Leading Off with Tom Bartsch

When a Glove is More Than a Tool of the Trade
Posted by Tuff Stuff

A few years ago, we here at Krause Publications managed to assemble enough crippled bodies to cobble together a softball team, lower-tier if there was any doubt.

We had a great time, even won a few games in a local league where the social aspect is by far the greater goal than what happened on the field.
After the last game of the season, I wandered home and forgot all about softball until the following spring when I couldn’t find my glove anywhere. It was nothing special, except that I had used it since early high school and I believe it had Willie Wilson as the facsimile signature on it. Anyway, it shagged a lot of fly balls in its day. The model I used to replace it was actually used by my mother, who had taught me the game while using that glove. It didn’t have any player signature in it and is probably past its prime in usefulness. However, I will keep it because of the details I just mentioned.

What I’ve come to realize of late is a lot of collectors have player signature gloves as part of their collections – and they have a lot of them. I guess it’s something I never really considered collecting. I think of a glove as a tool of the trade. Oil it up, throw it in the oven, slap it on your knee and you’re good to go until the laces break and you need a new one. I never though about hunting down Robin Yount, George Brett or Ozzie Smith models just to keep around as keepsakes when I was younger.

And perhaps that’s not how it works. You want player gloves from a bygone era – something you can’t grab off the sporting goods shelf. I’ve seen a lot of gloves roll into the offices of late, from Pee Wee Reese to Ted Williams to Joe DiMaggio. It’s fun to see the style of gloves from the 1970s back through the 1950s, and I might try using one for the next softball season. I’m kidding, of course – don’t you know the size of those model gloves is way too small to grab a softball?

Why it is that outfield gloves are now big enough to catch a watermelon? Is it like tennis racquets, where bigger is better to “capture” a greater area?
It’s a lot of fun to see some of these gloves. You can see how they’ve been kept around, as I’m sure many little leaguers used these as their first gloves and they were later handed out at secondhand store before being deemed collectible. Heck, it’s a cheaper route to go to grab the Hall of Famers versus cards, autographs or jerseys.

Sunday, November 01, 2009 6:38:54 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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Friday, October 09, 2009

When it becomes time to sell a collection
Posted by Tuff Stuff

You build a collection up over the years, could even be decades. You’ve got baseballs, footballs, game-used jerseys, trophies, newspaper clippings, tickets and on and on. It’s the driving force behind why you work, what you enjoy doing in your free time and something you can share and discuss with just about anyone.

It has led to countless happy moments and has resulted in something valuable, both literally and intrinsically.

It’s your sports memorabilia collection, and it could be considered one of your greatest accomplishments.

And now it has to go.

Why you ask? Well, that’s what I wonder when collectors call about values or for possible sources to sell this or that. The comments range from, “I’ve just got to liquidate” to “My kids have no interest in this, I’m getting older, so I’ll enjoy what I can get for it now.” One collector said he sold all of his Topps cards from the 1950s through the 1980s to put his kid through college. Another said simply, “I can’t walk around my house any more.” (When I hear the latter, I always think of the folks who have storage units, container units and even second houses for their collections, but I understand that simply isn’t feasible for most people.)

Most of the people don’t seem all that anguished about it either, which I also find a little puzzling considering the time, money and passion put into amassing a collection. Perhaps they have come to grips about the situation before talking to a stranger, or perhaps they are truly at peace to have the items move on. I do think some folks waffle about the decision, especially after they talk about all of the items in their collection and how they accumulated some of them. Those folks end the conversations with, “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but thanks for the options” when the conversation started out with “I’ve got to sell some of this.”

I do know some folks are turned off by the hobby, which has seen many changes over the years, from online dealing, fraudulent activity, third-party grading and over production. Some of today’s prices have also been a turn off. But of those I’ve talked to, that reason is low on the list.

So once again I open the floor to readers: Have you sold your life-long collection? What were some of the reasons why? Any regrets? Did you start up again, perhaps even collecting something else?

Friday, October 09, 2009 2:44:51 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Friday, October 02, 2009

Now is a Great Time for Sports
Posted by Tuff Stuff

This time of year is quite busy for the sports fan and collector. You’ve got the baseball season heading into the postseason, football season – both college and pro – are in full swing, basketball training camps are kicking off for the pro and college ranks and hockey season is already underway as well.

If you’re a sports fan and you can’t find anything to watch (even NASCAR to counting down to the Chase title), then something is wrong. Every night something is on, usually more than one, and all have an air of excitement this time of year. For me, the postseason of baseball is the ultimate, even if all of the “high-priced” teams are participating this year. (Wasn’t last year fun with the Tampa Bay Rays?)

