Ohio man discovers baseball card collection worth millions

DEFIANCE, Ohio (WANE) - A rare baseball card collection is expected to be worth nearly three million dollars.  Karl Kissner discovered the collection earlier this year at a relative's house.

When Kissner's aunt passed away in late 2011, he and some of his cousins were responsible for cleaning out the house.  The task took quite some time to complete.  Eventually, the family made it into the attic, where the collection was found.

"The cards were found in a women's apparel box," Kissner said while standing in the attic where the treasure was found.

Inside were nearly 700 baseball cards.  Some of them were made in 1910.  The names on the cards included Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and Honus Wagner.

"My grandfather stuck them in a box, figuring he would use them later, and put them in the attic and forgot about them," Kissner said.

Kissner's grandfather owned and meat market in Defiance.  Kissner thought his grandfather used the cards for promoting the business.

The cards were smaller than the cards made today, so at first Kissner was not sure how valuable they were.  He kept the cards at the restaurant he owns in town, but once he realized they were a rare find, he put them in a safe deposit box at a bank.

From there, Kissner had the cards examined to find their value.

"The total collection, as a whole, is going to be in the two to three million dollar range," Chris Ivy, the director of sports at Heritage Auctions, said.  "What makes these cards so valuable is how rare they are, and the fact that they're in great condition."

However, Kissner won't get the treasure to himself.  His aunt requested her belongings to be divided up between him and his 19 cousins.

"I have six children, " Kissner said.  "That sure does help out the college fund."

The cards will be auctioned off in Baltimore in August.

Ivy said 37 cards will be at that auction.  He expected them to be sold for close to $500,000.

The remaining cards will be sold a few at a time over the next few years.