Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator, told The AP there were about 15 of the cards known to exist.
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The Ty Cobb cards were found mixed in with postcards and family artifacts, and although none of the family are great baseball fans they had heard of the name “Ty Cobb” and so thought the cards might be worth something.
Orlando also had trouble believing it was real until the cards of the baseball legend were sent to his office.
The cards featuring the famous Detroit Tigers slugger come from a lot known as T206 – a group most prized by collectors which also includes the Honus Wagner card, arguably the most famous sports card ever. Thus, the $1 million-plus price tag of what this fortunate family turned up.
The find will rank up with some of the biggest discoveries of rare baseball cards, said Chris Ivy, director of sports memorabilia and collectibles for Heritage Auctions, and who worked with an OH family in the “Black Swamp Find” in 2012.
Not just one, but SEVEN. At a time when significant finds of rare cards with superior eye appeal are feared to be a phenomenon of days long gone, MINT State is privileged to present what is quite possibly the single greatest sports card discovery of all-time, The Lucky 7 Find. They used to travel frequently to Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, perhaps explaining how they became in possession of the Ty Cobb cards.
He said: “I am not sure if any other baseball card find is more remarkable than this new discovery”.
Authenticator Joe Orlando said in a statement that the “miraculous” find in an unnamed southern state was worth at least seven figures. “But until every attic is searched and every old box or bag examined, these finds represent the hope that all collectors dream about”.
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The family, which hasn’t been identified, doesn’t know much about baseball cards, he wrote. The discovered cards are identical and range in condition from 3.5 to 4.5. 367 still stands, 88 years after he retired from the game. Even though we live in the information age, the Internet age, undiscovered treasure is still buried out there.
