(LOT 24)
1911 M131 Baltimore News Newsboy Series "Hans" Wagner SGC 3 VG
EXTREMELY RARE WAGNER!!!... The hallowed T206 Honus Wagner may be the hobby's "Holy Grail" sports card, but this miraculous SGC 3 VG 1911 M131 Baltimore News Hans Wagner keepsake far exceeds the rarity of his majestic T206 subject by leaps and bounds! Incredibly, it resides as one of only two encapsulated copies on the combined SGC and PSA census reports, with PSA also listing a 3 VG example. In 1911, the Baltimore News issued a 30-subject set strikingly similar to the E94 George Close Candy issue. All the players and checklist numbers were exactly the same, with the first 35 boys completing the set offered a $1 prize. The difference in this ultra-rare regional issue versus the E94 candy cards is that all Baltimore News players reveal a blue background, with the back of the cards portraying a Baltimore News Newsboy Series caption.

To place the rarity of these cards in perspective versus their E94 peers, the combined PSA and SGC M131 counts for all 30 subjects is a mere 88 examples, or 4%, versus the significantly higher 1,975 E94 Close Candy examples (at the time this was written). Regarding this Hans Wagner M131 subject, the meager two examples represent a fractional 2% of the 95 Wagner E94 George Close Candy graded copies, substantiating the significant paucity level of the Baltimore News Wagner. Going into the 1911 campaign, the immortal Flying Dutchman had already claimed seven NL batting titles, establishing himself as baseball's greatest player at the time. Honus did not disappoint the Steel City faithful the year this extreme scarcity was issued, besting the Senior Circuit in batting average for a record-setting eight times via his spectacular .334 mark.

Indeed, Wagner's incomparable batting achievements, stellar shortstop play, and sensational base-running skills justified his elite standing, ultimately leading HOF manager John McGraw to so eloquently quote: "I name Wagner first on my list, not only because he was a great batting champion and baserunner, and also baseball's foremost shortstop, but because Honus could have been first at any other position, with the possible exception of pitcher. In all my career, I never saw such a versatile player." Indeed, it was no secret that the legendary McGraw went to his grave insisting the iconic Wagner was the greatest of them all, and along with his sanctified T206 "Holy Grail" tobacco card, it is his unparalleled diamond prowess that captures the hearts and minds of a seemingly countless number of passionate collectors. The classic Hans batting pose is unique to only the M131 and E94 1911 issues, and in this case, it has eluded any glaring flaws as Hans prepares to smack another one of his 3,420 safeties. The well-centered image boasts a splendid powder blue background that has side-stepped the typical snow impeding many of the M131 subjects.

Vivid focus steals the show, with corner wear, some stray corner wrinkles, negligible etching/enamel peel along the right edge, and light border soiling/toning preventing a higher assessment. Most impressively, none of these flaws have compromised the critical central image, with the obscure "HANS" lower border text (as opposed to HONUS) and the verso's relatively clean Baltimore News Newsboy Series 30-subject checklist providing additional highlights. While not the revered T206 Wagner subject, the fact that only a single other PSA 3 VG specimen has been documented clearly indicates its unparalleled paucity level, proudly residing as one of the rarest and most significant of all Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner cardboard heirlooms. With no recent benchmark data available, we cannot even begin to estimate its lofty value, arguably standing tall as one of the rarest of all Honus Wagner cardboard marvels and the perfect testament to baseball's undisputed greatest all-time shortstop!

MIN BID $10,000
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