Record Breaker! Iconic 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner Certified by CGC Realizes $1.33 Million at Auction
Posted on 8/10/2026
Another CGC-certified grail, another CGC-certified record! On Saturday, one lucky buyer with the top bid secured one of the most talked about sports cards in the hobby today: the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner certified CGC Authentic - Restored.
After collectors had a chance to view it at the CGC booth at Fanatics Fest and The National (where it was displayed alongside other CGC-certified grails of the hobby), the legendary Wagner card was offered in a sale presented by Love of the Game Auctions, establishing a new CGC record for sports cards when it realized $1,337,263.
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In recent months, the restored Wagner has made waves within the hobby, becoming well-known for being an iconic card with a fascinating backstory. A journey that has lasted more than 100 years, this example of the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner disappeared for decades before ending up in the hands of media personality Keith Olbermann, who commissioned an expert paper conservator to restore the card to its original glory.
Now, after being offered in a Love of the Game Auctions sale and receiving 24 bids for one of the most sought-after cards in the hobby, the "die-cut" Wagner has found its new home. It also joins the 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle - Type 1 graded CGC 8 as the second CGC-certified sports card to realize seven figures, a rarified status that only a few card grading services can claim. The result is also testament to CGC’s growing acceptance in the sports card collecting community.
To read more about the legendary Wagner card and its intriguing story, go here.
The T206 is arguably the most popular and important vintage sports card set ever produced, showcasing several early MLB Hall of Famers, including Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Christy Mathewson, Ed Walsh, and more. However, the gem of the set is the ultra-rare 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner. Created by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) between 1909 and 1911, the T206 set was inserted into the brand's cigarette packs. The 524-card set features both major and minor league players of the era, each with varying rarity, but none more so than Wagner's card.
The Hall of Famer's T206 issue is extremely rare because its distribution was halted not long after the set was released. Since ATC pulled the Wagner card early on, experts estimate that the number of cards distributed to the public was likely in the low hundreds, with perhaps only 200 printed. Today, fewer than 100 are known to exist in the world and only a little more than 50 examples have been certified across all third-party grading services, making the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner one of the most coveted rarities in the entire hobby.
Although shortstops are not always known for their offensive skillset, Wagner was one of the best all-around shortstops in MLB history. Nicknamed the Flying Dutchman, he finished his 21-season career with a .328 batting average, 3,420 hits, 1,732 RBIs, and 723 stolen bases. The longtime Pittsburgh Pirate won eight National League batting titles, led the NL in stolen bases five times, and led the NL in RBIs four times. Wagner was 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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