Rare Baseball Cards Sell for Half Million After Being Lost in Attic for Century
Baseball cards that were found recently in an Ohio attic, went up for auction on Thursday night and brought in over $500,000 although the full value of the cards may be worth more.
Karl Kissner originally discovered the cards while searching through his grandfather's attic. The cards, which at first appeared strange due to their size, were set aside again.
Two weeks later Kissner and his family stumbled upon a great surprise. The baseball cards that he had found earlier on were worth more than just a family relic- in fact, they may be worth millions. Among some of the names found on the cards were Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner, but that alone is not what makes this particular set of cards valuable.
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The cards are actually part of a rare series of baseball cards that were issued sometime around 1910. The few known left in existence have the wear and tear of a young boy's back pocket with faded pictures and corners that didn't stand the test of time.
Kissner's set, in comparison, is pristine. The smaller sized cards have crisp corners, white edges, and pictures that look freshly printed.
"It's like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic," Kissner told the Associated Press after his find.
All 700 hundred cards are worth approximately $3 million dollars. Of those 700 cards, 37 of the most sought after went to auction on Thursday night. The final sale for all 37 cards came to $566,132, which was over the expected amount of $500,000.
Unfortunately for Kissner, who will have to share his earnings with one very large family. All in all, Kissner will spilt the final amount with 20 cousins, meaning each will earn just over $20,000 from the sale.
"It's like a gift from our grandfather to keep passing on," Karla Hench, one of Kissner's cousins, said of the money from the baseball cards according to CBS.
