Two of the most valuable cards in the collection: Ty Cobb (left) and Honus ‘Hans’ Wagner. Image Credit: Heritage Auctions/NPR
After her death, her belongings were left to 20 nieces and nephews. MLB noted that it contained only 30 players, with half of them being Hall of Famers. He eventually sent 8 cards to Peter Calderon at Heritage Auctions in Dallas for an expert assessment. PSA had previously authenticated fewer than 700 E98 cards in total, while the cards from this collection were described as the best examples the company had seen, according to MLB. Sixteen Ty Cobb cards from the group received a grade of nine on the 1-to-10 scale. Even more remarkable, a Honus Wagner card received a perfect 10, the first E98 card to receive that grade from the company. MLB initially reported that the complete collection could bring between $2 million and $3 million. The 37 strongest cards alone were expected to fetch about $500,000 at an August auction held during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. The Hench family planned to split the cards and proceeds evenly among the 20 cousins named in their aunt’s will, with most of them agreeing to sell their share, according to MLB.
Because the cards were old, but because several unique factors came together, the story became memorable not simply. MLB reported that the collection included cards featuring Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson and Connie Mack. MLB reported that he left them alone for two weeks after finding them while he researched what the family might have discovered.
The family property had passed through several generations before it eventually went to their aunt, Jean Hench, according to the official website of Major League Baseball(MLB). Most attic collections do not contain anything remotely comparable, according to BaseballHistory. The story began in an attic in Defiance, Ohio, when Karl Kissner and one of his cousins were helping clear out the home of Kissner’s late grandfather. The significance of the discovery became clearer once the cards were examined. These were not simply old cards bearing unfamiliar players. Many belonged to some of the most recognisable figures from baseball’s early years. The E98 series itself was unique. The manufacturer of the series was also unclear, adding another interesting detail to an already unusual collection. Kissner did not immediately rush to sell the cards. The possible value quickly moved to a value that would have been difficult for the family to imagine when the box was first discovered. The family also had to divide the discovery among a large number of relatives. Many consist of mass-produced cards from the 1980s and 1990s, old programmes or family memorabilia with little resale value.
