Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, has heard and witnessed almost every imaginable tale how ordinary people discovered items auctioned for millions of dollars.
"There was the story of the family cleaning out the house of a recently-deceased relative who had been a bit of a hoarder," Ivy said. "They find a small box of baseball cards in the attic that they put in the throwaway pile. One of the brothers eventually decides to look in the box.
"He finds a Ty Cobb baseball card. He calls us, describes the card and within 48 hours we're on a plane to visit him.