Here's the text, via the Associated Press:
ST. LOUIS - A New Jersey man has paid $1.2 million for an extremely rare 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card.
The buyer placed the highest of 14 bids in an online auction that ended Friday.
Missouri collectibles dealer Bill Goodwin, who auctioned off the card for a Houston seller, says he is thrilled by the sale price. He says the seller wishes to remain anonymous and the buyer hasn't decided whether to come forward publicly.
Only about 60 of the 200 cards that were made are believed to still exist. Many are in poor condition, but Goodwin says the card sold Friday is among those in the best condition.
Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick paid a record $2.8 million last year for the highest-graded Wagner card.
I was actually surprised to see that there are 60 Wagners in existence. It would be cool to see a list of all the owners, and what they paid for them over the years. It is nice to see the hobby featured on the front page of a news outlet like MSNBC, although when stories like this pop up it can lead to people not "in the know" believing that all baseball card collecting is only about money.
The question becomes, how can we raise more awareness of how the hobby is for the common person?
"how can we raise more awareness of how the hobby is for the common person? "
ReplyDeleteDo we wish to do that? Of all the reasons I collect, raising awareness isn't one of them.
I think we do wish to do that, if the person's intentions are right.
DeleteSee - I'm probably one of the newer guys here. I collected a great majority of my life, but I was never focused in my collecting. One night, found a blog here and there, and in a few months of reading I have changed what I do collecting, as well as filling stuff I wish I had.
I think trading with other collectors is a great feature of this group (as huge as it may be). For the cost of a few stamps and some supplies, I can send off things that don't really rev my engines to someone who will send back in return something I really enjoy. For all of us, I think it's nothing about the potential profit and all about the friendship and helping out a fellow collector. Getting a want filled at a pretty low cost is the bonus. 99% of what's on eBay does not fit into my pocketbook. And my common sense tells me not to drop $1 + 2.99 shipping for some common 2012 Topps card. Sure - a really really amazing pull may be put up on eBay, but for the most part, we stick together.
So should we encourage the common man/woman? I say "yes", with the pretense that they are willing to fit into the group without the intention of greed or scamming.
You are right, I do not collect to raise awareness either. I am not suggesting that we as collectors have to raise awareness as if we are championing a cause. Maybe I used my words incorrectly. The point I am trying to make is how do we (and by that I mean the masses, including the card companies) keep card collecting appealing to future generations so that it will live on? I guess it is a rhetorical question that I am pondering as I see the Wagner go for upwards of a million dollars.
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