# Honus Wagner tobacco card authenticity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699 "2004-06-04T21:01:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![coasters2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@coasters2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coasters2k)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699/1 "2004-06-04T21:01:54Z")
While rummaging through some extremely old boxes of baseball cards bought decades ago, a small Honus Wagner card was found… How does one tell if its just a reprint or replica or the real deal? I’m told the real ones are quite valuable… 🙂 Here are some of the details found on the card: On the front: _Picture of Honus Wagner Below the picture: “Wagner, Pittsburg”_ On the back: _Honus Wagner, value: $35,000, 1910 Tobacco Card While other cards may be scarcer (about 20 exist) none is more valuable. Honus Wagner, who was anti-smoking, did not want anyone to buy tobacco products just to obtain his picture on a card. He legally forced the tobacco form to take his card off the market but some cards got into circulation._ ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699/2 "2004-06-04T21:13:34Z")
> [@coasters2k](#): > > While rummaging through some extremely old boxes of baseball cards bought decades ago, a small Honus Wagner card was found… How does one tell if its just a reprint or replica or the real deal? I’m told the real ones are quite valuable… 🙂 Here are some of the details found on the card: > > On the front: > _Picture of Honus Wagner > Below the picture: “Wagner, Pittsburg”_ > > On the back: > _Honus Wagner, value: $35,000, 1910 Tobacco Card > While other cards may be scarcer (about 20 exist) none is more valuable. Honus Wagner, who was anti-smoking, did not want anyone to buy tobacco products just to obtain his picture on a card. He legally forced the tobacco form to take his card off the market but some cards got into circulation._ If it says ON THE CARD ITSELF that he forced them to take the card off the market, how could it possibly be an original card? Unless Honus Wagner had a Time Machine. Hmm…Honus Wagner and the Time Machines…dare I say it? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699/3 "2004-06-04T21:17:04Z")
Sounds like the ancient Egyptian coin that was found, date stamped “4000 B.C.” Of course it’s not original. That’d be like printing your date of death on your birth certificate! ---
**Author:** ![coasters2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@coasters2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coasters2k)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699/4 "2004-06-04T21:42:42Z")
This is what I was pondering, but I’ve never actually seen the card (it’s a friend’s who is sending it to me). Either way, if it’s old could it be worth anything \>$1? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699/5 "2004-06-04T21:48:34Z")
Looks like some on Ebay have gone for $15 or less. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699/6 "2004-06-04T21:50:24Z")
Plus, that means that means that it was worth the equivalent of about, oh, $350,000 in 1910. That’s a little high, even for a rare Wagner card. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699/7 "2004-06-04T22:31:06Z")
Ohhh, so it’s just a 1910-Style “Honus Wagner Card.” ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honus-wagner-tobacco-card-authenticity/248699/8 "2004-06-04T22:36:56Z")
I was going through an old box of papers, and I found a Constitution of the United States of America. How can I tell if this is a replica, or one of the originals? I’m told the originals are quite valuable. Mine says on the back: _this is a replica. If it were the original Constitution, it would be worth over 1 billion dollars on the open market._😉