Kentuckian scores at Morehead Goodwill with autographed book by MLB legend

MOREHEAD, Ky. (FOX 56) — Baseball is no stranger to Christopher Kidney.

As seen, he wears his team colors with pride, but last month, something told him to open a book about a different one.

“I don’t honestly really know what prompted me to pick up a Pittsburgh Pirate book. I mean, I’m a diehard Reds fan and Bengals fan.” Christopher said, “Just an antique book; I had to pick it up.”

The 1948 Pittsburgh Pirates book was on the shelf at the Morehead Goodwill.

Christopher has been an avid thrifter and reseller for the past two and a half years; as soon as he opened the book, he felt that this was the find of his life.

“On the very first page, after I looked at the copyright, I saw ‘Best wishes, Stan Rojek, Honus Wagner,'” said Christopher.

He said he immediately went to check out, knowing that baseball cards of one of MLB’s all-time greatest shortstops have created generational wealth due to their rarity.

Honus Wagner made his MLB debut in 1897 with the Louisville Colonels before eventually joining the Pirates. An original Wagner card sold for more than $7 million in 2022. This autographed book is expected to bring in thousands.

“Buying something of that magnitude at a Goodwill, I mean, why would someone donate something like that?” Ashley Kidney, Christopher’s wife, said.

Christopher said, that finding out the autograph was authentic, was a home run. “It would have been disappointing that if it wasn’t authentic, but, I mean, my risk in it was $1.59, but knowing it’s authentic, I mean, that’s when you, you know there’s money there.”

The moment is also a reminder of one of his favorite people, Grandpa James Kidney.
He owned one of Wagner’s reproduction baseball cards before it was stolen.

“Seeing the Honus Wagner signature in that book, it really felt like he was, you know, looking down on me or maybe a divine intervention, and it just really, touched my heart,” Christopher said.

Christopher said although he cannot share this moment with his grandfather, he is sharing it with his family and best friend/mentor Brad Hanneken.

Hannaken, who sells vintage clothing on Depop [Bradsvtg] taught him how to spot a good find.

“Without him and my wife and my daughter, I wouldn’t have been able to find that book,” Christopher said. “I’ve never found anything as great as this or have had any, I guess, attention towards what I find, and something like this, and having people, I guess, view me, I just assume the sky is the limit with it.”

He is still deciding how to auction the item, but once it is up for grabs, he expects baseball fans to come running and knock the bidding out of the park.