A baseball card of Pittsburgh Pirates great Honus Wagner shatters record

According to ESPN, a T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for more than $6.6 million on Mon., Aug. 16, shattering the previous record by more than $1 million.

The T206 Honus Wagner baseball cards were originally placed in cigarette packs and were printed between 1909 and 1911. There are only about 60 T206 Honus Wagner baseball cards in existence, according to estimates, and the one that sold for $6.606 million was reportedly in the best condition.

Wagner played shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1900-1917 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He is a Pittsburgh-area native, and was born in Chartiers Borough, which later became Carnegie. Wagner is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, winning eight batting titles over his career, a National League record.

He was nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman” for his speed and German heritage. His parents were German immigrants.

The deal for the T206 Honus Wagner baseball card was brokered by Robert Edwards Auction, and both the buyer and seller will remain anonymous.

"This Wagner stands out because of its condition," Brian Dwyer, president of Robert Edward Auctions, told ESPN. "There's only about 60 of these that we can confirm through various population reports and available grading data. Of those 60, most are rated poor, authentic or good, at best. This card is one of the best examples out there, and it's certainly one of the best examples available."

The previous record for most expensive sporting card was a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card that sold in January, and a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection LeBron James-autographed rookie jersey card that sold in April. Both sold for $5.2 million.