For the majority of us, a casual stroll through the aisles of a Goodwill store typically results in a mismatched mug, a well-worn paperback, or a vintage T-shirt with an inexplicable urge to buy it. But for Christopher Kidney from the small town of Flemingsburg, Kentucky, his ordinary stop turned into something that dreams are made of for any dedicated sports memorabilia collector.
Armed with nothing but a keen eye and about $20 in his pocket, Kidney exited the thrift store with a collection that would make baseball historians do a double-take. This unassuming haul included a plethora of autographed treasures, with some featuring names etched into the annals of sports greatness. Among the prized finds were signed cards of baseball luminaries like CC Sabathia, Don Mattingly, and Chuck Knoblauch. Not to be outdone, a Super Bowl XLII card autographed by the famed Plaxico Burress also made its cozy home in Kidney’s cart. However, stealing the spotlight and earning the envious glances of collectors far and wide was a baseball graced by the legendary signature of Hall of Famer Yogi Berra himself.
“When I saw the names on the cards, I could tell they were real based on the brand,” Kidney explained to Newsweek, his voice peppered with excitement and certainty. He knew he had stumbled upon something extraordinary—and his instincts, backed by expertise, proved to be remarkably accurate. With the help of his close-knit community of memorabilia aficionados, Kidney set about authenticating his finds. The result? A private sale that exceeded the $500 mark, turning his modest investment into a story worth sharing, both for the thrill of the find and the financial windfall.
Yogi Berra, the iconic figure who became synonymous with baseball’s golden era, was the embodiment of skill, grit, and more than a few bewildering but somehow profoundly insightful “Yogi-isms.” Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972, Berra’s awe-inspiring record of 10 World Series titles with the Yankees remains untouched to this day. To discover a baseball bearing his signature lying in wait on a thrift store shelf wasn’t merely a stroke of luck—it was akin to a collector’s odyssey punctuated by the grandeur of baseball history itself.
Taking his newfound fame to the virtual world, Kidney, a well-known figure on Reddit’s thriving memorabilia community, posted about his extraordinary discovery with the caption, “Incredible, still shaking.” The post rapidly gained traction, amassing over 1,500 upvotes and drawing in a flurry of comments from collectors and sports enthusiasts alike.
One amused commenter chimed in, “Thank goodness your Goodwill doesn’t have an in-store Googler pricing these near eBay comps.” Another, echoing the sentiments of many, added, “My brother collects and sells sports memorabilia and he says to tell you he is both happy for you and very jealous!”
This wasn’t Kidney’s debut in the realm of thrift-store triumphs. Just a few weeks prior, the vintage aficionado had unveiled another gem—a 1949 book signed by Honus Wagner, one of baseball’s most mythical figures, acquired for a mere $1.59. Ecstatic with his discovery, he wrote, “For $1.59, I found one of the greatest baseball players’ signatures ever! I’m in shock.” Reflecting on the serendipity of the find, he shared a poignant connection to his late grandfather, who was intricately linked to baseball teams like the Reds and Cardinals, speculating that fate had a hand in guiding him to that auspicious book.
While the financial gain from selling the memorabilia was certainly gratifying, for Kidney, it was the emotional resonance and shared excitement with family and friends that truly mattered. “It’s very important to me that I give credit to my family—my beloved wife Ashley—and my best friends Brad and Christopher Davisson,” he revealed, underscoring the true heart behind his passion for collecting.
For Kidney, these finds transcend mere monetary value—they represent the thrill of the chase and the bonds formed with fellow enthusiasts along the way. And for the rest of us engaging in the simpler art of thrifting, it serves as an exhilarating reminder to scrutinize those dusty shelves a second time because you never know when a piece of history might be waiting between discarded cookbooks and eclectic knick-knacks.
