Yard Sale Proves Fruitful For Man Who Found First Dated Baseball Card In Photo Album

Anyone who’s ever picked through a garage sale, yard sale or antique store can relate to the thrill of finding something unexpected and desirable amid the heaps of broken old toys and worthless junk. And sometimes, the best finds of all stay hidden even after the transaction has been made. That was the case for an antique picker in Maine who found what could be the first dated baseball card tucked away in a photo album.

That man is probably pretty pleased with himself for finding and purchasing the album, some old Coca-Cola bottles and a few oak chairs for less than $100 at a rural yard sale in Maine, reports the Associated Press.

The card is headed for auction but it’s so rare, experts can’t say how much it’ll fetch — anywhere between $50,000 and $500,000. The highest-selling baseball card of all time is a 1909 Honus Wagner card which fetched $2.8 million at auction in 2007.

A good investment at any of those prices, to be sure.

The card features a photo of the Brooklyn Atlantics amateur baseball club dating all the way back to 1865. The Library of Congress says it knows of only two copies of the photo, with the other in its own collection. In its Baseball Americana book, the library says that card is the first dated baseball card. It was given out to supporters and opposing teams as a gesture of bravado.

Happy hunting, everyone. Keep living the Antiques Roadshow dream.

Rare 1865 Baseball Card To Be Auctioned In Maine [Associated Press]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.