The Card, Collectors, Con Men and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card by Michael O'Keefe and Teri Thompson;  2007; 245 pages; William Morrow, New York, NY; 978-0-06-112392-4; 6/12/09-6/15/09

After reading Card Sharks and this one would have to wonder why anyone would collect baseball cards.  For the love of the game, and our teams, most of us don't collect for investment purposes, and I have my doubts about those who collect for investment.
I remember a lot of what transpired around the Gretzky purchase of the Wagner T206, it was when I was working at Baseball Cards and More and it was talked about by everyone.  Over the years I have heard rumors about the card, like about how it could be so pristine after 100 years and have such good corners.  O'Keefe and Thompson provide several different history lessons in this book.  A history of trading cards, a biography of Honus Wagner, a chronology of the card, and statements from many of those involved in the various sales.  Too many of the people involved the amount of money they spent and whether or not the card was cut from a sheet or whatever was less important than the prestige that went with ownership of the card. This is a well researched and documented history of a card that has almost become the Holy Grail of the hobby, even though there are cards that are rarer.