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 Thursday, May 31, 2007
Are authenticators treated unfairly?
Posted by Chris
 Check out this article written about the authentication company MEARS, which was featured in Robb Report’s Luxury Portal. Any time the hobby gets mentioned in a classy magazine such as this, I feel it is important for us to take notice. Very interesting article. I am compiling some information for tomorrow’s blog entry where I will talk about authenticators and why I believe they are treated unfairly. Over the last couple years almost all authenticators have taken a beating on various message boards and in other publications, most notably in the New York Daily News. Check out what I write tomorrow and see if you agree.
5/31/2007 5:17:33 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
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Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Nodder Mania
Posted by Chris
 I think we should all take time out for a moment of silence for my friends, Steeler nodder and Roger Maris nodder. Each have served their time in the world of the collector and now have made it on to the eBay cemetary. Today I would like to briefly cover the wonderful world of vintage nodders. These little guys are some of the coolest items a person can collect and they can come at a hefty price tag depending on how rare they are and what condition they are in. There are a couple businesses that specialize in nodders and probably the largest company in this field is Inside the Park Collectibles. Make sure to check out their site if you're interested in nodders. Touchdown Treasures also carries many nodders, and other statues that deserve a look. Like any highly-desirable item, nodders attract crooked people trying to pawn their items off as original. Many of the nodders being sold on eBay are either restored or simply not real.  Be very careful when purchasing nodders online. Ask the sellers lots of questions and DO YOUR RESEARCH. Also, I am not considered a nodder expert, but I could probably help if you have any questions. Feel free to drop me a line at any time.
5/30/2007 5:28:05 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, May 29, 2007
My "opinion" on PSA's Quick Opinion
Posted by Chris
 I am one of those people who would rather be safe than sorry. I know that just because an item is authenticated it doesn’t necessarily mean it is real, however, a COA does two things. – It helps maximize an item’s selling potential. – Even if I don’t sell the item, I can feel that I took the necessary steps in order to ensure my item is authentic and that it is more than likely legitimate. Heck, nobody wants a fake signature hanging on his or her wall. There are some problems with getting an item authenticated. – Sometimes it can be pricey. Potentially hundreds of dollars just for someone’s opinion can be a lot to handle for some people. – Like I said above, a COA doesn’t necessarily guarantee ANYTHING. It basically gives an educated opinion, but in no way is it a 100 percent claim. Paying possibly hundreds of dollars for an opinion that isn’t always going to be correct can also be a lot for some people to handle. ************************************************************************************  ********************************************************************************** The reason I am even bringing all this up is because I would like to give you MY “opinion” on PSA/DNA’s Quick Opinion service. PSA’s Quick Opinion is just that… A quick and affordable opinion. To my knowledge it only works with an eBay auction. It enables you to ask the autograph experts at PSA what their opinions are about an item that you are thinking about potentially purchasing from eBay. The service costs a mere $7.49 and I have had nothing but successes when using it. They don’t say, “Yes, the signature is authentic,” or “no, looks bad.” They use more vague terms like “Likely genuine” or “Likely not genuine.” I once used the Quick Opinion to buy an Al Davis signed mini helmet. PSA said it was likely genuine, so I pulled the trigger and got it for under $200. I printed the email, which said “Likely genuine” and I will send it with my helmet when I attempt to get a full letter of authentication. I assume they will pass it and I will have a heck of a nice item. Has anyone else used his service? If so, please share your experiences.
5/29/2007 5:18:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, May 25, 2007
20-cent listing day on eBay – Better brace yourselves
Posted by Chris
 From time to time our buddies at eBay like to give back to the online community with a little promotion called 20-cent listing day ( Vintage Baseball Card Forum Chat about this). You might ask yourself “Isn’t it called 10-cent listing day?” well it was until they recently doubled the price. Still a good deal, however, and it usually brings some pretty interesting items out of the woodwork. Let’s check out a few: - You can buy an original slide, with rights, of Arod… Pretty cool, hey?! Even cooler at the $1-million price tag? Arod himself couldn’t even afford that… actually, yes he could. That was an example of a seller who is just out of touch with reality. This next seller knows what he is doing, but he is taking advantage of 20-cent listing day to squeeze a little more than normal out of his item. I don’t fault a guy like this at all. I have done it myself. He is selling a 1961 NFL Championship Game full ticket for about $500 more than I have ever seen one sell for. Can’t blame him for trying. This seller and many others like him love 20-cent listing day for this reason. - Check out this auction: click hereI believe that this guy is taking advantage of 20-cent listing day in a crooked manner. Put a generic title listing up there and later on modify the listing to get the sale price of 20 cents at a future. Kinda sneaky!  - I love this one… This guy has been trying to sell this football for about a year now. What’s commendable about this guy is he isn’t even listing it during a 20-cent listing day. Every time he tries to sell this he is dishing out at least six or seven bucks out of his pocket to sell, of all things, a “Reverse Dimple Leather Football.” Do I hear $14,000??!!! Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!
