California guy takes his late dad’s old baseball cards to auction. He was in for a massive surprise.

It's not uncommon for someone to receive an inheritance in the form of property among other things. But one man from California unlocked a treasure worth millions while he was cleaning his deceased father's closet. John discovered his late father's baseball card collection while cleaning out a cigarette tin in the closet. But, to his surprise, a rare collection of cards featuring some of baseball's historical figures, was gathering dust inside.

Collection of a Lifetime

The valuable tin cigarette box that once belonged to a man named Ed was found in a forgotten corner of a house in Tracy. John, whose full name was withheld by the auction house Auction Monthly, said that his father was a longtime collector of baseball memorabilia. When John found the 1900s-era Pedro Cut Plug Tobacco tin, he didn't know what to do with it. He had no idea that the cards in it were some of the rarest and most important baseball cards ever made.

John told the auction house that his father Ed lived in Oakland during the early 1920s, and he started collecting the cards in his adolescence. He shared that his father often received baseball cards as gifts from family members, and over the years, his collection grew. Ed kept the cards close all his life, bringing them along from Oakland to the San Joaquin Valley home where they were found. Not long after Ed died, John cleared out the home and discovered the cards just before selling the property. The collection which featured names like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and more, was preserved for more than 100 years.

Unlocking an Accidental Fortune 

According to the Auction Monthly, most of Ed's collection was formed of cards printed between 1919 and 1926. During this period, the featured players were still in the game and were set to achieve legendary status. Among the 600 cards in the tin, The "1919-21 W514 “Shoeless” Joe Jackson" card in particular is a sought-after item in the market with its value reaching more than $25,000 according to Heritage Auctions. 

The collection also included nearly every player from the iconic/infamous 1919 ‘Black Sox’ team, which allegedly threw the World Series in what is regarded as the greatest scandal in sports history as per Fox. In addition to these, the collection also included a 1921 E220 National Caramel Babe Ruth card, a Ty Cobb 1922 American Caramel E121, a 1920 W519 George Sisler, and cards featuring baseball hall-of-Famers Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson, among others.

What makes the collection even more rare is that the cards belong to the “Zee-Nuts” set that was available exclusively on the West Coast, according to PreWarCards.com. The Zee-Nut cards are “by far the most complex minor league issue in the pre-war era.”

On the official page, Auction Monthly shared that some of the cards will be sold directly to their clients, while the rarer, high-grade cards will probably be auctioned. The remaining more common and less valuable cards will be sold in a lot through the auction. The firm estimates that the 600-card collection could bring in a "high six-figure" sum.