A recently uncovered Babe Ruth baseball was well-preserved because it was ignored

For many sports fans, autographed items carry a lot of sentimental value and often feature prominently in personal collections of memorabilia. When those autographs are from one of the best and most iconic players to ever play the sport, that becomes even more true. In 'The Sandlot,' an entire classic baseball film is built around the value and scarcity of Babe Ruth signed baseball.
Many balls signed by Ruth have been lost because -- just like in 'The Sandlot' -- kids who didn't know any better played with them. Some were ruined after being exposed to light while on display in private collections. Recently, a grandson discovered a Ruth baseball that avoided those dangers among a box of items his grandfather passed down to him in 2005, according to Forbes.
The ball was originally signed by Ruth in 1927 when he was in Los Angeles to shoot a film called "Babe Ruth Comes Home." After a young Fern Garner Yarbrough received the ball, he put it back in its box and mostly left it alone, first in a garage and then in a basement.
Because the ball was rarely handled or exposed to light in the last 90-plus years, it remained in good condition. PSA -- a top autograph authentication company -- gave the ball a score of 7 (out of 10). This discovery once again provides proof that there's probably something really cool hanging out in that neglected room of your parents' or grandparents' house.
[h/t: Forbes]