Baseball cards are a beloved part of American culture and fandom that date back over a century. From the early tobacco cards of the late 1800s to the modern era of licensed sports cards, generations of fans young and old have collected these cardboard treasures commemorating their favorite players and teams. Sometimes the cards get misplaced or forgotten, only to be rediscovered years later in surprising places. One such discovery occurred in 2017 when a man in Massachusetts renovating his home made an unexpected find hidden within the walls – thousands of vintage baseball cards in near-mint condition.
John Vincent of Framingham was doing some routine work updating the electrical wiring in his 100-year old colonial home when he noticed something strange behind one of the walls in the basement. Upon further inspection with a flashlight, he saw what looked like paper or cardboard stacked neatly against the wooden framing. Curious, he carefully cut a small hole in the wall to get a better look and was shocked by what he saw – row after row of baseball cards from the late 1800s and early 1900s, carefully organized and preserved behind the wall for who knows how long.
Intrigued, Vincent enlarged the hole to retrieve the cache of cards. When he pulled them out and examined them more closely, he was amazed by their condition. Despite being hidden away for potentially decades, the cards showed very little wear, discoloration or damage from moisture or insects. They had remained in a dry, climate controlled space perfectly sealed off from the elements. Vincent, who had some experience and knowledge of baseball cards from his own childhood collection in the 1960s and 70s, recognized immediately he had discovered something truly special and historically significant.
After carefully going through the entire find which numbered in the thousands, Vincent was able to date most of the cards to the early 20th century, between the years of 1909-1921. The brands represented included iconic tobacco companies like American Caramel, Sweet Caporal, Old Mill and Elk. Some of the most notable players featured on the cards included Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Home Run Baker, Eddie Collins and Grover Cleveland Alexander among many others. Considering the age and condition of these cards, Vincent realized they could potentially be worth thousands of dollars each if sold individually to collectors and museums.
But how did such a massive collection from the sport’s early days end up sealed inside the walls of Vincent’s home? After doing some research on the history of the property, he discovered it was originally built in 1917 by a man named Arthur Haff. Records showed that Haff never married and had no children, but was known to be an avid baseball fan who regularly attended games at nearby Fenway Park in Boston. It’s believed that over the years, Haff amassed a huge collection of cards either through packs, trades or purchases at local shops. For whatever reason, he then made the unique decision to carefully store them within the walls of his new home for safekeeping.
After his death in the late 1940s, subsequent owners resided at the property for decades unaware of the treasure hidden inside. The cards remained sealed off and undisturbed all this time until Vincent’s renovation work exposed them again to the light of day almost 70 years later. Vincent realized he now held in his possession a small piece of baseball history that had been lost to time. Knowing the immense historical value and cultural significance of the cards, especially considering their age and condition, he decided the collection should be shared with the public rather than sold privately.
Vincent reached out to the Sports Museum of New England in Boston to see if they would be interested in displaying the cards. Museum curators were stunned and elated by the discovery, recognizing it as one of the most important finds of vintage baseball memorabilia in years. After authenticating and analyzing the nearly complete set, they worked out a deal with Vincent to donate the entire collection on long-term loan so it could be preserved and enjoyed by generations of baseball fans to come.
In 2018, the “Arthur Haff Baseball Card Collection” made its public debut in a special exhibit at the museum. Visitors were able to view the meticulously organized rows of century old cards under protective glass, marveling at both their nostalgic imagery as well as their remarkable state of preservation after being hidden for nine decades. The display helped bring the early history of baseball card collecting to life and shone new light on a forgotten piece of a local man’s passion for the national pastime. Vincent’s serendipitous find inside the walls of his home had unearthed a time capsule linking the present to baseball’s rich traditions of the past – a discovery that will ensure Haff’s legacy lives on for years to come.