5/25/2007 3:56:33 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Thursday, May 24, 2007
Used to be hot, and now are definitely not – TOP 10
Posted by Chris
Admittedly, I don’t collect cards anymore, but in the early 90s that was my passion. I knew who the hot rookies were before the mainstream media covered them, and was first in line when new packs of cards hit the shelves. That said, a good portion of the hot cards that I was buying back in the day are not worth anywhere near what they used to be… Here is my Top 10 list of players' cards that used to be hot, and now are definitely not. To give you some perspective, I included links to current or recently closed eBay auctions for each card. Enjoy checking out the cards that I blew all my money on! As you will see from some of my comments, I really had no clue what the heck I was doing when buying cards back then.  #10 – Gregg Olson - Don't know much about this guy. I think he was Rookie of the Year and a Pitcher for the Orioles. Other than that, I can't tell you anything about the guy.
#9 – Blair Thomas - Running back from Penn State... Went to the Jets and he was never to be heard from again.
#8 – Brien Taylor - What's better than a good looking rookie pitcher for the beloved Yanks? Definitely not the career-ending injury that put an end to all hopes of card investors everywhere.
#7 – Chris Sabo - If it wasn't for his crazy goggles, I probably wouldn't even remember this guy.
#6 – Dee Brown - Had a bad case of Harold Mineritis... FYI – Just because someone wins the dunk contest, it doesn't mean their cards are going to hold their value.
#5 – Bo Jackson – I remember buying his 1988 Topps Football rookie for over $20, back in the day. Wow... this thing dropped quick.
#4 – Greg Jefferies – Had a solid career, but the hype in the early 90s was much bigger than how well he played.
#3 –Jerome Walton – About 17 years ago there was no card hotter than this one, in addition to the Jim Abbott 1989 Upper Deck card. Now, you can get them for about a nickel.
#2 – Jim Abbott – See above
 #1 – Andre Ware – The Lions weren't bad at drafting only under Matt Millen. This guy was supposed to be the best thing ever, but never did anything as a pro.
 Honorable Mention: Percy Snow
Bonus Honorable Mention: Wild Card, Classic Board Game Cards and Sports Flics
5/24/2007 5:30:57 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Wanna send an email to the founder of Upper Deck?
Posted by Chris
 How many times have you opened up a pack of cards and said to yourself “I wish I had some input on what is put in these packs”? Well, with the help of Upper Deck CEO Richard McWilliam, now you can. At a discussion at the 2007 Hawaii Trade Conference McWilliam said he would answer any email (or appoint an Upper Deck representative to answer) that offered constructive criticism about his products. Well, he has kept his promise and created an email address for this: ceo@upperdeck.com. In Sportsfest news, Minnesota Vikings new first-round draftpick Adrian Peterson has just been added to the show’s autograph lineup. Peterson will be signing on Sunday June 10 and will be part of an already impressive panel of guests.
5/23/2007 5:48:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Top 10 Reasons You Should Attend Sportsfest
Posted by Chris
 Ok… As you all know, Sportsfest is one of the biggest card/autograph shows of the year. Anyone on the fence about going should check out my Top 10 Reasons You Attend Sportsfest. #10 There is a free coupon for one day of admission in the June 1 issue of SCD. - That’s a $10 savings right off the bat! #9 The event is at the more modern Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center- Move over Rosemont and your eight-dollar week-old hotdogs, bring on the hip RSHC Center #8 The new venue has FREE PARKING! - Nothing worse than spending almost as much money on parking as you do on your admission. You don’t have to worry about that anymore.  #7 Friday Fan Appreciation Day and Exclusive Upper Deck set- On Friday of the event all autographs are only $10 - You will be able to obtain exclusive Upper Deck trading cards via its redemption program  #6 Joe Montana, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Reggie Bush and Greg Olsen - What more can I say about these legends and future legends? #5 “What’s it Worth” - A very popular event at Sportsfest, collectors can bring in any piece of memorabilia or card to ask our panel of experts “What’s it Worth?”  #4 Schaumburg is much cooler than Rosemont, Illinois. - Unless you want about four choices for food choices and a couple of choices for drinks Schaumburg will impress you. One of Chicago’s nicest suburbs, with a lot going on. #3 100s of the Nation’s biggest dealers will be in attendance- Card companies, authenticators, dealers, autograph guests… what more can you ask for?! #2 Sunday is Wrestlefest and Sportsfest - A bunch of the best professional wrestlers in history will be in attendance signing autographs #1 And the No. 1 reason you should attend Sportsfest is because I will be there! - I can’t wait to meet all of you, so make sure you stop by the SCD booth.
