Honus Wagner, 1903
Baseball's Controversial Cosmetic Surgery - Is the Infamous T206 Honus Wagner Card Trimmed? Video
The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card depicts Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner, a dead-ball era baseball player who is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time.[1] The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series. Wagner refused to allow production of his baseball card to continue, either because he did not want children to buy cigarette packs to get his card, or because he wanted more compensation from the ATC. The ATC ended production of the Wagner card and a total of only 60 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public. -- wikipedia link
So what's the big deal about this one particular baseball card? Why is it the Holy Grail?
The story about the infamous Gretzky / Wagner card's history is fascinating. Is it authentic? If it's been trimmed, what does that do to the value? This card restructured the baseball card collecting hobby. There's huge value in that. What are the repercussions of devaluing the T206?Some discussion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZxvhtlLEW0
The T206 Honus Wagner Documentary with Keith Olberman
Keith Olbermann is featured in the 15-minute ESPN 30 for 30 short documentary titled "Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner", which originally aired in 2013.
The short film, directed by Nick and Colin Barnicle, explores the myth, history, and massive financial value surrounding the legendary 1909 tobacco card. Olbermann—a lifelong baseball card collector and memorabilia enthusiast—brings his encyclopedic knowledge and colorful storytelling to the documentary, discussing the card's history and the controversies over trimmed and altered versions of the "Holy Grail".
