The T206 Honus Wagner is the undisputed champion of the baseball card world, if not the sports card world in general. Distributed in cigarette packages between the years 1909 to 1911, the card is estimated to have had a print run limited to 50 to 200 copies, a stark contrast to the approximate six figure print runs of the remaining cards in the series. Why the discrepancy? Well, various reasons have been offered, the most popular being that Honus himself fought to have the card pulled as he opposed his likeness being used to market cigarettes. While the rarity and age of the card alone are sufficient to have driven its long term demand, the “ahead of its time” tone of Wagner’s stand against tobacco certainly added a mystique around the card that has helped to sustain its place in memorabilia folklore….
Picture courtesy NY Daily News
….and yet, there’s more to the story of this card than what I just threw out there. Far too much to go into without fully kiboshing any connection to hockey! I'd highly recommend tracking down a copy of “The Card”, which goes into the highly controversial history of one particular T206 Honus Wagner, and what makes it quite infamous. For the sake of not leaving you wonderful people hanging, though, I provide a very “Cole’s Notes” version! Strap in…
So, what about this one (in)famous Honus Wagner card I referred to, huh? Well, slap my ass and call me Charlie, it just so happens to have a connection to the world of hockey! This comes in the form of the best known specimen of the T206 Wagner, known as the “Gretzky T206 Honus Wagner”. This card is, shocker, named after Wayne Gretzky, the most famous co-owner of the card when he and Bruce McNall purchased it in 1991 for just north of $450,000. Over the next 16 years the card was sold five times (and won once after it was made the grand prize in a Wal-Mart contest after the company bought it from Gretzky and McNall), with the most recent sale price (in 2007) being a hefty $2.8 million.
Now, a few notable things occurring in the chain of ownership that one might find interesting. First, and I point this out only as something I noticed reviewing the sales over the course of 22 years, Gretzky and McNall made the second lowest profit off their sale of the card ($49,000). The lowest profit you ask? It came off the initial 1985 sale, which saw the Wagner and numerous other cards sold collectively for approximately $25,000 (again: go read “The Card” to see just how little justice and detail I do this sale…). Most significant to the history and aura of the Wagner card, however, is the fact that this copy of the card was long suspected to have been cut from a sheet, not come from a cigarette pack, and had it’s sides trimmed prior to the Gretzky sale. Both having been hand cut from a sheet and the sides being cleaned up are factors that would significantly and negatively impact the value of a card, and yet we have a card being sold for $2.8 million in 2007. A card that the initial seller and one of the authentication experts hired in 1991 have stated was, in their opinion, cut from a sheet, while another owner recently (2013) admitted to in federal court having cleaned up prior to the Gretzky sale. Craziness I tells ya! CRAZINESS!!!
Certainly a complicated history with this card, but it also remains the sports most valuable. But what about hockey? Does the NHL have it’s own Honus Wagner? Well, not in terms of all the controversy by any means! But if we focus on an age and rarity that have put it in a spot as the sports priciest? You bet hockey’s got it! So who is this player? Who do we speak of? Hold on to your seats ladies and gentlemen, as I give you…
Bert Corbeau!
Ok, most will need a bit of an introduction to Mr. Corbeau. Bert, a defenseman, played a decade in the NHL for the Hamilton Tigers, Toronto St. Pats, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. He was part of the Habs first Stanley Cup winning team, on the first Maple Leafs team, the first player to play for Montreal and Toronto in their career, and the first player to accumulate 100 penalty minutes in a season. Lots of firsts, eh? Never mind that the man also went on to referee in the NHL. Sounds like a pretty well rounded career! And yet he is less well known for any and all of these things than for his appearance on a single hockey card during his time with the Toronto St. Pats….
