Honus wagner story and biography

American baseball player (–)

This article is about the American baseball player. For people with similar names, see Hans Wagner (disambiguation). For the baseball card, observe T Honus Wagner.

Baseball player

Honus Wagner
Wagner in
Shortstop
Born:()February 24, Chartiers Borough, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: December 6, () (aged&#;81) Carnegie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
July 19,&#;,&#;for the&#;Louisville Colonels
September 17,&#;,&#;for the&#;Pittsburgh Pirates
Batting average
Hits	3,
Home runs
Runs batted in	1,
Stolen bases
Stats at Baseball Reference&#;
As player As manager As coach
World Series champion () 8× NL batting champion (, , , –, ) 4× NL RBI leader (, , , ) 5× NL stolen base commander (, , , , ) Pittsburgh Pirates No. 33 retired Pirates Hall of Fame Major League Baseball All-Century Team Major League Baseball All-Time Team
Induction
Vote	% (first ballot)

Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (HON-əs WAG-nər; February 24, ^[1] – December 6, ^[2]), was an Americanbaseballshortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[3] Nicknamed "the Flying Dutchman" due to his superb speed and German heritage, Wagner was a prototypical five-tool player, known for creature a versatile defender who could combine a strong throwing arm with the ability to participate almost any defensive position as well as being capable of hitting for average and for power.

He is widely regarded as the greatest shortstop of all time. In , the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the first five members.

At the age of 15, Wagner began his professional baseball career in the minor leagues in After being noticed by a talent scout, he made his MLB debut in with the Louisville Colonels.

Wagner excelled at playing any position both in the infield and in the outfield, eventually becoming a regular shortstop by After the Colonels folded in , club president Barney Dreyfuss bought the Pittsburgh Pirates and brought along Wagner with him, where he would invest the rest of his career.

He quickly established himself as the National League's premier celebrity.

Game 2 of the Planet Series between the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates: The man who would lead the majors in hits over the next decade took his steer off first base. He glanced toward the shortstop, who had been the hit leader for the decade just ended. The story differs slightly as to how Honus was signed to his first contract. One says that his brother Al insisted that his younger brother be signed as a contingency for his own signature with Steubenville in the Tri-State League in

Wagner won a joint-record eight NL batting titles, led the league in slugging six times, stolen bases five times and RBIs four times. With Pittsburgh, Wagner appeared in two Planet Series, including the inaugural Planet Series and World Series, the latter of which was the Pirates' first World Series title.

After a brief stint as manager, Wagner retired in having set numerous MLB career records, including most Wins Above Replacement (WAR; ), extra-base hits (), most runs scored (1,), most games played (2,), most hits (3,), most total bases (4,) and most at-bats (10,), all of which would be broken by Ty Cobb in the following decade.

He also retained many other NL career records for up to nearly half a century or more, including most triples (, still a league record), most stolen bases in the modern era ()^[a] until , most runs scored until , most doubles () until and most hits until Wagner still ranks in the top 10 for hits, doubles, triples, stolen bases and WAR among all major league players and in the top 10 for games played, at-bats, runs scored, runs batted in and total bases in the NL.

Wagner remained involved with baseball after retirement, serving as a coach for the Pirates. During his tenure, he helped tutor future Hall of Famers Arky Vaughan and Ralph Kiner. He was widely praised by contemporary players and journalists alike for his playing ability.

Wagner is also the subject of the T Honus Wagner baseball card, one of the rarest baseball cards in existence. Its movie ran from to , vanishing only about 50 known copies in circulation. In , a T Honus Wagner sold for $ million, making it the second-most expensive sports card in history.

Early life

Wagner was born to German immigrants Peter and Katheryn Wagner in the borough of Chartiers, in what is now Carnegie, Pennsylvania.^[4][5][6]

Wagner was one of nine children.

As a child, he was called Hans by his mother, which later evolved into Honus.^[6] "Hans" was also an alternate nickname during his major league career. Wagner dropped out of school at age 12 to help his father and brothers in the coal mines.

In their free time, he and his brothers played sandlot baseball and developed their skills to such an extent that three of his brothers went on to develop professionals as well.^[7]

According to Wagner's own testimony, the name "Honus" (pronounced: "HAW-nus") was a shortened form of "Johannes", adopted by baseball teammates as a nickname.^[8]

Wagner's older brother, Albert "Butts" Wagner, who had a brief major league career himself, is often credited with getting Honus his first tryout.

