Man Leaves $20 Million Baseball Card Collection To Family After Dying From COVID-19

For many years, children have been collecting baseball cards as a hobby and some even carry it over into their adult lives. It may seem like a hobby to some, but for a family in Florida, it was a godsend.

Dr. Thomas Newman had over 1000 baseball, hockey, and football cards in his collection with some dating back to 1880.

The cards included those of some of the greatest players of all times, including Lou Garrett, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth. Unfortunately, the doctor died of COVID-19 but he left behind the collection that is thought to be worth some $20 million.

According to a press release, the president of Memory Lane Auctions, JP Cohen, said: “One of the 1933 Babe Ruth cards (Goudey #53, PSA 9) in this collection is the finest known of its kind and we expect it to break the record of $5.2 million for any sports card.”

It seems as if the collectibles market has really exploded in recent years. For example, his other collections, a baseball signed by the Bambino and a rookie card of Mickey Mantle, should fetch up to $1 million.

His wife said in the press release that nobody collected more than him and that he joked that those cards were his “paper babies.” He would keep the card unless he was able to acquire the same card but in a higher grade.