Picture courtesy www.classicauctions.net
Let's set the stage: The year is 1923. The company: William Paterson Inc in Brantford, ON (another Gretzky connection). The business? Candy. The product was the Paterson’s Hockey League Bar. As if chocolate was not enticing enough for a child, a promotion was included whereby each bar included a card of one of 40 different NHL players. Here was the real draw, however: collect all 40 cards and send them back to the company and the folks at Paterson’s would send you a new pair of skates!!! You would also have your cards returned, albeit tagged as cancelled via a hole punched from it and a stamp on the reverse of the card indicating the date of redemption.
Picture courtesy www.classicauctions.net
I'm sure many of you have picked up on the rub here: how does the company ensure they don't lose money on a promotion such as this? The sure fire tried and true method – limit the amount of sets that could be completed! How to achieve this? Short-print one of the 40 cards! Enter Bert Corbeau! While no one is entirely certain how many Corbeau cards were actually distributed, only five to 10 have been confirmed to exist at present, with only two of those not being cancelled versions. This is certainly rarer than the Honus Wagner card we discussed earlier. In fact, it is considered so rare that many individuals consider the Paterson 1923-24 V145-1 series as complete even when the Corbeau card is not present. At the same time, the V145-1 Bert Corbeau has not demanded nearly the price of the Wagner, booking at $20,000, often fetching more than this however, due to its rarity, but not pushing six figures. In fact, within the past decade a full set of all 40 cards, including the Corbeau, sold at auction for just over $135,000, with the price supported by the inclusion of many other high end rookie cards, including King Clancy, Aurel Joliet, Howie Morenz and Jack Adams. Nevertheless, the Corbeau card does hold the distinction of being the highest valued non-graded hockey card in existence, and as such has its own special place in the world of hockey collectibles and memorabilia!
So there you go! A little hockey history, some Gretzky, a pinch of legal and ethically questionable behaviour, and some sketchy business approaches to ripping off kids! Warms the cockles of our hearts! At any rate, please do drop a line if you have any questions about any hobby-related topics, and I’ll see what I can do to address them in a future article!
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Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past...
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Shawn Gates
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Facebook: Shawn Gates
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Previous “Collecting on the Cheap” Articles
The Thrift Shop
Previous ”On The Market” Articles
The $20,000 Thrift Shop Bobblehead
Gretzky’s 1000th Goal Stick
Andrew Shaw’s Cup Final Stitches
Previous “Display Case” Articles
#1: The “Frankenstick!”
#2: Your desk has the right to remain collectable!
#3: Have Pads, Will Travel
#4: Pick a Pekka (Rinne) Autographed Mask
#5: Ted Lindsay Gets Kronwalled?
#6: The Only Thing We Have To Fehr Is Fehr Himself
#7: “Hungary” For Team Canada Swag
#8: The Soldiers Kid and “The Kid”
#9: Fan Appreciation & Player Humility Via The '72 Series
#10: Bobby Orr and....Birth Control?!?!?!
#11: Johnny Bower The “Portrait” Of Health At 88!!!
#12: Scotty Bowman – Stick Detective!!!
#13: Touch 'Em All Joe!!!
#14: Joey and Sergei's European (Lockout) Adventure!!!
#15: I’d Give The Jersey Off My Back For You…
#16: The Case Of The 1940’s Era Leafs
#17: Scrapping The History Of The Isles...
#18: Gretzky “Re-Signs” in Edmonton
#19: Gilmour Is Such A Caricature!!!
#20: Toys In The Attic
#21: The Right King Place At The Right King Time
#22: Momma Bear Takes On A “Killer”!!!
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Randy Carlyle Firing
NHL – NHLPA “Negotiations”
Olympic Gold Medal Game
Olympic Hockey
Kovalchuk Trade
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Previous “Hockey Videos”
2012: Week 1
2012: Week 2
2012: Week 3
2012: Week 4
2012: Week 5
2012: Week 6
2012: Week 7
Pain for Pleasure
National Anthems
Dion Phaneuf
Hockey Fans
Hockey Christmas
Nature Versus Sports
Goalie Fights!