Butts persuaded his manager to take a see at his younger brother. Monitoring his brother, Wagner trained to be a barber before becoming successful in baseball.^[9]

In , Wagner married Bessie Baine Smith, and the couple had three daughters: Elva Katrina (b.

, stillborn), Betty Baine (–), and Virginia Mae (–).^[10]

Professional career

Early career

Honus' brother Albert "Butts" Wagner was considered the ballplayer of the family.

Albert suggested Honus in when his Inter-State League team was in need of help. Wagner played for five teams in that first year, in three different leagues over the course of 80 games.

In , Ed Barrow played with Wagner with the Wheeling Nailers, and decided to take him with him to his next team, the Paterson Silk Sox (Atlantic League).

Barrow proved to be a good talent scout, as Wagner could play wherever he was needed, including all three bases and the outfield. Wagner hit for Paterson in and in 74 games in ^[1]

Louisville Colonels

Recognizing that Wagner should be playing at the highest level, Barrow contacted the Louisville Colonels, who had finished last in the National League in with a record of 38– They were doing better in when Barrow persuaded club president Barney Dreyfuss, club secretary Harry Pulliam, and outfielder-manager Fred Clarke to go to Paterson to watch Wagner play.

Dreyfuss and Clarke were not impressed with the awkward-looking man, not surprising, as Wagner was oddly built: he was 5&#;ft 11&#;in (&#;m) giant, weighed pounds (91&#;kg), and had a barrel chest, massive shoulders, heavily muscled arms, huge hands, and incredibly bowed legs that deprived him of any grace and several inches of height.

Pulliam, though, persuaded Dreyfuss and Clarke to take a chance on him. Wagner debuted with Louisville on July 19 and hit in 61 games.^[1]

By his second season, Wagner was already one of the best hitters in the National League although he came up short a percentage point from finishing the season at Following the season, the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams, with the Colonels one of four teams eliminated.

Owner Barney Dreyfuss, who had purchased half ownership in the Pirates, took Wagner and many of his other superior players with him to the Pittsburgh team.

Tommy Leach recounted his impressions of joining the Louisville club in with hopes of winning the starting occupation at third base:

I hardly had time to get settled before it hits me that this guy the Louisville club had at third base was practically doing the impossible.

I'm sitting on the bench the first day I reported, and along about the third inning an opposing batter smacks a line drive down the third-base line that looked like at least a sure double. Good, this big Louisville third baseman jumped over after it enjoy he was on steel springs, slapped it down with his bare hand, scrambled after it at least ten feet, and fired a bullet over to first base.

The runner was out by two or three steps.

I'm sitting on the bench and my eyes are popping out. So I poked the guy sitting next to me, and asked him who the devil that big fellow was on third base.

"Why, that's Wagner," he says.

"He's the best third baseman in the league."

And it also turned out that while Honus was the best third baseman in the league, he was also the best first baseman, the best second baseman, the best shortstop, and the best outfielder. That was in fielding.

And since he led the league in batting eight times between and , you know that he was the best hitter, too. As adv as the best base runner.

—&#;Tommy Leach, as told to Lawrence Ritter, The Glory of Their Times

Pittsburgh Pirates

The move to the Pittsburgh Pirates signified Wagner's emergence as a premier hitter.

In , Wagner won his first batting championship with a impression and also led the league in doubles (45), triples (22), and slugging percentage (), all of which were career highs. For the next nine seasons, Wagner's average did not collapse below

In , the American League began to sign National League players, creating a bidding war, which depleted the league of many talented players.

Wagner was offered a $20, narrow by the Chicago White Sox, but turned it down and continued to play with the Pirates.

Prior to , Wagner had played several positions but settled into the shortstop role full-time that season, where he became a skilled fielder.

His biography on describes his gritty style:

Bowlegged, barrel-chested, long-limbed he was often likened to an octopus. When he fielded grounders, his huge hands also calm large scoops of infield dirt, which accompanied his throws to first like the tail of a comet.^[12]

In , Wagner won a distance contest in Louisville by throwing a baseball more than feet (&#;m).^[13] In August , he became the first player credited with stealing second base, third, and home in succession under the new principle differentiating between advanced bases and stolen bases.

