Black Swamp Find baseball cards to auction for $600,000 on August 2

It's stories like these that make baseball card collecting the incredible obsession that it is. The Black Swamp Find, a collection of previously unknown mint condition E98 series baseball cards from 1910, has been unearthed in an Ohio attic.

Named after the damp area in Defiance, Ohio where they were found, the 700 cards, valued at $3m, feature 30 greats of the game, including Connie Mack, Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb.

Honus Wagner E98
Different guise, same old Honus


37 of the best examples will auction with Heritage Auctions in Baltimore on August 2, with a $600,000 combined estimate.

The find has shaken the baseball card market. Experts Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) had authenticated fewer than 700 E98s prior to the find.

Of those, a grade 7 was the highest ranking Ty Cobb specimen. Following the haul, there are now 16 Ty Cobbs with a 9 grading.

The most valuable baseball card ever auctioned remains a 1909-1911 T206 series Honus Wagner, which sold for $2.8m in 2009.

And yet again Honus (or Hans as he's known in the E98s) is leading the way, with a 10 graded card the highest of the new discoveries. It has a current bid of $65,000.

"We believe this is the most significant find in the history of the hobby," Chris Ivy of Heritage Auctions told CBS.

"When they sent in the package, and we initially opened it, our reaction was, 'Oh my God! These are the nicest condition examples of this series that we've ever seen.'"

The baseball card market has been strong in 2012, although E98 owners will doubtless be concerned that the new discoveries will devalue their now less desirable pieces.

The slae will also feature what the auction house is calling the "finest Babe Ruth single signed baseball known", and a circa 1932 game worn Babe Ruth Yankees cap. Both are estimated at $300,000.

We will bring you full results from the sale next month. Sign up to our free weekly newsletter to ensure you don't miss out.

Featured products

Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Sale price£399
In stock
Fidel Castro signed certificateFidel Castro Signed Certificate
Fidel Castro signed certificate
Sale price£2,995
In stock
King Henry VIII Autographed DocumentKing Henry VIII Autographed Document
King Henry VIII Autographed Document
Sale price£55,000
In stock