It seems that not all treasure is buried underground, as some of it hides in the attics of unsuspecting Ohio homes. A seemingly ordinary attic in Northeast Ohio turned out to be a jackpot of historical sports memorabilia, unveiling a collection of vintage baseball cards that included several of the legendary Babe Ruth. These little pieces of Americana, once stored away in an unassuming cigar box, recently crossed the virtual auction block to net an impressive $120,000 in bids during an online event orchestrated by Stark County’s own Kiko Auctions.
The cards belonged to a pair of siblings who, though preferring anonymity, were forced to sort through their late parents’ accumulated possessions. What they discovered was far from ordinary; it was a nostalgic time capsule of baseball’s golden era. Auctioneer Jack Kiko noted the family had an inkling of the cards’ potential worth. Turns out their hunch wasn’t just a swing in the dark—it was a grand slam.
The Canton Repository, with a penchant for breaking down numbers, detailed the auction’s timeline. A bidding frenzy started on May 28, extending until June 2, with a total of 623 lots on offer, a lion’s share of which were baseball cards. At the heart of this collection were over 200 pieces from the renowned 1933 Goudey Big League Gum set—an iconic series for any baseball aficionado.
The 1933 Goudey set is a crown jewel in the card-collecting community, famously being the pioneers in combining America’s favorite bubblegum with its storied pastimes. Each card pack came with a piece of gum, a marketing tactic that sent the set’s popularity into the stratosphere. The series is populated with Hall of Fame players, making each card a small shrine to baseball’s storied history.
By the time digital gavels fell, the online auction had amassed $120,699 in winning bids. Adding to the bidders’ final tally was a 10% premium for using the web platform, along with a 6.5% sales tax, inflating the total close to a staggering $140,000. Among the eagle-eyed collectors vying for these mementos, one particularly sharp bidder snatched a significant haul, highlighted by the acquisition of a red-background 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card for $8,000. Collectively, five separate Babe Ruth cards realized $35,250 before the additional fees and taxes were applied.
Interestingly, the condition of these cards varied. None of them had gone through the professional grading gauntlet, which could have potentially enhanced their market value and ensured authenticity. But here lies the curious charm of vintage card collecting—for bidders, it’s part gamble, part adventure. The mystery of the ungraded condition adds another layer of allure for the collectors, who are as much gamblers as they are historians, dreaming of possibly more significant value waiting to be unveiled.
From that dusty attic in the heart of the Buckeye State, this cardboard legacy made a digital pilgrimage witnessed by wide-eyed collectors from every corner of the world. These fragments of baseball’s rich past highlight not only the sport’s long-standing cultural impact but also the ability of nostalgia, when least expected, to hit a home run.
Remnants of an era long gone, stored away in an unassuming box, these cards remind everyone involved that sometimes the greatest finds are those that transport us back to cherished yesteryears. For those siblings, nostalgia became a lucrative byproduct of memory, translating sentimental value into cold, hard cash. For the winning bidders, the cards represent more than just ink on cardboard—they’re vessels containing the echoes of legends, a tangible link to dreams of baseball’s past glory. So as the dust settled and the final bids were accepted, the world was reminded once again why baseball and its memorabilia hold an unshakeable place in the heart of America’s pastime.