Thanks to that backdrop, I also think it’s a great time of year for sports collectibles. Players and teams participating in the World Series become instant commodities, especially if you’re on the winning team. Heck, there are probably people out there who covet David Eckstein autographs just because he was named a World Series MVP. And if the Yankees win, watch out for the avalanche of Yankees items, especially with A-Rod finally winning a title. With the new stadium, Jeter’s milestone hit and a possible World Series run, it’s been quite the year for Yanks fans.

With basketball and hockey just getting underway, the card manufacturers are in full swing with new products – especially centering around the rookie crop in each sport. It’s a great time to get signatures of these players before they don’t sign at all or do so for extraordinary prices only at shows.
On the gridiron, the focus is currently on Brett Favre and Michael Vick, but it’s a great time to see if Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams and Mario Manningham can reach superstar status.

But this time of year is also great for sports collectors because of all the auctions that routinely take place in the fourth quarter of the year. There probably isn’t a better time to look for collectibles than the rush before the holidays. People need cash and people need gifts – it’s a match made in heaven.

We’ll watch it all play out before we close out 2009. With many changes coming in 2010 in the collectibles market, 2009 might seem rather tame in the end, depending on the outcome of the next three months of sports action. It’s sure going to be a lot of fun to see how everything plays out. Will Favre be a hero in purple?

Friday, October 02, 2009 9:55:20 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Fan Witnesses Every MLB Matchup
Posted by Tuff Stuff

Among the mountains of press releases and assorted mail we received in the last week came a rather interesting publicity piece about a baseball fan in Racine, Wis.

For the past 55 years, John Salvo has been attending baseball games, which can be said for a lot of people. But he claims with the Oct. 2 game between the New York Mets and Houston Astros, he will have personally witnessed every possible Major League Baseball matchup in both leagues – 442 games total, with 13 games at every American League location and 15 at every National League venue.

As part of the release, there is some neat background on Salvo and his baseball-watching career. He attended his first game in 1954, when Cleveland visited the Chicago White Sox. He began travelling long distance to attend games in 1962 and guesses he has spent more than $100,000 in completing the quest.

As part of the tally, Salvo said he has been to 955 games and attended 57 different stadiums, half of which are no longer in use. As you might have guessed, he’s witnessed a few milestone events along the way, including two no-hitters and a triple play. He’s even caught 15 foul balls. Among the irritants of jet lag, traffic jams and the like from so many travels, Salvo said the most irritating aspects of the journey are “the wave” and “the chop” in Atlanta, along with fans stating some variation of “suck” in their taunts to opposing players.

But here is something that might even be more impressive. I’m gong to straight from the source for this one: “In the mid-1980s, I determined from my travel records that I had driven about 70 percent of the interstate highway system. I set out to systematically finish the remaining 30 percent,” Salvo said. “In October 2007, I completed the goal of driving/riding on every mile of every interstate highway, excluding three-digit spurs/bypass routes. As new interstates are built, I go there to drive them.”

Sounds like Mr. Salvo is in the business of achieving lengthy milestones. He either has a good car, or some serious rental miles.

Salvo said his favorite player of all time is Nellie Fox, and the best baseball moment in his life was the next-day celebration of the Chicago White Sox 2005 World Series Championship. He even named his dog Ozzie Guillen.
Here’s hoping the Mets faithful hold a celebration for such loyalty to the game on Oct. 2.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 9:26:08 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Thursday, September 24, 2009

My Dream Job Involves Hot Dogs
Posted by Tuff Stuff

It’s a question you start writing about in grade school and something you discuss until you pass on, unless you actually achieve it: what would be your favorite job?

It was suggested that Baseball HOF President Jeff Idelson might have the best job in the world as the caretaker of the some of the finest memorabilia in the world. Hob-nobbing with diamond greats wouldn’t be too shabby either.

But I was thinking about some other “dream” jobs in the sports world, so I thought I’d share some of mine and in turn hope to hear some of yours. This is a fantasy that doesn’t deal with how much money you make, rather the enjoyment of the position.

One of the first jobs I would like to try is being a promotions director for a minor league baseball team. You get to use your imagination to come up with new promotions and on-field entertainment, and the crowd always enjoys the sideshow. As long as you avoid dynamite, nickel beers and scary clowns, you should be all right.

