When Robert Wasserman, a Lower Merion High School graduate, found his Bala Cynwyd Middle School yearbook in his parents’ attic in Wynnewood, he did not immediately realize he had found his golden ticket when he saw the book contained a personal inscription from classmate Kobe Bryant, writes Bruce Adams for the Main Line Times & Suburban.

But once he started flipping through it, “I saw his inscription and signature to my surprise and at that moment I felt like Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when he tears open the Wonka Bar and sees the golden ticket!” recalled Wasserman.

He knew that one of his high school friends had managed to sell his inscribed yearbook for $30,000 at auction in 2020, but he did not expect to get more than $2,000.

He offered the yearbook for auction through Goldin Auctions and was astounded when the final bid landed at $33,600.

“Suffice it to say that I was shocked,” said Wasserman.

He realized that the reason it fetched such a high price is that it “is the earliest known Kobe Bryant signature on memorabilia to anyone’s knowledge.”

Read more about the signed yearbook in the Main Line Times & Suburban.