Cache of cards will bring a lot of cash

Rare baseball cards discovered by an Ohio man in his late grandfather’s attic could bring up to $3 million at auction.

DEFIANCE, Ohio — Karl Kissner picked up a soot-covered cardboard box that had been under a wooden dollhouse in his grandfather’s attic. Taking a look inside, he saw hundreds of baseball cards bundled with twine. They were smaller than the ones he was used to seeing.

But some of the names were familiar: Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner.

Then he put the box on a dresser and resumed digging through the attic.

It wasn’t until two weeks later that he learned that his family had come across what experts say is one of the biggest, most exciting finds in the history of sports card collecting, a discovery worth perhaps millions.

The cards are from an extremely rare series issued around 1910. Up to now, the few known to exist were in soso condition at best. But the ones from the attic in the town of Defiance are nearly pristine, untouched for more than a century. The colors are vibrant, the borders crisp and white.

“It’s like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic,” Kissner said.

Sports card experts who authenticated the find say they may never again see something this impressive. “Every future find will ultimately be compared to this,” said Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator.

The best of the bunch — 37 cards — are expected to bring a total of $500,000 when they are sold at auction in August during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. There are about 700 cards in all that could be worth up to $3 million, experts say. They include such legends as Christy Mathewson and Connie Mack.

Kissner and his family say the cards belonged to their grandfather, Carl Hench, who died in the 1940s.

“We guess he stuck them in the attic and forgot about them,” Kissner said. “They remained there frozen in time.”

The cards are from what is known as the E98 series. It is not clear who manufactured them or how many were produced, but the series consists of 30 players, half of them Hall of Famers.

Experts at Heritage Auctions in Dallas checked out the family’s background and the age of the home. They looked at the cards and how they were printed. “Everything lines up,” said Chris Ivy, the company’s director of sports auctions.

They then sent all the cards to Professional Sports Authenticator, which had previously authenticated fewer than 700 E98s. The Ohio cards were the finest examples from the E98 series the company had ever seen.

Retired sports card auctioneer Barry Sloate of New York City said: “This is probably the most interesting find I’ve heard of.”

The highest price ever paid for a baseball card is $2.8 million, handed over in 2007 for a 1909 Wagner that was produced by the American Tobacco Co. and included in packs of cigarettes.