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Arts and Antiques 5/14
There is a multi-million dollar baseball card, touring the country in a museum exhibition. That’s right, a $2.35 million baseball card. Now, that I have your attention, there is a lot more that you can learn from that 1909Honus Wagner card than its sky-high value.
From a collecting standpoint, the famed Honus Wagner card — one of the first cards produced by the American Tobacco Company, which was included in cigarette packages in the early 20th century — speaks volumes about American collecting patterns and the methods of smart collectors.
A lot has gone into making this two-and-one-half-inch by two-inch card, worth a record-breaking $2.35 million (as of February 2007). Some basic concepts of collecting are at work here: history, provenance, categorical acquisition and exhibition record. These are the important concepts that every collector needs to learn.
History heightens
For instance, the Honus Wagner baseball card can help collectors interested in various objects identify a valuable piece. History is key, and this piece falls into three important collecting categories: baseball or sports memorabilia, advertising collectibles and tobacco-ana, or objects relating to smoking.
History informs us that Honus Wagner did not want to be associated with the American Tobacco Company’s baseball card promotion. He quickly demanded that his card be withdrawn. Apparently a non-smoker, Wagner objected to his likeness being promoted to entice tobacco use. Wagner, a star in his day, also didn’t think that the American Tobacco Company paid him enough money for the rights to his image for the reproduction baseball card.
Wagner was among the greatest baseball players of his day. He hit .344 during his 1897 rookie year and batted over .300 for 17 consecutive seasons. He won eight National League batting titles and was one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Wagner retired in 1917 with more hits, runs, RBIs, doubles, triples and stolen bases than any National League player.
Learning curve
When it comes to recognizing valuable sports collectibles, you should look for a few common traits.
Quality, historic impact, condition and public display or exhibition record are just a few. Look for quality in terms of the object itself and the sports figure that the object represents. The greater impact that player had on the game, the more valuable the object associated with that player.
Condition is always a vital value indicator. This particular Honus Wagner card brought so much money, in part, because it was in such good condition. There are other cards like it in circulation, but not in this fine condition.
Provenance or history of the object impacts value, too. For example, other famous people in the world of sports once owned this card, which impacts its value. The card had been owned by hockey great Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall, former owner of the Los Angeles Kings.
Museum exhibitions are expected to educate and inform visitors. It’s even more fun when these exhibitions surprise us or teach us something new about the historical objects we cherish.
Dr. Lori is an art and antiques appraiser, museum curators and popular public speaker with a Ph.D. in art history.
Attend Dr. Lori’s antiques appraisal program at the Upper Merion Library in King of Prussia on May 18 at 2 p.m. Visit www.DrLoriV.com or call 888-431-1010.
From a collecting standpoint, the famed Honus Wagner card — one of the first cards produced by the American Tobacco Company, which was included in cigarette packages in the early 20th century — speaks volumes about American collecting patterns and the methods of smart collectors.
A lot has gone into making this two-and-one-half-inch by two-inch card, worth a record-breaking $2.35 million (as of February 2007). Some basic concepts of collecting are at work here: history, provenance, categorical acquisition and exhibition record. These are the important concepts that every collector needs to learn.
History heightens
For instance, the Honus Wagner baseball card can help collectors interested in various objects identify a valuable piece. History is key, and this piece falls into three important collecting categories: baseball or sports memorabilia, advertising collectibles and tobacco-ana, or objects relating to smoking.
History informs us that Honus Wagner did not want to be associated with the American Tobacco Company’s baseball card promotion. He quickly demanded that his card be withdrawn. Apparently a non-smoker, Wagner objected to his likeness being promoted to entice tobacco use. Wagner, a star in his day, also didn’t think that the American Tobacco Company paid him enough money for the rights to his image for the reproduction baseball card.
Wagner was among the greatest baseball players of his day. He hit .344 during his 1897 rookie year and batted over .300 for 17 consecutive seasons. He won eight National League batting titles and was one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Wagner retired in 1917 with more hits, runs, RBIs, doubles, triples and stolen bases than any National League player.
Learning curve
When it comes to recognizing valuable sports collectibles, you should look for a few common traits.
Quality, historic impact, condition and public display or exhibition record are just a few. Look for quality in terms of the object itself and the sports figure that the object represents. The greater impact that player had on the game, the more valuable the object associated with that player.
Condition is always a vital value indicator. This particular Honus Wagner card brought so much money, in part, because it was in such good condition. There are other cards like it in circulation, but not in this fine condition.
Provenance or history of the object impacts value, too. For example, other famous people in the world of sports once owned this card, which impacts its value. The card had been owned by hockey great Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall, former owner of the Los Angeles Kings.
Museum exhibitions are expected to educate and inform visitors. It’s even more fun when these exhibitions surprise us or teach us something new about the historical objects we cherish.
Dr. Lori is an art and antiques appraiser, museum curators and popular public speaker with a Ph.D. in art history.
Attend Dr. Lori’s antiques appraisal program at the Upper Merion Library in King of Prussia on May 18 at 2 p.m. Visit www.DrLoriV.com or call 888-431-1010.
