Card : Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of Historys Most Desired Baseball Card

English

ISBN: 0061123935

EAN: 9780061123931

Category: Antiques & Collectibles / Sports Cards / Baseball/Sports & Recreation / Baseball / General/

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Release Date: 09/16/2011

Synopsis: Only a few dozen T206 Wagners are known to still exist, having been released in limited numbers just after the turn of the twentieth century. Most, with their creases and stains, look like theyve been around for nearly one hundred years. But one-The Card-appears to have defied the travails of time. Its sharp corners and still-crisp portrait make it the single-most famous-and most desired-baseball card on the planet, valued today at more than two million dollars. It has transformed a simple hobby into a billion-dollar industry that is at times as lawless as the Wild West. Everything about The Card, which has made men wealthy as well as poisoned lifelong relationships, is fraught with controversy-from its uncertain origins to the nagging possibility that it might not be exactly as it seems.In this intriguing, eye-opening, and groundbreaking look at a uniquely American obsession, award-winning investigative reporters Michael OKeeffe and Teri Thompson follow The Cards trail from a Florida flea market to the hands of the worlds most prominent collectors. The Card sheds a fascinating new light on a world of counterfeiters, con men, and the people who profit from what used to be a pastime for kids.

Excerpt: Unknown Property Excerpt

Card : Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of Historys Most Desired Baseball Card

Illustrated: No

Format: Paperback

Height: 0.79 inches

Width: 5.25 inches

Length: 8.0 inches

Weight: 8.01 oz

Pages: 272