Latest news with #1909
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Rare 1909 Honus Wagner Card Could Break Records At Auction
The T206 Honus Wagner card issued but recalled by the American Tobacco Company in 1909 is worth ... More millions because of its scarcity. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) A rare Honus Wagner card has a chance to break its former record as the most expensive ever printed. So says Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of the Goldin auction house that is now conducting an online auction featuring one of few surviving T206 Wagner cards from a 1909 American Tobacco Company set. 'This card, along with our expert curation of storied vintage collectibles, is one of the most significant sports collectibles to ever hit the auction block,' Goldin said. It is also one of the most valuable – especially because this is the first time in more than three years that a numerically-graded T206 Wagner is appearing in public auction. Starting point for the bidding began at $3 million. The price of the Wagner T206, which originally cost a few pennies, was listed at $50 in a 1933 edition of The American Card Catalog by pioneering hobbyist Jefferson Burdick. An off-center version was once owned by hockey great Wayne Gretzky, who teamed with Bruce McNall to buy it for $451,000 in 1991, while Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick bought one in 2011 for $2.8 million. When a T206 Wagner went for $7.25 million on Aug. 4, 2022, it became the most expensive piece of cardboard gold ever sold – until a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card in mint condition brought $12.6 million just weeks later, on Aug. 28, 2022, to recapture the top of the memorabilia list. A mint Mickey Mantle issued by Topps in 1952 brought a card-record $12.6 million at auction in 2022. ... More (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Then a Babe Ruth jersey believed to be worn when he 'called his shot' before a home run for the Yankees in the 1932 World Series brought $24.1 million at an auction held in August 2024. None of those pieces is as old – or as scarce – as the T206 Wagner. Originally produced as part of a trading card set by American Tobacco, the card became valuable after it became scarce – the result of Wagner's wrath at the tobacco company because he abhorred using his image to promote smoking among minors who might see it. With more than a century since publication and multiple owners involved, there are no T206 Wagners in mint condition, Goldin said. But he noted that this one is close. The version at auction today is graded PSA PR-FR 1 because of its rich color and clear, well-centered portrait. Only 60 such Wagner cards are believed to exist, he said. Dubbed 'the Connecticut Wagner' because it first surfaced at a Connecticut show in 1985, the card did not reappear until it went on display at a Detroit Institute of the Arts show in 2010. Widely considered 'the Holy Grail' of sports cards, the T206 has never experienced a market value correction. Sold for $282,000 in 2010, the last public sale of a PSA 1 Wagner 12 years later earned $3,137,000, an increase of an astronomical 1,012%. During that same time span, the Dow Jones increased by 246%, the S & P by 307% , and the NASDAQ by 586%. Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates was one of five players in the charter ... More election class of the Baseball Hall of Fame. (Photo by) Goldin, who launched his firm in 2012, has sold more than $2 billion in pop culture products ranging from bats, balls, and baseball cards to game-used jackets, jerseys, and caps. His company has surpassed $1 billion in sales of products placed into auction. The firm, which has an international reputation for selling high-end sports and entertainment memorabilia, is the official auction partner of the Major League Baseball Players Association, Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It has more than 100 employees and is based in Runnemede, NJ. When time permits, the 59-year-old Goldin roots for the closest major-league team, the Philadelphia Phillies. Goldin's Spring Vintage Elite Auction, one of the major events on its annual auction calendar, opened May 28 and runs through June 9. .
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Its dream of owning a downtown space collapsed. Now a business incubator has a new home.
