Book Review: The Card by Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson

The Card, which carries the subtitle, "Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card," is about the recent history of the famous 1909 T206 Honus Wagner card. More accurately, The Card is about The Card - the Gretzky T206 Wagner, which was the first, and as far as I know, only, baseball card to sell for more than a million dollars (it sold for $2.35 million earlier this year). The card earned its nickname when hockey great Wayne Gretzky became part owner of the card in 1991.

The Card is a fun, quick book, just over 200 pages long, including appendices. Chapters detailing the history of The Card since its discovery in 1985 are intermingled with chapters about the business and history of baseball cards, players' compensation for use of their image, the history of card collecting, and, of course, Honus Wagner. The authors even make a case for Wagner as the greatest baseball player of all time. While there is some validity to their argument, it would likely be accepted by few fans outside Pittsburgh. Along with Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, Wagner was one of only three offensive players in the National Baeball Hall of Fame's inaugural class (1936). In fact, Wagner received the same number of votes as Ruth, and more than twice the votes of Cy Young, who failed to make the cut. So while those who saw him play counted Wagner among baseball's greatest legends, very few of today's fans remember him for more than his appearance on an expensive piece of cardboard.

The T206 Wagner, while not the rarest baseball card, is the rarest card in what is probably the most desired set for collectors of vintage cards. Without going into too much detail, the controversy surrounding the card stems from its almost pristine condition. How can a piece of cardboard survive in such great condition for so many decades? Further adding to the debate, there have been questionable practices and conflicts of interest among the original buyer, auction houses, and the company and individual graders that authenticated the card.

O'Keeffe and Thompson attempt to prove that the card has been altered, and, although there is no smoking gun, I think they succeed. My guess is that most people would agree, but it will probably have little impact on the value of the card. The card's recent fame is based partly on the mystery and the controversy and partly on the intriguing cast of characters who have owned it, Wayne Gretzky being the most famous, but not necessarily the most interesting. In fact, Gretzky sold the card to Wal-Mart for use in a give-away promotion. The winner of the promotion was announced on an episode of Larry King Live, featuring a panel that included Tommy Lasorda and Barry Bonds. Other owners of the card have ties (having nothing to do with the card or the controversy) to such people as Rudy Giuliani and George H.W. Bush. All of these things, but especially the controversy, only serve to make The Card more interesting, more collectible, more valuable.

The only problem I had with the book was its National Enquirer-like tone. I shouldn't have been surprised, though, since the authors work for the New York Daily News, which seems to exist for the sole purpose of dredging up dirt on as many people as it can. That tone makes me wonder if they presented the evidence in its entirety or if they are only telling part of the story. On the positive side, the authors spent just the right amount of time on each chapter, providing sufficient information to move the story along without getting bogged down in details. I recommend this book for any fan of baseball history, even those who don't collect cards.