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A Honus Wagner baseball card — which was dubbed the “Holy Grail” — is now officially the most expensive card of all time after selling for a record-shattering price at a recent auction.
According to ESPN.com, the card sold for more than $6.6 million at Robert Edward Auctions in New Jersey. The previous record price was $5.2 million.
A T206 Honus Wagner card just shattered the record for highest-selling sports card of all time 💰 https://t.co/zyY387vkwi pic.twitter.com/o4m0oI7jbc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 16, 2021
The card was part of a set from 1909-1911 by the American Tobacco Co. The back of the card featured an advertisement for cigarettes.
The Pittsburgh Pirates legend eventually asked the company to stop using his likeness to market tobacco to children. There are only approximately 50 T206 Wagner cards known in circulation.
Wagner, who played 21 seasons in MLB, was inducted into the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1936. He passed away at age 81 in 1955.