I think another great job would be serving as a bullpen catcher. You suit up with the team, handle all of the pitchers and do . . . nothing else. Sure, it would be nice to actually be on the field, but this is the next best thing. Plus, you still get to hear insults from the opposing crowd on the road, and some of that is really entertaining.

Being a mascot has always been intriguing, but after watching kids beat on the Kool-Aid man before a Milwaukee Bucks game in the early 1990s, I’ve softened on that one. But if I could be a mascot that does all those crazy slam dunks off of a trampoline, that might win me over.

I was also thinking about being one of the guys that holds the yardage markers on the sidelines in football games, but you see too many guys get drilled by a running back headed out of bounds. Perhaps being the sound guy that carries the big saucer-like device would be better – I could use that for protection.

I also figure a “spotter” in NASCAR can’t be that difficult, although you can’t control the driver so if he does something unexpected that makes your reporting inaccurate, you might catch the blame for wrecking an expensive car. I’d take the chance though.

I didn’t mention anything about being a professional athlete, because I knew early on that wasn’t realistic. But shooting hot dogs from a gun is.

Thursday, September 24, 2009 7:46:47 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Friday, September 18, 2009

MLBPA Taking Aim at Youngsters
Posted by Tuff Stuff

MLB Players Association summer hobby shop promotion, dubbed the Big League Blast, concluded in August, reportedly with solid results from the 250 hobby shops that participated in the four-month promotion.

During the promotion’s run, customers who visited participating hobby shops and purchased a pack of any Topps or Upper Deck baseball product received a ticket for an entry into a monthly drawing, with prizes ranging from Majestic baseball jerseys to autographed photos and other licensed products.

“The idea for the promotion came from a New York Times article I read late last year when the economy softened talking about the need for small specialty retailers to create events to bring people into their stores and give them a reason to shop. That really applied to my hobby shops,” said the MLBPA’s Evan Kaplan about how the program got started. “We’re able to tap into a lot of our product credits and build a nice prize pool. But we also wanted to build awareness for the new releases, so we were able to accomplish that.”

Hobby shops got a big boost from the promotion as well, as evidenced by the outpouring of positive comments from dealers who e-mailed Kaplan during and after the promotion’s run. Here’s an example: “We had so many people in here for this drawing there was barely enough room to move around in the store. We sold out completely of all featured product and most of everything else we had in baseball,” said Dale and Matt from Mr. Dale’s Tradin’ Card LLC.

There were dozens more just like it, which is nice to hear when so much of the hobby news tends to be on the negative side.

Kaplan also shed a little light on the Baseball Card Clubhouse program the MLBPA conducts with stores aimed at Boy Scout troops and other youth organizations. He said more than 500 stores are currently participating with more signing up all of the time. This will continue well into 2010, with new ideas currently in development.

“The feedback has been phenomenal, but the best feedback is when the kids come back after the initial seminar and become regular customers,” Kaplan said.

You always hear in this hobby about how youth need to be a focal point. Well, here are two programs that are actually working. I plan on getting regular updates on these promotions and will fill you in on the details.

Friday, September 18, 2009 3:02:52 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Ernie Davis Story Got Me Thinking
Posted by Tuff Stuff

There are plenty of times when you run across names in the sporting world and, aside from knowing they won a particular trophy or award, you know little else about them, either biographical or how they got on the big stage in the first place. Unfortunately, you never take the time to go a step futher and learn more about the player.

Such was the case with me regarding running back Ernie Davis. Yes, I knew Davis won the Heisman Trophy in 1961, becoming the first black player to do so. But I didn’t know about the racial hardships he endured – even while accepting trophies – nor the story behind why he never played a down in the NFL (he was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away at age 23). It took a viewing of the movie The Express starring Rob Brown as Davis for me to get most of the story, but I learned the background on a sports legend all the same.

It makes you wonder as the years and decades roll by how many of these background stories will survive. As the people who saw these events first-hand start to dwindle, it comes down to people learning about these events through hand-me-down stories and/or doing some research.

Davis is probably fairly well known, but let’s say Rick Ankiel, an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, happens to win the World Series MVP this year. Will collectors 10 years from now remember he came up through the ranks as a dominating strikeout pitcher before experiencing strike zone command issues and then blowing out his arm?

Always a good hitter, Ankiel returned to the majors after switching to the outfield and is a better-than-average player for the Cardinals today.
There are tons of stories like these in professional sports and I think it would make for a great book idea, if one doesn’t already exist. The stories are already there – all someone would have to do is compile them, do some interviews and the result would be a great read in my opinion. Perhaps I’ll get to it in my free time.

