Rare Baseball Cards Sell For More Than $500,000 At Auction After Being Discovered In Attic

Rare baseball cards sold for a small fortune in an online auction after they were found in the attic of an Ohio home. In all the rare cards sold for $565,332.

The cards were found when family members cleaned out the attic of their grandfather’s home in Defiance, Ohio. Baseball memorabilia experts said the find was one of the most exciting in the history of sports card collecting and contained dozens of rare baseball cards, The Associated Press reported. The cards came from a rare series issued near the start of the 20th century and were given out with candy, the report said.

What made the find so incredible was that the nearly 700 rare baseball cards found were in close to perfect shape, memorabilia experts said. Many called it the greatest example of a collection from that era ever seen.

The auction took place both live and online, drawing many interested bidders for the century-old cards, the Associated Press reported. The sale was held during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore, and featured cards depicting Hall of Famers like Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner, the report said.

Two lots were sold to Internet bidders and the third went to a live bidder, auction organizers told the Associated Press.

Family member Karla Hench, said the cards went for “fantastic prices and we’re very excited that we can all share in this find. It’s like a gift from our grandfather to keep passing on.”

Experts had expected the 37 rare baseball cards to sell for about $500,000, with the auction beating expectations.

The family said they will be splitting up proceeds from the sale of the rare baseball cards among 20 cousins.