KENTWOOD—
Legends Sports and Games, located inside the Woodland Mall in Kentwood, has plenty of vintage trading cards and is always looking for more to add to the collection.
"We get a lot of calls from a lot of people saying they've got something, and usually it's not what you expect," said Lou Brown, President of Legends Sports & Games and an avid collector himself.
On Monday, he got a visit from a mid-Michigan family who really did score big. While cleaning out an old farmhouse after a family death, they came across an old notebook of vintage boxing and football cards. They thought about tossing it, but instead did some research. Good thing.
"It's the 'Holy Grail' of football cards," said Brown.
It's Harvard's John Dunlop football card, issued by the Mayo Tobacco Works of Richmond Virginia in 1894. It's considered the rarest football set ever distributed as well as the only 19th century set solely dedicated to football. The card itself is considered "Anonymous" due to Dunlop's name being left off it.
"For whatever reason his name was left off the card and it was made in lot less quantities than the others, which in themselves are rare, it is considered the rarest football card in existence," said Brown.
He estimates it will be worth $10,000.
The collection, also consigned to the store, included 35 other cards from the same era, mostly boxers.
"There is a John Sullivan, who was considered one of the greatest boxers of all time."
The cards will be assessed for value and either submitted for auction or the store will place an offer on them.
Collectors are pretty pumped about the find. One that almost went into the trash.
"I don't recommend throwing anything away," jokes Brown.
