Honus Wagner Card Sells for $6.606 Million, Becomes Most Expensive Trading Card Ever

A T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $6.606 million on Monday, shattering the previous record set earlier this year.

A T206 Honus Wagner baseball card became the most expensive trading card ever when it sold for $6.606 million on Monday. 

The card, printed between 1909 and 1911, shattered the previous record of $5.2 million that belonged to a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card sold this January and a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection LeBron James autographed jersey rookie card sold soon after in April.

The names of the seller and buyer were not released although the seller was referred to as an "East Coast collector" by Robert Edward Auctions, which brokered the sale at a 20% buyer's premium. 

"This is an incredible result that speaks to this card's status as one of the world's most iconic collectibles," Robert Edward Auctions President Brian Dwyer said in a statement. "The rarity and the legend of the T206 Honus Wagner, coupled with the quality of this example, excited bidders who recognized it may be a very long time before an opportunity like this came around again."

According to ESPN, there are approximately 60 T206 Honus Wagner cards in existence. The T206 card is two inches wide and three inches tall and became the first card to sell for seven figures with a $1,265,000 sale in 2000. 

The former Pirates shortstop, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, won eight National League batting titles in his 21-year career and won the World Series in 1909.

The record-breaking card was previously on display at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, Ill., this summer before its sale.