He repeated the feat in , , and Wagner retired with the National League record for most steals of home (27), which was broken by Greasy Neale in

In September , Wagner signed a contract to produce the first bat with a player's signature, the Louisville Slugger, becoming the first sportsperson to endorse a commercial product;^[14] the Honus Wagner was to become a best-seller for years.

One month later, with one point separating him from Reds center fielder Cy Seymour for the batting title, Wagner fell short in a head-to-head matchup on the final day of the season, with Seymour collecting four hits to Wagner's two, as contemporary press reports stated that the fans were far more interested in the Seymour-Wagner battle than in the outcome of the games.

Shortly before the season, Wagner retired. In desperation, owner Barney Dreyfuss offered him $10, per year, making him the highest-paid Pirate for many years. He returned to the Pirates early in the season, and finished two home runs quick of the league's Triple Crown, leading the league in hitting (for the sixth time)‚ hits‚ total bases‚ doubles‚ triples‚ RBI‚ and stolen bases.

Wagner took over the batting lead from the New York Giants' over-the-top outfielder Mike Donlin during a July 25 game against the Giants and their star pitcher Christy Mathewson. Wagner was 5-for-5 in the game; after each hit, he reportedly held up another finger to Donlin, who went hitless, and who had just beaten runner-up Wagner by a wide margin in a "most popular player" poll.

Bill James cites Wagner's season as the greatest single season for any player in baseball history. He notes that the league ERA of was the lowest of the dead-ball era and about half of the ERAs of modern baseball. Since Wagner hit with RBI in an environment when half as many runs were scored as today, he asks, "if you had a Gold Glove shortstop, favor Wagner, who drove in runs, what would he be worth?"^[15]

He was the first winner of The World's Championship Batsman's Cup, in , made by Welshman George "Honey Boy" Evans.

and World Series

In , the Pirates played the Boston Americans in Major League Baseball's inaugural World Series. Wagner, by this point, was an established celestial body and much was expected of him, especially since the Pirates' starting rotation was badly depleted by injury.

Wagner himself was not at full strength and hit only for the series. The Americans, meanwhile, had some fans, called the "Royal Rooters" who, whenever Wagner came to bat, sang "Honus, Honus, why do you hit so badly?" to the tune of "Tessie", a popular song of the day.

The Rooters, led by Boston bartender Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy, even traveled to Pittsburgh to continue their heckling. Pittsburgh lost in the best-of-nine series, five games to three, to a team led by pitchers Cy Young and Bill Dinneen and third baseman–managerJimmy Collins.

Christy Mathewson, in his book "Pitching in a Pinch" wrote: "For some time after "Hans" Wagner's poor showing in the world's series of it was reported that he was "yellow" (poor in the clutch). This grieved the Dutchman deeply, for I don't know a ballplayer in either league who would assay less quit to the ton than Wagner This was the real tragedy in Wagner's career.

Notwithstanding his stolid appearance, he is a sensitive player, and this has hurt him more than anything else in his life ever has."^[16]

Wagner was distraught by his performance. The monitoring spring, he refused to deliver his portrait to a "Hall of Fame" for batting champions, citing his play in the World Series.

"I was too bum last year", he wrote. "I was a joke in that Boston-Pittsburgh Series. What does it profit a man to hammer along and make a few hits when they are not needed only to collapse down when it comes to a pinch? I would be ashamed to have my picture up now."^[17]

Wagner and the Pirates were given a chance to prove that they were not "yellow" in The Pirates faced Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers.

The series was the only conference of the two superior batsmen of the day, and the first time that the batting champions of each league faced one another (this later occurred thrice more, in , , and World Series). Wagner was by this time 35 years old, Cobb just

This hour, Wagner could not be stifled as he outhit Cobb, to , and stole six bases, establishing the new Series tape.

The speed demon Cobb only managed two steals, one of which Cobb himself admitted was a botched call. Wagner recounted: "We had him out at second. We put up a squawk, but Silk O'Loughlin, the umpire, overruled it. We kept the squawk going for a minute or so, making no headway of course, and then Cobb spoke up.

