Her name is Bernice Gallego. She's a 72 year old spitfire who's been running an antique store, Collectique, in Fresno with her husband for more than 30 years.

She and her husband, Al, who repairs and restores old Juke Boxes, have collecting in various ways for years. This involves buying old storage lockers, going to estate sales and sometimes garage sales. This leads to quite an accumulation of un-sorted stuff throughout their home and business.

Last summer, the Gallegos were going through their accumulation, posting items on eBay, when she spotted a rectangular card, somewhat mussed, with a photograph of 10 dashing young men in uniforms.

Bernice doesn't know baseball and has never been to game. She thought the picture quaint and put it up on eBay for $10. When they started getting a flood of interesting comments, offline offers and questions, she decided to take it off auction, at the behest of friends, to see just what she had. This old card with a picture of the Red Stocking B. B. Club of Cincinnati, could be something interesting.

Turns out the card may be the first known "Baseball Card" known to man.

The 1869 Red Stockings were undefeated, winning an estimated 65 games, including league games and exhibitions, with one tie against the Troy Haymakers. That year a card was distributed as an advertisement for Peck & Snyder, a New York manufacturer of both firefighting and sports equipment. 

Bernice is learning about Baseball.

“I’m learning why people care so intensely,” Gallego said. “I can now understand why people collect baseball cards.”

The Gallegos have no idea where they got the card. They have been told by collectible experts that the card will be worth well into five figures, perhaps even $100,000, depending on the economy. Some say up to a quarter million.

Now Bernice is spending her time juggling a calendar that includes Jay Leno (she appears on January 20th), Martha Steward, Bonnie Hunt, Ellen DeGeneres and others. In addition, I think some more time might be spent on sifting through a few more boxes in the near future.

This isn't the first bit of luck that has rolled through the Gallego's life. Ten years ago, they won $250,000 playing quarter slots at Tahoe. “I paid off our mortgage and some other debts and bought some antiques and we put in a swimming pool, but we didn’t stop working and I didn’t buy a mink coat or anything like that,” Bernice says. Plus, it enabled them to make a few runs to Las Vegas, where, she said, “I put some of it back.”

Al says, "I guess we'll have to stick around for another ten years to see what comes next."

I can't think of anyone more deserving. Not only are they hard working people, but they really are the salt-of-the-earth type of people. How do I know? They also happen to be personal friends of mine.

So while a quarter million dollars may not change their lives, it may inspire a trip to a ballpark.