5/22/2007 3:48:36 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Monday, May 21, 2007
MUST READ – Aaron 755 HR ball article on Sportscollectorsdigest.com
Posted by Chris
 You will rarely ever hear me tell someone that a particular article is a “must read,” however you will want to read Scott Fragale’s article on Hank Aaron’s 755th home run ball. Fragale’s article is an in-depth timeline laying out the period when Aaron hit the historic round tripper to the sale of the historic treasure. ****************
Lelands’ spring auction ended last week and the results are in… The Honus strip card went unsold because it didn’t meet the reserve. The Mantle game-used jersey did sell for 100k and the Musial shirt sold for 50k… The boxing pieces also did quite well. ****************
 On a personal note, over the weekend I was visiting some friends in Milwaukee. On Saturday we decided to drive 30 miles to the Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha. This was the first time I have ever bet on a dog or even a horse race. I have to study up on dog-racing gambling strategies, as the first four out of five dogs I bet on finished in dead last. I tried analyzing the stats in the event program, watched the dogs before the race to check their demeanor, anything I could think of. Nothing seemed to work. Then, for my last bet, I picked the dog that had the coolest name. The little guy won. Guess there isn’t much of a science to this dog-racing thing.
5/21/2007 5:38:04 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, May 18, 2007
Lelands ends tonight and so does the Wagner T206 sheet
Posted by Chris
 Already at almost a quarter of a million dollars and still counting, Lelands’ Honus Wagner T206 sheet ends tonight, along with all the other goodies in its May auction. Many weren’t sure if the Holy Grail sheet would hit its estimate of $300,000-$400,000, but considering the bulk of auction bidding is usually made during extended bidding, it has a pretty good chance to hit the estimate. ******************
Not sure if you guys saw our survey on sportscollectorsdigest.com this week, but we asked our readers where they would like to see The National go to in the future. Las Vegas was our readers' choice by a landslide, and it makes sense. Cheap flights, lodging and good food and entertainment… Why not have The National in Sin City? Maybe the promoters are afraid that the collectors will spend too much cash on the blackjack tables. ******************
We received some good feedback from yesterday’s blog entry about the Bonds ball topic. I also posted the question on the Game Used forum. Lets keep the feedback coming. Have a great weekend everyone.
5/18/2007 4:12:27 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Thursday, May 17, 2007
What would you do with it?
Posted by Chris
 Now that Heritage Auctions has pulled its wallet out there with $1 million to the lucky person who catches Barry Bonds’ 756th home run ball, it poses an interesting question. What would you do if you caught the ball? Many experts didn’t think the ball would sell for anywhere near the million, but his 700th homer ball did sell for $804,000 a couple years ago. Surprisingly his 600th home run ball only sold for $40,000, a bargain even if it is from a guy surrounded by scandal. So, now you know pretty much everything there is to know about Bonds’ milestone baseballs. What would you do? I think the safe thing to do is sell the ball to Heritage. No hassle and one million smackers. Sounds good to me.  Could this ball possibly sell for two, three million?? I kinda doubt it, but then again, Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball went for $3 million. I really would like everybody’s input. If we get some good responses, I would like to include them in our magazine at some point.
5/17/2007 3:28:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007
$10 Autographs at Sportsfest
Posted by Chris
 I apologize for not writing too much in the last few days, but I have been trying to get a few articles done for Tuff Stuff and SCD... Just wanted to let everyone know that on the Friday of Sportsfest there will be a handful of baseball Hall of Famers and stars signing for only 10 bucks! Monte Irvin, Al “Scoop” Oliver, Bill Lee, Raymond Berry, Bill Madlock, Johnny Podres, Bob Feller and Stan Bahnsen will be the Friday lineup. Also, the Chris Ivy, Nick DePace and Lou Lampson videos are almost ready to go online. We will also have a Doug Allen video that will be added. I will make sure to let everyone know when this happens. I will have something interesting in my blog tomorrow, so don't miss it!
