As America struggles through the worst real estate market in decades, retired firefighter Clyde Bone, 57, thinks he has found a way around getting a mortgage at a time when they're very hard to obtain.
The San Diego resident has been collecting sports memorabilia since 1956 and now has more than 1 million cards. He has more than 28 Mickey Mantle cards from 1962, the most valuable of which is worth approximately $600.
Courtesy of Clyde Bone
Clyde Bone, 57, says he'll trade his $500,000 baseball card collection for a home in San Diego to share with his fiancee.
"I don't have all the cards I collected," Bone said. "When we moved to San Diego from Arkansas, I had to give them to the shippers because there was no room in the 1960 Falcon. Also, I put a few of them in my bicycle spokes."
However, he had the foresight, even when he was a kid, never to show off his Mantle cards by inserting them in bicycle spokes and tooling around town.
All in all, it's a dream collection, especially for a Yankees fan. But these days, Bone is more interested in dreaming about the future with his fiancee, Deb.
They've only been dating a year, but they've known each other since junior high. Bone, who has been divorced six years, reconnected with her at a high school reunion earlier this year.
Currently, Deb (who asked that her last name be withheld) lives in another state and Bone is ready to begin the next stage in his life with her -- without the cards.
Bone is offering to trade his entire collection -- lock, stock and Darrell Evans -- for a house in San Diego with a scenic view. He's not picky. You don't need to show him beachfront property. He's willing to consider a home that overlooks a canyon, a mountain or even a desert.
And while he may have a Hall of Fame collection, his ad says he's willing to trade it for a "home of much lesser value" and will even consider trading "for equity in home" and "possibly assuming the remaining balance."
Although there are some women who might nudge their fellas to get rid of childish things, Bone insists his beloved hasn't influenced his trading card plan one bit.
"She's the sweetest woman in the world," he said. "If I wanted to keep it, she'd be right there beside me. But, to be honest, the collection is in storage and I got to thinking that I hadn't even visited it in six years."
He also says he has the support of his kids and grandkids as well.
He got the idea for the unusual trade after seeing a video of a woman offering to marry a guy for health care and figured a straight trade would be less time consuming than selling each piece bit by bit on eBay -- especially since Bone wants to spend every moment possible with his fiancee, not sending out Priority Mail packages.
Surprisingly, Bone's plan seems to be paying off. He posted the original ad on Craigslist back on Feb. 14 at around 1:30 a.m. and had a response by 9 a.m.
He says people who may be able to trade a house are interested in the collection, but he will consider monetary offers as well.
Bone just has to balance his yearning to be united with Deb with his desire to cut the best deal.
"She's in a different city than I am," he says. "And there's not a time when I'm awake when I don't think of her.'"
