Honus Wagner won't go away

Here's the famous T206 Honus Wagner tobacco baseball card that Wayne Gretzky and former Kings owner Bruce McNall once pooled their pennies together to buy as an investment more than 10 years ago. But as are the nature of cards, this one keeps getting traded. For big money. Now, someone else owns it. Who? We're supposed to find out tomorrow when the buyer reveals his identity and the cost of purchase at a press conference to be held at Dodger Stadium.
All we are told is that it is a "private California sports collector" who "paid a record-shattering price" for the card recognized by collectors as the most famous and valuable cards in existence. The AP has reported the sale to be in the $2.3 million range. The buyer is also a minority partner of the Mission Viejo-based SCP Auctions, Inc., a sports card and memorabila auction company.
A little history about this "Mona Lisa of Trading Cards"
-- Gretzky and McNall paid $451,000 for it in 1991.
-- In 1995 the card was sold to Wal-Mart for an undisclosed amount (reported to have been in excess of $500,000). The company used it in a nationally advertised sales contest. Patricia Gibbs, a postal worker from Florida, won it, but then offered it at auction to help pay the tax liability on the winnings.
--In 1996, collector Michael Gidwitz bought it for $641,500.
--In 2000, the card went on eBay.com and sold for $1.1 million, plus a buyer's premium of $165,000, to collector Brian Seigel.
It is believed that only about 50 or 60 Honus Wagner cards, No. 486 of the 514-card T206 set, were ever distributed, but only a handful have been sold publicly. According to the 25 highest recorded sales of significant baseball cards sold at public auction, three different T206 Honus Wagner in varying conditions are the most expensive trading cards ever sold.
The card's legend is inherent to its rarity and value. As part of its landmark 523 card T206 baseball issue, the American Tobacco Company intended to issue a trading card set - inserted into packs of cigarettes - including Wagner's likeness, as well as other baseball stars of the day. Wagner, however, reportedly objected to the use of his name in association with smoking and demanded that the company stop production and distribution of his likeness in the set.