On February 29, 2012, while going through his belongings with his cousin, Carla Hinch, they accidentally discovered a soot-covered cardboard box buried under a wooden mannequin.
Inside the green box were nearly 700 unusual baseball cards tied in bundles with string, and they were still in good condition.
Some of the household names on the cards include baseball legends – Ty Cobb, Si Young and Honus Wagner
Kissner left the box on the cupboard and continued cleaning.
After only two weeks of research, Kissner realized that the Chest of Maps was a valuable treasure.
The cards, which some people call “cardboard gold,” can fetch $2 or $3 million, according to Chris Ivey of Heritage Avenues in Dallas.
“We consider this to be the most significant discovery in the history of the hobby,” Ivey told Reuters.
According to the Associated Press, the cards belonged to a rare 1910 series dubbed E98
The group consisted of 30 players who came with caramel candies.
“It’s like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic,” Kesner told NBC Miami.
Kesner believes the cards belong to his late grandfather, Carl Hinch, who ran a meat market in Defiance.
Carl Hench should have received the cards from a confectionery company that distributes the caramel cards
When Kessner’s grandfather died in the 1940s, Jan Hench, who had never married, lived in the attic until his death.
“We think he put them in the attic and forgot about them,” Kesner told Time Bulletin Media. “They just stood there frozen in time.”
The family planned to split the profit from the sale of cards equally among the twenty cousins, out of respect for Jean Hench’s will.
Although the money is good, Kessner said the discovery helped bring his family together.
“It started with a memory tour, and it’s only going to create new memories,” Kissner said. “It’s a blessing that will grow in this whole family.
