NNO Honus Wagner

This entry catalogs an unnumbered (NNO) Honus Wagner card from the E101 Anonymous Set of 50, the small caramel issue circulated around 1910 without an identifying manufacturer back. The player is John Peter "Honus" Wagner (1874–1955), the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop who had just led his club over Ty Cobb and the Tigers in the 1909 World Series and was, in the period this card was printed, the most accomplished position player in the National League. Wagner batted and threw right-handed, stood roughly 5'11" with a barrel chest and famously long arms, and won eight NL batting titles between 1900 and 1911. The E101 set shares its imagery with the E102, E105, and several other anonymous caramel issues, and provenance work on these unnumbered cards requires careful inspection of stock and trim to determine the precise issue. Unlike Wagner's notorious T206 portrait, the E101 image circulated freely and was not subject to a player suppression order. Wagner died December 6, 1955 in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and was a charter member of the Hall of Fame in 1936, tied with Babe Ruth at 215 votes for second place behind Ty Cobb.