The size might be a problem, but the stories could be condensed to make it a manageable read.

I’m curious if any readers have a particular favorite athlete background story, either well known or not. It could even be a personal experience with said athlete. I think it’s those details that are nearly as fascinating than what an athlete does on the field, ice or court.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 2:36:18 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Thursday, September 03, 2009

Team-signed balls are a love/hate affair
Posted by Tuff Stuff

I have found a new collecting category for my world that is rather aggravating, yet quite rewarding at the same time. I’ve been branching out from simple yearbooks to autographed balls. In particular, I’ve been intrigued by team-signed balls.

I think to have a piece of memorabilia connected to a specific memorable season, be it a World Series year or when a certain player hit a milestone, is pretty special. Heck, if I had a team-signed ball from my Little League days, I’d get a kick out of that, too. You can run down the names and remember little things about the season. In Little League, that might have been as simple as, “This guy always ducked out of the box with every pitch.”

I think a 1986 New York Mets team-signed ball would be neat to have, but you’d have to have the ’86 Red Sox team ball, too, to tell the whole story from that season. And any Yankees or Milwaukee Braves team-signed ball would be special, as both franchises had some legendary Hall of Famers go through their ranks. But a Big Red Machine or Musial-led Cardinals ball would be nice, too. There are definitely plenty of high-caliber choices.

But as I have been digging around in this category, I’ve also found that it can be a rather frustrating hunt. For instance, just because it says “team-signed ball,” that doesn’t mean it was signed by the entire team. With a roster usually consisting of 25 regulars, you’d like to find a ball with all of those regulars.

That means if it’s a 1987 Twins ball, I want Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven and Jeff Reardon, along with Randy Bush, Al Newman and Gene Larkin. And every team-signed ball should have the manager on the sweet spot, regardless of the future Hall of Famers on the roster. Good or bad, the manager was the leader of that team and should be recognized as such. (It carries a little more clout when it’s Joe Torre vs. Ned Yost.)

The other part I find maddening is trying to figure out who on the team did sign the ball. Some of the signatures are illegible and even with the help of Baseball Almanac, which lists complete rosters, I am lost. It doesn’t help that some team-signed balls include September call-ups.

Along those same lines, and I’ve said it before, it’s amazing how much easier it is to read older team-signed balls compared to more recent versions. I understand the autograph demands of today’s players is probably far greater and less cordial than 50 years ago, but you’d think team-signed balls, usually completed in a controlled setting, would be a good place to put forth a nice signature. Obviously, most players today don’t care.

Sure, you could get one of the stamped team-signed balls and accomplish some of the same goals I mentioned earlier, but everyone knows that’s not the same. Clubhouse signatures are another burr in my saddle. All of the players should sign the ball themselves, or it’s not a team-signed ball, plain and simple.

Another angle I’m considering is All-Star team-signed balls. I figure that’s one way to get a bunch of great stars (at least for one year) and future Hall of Famers in one spot. Plus, it’s humorous to see which players made the team, especially in the modern-era when you have that stupid rule where one player from every team is added to the All-Star roster. If you’re an All-Star, you’re an All-Star. A Washington Nationals fan isn’t going to stop watching just because Adam Dunn didn’t make the team. But I digress.

In the end, I’m a signed ball guy these days, for good or bad. For now, I’ll keep searching to make sure Rob Picciolo is on my ’82 Milwaukee Brewers ball.

Thursday, September 03, 2009 3:48:22 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Favre is Good Business for Football Cards
Posted by Tuff Stuff

The circus surrounding Brett Favre is almost comical. I think it will make for a great insert set for Upper Deck’s Predictor series or one of the caricature cards the company has produced in the past.

Perhaps Favre could be pictured with a waffle maker or a riding lawnmower (wait, that’s been done already). Either way, the situation surrounding Favre’s retirement announcements and playing again announcements with the Packers, Jets and now Vikings provides plenty of opportunities for card makers to have a little fun – and make some money, too.

Yes, like him or not – approve of his antics or not – Favre is a money-maker, too. Fans will come out in droves in Minnesota, and they will grab any merchandise and memorabilia related to the famed quarterback.

Think of some of the great cards that can now be made with just his jersey cards. You could have Super Bowl-worn Green Bay Packers cards, pieces of the famous white and green-striped jersey he wore in New York and the loud purple of the Vikings uniforms. And then they should release some of the triple relic cards in which you could incorporate all three of the jerseys. It would be quite colorful. However, you might run out of room on the back explaining the situation.