WEST PALM BEACH — Three years after a failed effort to acquire a prominent city-owned Clematis Street building, a nonprofit business incubator is celebrating moving into new digs in a historic building on the city's main downtown avenue. 1909, a co-working space that offers classes and networking opportunities to 250 paying members, moved in April into a new spot on the third floor of the Comeau building on the 300 block of Clematis. The 9,000-square-foot office space is more than double the size of 1909's previous location on Datura Street. The seven-year-old organization, which is celebrating the move with a private party May 10, said it was a necessary step for its growing list of members and its ambitions to provide more services to support local start-up businesses. The move comes three years after 1909 thought it had struck a deal with the city to buy a much larger city-owned building across the street, the site of the former Off the Hookah nightclub. 1909 narrowly won a competitive bidding process in 2022 to buy the 30,000-square-foot site from the city for $10.5 million. It won over commissioners and the mayor by promising to create a dynamic, affordable space for budding entrepreneurs to work, congregate and thrive. But city commissioners called off the deal two months later after 1909 revealed that another company would finance most of the purchase and that 1909 would be using less than half of the space itself. The director of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency ended negotiations with the group, saying that 1909's proposal 'didn't reflect what was presented to the board.' Mayor Keith James lambasted the group for using "smoke and mirrors" to try to pull off a "bait and switch." The group countered at the time that it had no idea that a partnership with another company would be treated as a deal-breaker. In an interview, 1909 co-founder Danielle Casey said that the growing nonprofit's new private office spaces are already booked and that it is already mulling its next move after its five-year lease ends. 'We've moved 200 businesses to the city's main street,' she said. 'We're already at capacity.' 314 CLEMATIS: A colorful history of 314 Clematis: A hookah lounge, furniture store and iconic department store The incubator and its members love being in the downtown center, where plenty of the business's clients are based, she said. But for 1909 to reach its potential, it will need a larger space where members can display and sell their products. In the meantime, though, she said members are enjoying creating an 'entrepreneurial ecosystem' in their new location. 'The biggest value is honestly the community,' she said. 'It's a support group.' Sign up for our Post on West Palm Beach weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday! Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at amarra@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Business incubator 1909 moves into new Clematis Street office
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Chris Eubank Jr to wear custom-made jacket featuring blood from his last opponent Liam Smith for Conor Benn press conference
Chris Eubank Jr has never shied away from a bold fashion choice — but his latest wardrobe decision takes things to an entirely new, and chilling, level. The 35-year-old middleweight will arrive at the final press conference ahead of his grudge match with Conor Benn wearing a custom-made jacket stitched with the actual blood of former opponent Liam Smith. Yes, real blood. The jacket, which took over six months to create, features panels made from the blood-stained ring canvas used during Eubank's rematch with Smith in September 2023 — a fight in which Eubank gained emphatic revenge with a 10th-round stoppage. Visually, it's impossible to ignore. From the front, a stark Union Jack patch blazes from the chest beside the date of their rematch — '02.09.2023' — stitched like a badge of honour for Eubank. The name Eubank dominates in block capitals, flanked by the bold vertical text 'CHAMPION' running down one sleeve, and 1909 's signature monochrome palette heightens the militaristic, almost dystopian feel. It's sleek but severe, a uniform built for vengeance. Turn it around, and the symbolism deepens. On the back, the oversized initials 'NG' — standing for 'Next Gen,' Eubank Jr's longtime moniker — are emblazoned across the shoulders in canvas cut directly from the post-fight battleground. Embedded in those letters are unmistakable, dark bloodstains — raw, real, and deliberate. Beneath them, the embroidered words 'CHRIS EUBANK JR' - the man who caused the pain. Above that sits a final, potent message: In Your Blood. The phrase hits on multiple levels. The blood is literal — the stains of battle. But the rivalry with Benn is also genetic: a fight inherited. Eubank Jr's father, Chris Eubank Sr, famously fought Conor Benn's father, Nigel Benn, in one of British boxing's fiercest rivalries. This isn't just business. It's legacy. The move sends a not-so-subtle message to both Benn — his long-time rival — and to Smith, who also features on the undercard this Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It's a reminder of what Eubank believes happens when his back is against the ropes: he comes back, and he draws blood. When first presented with the jacket by 1909 and Boxing News, Eubank Jr's reaction captured its impact: 'This is real blood? That's sick. I'm a big jacket guy — and that is a sexy jacket.' The dramatic garment is arguably the most provocative work yet by Antonia Bronze, whose custom pieces have been worn by figures like Idris Elba and Leah Williamson — but none have quite the same edge. 'I actually met Eubank Sr on Brighton beach when I was a kid,' Bronze recalls. 'He had this aura — I thought he was so cool. When this job came about, it was a full-circle moment. It's completely different from my other projects, but I love finding new ways to document athletes' stories. This is definitely one of the most unique.' Myles Jordan, creative director at 1909, adds: 'This jacket is the essence of what we're trying to do. Luxury streetwear rooted in boxing. The materials we use are just as important as the design itself — and this piece tells a story, in every thread, in every stain.' The jacket is more than theatre — it sets the tone for one of the most emotionally-charged fights in recent British boxing history. Eubank Jr and Benn were originally due to face off in 2022, but the bout was cancelled after Benn tested positive for a banned substance. Two years on, the feud has only intensified. Saturday's fight, staged in London but part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's ongoing investment in global boxing, will finally see the sons of British boxing royalty settle their differences in the ring. With Benn now cleared to fight but still facing fierce scrutiny — not least from Eubank, who has called for lifetime bans for drug cheats — the narrative around this clash is as personal as it is professional. Adding another layer of tension is the presence of Smith on the same card. Smith handed Eubank the first stoppage loss of his career in January 2023 — before Eubank responded in brutal style eight months later, dominating and stopping Smith in their rematch.
