Burglars who broke into the Bay Area home of actor/comedian Rob Schneider last Friday made off with a high-grade Willie Mays 1951 Bowman rookie card.
Schneider, said to be an avid collector of vintage cards and a former Saturday Night Live cast member and star of ‘Deuce Bigalow’, was at a film festival in Montreal at the time and his wife and daughter were out to dinner.
Hollywood gossip site TMZ.com reported that a law enforcement source told them entry was made to Schneider’s home by breaking a sliding glass door. They say the theft also cost Schneider 1953 and 1971 Topps Mays cards along with some expensive jewelry belonging to his wife.
While the website indicated the card was “worth $175,000” that could only be the case if Schneider’s card was among the best known examples. No mint, graded examples of the Mays rookie have sold in recent years but in 2008, a PSA 9 brought over $85,000, so it’s certainly possible if Schneider owns one that it would now be a six-figure card. Sportscard Market Report lists the ‘9’ with a $175,000 value.