Leading Off with Tom Bartsch

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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