I was an active card collector from roughly 1957-1968, (1 pack of Topps 5 cards one stiff piece of bubble gum, a nickel at a time, not from hobby shops etc) and still have a few hundred survivors ('67-68) from mom's need to throw out my stuff, a basement flood, and a vindictive ex (more later), so at one time I had some decent cards. But my best card was a gifted card from my once ex-BIL, who while DIY bathroom renovation/tearing down walls found a shit ton of old baseball cards and old newspapers that were used as insulation circa 1930-40s.
Knowing I was a Sox fan he sent me a 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams, because he knew I was a Sox fan.
I was totally blown away, called to thank him, got the back story and asked what other cards he had. And he said quite matter of factly, he didn't know as he threw them out, only keeping the Willliams card as he recalled I was a Sox fan. This is a smart guy, Doctorate from Oxford, head of psych Dept at a large university, and he tosses gold! F'ing dope.
I suspect my ex knowing my attachment to this piece of Sox memoribilia, snagged it, along with some other goodies, during a somewhat contentious divorce.