понедельник, 17 сентября 2012 г.

HONUS WAGNER CARD SELLS FOR RECORD $2.8 MILLION.(Sports) - The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH)

MISSION VIEJO, CALIF. -- A rare Honus Wagner baseball card has been sold for a record $2.8 million, just over six months after it was bought for a then-record $2.35 million.

Referred to as the 'Mona Lisa' of baseball cards, the almost mint-condition collectible -- released in 1909 by the American Tobacco Company -- was sold by Brian Seigel of Las Vegas to an unidentified Southern California collector in February. SCP Auctions was a minority owner, but David Kohler, the company's president and CEO, said that's no longer the case.

Kohler said the new owner wishes to remain a private collector for now, but might identify himself at a later date. The sale was completed last week and announced Thursday.

The T206 baseball card features a youthful Wagner in his Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. At the time of the February sale, it was displayed at a Dodger Stadium news conference.

'This has always been the holy grail, the Mona Lisa of baseball cards,' Kohler said.

Adding to its value is that only 50 to 60 Wagner cards are believed to exist, and none of the others in circulation are close to the quality of this one, which has been encased in protective sheeting for decades.