KINGSTON, N.Y., July 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The T206 Honus Wagner is widely regarded as the most iconic card in the sports collecting hobby, and one of the most storied and visually stunning examples is coming to auction this summer through Kingston-based Love of the Game Auctions (LOTG). Following a decades-long, mysterious disappearance, the “Die-Cut Wagner” has returned to the hobby as CGC-graded “Authentic – Restored,” bringing with it an unmatched provenance and transformation.
“Every T206 Wagner has a story,” said Al Crisafulli, LOTG founder and auction director. “This one has a story so extraordinary, it includes a plot twist.” Sold publicly in the 1990s as a trimmed card that earned the nickname “The Die-Cut Wagner,” it would later undergo conservation work so masterful that even its owner – sports and political commentator Keith Olbermann, one of the hobby’s most sophisticated collectors – didn’t recognize what he had.
The card’s documented history begins in a New Jersey card shop in the mid-1970s, where it was purchased for one dollar in a heavily compromised state, with the background almost entirely trimmed off the card. It subsequently passed through the hands of noted collectors before selling at auction for nearly $10,000 in the mid-1990s. It then vanished from public view for three decades.
The card resurfaced this spring in Olbermann’s collection. Decades ago, he had commissioned an expert paper conservator with access to a Wagner to purchase and restore the card, sight unseen. The work was so well done that Olbermann did not recognize it as the Die-Cut Wagner. In fact, it looked so good he couldn’t be certain what it was. He placed the card in a Lucite screw-down holder pending further investigation. Time went on, and for years the card served as a glorified paperweight in his home office.
Flash forward to April 2026, when a hobbyist mentioned to Olbermann he was aware of a beautifully revived Wagner in Olbermann’s collection. Olbermann had no idea what the hobbyist was talking about, until he remembered the card in its Lucite holder. Curious whether that expensive paperweight might actually be the Wagner the hobbyist was referencing, Olbermann brought the card to LOTG’s attention. Comparing a high-res scan of the original card and a close-up photo of the “paperweight,” it became clear the cards were one and the same.
The restored card was recently confirmed through careful evaluation by CGC’s Andy Broome, VP of Grading, to be the original “Die-Cut Wagner,” now graded “Authentic – Restored.”
“This restored T206 Wagner has pristine centering, clean borders and an exceptional presentation,” Crisafulli said. “Today, it stands not only as an example of the hobby’s greatest card, but as a testament to survival and preservation. Its remarkable story is ultimately as engrossing as the treasure itself. LOTG is honored to offer one of the most beautiful, compelling and, yes, controversial T206 Wagners the collecting world will ever know.”
For more details and commentary about the “Restored Die-Cut Wagner,” including the full auction description, images, a narrative by Olbermann and more, visit loveofthegameauctions.com/the-restored-die-cut-wagner. LOTG’s summer auction will open in late July and close Aug. 8.
Founded in 2012 by longtime hobbyist Crisafulli, Hudson Valley, N.Y.-based LOTG specializes in sports memorabilia and cards, with an emphasis on pre-World War II material. Love of the Game facilitates sales ranging from world-class collections to individual inheritance pieces – and everything in between. LOTG holds three major annual auctions, as well as specialty sales. For more information, visit loveofthegameauctions.com.
About Love of the Game Auctions
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Media Contacts:
Maxine Aviles/Sandy Crisafulli
Caryl Communications
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c2f1690f-4bd9-40f7-9026-87471b3eff33