1st Baseball Card Found In Granny's Book

[HolyGrail]

I wonder if anyone else ever found any cards or autographs in used books.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidseideman/2014/09/03/finding-cash-valuable-baseball-cards-and-other-treasures-stashed-in-used-books/

David

[CobbSpikedMe]

Very cool find. Just goes to show that there are still some great cards out there hidden and waiting to be found.

Best regards,

AndyH

[bbcard1]

I found a couple of 1961 Topps…a killebrew and a robinson inside a couple of sports books at a second hand shop. Not bad for a quarter.

[barrysloate]

Back in 1997, REA auctioned five Ty Cobb with Ty Cobb backs that were found by the consignor inside a book belonging to his grandmother. Based on today's values, that's a 750K haul and arguably the greatest "inside a book" find ever.

There was also a group of several D304 that were found inside a book in pristine condition. Leon can elaborate on these.

Books are a great place to store things, and it doesn't surprise me that small pieces of paper are placed inside their covers, where they can remain for a century or more.

[Exhibitman]

About 20 years ago I purchased a small collection of Academy Awards related publications [rules books, programs, etc.] and found two unused tickets to the Oscars in one of them. I still have one:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/hoorayforhollywood/websize/45th%20Oscars%20Show.jpg

[tonyo]

One day, someone will find a 52 Topps Luke Easter inside a paper back copy of "the shack"

The card is mentioned early in the book so I bought a 52 Easter to use as a book mark.

Forgot about it till this thread.

[irishdenny]

From my sober but flawed memory...
I believe Mr. Bruce Dorskind purchased the Only known Boston Garter
example of Christy Mathewson from a School teacher uP iN the Northeast somewhere, maybe Pennsylvania!?

Well apparently, the School teacher had been using Matty's Card as a book marker. The Teacher purchased the book at a flea market, with the Matty Relic Included! As I remember the story(in which I believe I read it hear on the 54 some years ago & I do believe Bruce has a Youtube explaining his find), I think he paid like a quarter for the book and had No Idea what the card was.
Bruce saw the Teacher reading his book and noticed "The Matty" being used as a Book marker... WoW! What a Find!!!

[Collectorsince62]

Whenever I read a baseball book, I always use a baseball card as a bookmark and leave the card in the book when it goes on the shelf. The card always relates to the subject, or subject matter, of the book. Biographies of players from the 50's to the present get a card from the time of their careers. Older subjects might just get a tribute card - like the 1962 Famous Slugger card for Babe Ruth or a 1961 Fleer for Ty Cobb. Someday someone will get a nice little bonus for their interest.

[Wite3]

I was in a used book shop in Pasadena about 20 years ago looking at an old Heinlein book (Have Spacesuit-Will Travel)...I ended up buying the book for $2...got it home started to read and on about page 20 was a very nice '55 Bowman Mays...checked every page after that...BUT that was not the only card I found in a book...about 2 years ago, I was in a used book shop in Ventura and bought a Larry Niven book...inside was a 1985 Tito/Terry Francona father/son card...not quite the same rush but I kept it anyway (left it in the book on my shelf!).

Joshua

[brianp-beme]

A few years ago I won a Sports Co. of America card of Dave Bancroft on ebay. The note the seller included when the card was shipped indicated that it was found in the family Bible. Talked about being blessed!

Brian

[Jeffrompa]

Yep I found a T 207 Bobby Byrne in a collectors book about Civil token book . Also , my Father told me he would check books all the time for postcards and tobacco cards people would leave inside for a book marker .

[bgar3]

In addition to looking for cards in books I encourage you to check evidence of prior ownership, signatures, labels, bookplates etc, and then check for annotations or markings. On the baseball side I have found books owned owned by former players, including a great book on cricket (chadwick, 1873) that has Alfred H. Wright's signature and notes including one about Harry Wright. A H Wright was a very early sports writer/editor who also managed the first Philadelphia NL team in 1876. On the non baseball side I have found a letter from the 1906 Nobel prize winner for physics (discovered the electron), and an odd volume of a set of Shakespeare signed by a signer of the Declaration of Independence. I also seek out obvious association copies like this, but these are examples of unexpected finds. Check out signatures etc, especially in older volumes.