T206 Joe Doyle error card to make up to $200,000

An unfathomably rare PSA 2-graded 1910 T206 Joe Doyle error baseball card is offered at MBA Auction.

It's expected to realised $100,000-200,000.

The card lists Doyle, a celebrated pitcher, as playing for New York in the National League.

Joe Doyle Error
The Joe Doyle error card was discovered in a Midwestern, US collection

In actual fact, he played for New York in the American League - a small difference but a fundamental one.

Grant Zahajko, a spokesperson for the auction house, explains: "Once the error was discovered they pulled the (printing) plate, chipped off the 'National' part, put the plate back on and continued making what experts believe was 99.9 percent of the run.

"The card wasn't even known to the hobby until the 1990s after a collector named Larry Fritsch discovered it, and then he didn't tell anybody about the discovery for a while.

"I think he got his hands on three or four of them before it became public that there was an error-card variation."

Only around 12 copies of the card are known to exist.

Another specimen (graded higher at PSA 3) sold for $414,750 in a 2012 auction.

While the card is extremely rare, it sells for much less than other T206 cards depicting high profile players.

Honus Wagner cards, for example, have hit sums in the low millions.

Zahajko said: "It's really hard to know what a card like this will bring.

"It could have all the rarity in the world but the player is not a big name. We just don't know what's more important to collectors who are at that level.

"Coin collectors tend to lean toward rarity - the number of coins known to exist - but baseball cards can be driven sometimes by the (players') names."

The sale will take place in Seattle on August 18.

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