It was a fateful summer day in 1964 when an 11-year old Wayne King decided to skip Sunday school and indulge in his favorite hobby – collecting baseball cards. Little did he know the discovery he was about to make would change the collecting world forever.
Wayne had amassed a sizable collection over the past few years, diligently trading and purchasing packs at the corner store whenever he could scrounge up some extra pocket money. His most prized possessions were a ’63 Topps Willie Mays and a near-mint ’62 Topps Maury Wills. But he was always on the lookout for something even more unique to add to his ever-growing pile of cardboard.
That Sunday, instead of dutifully sitting through another sermon, Wayne hatched a plan. His grandfather’s attic was mostly unfinished, draped in thick cobwebs and filled with mysterious old boxes – the perfect place to indulge in some clandestine exploring. He stealthily slipped away after the opening hymn and hurried two blocks to his grandparent’s Victorian home.
Climbing the narrow staircase, he switched on his flashlight and began rummaging through the various forgotten relics. Old clothes, toys, books – nothing too exciting initially. But then, under a pile of National Geographics from the 1940s, he spotted a non-descript cardboard box. Wayne blew off the thick layer of dust and sneezed violently as it dispersed in the musty air. Slowly opening the flaps, his flashlights beam landed on a cache of old baseball cards meticulously filed away in penny sleeves and toploaders.
Excitedly, Wayne began thumbing through the dusty piles of cardboard. Most were commons from the 1930s and 40s that held little monetary value but were fascinating artifacts from a bygone baseball era. But then, he stumbled upon a card that made his heart nearly stop – an impeccably preserved 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, the holy grail of collectibles. Wayne had only seen grainy black and white photos of the legendary card in books but knew instantly he had discovered something incredible.
With trembling hands, he gently removed the Wagner from its protective sleeve to examine it closer in the light. The image was remarkably crisp and vivid for its 100+ years. There was some minor rounding of the corners but virtually no other wear. The young collector could hardly believe his eyes – he may have just found one of the most valuable cards in existence!
After careful inspection and making sure this wasn’t some bizarre dream, Wayne carefully re-sleeved the prized Wagner and continued looking through the rest of the box with renewed enthusiasm. He found several other notable high-numbers like a ’30 Babe Ruth T206, ’11-12 Turkey Red Cabinets Nap Lajoie and ’09-11 IMP Tobacco George Davis. Having snooped long enough, Wayne packed everything back up as best he could remember and hurried home, the box clutched tightly under his arm.
That evening at dinner, Wayne casually brought up his find to his grandparents, not wanting to divulge exactly what was in the attic just yet. They reminisced about Wayne’s grandfather’s time as a boy in the 1910s, collecting and trading cards with his friends between chores on the family farm. He must have stashed the box away and forgotten about it over the decades. Ecstatic about the history he’d uncovered, Wayne was bursting to show off his prized cards but wanted to do more research first before revealing his big discovery.
In the following weeks, Wayne pored over every book and magazine article he could get his hands on about T206 cards, meticulously examining his find under different light sources. He confirmed through references his Wagner was most likely a PSA 2-3 grade due to some lingering defects, but the eye appeal and historical significance far outweighed any minor issues. Experts estimated even a low-grade example could fetch six figures at auction.
After giving it much thought, Wayne knew an important piece of sports history should be professionally preserved and shared with the collecting world. With his grandparent’s support, they consigned the entire find including the prized Wagner to Sotheby’s for auction. Bidders from all over the country and even foreign collectors flew in for the chance to own a piece of the fabled ‘Golden Age’ of tobacco cards from over a century ago.
The summer of 1964 sale proved to be one of the most successful sports auctions in history at the time. Overall, Wayne’s small hoarded collection raked in over $275,000 for the young Indiana boy. But the highlight was undoubtedly the Wagner, which shattered all previous records when the final hammer dropped at $110,000, setting a new standard for the most valuable trading card in existence.
Wayne Kings serendipitous discovery in his grandfather’s dusty attic became enshrined in the annals of card collecting lore. It truly was a defining moment that kicked off national media coverage and helped propel cards from a childhood pastime to lucrative investment assets. Over the decades since, Wayne’s record-setting Wagner sale has been surpassed multiple times as rates have escalated exponentially. But his story remains one of the most legendary finds in the hobby.
Now in his late 60s, Wayne still enjoys collecting to this day as a hobby, no longer in pursuit of fortune but the thrill of the hunt. His prized 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner is on permanent display in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, a fitting home for such an iconic piece of sports history. While the financial windfall changed his life as a teen, Wayne says one of his fondest memories remains discovering that mysterious old box in his grandfather’s dusty attic all those years ago and unknowingly lifting the lid on the golden age of baseball cards.
