A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 16

This is the 13th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Because the best way to come up with a great story idea is to come up with a lot of ideas. And the best way to come up with a lot of ideas is to be proactive in sourcing story ideas.

Today’s story: ’52 Mantle card found in attic sold for $12.6M.

Heritage Auctions shocked the trading card world on July 26, when it listed a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card for sale. The card, which was given a grade of 9.5 from grader SGC and dubbed the “finest known example” of a 1952 Mantle, quickly became the thing of legend among collectors everywhere — all of whom began to wonder how high the bidding would go for such an illustrious card.

They got their answer on Saturday, when Heritage Auctions sold the card for $12.6 million — making it the most anyone has ever paid for any sports item, card or memorabilia. The transaction topped the $7.25 million sale of a T206 Honus Wagner card from earlier this month.

“This card is arguably the finest-condition example of the most iconic post-war card in the world,” Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports auctions, said in a statement. “That grade, plus the fact it has documented provenance from the most storied find in hobby history, puts this card in a category of its own.”

This is a quick hitter. I’m not sure how you get there, but let’s imagine this card gets accidentally tossed into the trash … where it’s found and snared by trash collector Ernie … as he’s chased by the card’s owner Buster … who’s being chased by his ex-wife who demands her cut of the profit … who’s being chased by a drug dealer she owes thousands of dollars to.

Basically It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World all in pursuit of a moving target: a million dollar baseball card.

There you go, my 16th story idea of the month. And it’s yours. Free! What would YOU do with it?

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15

Each day in April, I invite you to join me in comments to do some brainstorming. Take each day’s story idea and see what it can become when we play around with it. These are valuable skills for a writer to develop.

See you in RESPONSES to hear YOUR take on this story idea. And come back tomorrow for another Story Idea Each Day For A Month.