(LOT 192)
1910 Tip Top Bread Honus Wagner Pittsburgh Pirates PSA 1.5 FR
T206 WAGNER LIKENESS!!! Proudly standing tall as the hobby's most prestigious baseball card is the unparalleled T206 Honus Wagner. The undisputed "Holy Grail" of all cards, Carl Horner never could have imagined his turn of the century portrait representation of the immortal Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner would ultimately take center stage as the most iconic illustration ever affixed to any cardboard collectible. The overall mystique of this card allegedly stems from Honus frowning upon the use of his image to advertise tobacco products or possibly not being paid enough (or at all) by the American Tobacco Company to print his T206 subject. Removed from production after a limited printing, a shortfall was created that resulted in a mere few in existence today (there are 60-70 known copies). One of the cards that is extremely similar to the sanctified T206 Wagner is his 1910 Tip Top Bread D322 issue, likewise portraying the classic Carl Horner pose. While there are several Wagner issues, including Carl Horner's celebrated Honus image, few match the rarity and photogenic likeness of the Tip Top Bread Wagner, regionally issued by the Pittsburgh Ward-Mackey Company in 1910 to commemorate the Pirates 1909 World Championship.

Unlike most Wagner portrait cards, the Tip Top Bread image portrays the renowned Honus headshot turned towards the right side of the card, mirroring the T206 example (other examples portray Wagner's head turned left and are also more lithographic in nature). Moreover, the Tip Top Bread Wagner headshot appears to be the EXACT replica of the T206, the only difference being a slightly different size due to the Tip Top Co. exhibiting a bust pose that includes "Pittsburgh" across the uniform. That said, presented here is a PSA 1.5 FAIR Tip Top Wagner that obviously resides as the most exalted and valuable of the 25 Tip Top subjects. Interestingly enough, PSA's Pop Chart lists 36 Tip Top Wagner subjects versus 34 T206 Wagner's, with the population counts virtually the same. Yet, T206 Wagner "beater" examples now require nearly $3 million budgets (an SGC 2 privately sold for $7.2 million in 2023), leading to the obvious premise that the 1910 Tip Top Wagner is extremely undervalued. This notion has certainly grasped collectors over the past year, with several Tip Top sales achieving $156K (3 VG) and $144K (off-centered 4 VG-EX). The floodgates have officially opened with regard to their soaring values, and we can safely assume there might be no end in sight for the spiraling pricing points of the previously undervalued Tip Top Wagner. The Tip Top's obscurity is due to its aforementioned regional Pittsburgh distribution to commemorate the Pirates 1909 World Series title over Detroit, with any Wagner example highly coveted by the most esteemed collectors.

The critical Wagner image of Carl Horner portrays fine aesthetics, ably assisted by crystal-clear clarity and a bold orange/green hued background that is strikingly similar to the T206 sunburst orange setting. The classic pose favors the right edge, with the assessment due to three diagonal creases across the lower region (two of which are in the lower left and right quadrants), significant rounded corners including layering at the upper corners, scattered soiling along the borders, and a few additional stray wrinkles barely visible to the naked eye. General surface wear does not compromise the revered Wagner pose, and the verso's 25-subject checklist is intact. While all Wagner portrait issues are escalating in value at a meteoric rate, it is his 1910 Tip Top subject that arguably stands as the closest depiction to the Flying Dutchman's immortal T206 image. Considering this concept, we highly expect the T206 Wagner's infectious pricing increases to spill over to its majestic Tip Top Honus brethren, with this museum-worthy offering boasting unlimited investment potential!

MIN BID $20,000
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