A T206 Honus Wagner baseball card realised $657,250 at Lelands' Sports auction in New York on January 10.
Wagner (1874-1955) is regarded as one of the greatest player of his era, and was active in the National League from 1897 to 1917 - most notably for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His T206 cards are the most sought-after in the hobby.
 Honus Wagner is regarded as one of the greatest players of his era |
The card, produced for Sweet Caporal cigarettes, was never released - most probably due to Wagner's insistence on being paid for the use of his image.
It is one of around 50-75 known to have survived to the present day, and one of just 36 to have been graded by the PSA - which rated it PSA 2.
Last year a card that achieved a grade of PSA EX 5 (MC), placing it within the top three in terms of condition, achieved a figure of $2.1m.
Jackie Robinson's Rookie of the Year Award from 1947 was another major lot, realising $401,968.
In 1947 Robinson became the first African-American player in major league baseball - a major event in US sporting history and a pivotal moment for the burgeoning civil rights movement.
The trophy was presented to Robinson for his performance in the 1947 season, and was subsequently named after him.
It is engraved with the words: "J. LOUIS COMISKEY MEMORIAL AWARD MOST VALUABLE MAJOR LEAGUE ROOKIE - 1947 JACKIE ROBINSON BROOKLYN DODGERS PRESENTED BY CHICAGO CHAPTER BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA."
You can view our sports memorabilia range here.
Follow the link to our free newsletter for more of the latest on sport memorabilia and other collectibles.
