A 1933 Babe Ruth baseball card whose Illinois owner had to sue police to recover it is now up for auction on the eBay Web site, the Waukegan News-Sun reported.

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David Damos, the 51-year-old former owner of a collectibles shop said he wanted to put an end to the troublesome times the card created, and plans to divide the proceeds between two charities.

In 1996, he took the card to the suburban Lindenburg police department, saying he was suspicious it might have been stolen. Between then and last February, investigators could find no evidence it was in fact a "hot" card, and then announced it would be auctioned off as unclaimed property.

An outraged Damos sued, and won back the card.

He hopes the card will fetch about $2,000 when the sale closes Thursday, although by late Tuesday, the highest bid was $801.

He told the newspaper he will swallow his legal expenses and divide the entire sale price between a local hockey association and a Boys and Girls Club.