Honus Wagner as Mona Lisa

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The controversy surrounding the "Gretzky card" is whether it has been trimmed and "doctored," which to many card collectors is a vice. There is speculation that the pristine Wagner card was part of a T206 uncut sheet that Mastro helped cut. There are even allegations whether the PSA authenticators acted in good faith when they graded the card, as its policy is not to grade cards from cut sheets, as well as cards that may have been altered.

Yet even another controversy surrounded the Wagner card as recently as 2005, when two men – John Cobb and Ray Edwards – claimed they had an authentic Wagner card in excellent condition. After doubts surfaced about their card's authenticity it was pulled form both an eBay sale and a later eBay auction. Cobb and Edwards alleged racial discrimination.

Despite recurring controversies surrounding the Wagner card, and in particular, the "Gretzky card," it is the "Holy Grail" of trading cards. It is likely that the full truth of the Gretzky card will never be known, and rumors will always persist.

For more about the Wagner card, and its controversy-filled history, read the book "The Card" by Michael O'Keefe and Teri Thompson.