KINGSTON, N.Y., July 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Love of the Game Auctions’ (LOTG’s) 2026 Summer Premier Auction is now open, running until Saturday, August 8. Featuring the high-profile Restored “Die-Cut” T206 Honus Wagner, the auction has nearly 1,400 lots including rare baseball cards from as early as 1886, historically significant photographs across a variety of sports, and a range of interesting and remarkable sports memorabilia.
“With LOTG’s announcement of the ‘Die-Cut Wagner’ returning to the hobby as CGC-graded ‘Authentic – Restored’ earlier this month, our Summer 2026 auction’s Lot #1 quickly became one of the most talked about trading cards in the sports collectibles hobby,” said Al Crisafulli, founder and auction director of the Kingston-based auction house. “We are honored to present this beautiful, compelling and, yes, controversial T206 Wagner, alongside a full offering of outstanding items for all collector tastes and budgets.”
The Restored Die-Cut Wagner’s documented history begins in a New Jersey card shop in the mid-1970s, where it was purchased for one dollar in a heavily compromised state. With almost the entire background trimmed off the card, it earned the Die Cut nickname. After selling at auction in the mid-1990s, the card disappeared from public view. It later underwent conservation work so masterful that its next owner – sports and political commentator Keith Olbermann, a highly sophisticated collector – didn’t recognize what it was. He placed the card in a Lucite screw-down holder pending further investigation, and it remained that way for nearly 30 years before its mystery was solved this spring.
The card’s expert restoration reclaimed much of its original beauty while preserving it against further degradation, notes Crisafulli. “This T206 Wagner has pristine centering, clean borders and an exceptional presentation,” he said. “It brings with it a remarkable story that has the hobby buzzing, and it certainly has elevated the conversation around transparency in card restoration to a new level.”
On Display at The National, July 29 to Aug. 2
The Restored Die-Cut Wagner will be on display at The National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago July 29 to Aug. 2 (CGC Booth #3016). Other notable LOTG Summer 2026 auction highlights to see at the show (LOTG Booth #1226/1228) include, among many others:
- The Shot Heard Round the World oversize Type I photo, the only known Type I example of this well-known image capturing one of the most important moments in sports history. Read more.
- Shoeless Joe Jackson's 1915 Contract, commemorating his trade from Cleveland to Chicago, the only known example of a Joe Jackson contract. Read more.
- 1972 Willie Mays Game-Worn Mets jersey (MEARS A10), one of Mays’ last game-worn uniform jerseys. Read more.
- 1993 Jose Canseco game-worn Texas Rangers cap, from the "home run header,” one of baseball’s most famous bloopers. Read more.
- Rare 1911 D304 General Baking Ty Cobb, PSA VG-EX 4. Read more.
- Rare 1910 Tip Top Bread Honus Wagner, PSA GOOD 2. Read more.
- Ted Williams’ personal oversized photo album, with 74 individual photos of Williams in uniform. Read more.
A link to the full LOTG 2026 Summer Premier Auction catalog as well as the auction itself, can be found at loveofthegameauctions.com. For more details and commentary about the “Restored Die-Cut Wagner,” including the full auction description, images, a narrative by Olbermann and more, visit loveofthegameauctions.com/the-restored-die-cut-wagner.
Founded in 2012 by longtime hobbyist Crisafulli, Hudson Valley, N.Y.-based LOTG specializes in sports memorabilia and cards, with an emphasis on pre-World War II material. Love of the Game facilitates sales ranging from world-class collections to individual inheritance pieces – and everything in between. LOTG holds three major annual auctions, as well as specialty sales. For more information, visit loveofthegameauctions.com.
About Love of the Game Auctions
PO Box 3931, Kingston, NY
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Media Contacts:
Sandy Crisafulli/Maxine Aviles
Caryl Communications
201-796-7788
sandy@caryl.com/maxine@caryl.com
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