Baseball is a sport enjoyed by millions throughout the world. It has a long heritage, with the beginning of the game in the late 1800s. Just as today, people of that period cheered their favorite players and rooted for their home teams.
During the early 1900s, baseball cards began to be manufactured. Children began collecting the cards of the most popular players. One of the greatest stars of this period was Honus Wagner, and his baseball card became the rarest card in the entire sport. Jane Yolen tells the story of this phenomenal player, and the incredible account of his baseball card.
Born near Pittsburgh, Honus grew up in a German family of hard-working miners. As the fourth boy in the family, Honus had plenty of time to see his older brothers excel in the sport. Fluent in German and English, the young boy did not attend formal schools after reaching his 12th birthday. Instead, he began working in the coal mines from dawn to dusk.
All of this difficult work built Honus into a very strong young man. Since he had bowed legs and long arms, Honus was sometimes thought of awkward and homely. When not working he would play baseball with an intense passion and soon caught the attention of major league teams. So gifted was Honus, that he was able to play most positions, but eventually developed into a brilliant shortstop. There, playing mainly for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wagner began a 21-year major league career. During that time, he won eight batting championships and set many other records. By the time he retired, Honus was a beloved figure in Pittsburgh, for his athletic prowess and kind deposition.
The story of his baseball card is larger than life as well. In the early 1900s, baseball cards began to be included in cigarette packages. To get the card, youngsters had to buy the cigarettes or have their parents purchase them. The virtuous Wagner thought this a terrible idea because it encouraged smoking in young people. As a result, he demanded that his card be removed from the cigarette packages. At first this didn’t seem like an important event. But what it actually did was create a huge shortage of baseball cards for one of the greatest players of all time. The name of this famous baseball card is the T206. It is likely the most highly prized and expensive baseball souvenir in the world.
Why is Honus Wagner still so revered in baseball circles today? What did the Pittsburgh Pirates have made to honor his memory? Who did Ty Cobb think was the most gifted baseball player of all time?
Could you smash a baseball if you held onto the bat with a separated grip? What is a T206 Wagner card worth? The amount will stagger your imagination.
To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this excellent book, "All Star! Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever."
This book is an uplifting read. It is hard not to be inspired by the life and athletic skill of Honus Wagner. Unlike so many famous sports figures, Wagner always kept a spirit of humility about him. He showed that a baseball player can be a great player and a great man at the same time.
The story of the T206 card continues to be in the news as well. Some nuns were recently willed a T206 card in poor condition and sold it at auction December 20, 2010 for $220,000. So don’t put those old baseball cards in the spokes of your bike like I did. They may someday make you a millionaire.
I hope you encourage your younger family members to check out this fine book. It was fun to read. Enjoy!