He turned to O'Loughlin, an American League umpire, by the way, and said, 'Of course I was out. They had me by a foot. You just booted the play, so come on, let's play ball.'"^[18]

There was also a story that was widely circulated over the years and famously recounted in Lawrence Ritter's The Glory of Their Times, that at one point Cobb was on first; he bragged to Wagner that he was going to steal second and threatened to assault him physically doing it; Wagner defiantly dared him to try it and placed an especially rough tag to Cobb's mouth; and the two exchanged choice words.

Cobb denied it in his autobiography, and the play-by-play of the World Series confirms that the event could not have happened as stated: Cobb was never tagged out by Wagner in a caught-stealing. The Pirates won the series in seven games behind the pitching of rookie Babe Adams.

Later career

In , Wagner's average fell to , his lowest average since Nevertheless, he aged exceptionally well; the three highest OPS+ seasons by any shortstop aged 35 or older belong to Wagner, and even his age season ranks eighth on the list.

Wagner won the batting title by the narrowest of margins. He went hitless in a 1–0 win against the Cubs on May 30, but a flourishing league protest by the Cubs wiped out the result (and Wagner's at-bats). Wagner ended up edging the Boston Rustlers' Doc Miller, to The Pirates were in contention into August, but an ankle injury sidelined Wagner for 25 games and the team slid from the race.

On June 28, , at age 40, Wagner recorded his 3,th hit, a single off rookie Cincinnati Reds pitcher Pete Schneider, the second player in baseball history to reach the figure after Cap Anson. Nap Lajoie would join them three months later in the season.

This accomplishment, however, came during a down period for Wagner and Pirates. Wagner hit only in , the lowest average of his career. In July , he became the oldest player to hit a grand slam, a record which stood for 70 years until topped by year-old Tony Pérez.

In , Wagner became the oldest player to hit an inside-the-park home run.

In , monitoring another retirement, Wagner returned for his final, abbreviated season. Returning in June, he was spiked in July and played only sparingly for the remainder of the year, batting He briefly held the role of interim manager, but after going 1–4, Wagner told owner Dreyfuss the job was not for him.

He retired as the NL's all-time hit leader, with 3, (Subsequent research has since revised this total to 3,) It took 45 years for St. Louis' Stan Musial to exceed Wagner's hit total.

Wagner has been considered one of the very best all-around players to ever play baseball since the day he retired in Baseball historian and statistician Bill James named Honus Wagner as the second-best player of all period after Babe Ruth, rating him as the best major league player in and each year from to ^[19][20] Statisticians John Thorn and Pete Palmer rate Wagner as ninth all-time in their "Total Player Ranking".^[21] Many of the greats who played or managed against Wagner, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, and Walter Johnson, list him at shortstop on their All-Time teams.^[22]

Life after baseball

Wagner was not finished playing baseball after his retirement from major league baseball.

He managed and played for a semi-pro team.^[23] After retirement, Wagner served the Pirates as a coach for 39 years, most notably as a hitting instructor from to Arky Vaughan, Ralph Kiner, Pie Traynor (player-manager from –), and Hank Greenberg (although Greenberg was in his final major league season in , his only season with the Pirates, and very well established) all future Hall of Famers, were notable "pupils" of Wagner.

honus wagner story and biography4: Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (/ ˈ h ɒ n ə s ˈ w æ ɡ n ər / HON-əs WAG-nər; February 24, [1] – December 6, [2]), was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates. [3].

During this occasion, he wore uniform number 14 but later changed it to his more famous 33, which was later the number retired for him. (His entire playing career was in the days before uniform numbers were worn.) His appearances at National League stadiums during his coaching years were always well received and Wagner remained a beloved representative of baseball.

Wagner also coached baseball and basketball at Carnegie Institute of Technology, which is now part of Carnegie Mellon University.

In , Wagner ran for the office of Sheriff of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, but lost. He was appointed as a deputy of the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office in He also ran a well-known sporting goods company.

C onsidered by many baseball experts the greatest shortstop of all time, Honus Wagner was one of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's five original inductees in Among his fellow inductees were Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. At first glance, Wagner looked somewhat ungainly and awkward. Stocky, barrel-chested, and bow-legged, he nevertheless exhibited great speed, which, in tandem with his heritage, earned him the nickname of "The Flying Dutchman.

A sporting goods store bearing the name "Honus Wagner" operated in downtown Pittsburgh for 93 years before closing permanently in ^[24]

The Pirates hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Forbes Field.

