Mile High Card Company has officially rolled out the red carpet for one of baseball’s most elusive and recognizable artifacts: the T206 Honus Wagner. The card, often dubbed the crown jewel of sports collectibles, has re-entered the spotlight as the marquee item in Mile High’s April auction, and the bidding is already heating up.
This marks the first time since late 2023 that a Wagner has made its way to the public auction stage. While that might not seem like a long hiatus in most circles, it’s significant when considering how infrequently this card emerges. With fewer than 60 authenticated copies known to exist, any appearance of a T206 Wagner is enough to send ripples through the collecting world. For Mile High, though, this is familiar terrain—they’ve had their hands on six different Wagners in just the last five years.
This particular card hit the auction block with a $300,000 starting bid, and by Thursday evening, it had already doubled. Still, most industry watchers expect that number to soar well into the millions before the final gavel falls.
But Wagner isn’t flying solo in this auction. The catalog is stacked with vintage treasures, including a fully graded 1952 Topps baseball set. That’s right—Mantle is in the building. The set is one of the most iconic of the post-war era and includes dozens of rookies and legends in high-grade condition. Alongside that, collectors will find a wide variety of rare rookies, sealed boxes, and pristine complete sets—all carefully curated for this event.
The T206 Honus Wagner, of course, carries a history unlike any other card. Issued by the American Tobacco Company between 1909 and 1911, the card was part of a larger set intended to promote various cigarette brands. Legend has it that Wagner demanded his card be pulled—either due to his disapproval of tobacco advertising or a contract dispute, depending on which version of the story you prefer. Whatever the reason, production was quickly halted, and the resulting scarcity transformed the card into a symbol of prestige within the hobby.
More than a century later, that mystique still holds. Every time a Wagner resurfaces, it becomes more than a sale—it becomes a moment. And as Mile High’s April auction gathers momentum, that moment is once again upon us. For collectors with the means, it’s a rare chance to chase history. For everyone else, it’s a front-row seat to watch one of the hobby’s greatest icons do what it’s always done—captivate.