This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/21/2011
Bolstered by the popularity and mystique of his fabled T206 issue, recognized as the preeminent sports card in the hobby, Honus Wagner cards carry an added premium well above those of other legendary Hall of Famers from that era. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a high-grade Wagner card from the enormously popular Cracker Jack series would be a likely alternative for the advanced collector who is either unwilling to shell out six figures for a beaten-down T206 or, with so few in existence, unable to find a seller acquiescing to part with one. Already in the twilight of his career, Wagner was 41 years old at the time of this 1915 Cracker Jack release yet he still managed to post a .274 batting average with 17 triples and 78 runs batted in, great numbers for a shortstop by today's standards but inadequate for "The Flying Dutchman," who had earlier cleared the .320 mark for 14 consecutive years. Wagner's advancing age is remarkably captured by the Cracker Jack image, with his sunken eyes and aloof expression relating the memoirs of baseball's most feared hitter, now reduced to a mere mortal, a shadow of what once was. These amazing qualities are further advanced on the offered specimen by a bold and immaculate red backdrop, with four utterly NM/MT to MINT corners and edges. The centering shows the slightest predilection toward the bottom edge but appears more than sufficient for the grade, and the often unrestrained red print of the background has remained confined within the central image, seemingly repelled by the steady white borders. Other than the less than perfect centering, which is hardly offensive even for a card of this magnitude, there does not appear to be any glaring reason as to why this iconic beauty couldn't be residing in a NM/MT+ or even MINT holder. Clearly at the upper-limit of PSA's professed evaluation, offered is an incredible keepsake that would provide the cornerstone of any world-class collection.