Wagner was invited to be an honorary coach for the National League squad, the first time this honor was bestowed in Major League Baseball's All-Star Game.^[25]

Wagner lived the remainder of his existence in Pittsburgh, where he was well known as a amiable figure around town.

He died on December 6, , at the age of 81,^[26] and he is buried at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh.

Film legacy

Wagner, along with his renowned baseball card, was one of the earliest athletes to produce the crossover into pop customs film.

He starred as a sports hero in 's Spring Fever with Moe Howard and Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges,^[27] and has been depicted as the subject of The Winning Season () and in a brief scene in Cobb ().

Baseball legacy

When the Baseball Hall of Fame held its first election in , Wagner tied for second in the voting with Babe Ruth, trailing Cobb. A Sporting News poll of former players and managers confirmed this opinion, with Wagner finishing 43 votes behind Cobb and six ahead of Ruth.

In , on the th anniversary of professional baseball, a vote was taken to honor the greatest players ever, and Wagner was selected as the all-time shortstop. In , 82 years after his last game and 44 years since his death, Wagner was voted Number 13 on The Sporting News' list of the Greatest Players, where he was again the highest-ranking shortstop.

That same year, he was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team by the oversight committee, after losing out in the well-liked vote to Cal Ripken Jr. and Ernie Banks.^[28]

Christy Mathewson asserted that Wagner was the only player he faced who did not have a weakness.

Mathewson felt that the only way to keep Wagner from hitting was not to pitch to him.^[29]

"A stirring march and two-step", titled "Husky Hans", and "respectfully dedicated to Hans Wagner, Three-time Champion Batsman of The National League" was written by William J.

Hartz in

Bill James says that Wagner is easily the greatest shortstop of all time, noting that the difference between Wagner and the second greatest shortstop, in James' estimation Arky Vaughan, is roughly the same as the gulf between Vaughan and the 20th greatest shortstop.

Wagner is mentioned in the poem Line-Up for Yesterday by Ogden Nash.

A life-size statue of Wagner swinging a bat, atop a marble pedestal featuring admiring children, was forged by a local sculptor named Frank Vittor, and placed outside the left-field corner gate at Forbes Field.

It was dedicated on April 30, , and the then-frail Wagner was well enough to attend and wave to his many fans. The Pirates have relocated twice since then, and the statue has come along with them. It now stands outside the main gate of PNC Park.

The statue roughly faces the site of the Pirates' unique home, Exposition Park, so in a sense, Wagner has approach full circle.

Wagner is honored in the form of a small stadium residing behind Carnegie Elementary School on Washington Way in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.

He may be the greatest player in National League history. One of five sons and four daughters of the former Katrina Wolf and Peter Wagner, Honus (a diminutive of Johann or Johannes, the German equivalents of John) was born Johannes Peter Wagner in the coal country of western Pennsylvania on February 24,

The stadium serves as the home field for Carlynton High School varsity sports. The Historical Society of Carnegie History Center houses the Honus Wagner Sports Museum which includes many Wagner collectibles and memorabilia.

Visitors receive replicas of the legendary card.

In the episode "Homer at the Bat", the accepted TV show The Simpsons made a reference to Wagner. The character Mr. Burns lists three ringers he wants for his company's baseball team, but they are Honus Wagner, Cap Anson, and "Mordecai 'Three Fingers' Brown".

His assistant has to signal out that they are not only retired but long-dead Anson having played in the delayed 19th century.

Honus Wagner was an American professional baseball player, one of the first five men elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (). He is generally considered the greatest shortstop in baseball history and is regarded by some as the finest all-around player in the history of the National League (NL).

In , Wagner was honored with a U.S. postage stamp. The stamp was issued as part of a "Legends of Baseball" series that honored 20 all-time greats in conjunction with MLB's All-Century team.

T Baseball card

Main article: T Honus Wagner

The T Honus Wagner baseball card is one of the rarest and most costly baseball cards in the society, as only 57 copies are known to exist.^[31] The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from to as part of its T series.

While sources allege that Wagner, a nonsmoker, refused to allow the performance of his baseball card to continue, the more likely reason was the sum ATC was willing to pay Wagner.^[32] The ATC ended production of the Wagner card and a total of only 57 to cards were ever distributed to the public, as compared to the "tens or hundreds of thousands" of T cards, over three years in 16 brands of cigarettes, for any other player.^[33] In , the card was first listed at a price value of US $50 in Jefferson Burdick's The American Card Catalog, making it the most expensive baseball card at the time.

