DALLAS, TX.- Found in a Columbus, Ohio, dumpster, the first offering of a $150,000+ trove of documents and memorabilia from the early years of the National Football League will be offered at a public auction of sports memorabilia held by Heritage Auctions' on Saturday and Sunday. Nicknamed by the hobby as "The Joe Carr Find" the discovery of an unknown family scrapbook sheds light on the man many credit as "The Father of Professional Football."

The archive was discovered by a Columbus, Ohio, "junk picker" who wishes to remain anonymous. The man spotted the old scrapbook and loaded it in the back of his bicycle and rode home with what turned out to be an extraordinary discovery.

"Whoever preserved these documents did so for nearly a century – unfortunately, we have no clue why or how they ended up in a dumpster," said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Collectibles at Heritage Auctions. "Thankfully they were found and an important part of the NFL was preserved for posterity."

Joseph Carr was NFL president from 1921 until his passing in 1939. He also was likewise an important figure in early professional basketball, and minor league baseball. They include the most significant signed football photograph that exists: an 1930s photograph of team owner Tim Mara inscribed to Carr. (est. $20,000+). Mara is the visionary who turned a $500 purchase of the New York Giants within the nascent National Football League into one of the most valuable and storied franchises in American sports.

It is one of three scarce photographs autographed to Carr one of which is signed in the 1930s by Bert Bell, whose career would see him become the NFL commissioner from 1945 until his death in 1959 $est. $1,000+), and a George Halas Signed Original Photograph, a pioneer of American football as a player, coach, owner and founder of the Chicago Bears (est. $1,500+).

Also tucked inside the tossed scrapbook are membership cards retaining bold fountain pen signatures of Carr himself, including a 1936 season pass to the Cincinnati Reds, which holds the finest autograph exemplar from this extraordinarily rare and important figure known to exist ($10,000+). The reverse holds the endorsing signature of Carr himself, an autograph counted among the last he would ever sign. Just weeks into the 1939 baseball season – May 20th – Carr suffered a fatal heart attack, ending nearly two decades at the helm of the National Football League.

Other membership cards include:

· A 1922-23 Joe Carr Signed Columbus Elks Club Pass (est. $10,000+).

· A second Columbus Elks Club pass, signed the year Carr became president of the NFL ($8,000+).

· A 1930's Joe Carr Signed Roosevelt Raceway Pass (est. $10,000+).

The Joe Carr Find will be offered this Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 27-28, in Heritage Auctions Platinum Night Sports Collectibles Auction on HA.com.