cents.

The 1915 Cracker Jack set includes several Hall of Famers of the era, including Christy Mathewson, Eddie Collins, Harry Hooper, Frank Chance and more, but "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner are the highlights of the series.

Although shortstops are rarely known for their offensive skillset, Wagner was one of the best all-around shortstops in MLB history. He finished his 21-season career with a .329 batting average, 3,430 hits, 1,732 RBIs and 722 stolen bases. The longtime Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop won eight National League batting titles, led the NL in stolen bases five times and RBIs four times. Wagner is a 1909 World Series champion and was inducted as part of the Baseball Hall of Fame's inaugural class of 1936.

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