The typical card in the T series had a width of 1+7&#;16 inches (&#;cm) and a height of 2+5&#;8 inches (&#;cm). Some cards were awkwardly shaped or irregularly sized, which prompted a belief that many of the cards in the series had been altered at one point or another.

In his work Inside T A Collector Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set, Scot A. Reader wrote that, "It is not at all uncommon to find T examples that have been altered at some point during their near-century of existence."^[34] These discrepancies were taken advantage of by "card doctors" who trimmed corners and filthy edges to improve the appearance of the card.

He was nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman" because he was German and very fast. He played in the National League from to He played for the Louisville Colonels for two years, and then for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 17 years. Wagner won eight batting titles, the most in National League history.

The front of all T series cards, including the Wagner card, displayed a lithograph of the player^[35] created by a multi-stage printing process in which a number of colors were printed on top of each other to create a lithograph with the appropriate design.

The backs of the cards featured the monochromatic colors of the 16 tobacco brands for which the cards were printed.^[36] The Wagner cards in particular advertised the Piedmont and Sweet Caporal brands of cigarettes and were produced at Factory 25 in Virginia, as indicated by the factory logo imprinted on the back of the cards.^[37]

Starting from January , the ATC sought authorization from baseball players for inclusion in the T series, which featured major league players, 76 of whom were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.^[39][40] Wagner had been at the top of his game throughout the decade and was even considered the game's greatest player at the time.^[41] He had appeared on advertisements for a number of other products such as chewing gum, gunpowder, and soft drinks.

Unsurprisingly, the ATC asked for Wagner's permission to have his picture on a baseball card. According to an October 12, , issue of The Sporting News, Wagner did not give his consent to appear on the baseball card.

In response to the authorization request letter sent by John Gruber, a Pittsburgh sportswriter hired by the ATC to pursue Wagner's permission, Wagner wrote that he "did not care to have his picture in a package of cigarettes". He threatened to seek legal action against ATC if they went ahead and created his baseball card.^[42]

A near mint-mint condition T Wagner card sold in for $ million, the highest price ever for a baseball card.

In , a previously unknown reproduce of the card was donated to the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Baltimore. The card, which was in needy condition, sold in November to a collector for $,, skillfully over the $, that was expected at auction.

The card came with Sister Virginia Muller's brother's handwritten note: "Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century!"^[43]

On April 20, , a New Jersey resident purchased a VG-3 graded T Wagner card for more than $ million.^[44]

On April 6, , a –11 T baseball card featuring Honus Wagner sold at auction for $ million.^[45]

On October 1, , a T Wagner card graded PSA-5 sold for $ million, setting yet again the record for the uppermost price paid for any baseball card.^[46]

On May 29, , a Honus Wagner T sold for $ million by SCP Auctions in Southern California.

The identical card had been previously auctioned for $, in and $, in The encapsulated card was rated as only a 2 on a scale to ^[47]

In May , one example sold for a new record $ million. In doing so, it became the second most luxurious baseball card sold at auction at the time.^[48]

In August , another example sold for $ million exceeding the previous lofty for most valuable sports card at the time.^[49]

On August 3, , a T Honus Wagner was sold in a confidential sale for a sports card record high of $ million, eclipsing the previous high of $ million.^[50]

The card featured in the plot of the Nickelodeon film Swindle.

Statistics

The numbers shown below are the figures officially recognized on

The figures on are as follows.^[51] Other personal research sites may have other figures. Caught Stealing is not shown comprehensively for Wagner's totals because the stat was not regularly captured until Strikeouts are not shown comprehensively for Wagner's totals, because the stat was not regularly captured until Record that 's Total Bases perform not correspond to the number of hits, 2B, 3B, and HR listed.

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Hall of Fame Network: "Honus Wagner as Mona Lisa",
• Honus Wagner: A Biography, by Dennis DeValeria and Jeanne Burke DeValeria, Henry Holt and Firm, New York, ISBN&#;
• Hittner, Arthur D.

  Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball's "Flying Dutchman." Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, and (softcover). ISBN&#; Winner of the Seymour Medal, awarded by the Society for American Baseball Research.

• Honus and Me by Dan Gutman (novel), Perfection Learning Corporation, ISBN&#;

External links