Collection of 1871 memorabilia appraised at $1 million

Talk about uncovering a gold mine. A woman from New England recently learned that her collection of 1871 Boston Red Stockings baseball cards and other assorted memorabilia are worth $1 million after having it appraised during an appearance on “Antiques Roadshow.”

According to the New York Daily News, the collection was brought to a taping of the PBS show on Saturday in New York City. The owner, who’s identity is being withheld for security reasons, says she inherited it from her great-great-grandmother, who ran a boarding house where many of the Red Stockings players lived in 1871-72 after the team moved from Cincinnati.

‘It was just sitting in here in a desk drawer,’ the owner said as she held up a booklet that held the cards. ‘I ran across it one day and decided I’d like to have it, not realizing at all what it was worth.’ The collection had not been formally valued before but the owner had once received a $5,000 offer, PBS said.

As you can see from her reaction in the video, she was not expecting to hear $1 million. In fact, PBS says the appraisal was the largest ever for a sports item in the 19-year history of the TV program.

As for what’s pushing the value, appraiser Leila Dunbar, who called this “the greatest archive she’s seen at the roadshow” points to the cards of Harry and George Wright, a pair of the brothers who were among baseball’s first superstars. Also included is an Albert Spalding card. Spalding went on to co-found Spalding sporting goods. But above that, the collection includes a personal letter that is signed by many players, including Harry Wright and Spalding.

“When you look at memorabilia and you value it, you look at the historical importance of the players, of the team, of the era, of the event,” Dunbar said.

“You also look at rarity, you look at condition, you look at provenance. And this has it all.”

According to the owner, her great-grandfather actually trimmed the cards so they’d fit into his album. They were admittedly altered, but not enough to kill the value in Dunbar’s estimination.

For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Keith Olbermann is disputing the appraisal, pointing out that the cards were clipped from 1871 Mort Rogers scorecards and aren’t as rare as we’re led to believe in the clip.