Nature Versus Sports: Winter Classic 2014 Edition
NHL and The Tragically Hip
Previous “WHAT IF…?” Articles
#1 What If The NHL Contracted To 24 Teams?
#2 What If Quebec Traded Lindros To The Rangers Instead Of The Flyers?
#3 What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?
#3a What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?: A RESPONSE
#4 What If The WHA Never Existed?
#5 What If The Position Of Rover Had Not Been Eliminated?
#6 What If Pittsburgh Had Not Been Awarded A Team In 1967?
#7 What If Steve Smith Had Not Scored In His Own Net In Game 7?
#8 What If The NHL Had a Cross-Conference Playoff Structure?
#9 What If The NHL Asked For Fan Ideas For Improving The Game??
#10 What If Henderson Had Missed The Net In Game 8?
#11 What If You Could Sneak Into A Stanley Cup Celebration?
#12 What If The NHL Returned To Quebec City?
#13 What if Toronto and Edmonton Had Traded Teams in 1981?
#14 What if You Could Create Your Own Hockey Dream Team?
#15 What if An Active Player in the NHL “Came Out” as Gay?
#16 You Could Assemble Your Own Fantasy Pick-up Hockey Team?
#17 Hockey Had A Champions League Tournament?
#18 Team "X" Did NOT Make Trade "Y" At The Deadline?
#19 Gretzky Had Been Called For he High Stick?
#20 Star Players Hadn't Had Their Careers Cut Short?
#21 Mark Cuban Owned An NHL Team?
#22 Should Divisional Play Be Overhauled?
#23 You Won The Lottery Using Jersey Numbers?
#24 You Could Change Any Teams Name?
#25 You Could Own Any Odd Piece Of Hockey Memorabilia?
#26 You Could Pick One Silver Lining From The Lockout?
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NHLs Latest Concession Does Not Pass The Stink Test
Cancelled Winter Classic Is About NHL Spite, Not Pragmatism
Fehr's Take On Offer Not Reflecting Optimism Of Fans?
Hybrid Icing: An AHL Experiment With An NHL Future?
Hockey Writers: Bottom Of The Barrel?!?!?
161 Players Overrate The Need To Offer Their Opinion
East vs West: Which Conference is Best?
Previous “Would You Rather…?
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Previous “Very Random Thoughts” Articles
August 9, 2012
August 1, 2012
July 24, 2012
Upcoming Signings
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Previous “Who Knew?” Articles
#1: Gordie Howe
#2: The Zamboni
#3: Maurice “The Rocket” Richard
#4: Ron Hextall
#5: Stanley Cup Abuse, Neglect and Versatility
#6: The Puck
#7: Don Cherry
#8: Cam Neely
#9: The Early Years of Les Canadiens
#10: Hockey Superstitions!
#11: Olympic Hockey Pt1
#12: Jarome Iginla
#13: Mark Messier
#14: Johnny Bower
Previous Product Previews & Reviews
2010-11 Donruss Hockey
2010-11 Panini Score Hockey
2010-11 Panini Certified Hockey
2010-11 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia, 10th Edition
2010-11 ITG Heroes & Prospects
2010-11 Panini Pinnacle Hockey
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2011 UD All Star Weekend Redemptions
2010-11 ITG Between The Pipes
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INDEX
Previous "Devil's In The Details" Articles
#1: Beware the "Factory Sealed Box"!
#2: The Price Guide"
#3: What IS A Rookie Card?
#4: Beware the Money Order!
#5: The Counterfeit Gretzky RC
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2010-11 Score Hockey
Previous “Devil's Advocate” Articles
Gary Bettman and the Phoenix Coyotes
Previous “Town Without A Team” Articles
Booger Hollow, Arkansas
Hell, Michigan
Previous “Hockey Psychology” Articles
State Dependent Learning
Arousal and Performance
Depression
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