Rare Honus Wagner baseball card sells for $6.6M, shatters record

A rare 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold to an anonymous buyer for $6.606 million on Monday, shattering the all-time record for the highest-selling sports card, according to ESPN's Dan Hajducky.

The Wagner card, which received a grading of three from Sportscard Guaranty Corp., broke the previous record of $5.2 million shared by a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card and an autographed 2003-2004 Exquisite Collection LeBron James rookie jersey card.

"This Wagner stands out because of its condition," said Brian Dwyer, president of Robert Edward Auctions. "There's only about 60 of these that we can confirm through various population reports and available grading data. Of those 60, most are rated poor, authentic, or good, at best. This card is one of the best examples out there, and it's certainly one of the best examples available."

A similar low-grade Wagner card sold for more than $1.4 million in October 2020. At the time, it was the most ever paid for the item.

Wagner played 21 seasons in the majors from 1897-1917, winning eight batting titles with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"The Flying Dutchman" was among the first five players inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936.