Saturday, November 06, 2010

Nuns earn £136,000 from card sale

A rare baseball card which was bequeathed to a US order of Roman Catholic nuns has sold at auction for 262,000 US dollars (£161,000).

The Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame put the Honus Wagner card up for sale after inheriting it from the brother of a deceased nun.

The sale price exceeded the expectations of auctioneers at Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries.

The nuns will receive 220,000 US dollars (£136,000) from the sale. The total sale price includes a 19.5% buyer's premium.

Sister Virginia Muller, who was entrusted with the card, said the proceeds would go to the order's ministries in more than 30 countries around the world.

Collector and card shop owner Doug Walton bought the card.

About 60 of the T206 Honus Wagner cards, produced between 1909 and 1911, are known to exist.

SIC: BT/UK