94 Billion Won for a Commemorative Card... 'Legendary Batter' Honus Wagner Sets New Record Again

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A sports card released inside a cigarette pack by an American tobacco company has sold for $7.25 million (approximately 9.41 billion KRW), setting a new record for the highest price.

On the 6th (local time), Penta, an investment media under The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), reported that a T-206 card of the legendary American professional baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) hitter Wagner was sold for $7.25 million through a private transaction. This surpasses the previous record of $6.6 million set in April last year.

Last year's highest-priced sports card was also a T-206 featuring Wagner. Measuring 5 cm wide and 7.6 cm tall, this card was released in 1909 by the American tobacco company ATC inside cigarette packs, with Wagner's portrait printed on the front and a tobacco advertisement on the back.

The reason why a single card is so expensive is its rarity. A total of 206 cards were distributed to the market by 1911, and it is known that fewer than 50 cards have been confirmed to exist even after more than 110 years. Various theories exist as to why only 206 cards of Wagner were distributed, including one that Wagner requested the printing to be stopped because he did not want young fans to buy cigarettes.

Wagner, who played 21 seasons in the MLB from 1897 to 1917, is considered one of the greatest hitters of all time. He won the National League (NL) batting title eight times and recorded a career batting average of 0.329 with 3,430 career hits. Wagner was inducted as a founding member into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1936 alongside Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and others.

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