A homeless brother’s “bequest” could end up funding a college education for one American Canyon man’s daughter.

David Washburn recently discovered that a cache of game cards that he had stored in his garage for 15 years may be worth an estimated $57,000.

The cards, from a game called Magic: The Gathering, were given to Washburn by his brother, Lester McDonald.

McDonald had a rough life, said Washburn. After their mother killed herself, McDonald left home at age 16. Washburn, then age 6, was adopted by a family member.

Later, McDonald worked as a jockey in Santa Rosa, but after an injury he lived in a van and was homeless.

The two men, actually half-brothers, grew up apart from each other. “We weren’t estranged but we rarely saw each other or talked,” Washburn said.

About 15 years ago, Washburn was living in Las Vegas when acute pancreatitis left him hospitalized and in a coma for a time.

To his surprise, McDonald appeared unannounced and gave him 15 binders of old “Magic: The Gathering” cards. The two had not seen each other in eight years.

His brother was really into the card game and had spent years playing, collecting and trading the Magic cards, recalled Washburn.

“I want your kids to have this so they can go to college,” McDonald said at the time.

Washburn said he wasn’t exactly sure what to make of the “gift.”

“I thought it was nice of him but I assumed it would be worthless,” he said. “I thought it was a silly game. I thought he’d been wasting his time and money for years.”

“I had no idea.”

Washburn put the cards in his garage in Las Vegas. In October 2015, his brother died of heart failure at age 58. His death certificate notes that he was still homeless when he passed away at a Tacoma, Washington hospital.

Washburn later moved to American Canyon for work — he’s employed in the video game industry. The cards came with him.

Washburn and his wife Lilli have three children but their daughter is currently the only college student. This past year, she started college at the University of San Francisco.

Looking for ways to help pay for her tuition, Washburn asked a local friend, Brendon Freeman, about the cards. Freeman has played Magic: The Gathering and is knowledgeable about the trading cards.

To both men’s shock, it looks like McDonald was right about the cards’ value.

After having the cards evaluated and cataloged, the two say they believe the collection is worth an estimated $57,000. They’ve already sold several cards for more than $3,000 total, said Washburn.

And there are many, many more such cards to sell.

“When he first told me about them I was hopeful for his sake they’d be worth a couple thousand maybe,” said Freeman. “This was a really spectacular, wonderful find for him.”

Freeman explained that Magic: The Gathering is a card game using strategy — “kind of like a blend of chess and poker, with themes of magic,” he said. “It’s a very complicated game with all kinds of nuances.”

Magic: The Gathering is about 25 years old and remains very popular, he said. There are professional tours and grand prix events.

“It’s incredible how many people take this game extremely seriously. It’s like this whole underground world,” said Freeman.

When Washburn showed him the collection, “my jaw dropped at what I was seeing,” said Freeman. “I was speechless. I was so amazed because it’s very rare that anyone has a collection like that.”

The two created a spreadsheet with card name and value based on research.

Many of the cards, which in the 1990s originally sold for a few dollars per pack, are not valuable, he noted. But there are a number that are coveted by collectors. Some of those cards are valued at about $1,000 to $2,000 each, he said.

The market value of one of the most valuable in Washburn’s collection is about $7,000, he said.

Called the Black Lotus, “It’s a card that everyone dreams of owning,” said Freeman. “His copy of the card is in perfect condition.”

To compare, in 2013, another Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus card sold for $27,302 at auction.

Amazingly, while his brother was homeless and indigent for many years, somehow the cards remained well-preserved in those binders.

“I’m glad they weren’t ruined,” said Washburn, whose collection is now stored in a safe deposit box at the bank for safekeeping.

Freeman and Washburn are looking to sell the remaining cards, hopefully as a set.

Besides paying for his daughter’s tuition, Washburn is facing other health challenges. He has renal failure and is waiting to get a kidney transplant, he said.

As to the estimated five-figure value of the collection, “I’m hoping it’s real,” said Washburn. “That would be awesome to help my daughter in school.”

Washburn said he misses his brother, even though he could be a difficult person. “He wasn’t literate or politically correct. He was loud and obnoxious at times.”

Regardless, “I wish I had been a better brother” to him, he said. “I think of the voice mails he left that I didn’t answer or the times I could have driven to look for him.”

That his brother’s bequest will now help with his daughter’s education makes this troubled family history even more poignant, Washburn said.

“In his eyes he gave me his life’s fortune, which it is.”

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