A garage sale is something that is appreciated by many families and seniors – it’s a great way to get rid of old things and give them a new home. It’s always fun to go through old stuff from the past, and you might even find something that could find a place in your home instead of being tucked away in a box in the attic.
Selling things second hand can also be good for the environment – the items can be recycled and reused in another home instead of just being thrown in a tip.
Sometimes you can even make a valuable find at these garage sales!
Sue McEntee was looking carefully through the family possessions to declutter and find things that could be sold in a garage sale. Once she posted her sign, “Garage Sale Friday-Saturday 9-16”, a man called Bruce Scapecchi passed by. During the hot summer months, he often walks around various flea markets, trying to find hidden gems.
He drove past the street where Sue lives, saw the sign and decided to take a closer look.
But he never could have imagined what he would find there.
It was then that Bruce caught sight of an old table, under which there were a lot of old items. He stepped closer and saw several baseball bats under the table. One of them was made out of a special wood that made him extra curious.
He picked up the bat, which was a little narrower than the others. The family was charging just one dollar for it, and Bruce immediately realized that this old piece of wood had a lot of potential!
It looked like it had been used by many youngsters over the years. Maybe they had imagined themselves as Babe Ruth when they swung the bat in their back yard. Or why not Jackie Robinson? He was the very first African American player in the United States Major League Baseball, playing in six major World Series finals and eventually ending in the baseball Hall of Fame.
It didn’t take long before Bruce began to suspect that the bat might actually have been owned by the one and only Jackie Robinson!
Bruce recognized the unique grip on the baseball bat, reports KCCI News 8.
That’s how he recognized it! Bruce is a very honest man and knew he couldn’t live with himself if he bought the bat from the unknowing owner for such a small price. He went to the mother and tried to explain what this item was. Then he told her to grab a pencil – and told her there was an area on the bat where Jackie had engraved his name.
He rubbed the pencil over the wood – and the engraving appeared! Jackie’s name was right there, engraved on the bat.
Sue, of course, was shocked. But at the same time it wasn’t completely surprising. The story has a reasonable explanation!
“My uncle Joe Hatten played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. They called him “Lefty Joe”, and he and Jackie played baseball together in the ’40s,” she tells the news team.
Bruce thought it was incredible to hear about the historical link between Sue, her family and legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson!
How nice of Bruce to tell the woman the story behind the bat! Quite right, I think. Feel free to share this beautiful story with your friends and family on Facebook.
