Collection of century-old tobacco cards featuring baseball greats Cy Young, Ty Cobb for sale

A small auction house that's becoming known for selling rare baseball memorabilia has come across a mother lode of cards prized by collectors. The collection from 1909, 1910 and 1911 features more than 1,400 cards including famous players like Cy Young and Ty Cobb.

Troy Thibodeau (THIH'-buh-doh) from Saco River Auction Co. in Biddeford, Maine, says the collection is comprised of tobacco cards that were included in cigarette packs. He says the collector was a heavy smoker and baseball fan from New York.

Dubbed the "Portland trove," the cards will be auctioned as individual cards and in small lots starting in January.

Scott Hileman from New Jersey-based SportsCard Guaranty graded the cards. He says most of them are in great shape. He describes the collection as "incredible."