I hope none of the card manufacturers were planning on a tribute set after his second retirement from the Jets. Lord knows, enough of us fell for it the first time with the Packers. SCD’s parent company, F+W Media offered a commemorative book on Favre’s Packers career and released a magazine covering the legend. I believe the book hit the bookstores at just about the time Favre did an about-face and wanted to return to the field that resulted in his next toss taking place in the Meadowlands and not in Lambeau Field.
Barring a season-ending injury to Favre in the preseason, this does nothing but help NFL sales, including NFL trading cards. You don’t think Vikings fans (and Favre fans loyal to any of the three teams) won’t want to get a pasteboard of the gunslinger in “horns?”

The new NFL trading card market is basically fueled by rookies and the speculation on whether they will be the next Barry Sanders or the next Ron Dayne. Their autographs and patch cards are the main drivers of each set released throughout the year. However, there are a select few veteran players that are also coveted by collectors. Brett Favre is one of those players. The longer card companies can keep plugging him into products as part of the regular set, all the better. Of course, collectors will continue to see him in insert sets for years to come in throwback series, etc., that are used to fill out sets these days.

But this is the here and now, and now Favre is with the Vikings as the team’s starting quarterback. I wonder how many photographers rushed to Minnesota this week to get some shots of Favre for card products. I guess the first preseason game will be pretty popular for that, too. It’s just that those “photo-shopped” images just don’t cut it on cards any more.

What has been a little surprising is that there hasn’t been any announcements from the card companies about their Farve plans yet. Perhaps it’s too soon or perhaps it’s because he went through this once before to demand such treatment. When Favre joined the N.Y. Jets, the card companies got photos from the press conference and used those in their products. I think the New York stigma might have had something to do with that, as well.

Who knows what this will do for the Vikings on the field, but it certainly can’t hurt the football card market.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 4:21:26 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Finding Answers to Collectors' Questions
Posted by Tuff Stuff

The last few days have been rather interesting for me. As someone who has worked in hobby publications since college, I figured that most folks who collect know what they are collecting and have a general understanding of their value.

I’ve worked in antiques, toys and sports in my tenure here at F+W Media, but working with Collect.com Auctions has definitely shed some new light on collectors to me.

As a writer in these various areas of collecting, I was/am in contact with many collectors, but mostly in interview formats talking about their collections or getting their opinions on certain collectible areas for market trend stories. In other words, these are knowledgeable collectors. They can speak of backgrounds, trends and values for items in their collection ad nauseam.

So it’s a little surprising for me to be speaking with a lot of collectors of late who are relatively unfamiliar with what they have. And this is in numerous collecting categories, not just sports. Some want help with identification in terms of year produced; others simply have no idea what they have and are looking to find a value first, then other information.
I guess it’s a different audience than what I’m used. It would be similar if I would pick up a vintage tool as wall art and then decided I wanted to sell it. I would have no clue if another person would find it valuable, so I would inquire first.

There are probably a lot of reasons why people are considering selling their items even though they are not knowledgeable in what they have. For one, we’re still in a recession, with a lot of people still looking for work. They need money. One way to get money is to sell off the “unnecessary” items around the house. Collectbles often are among those items that are the first to go for those who don’t hold them dear to their heart (although we also hear from a lot of people who will make other concessions before turning to their treasures).

A lot of people simply want to know what they have. For the uninitiated, something that is old could be valuable, so they grab it and ask questions later. Now those questions are popping up much more frequently. They don’t have a computer to look it up for themselves, or they don’t know where to start. And, of course, just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s valuable.

I must say that when you can dig up some information for a reader or caller, it’s fun. It’s like solving a complicated math problem in school. You feel like you accomplished something and the person on the other end appreciates the new-found knowledge. It’s those darn “rare” items that you can’t find in a book or any record of sale online that gets you frustrated.
So it’s been a little adventure every day at work. While the sports hobby has very few “discoveries” that need in-depth investigation to identify and place a value, some of the other categories are much less researched and that’s where the work comes in.

And then there are those collectors who call and ask for information, but the more you speak with them, you realize they have already done a lot of research on the item and are either looking for confirmation or the last missing piece in the puzzle. Those are fun, too, because it’s like a test, and the information they give you can be used to gather even more information.

Anyone interested in finding out more information on a collectible they have, I’d be more than happy to try and help. Photos are very helpful in that regard, along with the time frame and regional location of the item when it was received. Let the hunt begin.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 8:22:02 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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