Nuns to sell rare Wagner baseball card

BALTIMORE – Sister Virginia Muller had never heard of shortstop Honus Wagner.

But she quickly learned the baseball great is a revered figure among collectors, and the most sought-after baseball card in history. And thanks to an unexpected donation, one of the century-old cards belongs to Muller and her order, the Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame.

The Roman Catholic nuns are auctioning off the card, which despite its poor condition is expected to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000. The proceeds will go to their ministries in 35 countries.

The card is part of a series produced between 1909 and 1911. About 60 Wagner cards are known to exist.

The brother of a nun who died in 1999 left all his possessions to the order when he died earlier this year. That included the Honus Wagner card, which was kept in a safe-deposit box.