E102 NNO Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner (1874–1955) was the Pittsburgh Pirates' shortstop, the most complete player of the dead-ball era, and — thanks to one rare tobacco card — the most famous trading-card subject in any sport. A right-handed hitter and thrower built like a blacksmith with the hands of a violinist, Wagner won eight National League batting titles, led the Pirates to the 1909 World Series championship over Detroit, and retired in 1917 with figures that defined the position for a generation. This card belongs to the E102 Anonymous Set of 25, an unmarked caramel-back issue from the late dead-ball period whose imagery overlaps with the more widely catalogued E101 release. Wagner appears in the set as a Pirate, the only uniform he ever wore in the majors. He died December 6, 1955, in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, near the Pittsburgh of his playing days. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936 as one of the original five.