When it comes to sports cards, those in the hobby prefer to own something pristine and free from any kind of damage. Turns out, there's a really good exception to this rule and it's worth a lot of money in the market. This honor belongs to no other than one of the most sought-after pieces of sports memorabilia – the legendary Honus Wagner baseball card.

In a tweet by Darren Rovell, almost half a baseball card with Wagner on it and authenticated by PSA sold for $475,960 in an auction held by SCP Auctions. The card itself is missing its bottom right corner with the edges, corners, and surface sustaining various forms of damage and deterioration.

Even with this kind of condition, the auction company explains why this Honus Wagner baseball card remains coveted in the hobby.

The exact number of T206 Wagners in the hobby today is not known, but the common estimate is around 60. Besides the PSA NM-MT 8 (in)famous “Gretzky Wagner,” most of the surviving examples are in poor to good condition, with substantial creasing or other physical imperfections. This example, too, is clearly far from mint condition. Though slightly more than 50% of the card remains, in our opinion it is still more valuable than 90% of sports cards in existence.

The card itself was first produced in 1909 by the American Tobacco Company. During that time, Wagner prohibited the card from being released and distributed because he reportedly did not want to be associated with the tobacco company and deter his young fans in the process. In the end, around 50 to 200 still made their way to the public during that time.

All things considered, this particular graded Honus Wagner baseball card can be a steal from a value perspective. Just last year, another copy encased in an SGC slab with a grade of 3 sold for $6.6 million. This sale is considered as the most expensive in the sports card industry.

baseball card, cards, Honus Wagner

Even with its damaged condition, this Honus Wagner baseball card stands tall above most sports cards in the market right now. This represents an amazing development that will surely raise the bar for other pieces of memorabilia in the sports industry.