5/16/2007 5:54:05 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Sportsfest turns into Wrestlemania
Posted by Chris
 I’m not gonna lie. When I saw the initial list for autograph guests at this year’s Sportfest I was not all that excited. However, the list is beginning to gain steam in a major way and it is turning out to be one of the better autograph gatherings of the year. I’m really intrigued that Sunday will be headlined by at least six of the World’s most famous professional wrestlers of all time. Plus, these superstars are very affordable. Anytime you get these colorful characters in one room at the same time it can be special. Like I said, the list continues to get bigger and better, but for now this is where it stands: SportsFest '07- Autograph Guests Superstar Autograph Lineup Friday June 8, 2007 Customer Appreciation Day! All Autographs $10! Monte Irvin -“Hall of Famer” 5-8 p.m. Al “Scoop” Oliver -“7 Time All-Star”4-7 p.m. Bill Lee -“Spaceman”4-7 p.m. Raymond Berry -“Hall of Famer”5-7 p.m. Bill Madlock -“4-Time N.L. Batting Champ”5-8 p.m. Johnny Podres -“1955 WS MVP”4-7 p.m. Bob Feller -“Hall of Famer” 5-8 p.m. Stan Bahnsen -“The Bahnsen Burner” 4-7 p.m. Saturday June 9, 2007 Joe Montana -“3-Time Super Bowl MVP” 12-1:30 p.m. Flats -$149 Minis/Footballs - $169 Helmets/Jerseys/Numbers - $189 Inscription - $89 Kareem Abdul Jabbar – “NBA’s All-Time Leader Scorer” 1-2:30 p.m. Any Item - $99 Bob Gibson – “Hall of Famer” 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Flats/Balls - $69 Bats/Jerseys/Numbers - $99 Inscriptions - $25 Sal Bando – “3 Time World Series Champion” $25 Any Item Ted Simmons – “8-Time All-Star” $35 Any Item Tim Brown - one of only 4 players in NFL history with 1,000 catches and “Future Hall of Famer” 1-2:30 p.m. Flats -$69 Minis/Footballs - $79 Helmets/Jerseys/Numbers - $89 Inscription - $25 Tyrus Thomas – “Chicago Bulls Young Superstar” 12 – 1:30 p.m. Appearance subject to Bulls Playoff Schedule Flats - $45 All other items - $55 Reggie Bush – “2005 Heisman Trophy Winner” Flats - $99 Minis - $119 Footballs - $139 Helmet/Jersey/Numbers - $169 Inscription - $69 Dale Murphy 2-3:30 p.m. Flats/Balls - $49 Bats/Jerseys/Numbers - $69 Greg Olsen - “Bears 1st Round Draft Pick” 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Flats -$39 Minis/Footballs - $49 Helmets/Jerseys/Numbers - $59 Sunday June 10, 2007 Johnny Bench – “Hall of Famer” 1-2:30 p.m. Flats/Balls - $79 Bats/Jerseys/Numbers - $149 Fergie Jenkins – “Hall of Famer”11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Any Item - $29 Gale Sayers – “The Kansas Comet”12:30 – 2 p.m. Flats - $49 Mini/Footballs - $59 Helmets/Jerseys/Numbers - $79 Inscription - $25 Luis Aparicio – “Hall of Famer” 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Flats/Balls - $39 Bats/Jerseys/Numbers - $49 Inscription - $15 George Kell – “Hall of Famer” 1-2:30 p.m. Any Item - $35 Steve Largent -“Hall of Famer” 12-1:30 p.m. Flats/Minis -$49 Footballs/Helmets/Jerseys/Numbers - $69 Sunday WrestleFest at SportsFest Mick Foley – “3-Time WWF Champion” 1-2:30 p.m. a.k.a. – “Cactus Jack”, “Dude Love” & “Mankind” Any Item - $39 George “The Animal” Steele – “Wrestling Legend” (HOF 2005) 1-2:30 p.m. Any Item - $20 Dusty Rhodes “The American Dream” – “2-Time AWA World Tag-Team Champion” 12-1:30 p.m. Any Item - $29 “King Kong” Bundy – “AWA World Heavyweight Champion” 12-1:30 p.m. Any Item - $20 Nick Bockwinkel – “6-Time AWA World Champion (HOF 2007)” 1-2:30 p.m. Any Item - $20 Bobby Heenan - “The Brain” 1-2:30 p.m. Any Item - $20
5/15/2007 5:09:44 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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