A piece of paper the size of a credit card, was sold for $2.1 million dollars.
The century-old card (1909 edition) of Pittsburgh Pirate player Honus Wagner, was auctioned off by Goldin Auctions in West Berlin, New Jersey.
The final bid came in at $2,105,770.50 and those extra 50 cents were more than what the card cost to buy as part of a pack of cigarettes in 1909!
Unless you are a baseball aficionado, you’d probably have no idea who the heck is Honus Wagner; but because there are less than 50 such cards in existence – most of them in not mint condition – it doesn’t really matter. 😀
It appears that unlike many baseball players of lore, HonusWagner.com is owned by the late player’s estate. The latter, is represented by the Luminary Group, and according to their web site:
“Luminary Group LLC is a full–service licensing, consulting, and intellectual property management company. Our success stories feature a diverse array of licensable assets, from famous personalities to music catalogs, brands and trademarks. Luminary Group’s focus is to maximize the value of our clients’ property. Luminary Group excels in creating customized opportunities and new revenue streams for: [athletes] … [estates of famous individuals]”
Still, $2.1 million is a hefty price to pay for a dead folk’s mugshot, for a sport that devised the title “World Series” even though it all happens in the continental United States. They could probably buy Baseball.com with that much cash, in today’s bad economy.
This post is 100% true!
