When it comes to hidden treasures, sometimes you just need to sift through the dust and cobwebs. That’s exactly what a pair of siblings in Northeast Ohio realized when they inadvertently stepped up to the plate, hitting a home run without even setting foot on a baseball diamond. The duo, who prefer their identities to remain a mystery, launched a proverbial grand slam by igniting a frenzy among vintage card collectors. Their jackpot? A humble, unassuming cigar box filled to the brim with baseball cards tucked away in their late parents’ attic, hiding in plain sight all this time.
It’s not every day that you find a treasure trove in your own attic, but when those treasures include baseball cards of the legendary Babe Ruth, the legendary figure in America’s favorite pastime, it’s the stuff of dreams for collectors worldwide. With some quick thinking and a savvy auctioneer on deck, this stash turned a typical online auction into a field of dreams on steroids.
With the help of Kiko Auctions, an online auction was arranged, commencing on a seemingly innocuous day, May 28th, and running the bases till June 2. A snapshot of modern meets vintage saw 623 separate lots thrown into the auction ring, but without a doubt, the stars of this bidding battle were over 200 cards from the illustrious 1933 Goudey Big League Gum set. These aren’t just your everyday pieces of cardboard; they’re slices of history, lovingly encased in nostalgia.
The 1933 Goudey cards didn’t simply cement their place in history due to a stick of gum—a delightful novelty at the time—but also because they were brimming with legends. This set was to baseball card collectors what Excalibur was to King Arthur: a must-have, dripping with allure and steeped in legend.
As if guided by Babe Ruth’s own whisper, the auction finale saw an impressive total of $120,699 in winning bids achieved—enough to make even the most stubborn faces crack into a smile. Between the obligatory internet premium and the unavoidable sales tax, the grand tally marched to an ever-so-slightly-inflated figure north of $140,000.
A bidder, known only by their user ID, navigated the auction with the poise of a seasoned slugger. They secured a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card with a striking red background for a cool $8,000, further unveiling a quintet of Ruth cards that collectively netted $35,250 pre-fees and taxes. One can only imagine their excitement, akin to a kid discovering a new pack of baseball cards on Christmas morning, eager to unveil their idol in cardboard form.
The condition of these cards was as varied as the fortunes they brought upon their discovery. None had been cast under the scrutinizing magnifying glass of professional grading, leaving buyers to embrace the ever-present thrill and risk of the vintage card realm. It may be a gamble, but when you’re playing in the leagues of Babe Ruth, it’s a gamble worth taking.
From an attic thick with echoes of the past in a sleepy corner of Ohio to the screens of eager bidders worldwide, this unexpected coup demonstrates the evergreen appeal of baseball and its inherent nostalgia. It’s not just homeruns that make baseball exhilarating; sometimes the thrill is in the unexpected find—those preserved pieces of yesteryear just waiting for their second inning at life.
As these recently unearthed cards scatter to new corners of the collecting community, they carry with them a reminder: the allure of America’s pastime doesn’t always reside in sprawling stadiums or the roar of the crowd. Sometimes, it’s been snugly resting in a little box, waiting patiently for the right pair of hands and eyes to bring it back into the spotlight. Once again, Babe Ruth steps up to the plate—this time, in the form of aged yet cherished cards, demonstrating that he can still knock one out of the park.
