Honus Wagner Baseball Card Donated to Nuns

The Lord works in mysterious ways. The latest proof: unsuspecting nuns were in possession of a Honus Wagner baseball card, one of the most sought-after pieces of sports memorabilia anywhere ... and they didn't even know it.

"It just boggles your mind," Sister Virginia Muller told The Associated Press. "I can't remember a time when we have received anything like this."

The brother of a nun who died in 1999 left all his possessions to the order when he died earlier this year. The man's lawyer told Muller he had a Honus Wagner card in a safe-deposit box.

When they opened the box, they found the card, with a typewritten note: "Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century!"

Muller had never heard of Wagner but now she and the Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame are putting the card up for auction and stand to make anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000. The proceeds will go toward their ministries in 35 countries around the globe.

Mint condition Honus Wagner cards can fetch millions, but even cards in rough shape -- like the one donated to the nuns -- are very popular among collectors.

[The card] has a big crease in the upper right-hand corner, and three of the white borders have been cut off. It has also been laminated. But even in poor condition, a T206 Wagner card is prized by collectors, said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, which is auctioning the card.

For anybody interested, the auction ends Nov. 4. The high bid as of Wednesday morning? $60,000.