For The Nuns, S. Jersey Man Covers Baseball Card Bid

HADDONFIELD, NJ (CBS) -- A South Jersey cardiologist has rescued Christmas for a group of Baltimore, Md. nuns -- by buying a rare baseball card from them.

A Honus Wagner baseball card is often called the Holy Grail of baseball cards.  The Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame had one, and they auctioned it off for $220,000 to benefit their charity work.

But the high bidder never paid up, so Mark Jordan of Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Tex. called the number-two bidder, Philadelphia area cardiologist Nicholas DePace.

Jordan says DePace agreed to buy the Wagner card for the high bid price, for the nuns.

"I think the fact that it did involve the charities and what the charity stood for influenced greatly his decision to go ahead and 'up' what he was willing to pay for it originally," Jordan told KYW Newsradio on Wednesday.  "And he just felt good about doing that."

Jordan says he'll deliver the card next month.  He says Dr. DePace hopes to open a museum someday to display the Honus Wagner card along with the rest of his extensive sports memorabilia collection.

Reported by Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio 1060.