Henry Yee has an eye for quality vintage photography. Whenever Yee lists photos for sale on eBay you can be sure that they're some of the most clear and unique images out there of a particular player. That said, I can't get over some of the prices Yee got for some of his images in his past eBay auctions.

More than $2,000 for a Ted Williams photo and an Ernie Banks photo?? What's going on here? I know that Yee has a pretty solid client base and these were all killer pieces, but $2,000 for a photo from the 1950s seems a bit over the top.

Check out his recently completed auctions. Click here.

Very interesting stuff, and at least worth a peak.

Sorry, but I always wanted to get a "Rounders" reference in the title of Gavel Chat.

Now that the July 4th holiday is over, and football training camp is right around the corner, it seems that it's time for the hobby to start heating up. Hunt's All-Star FanFest is next week and the National isn't too far behind.

There always seems to be a lull in the collecting world during the early part of the summer, but people start buying like crazy again in the fall. I don't expect this year to be too much different.

Oh ... If you have the chance to see the new movie "Diminshed Capacity," it is at least worth the eight bucks at the theater, as it provides an off-the-wall look at the hobby of baseball card collecting. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILOR

Here is a New York Daily News article talking about the movie and the character who mimicked Mr. Mint Alan Rosen.

Speaking of Rosen ... Have you ever seen $80K laid out on a kitchen table? Click below to watch the last part of his buying trip he made two weeks ago in Wisconsin.

Well, it was a busy week for me ... I wrote an article for next week's SCD about professional wresting memorabilia. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but I think it turned out pretty well.

The news coverage on the Brett Favre thing is getting way out of hand. Why did I know this was going to happen? For like the last five years, the media always tried to make it seem like he was going to retire and now that he has hung them up the media is trying to hint that he may want to come back.

Who do they thing this guy is, Elvis?!

The only way Favre is going to come back as a Packer is if Aaron Rodgers gets hurt in training camp. Rodgers has been preparing mentally and physically for the upcoming season and it's not fair or smart for the Packers to bring back Favre.

Anyway, don't blow off your hands with any sparklers this weekend and have a great weekend!

Check out some '50s Bowman cards from Mr. Mint's buying trip.
 

Two big features today on the sports memorabilia world's favorite blog ... First, I have prepared, for your viewing, my latest column about ticket collecting. This article appeared last week in SCD and here it is. The ticket experts' Top Ten Tickets of All-time. Please feel free to list your own top ten in the "comment" field of the blog, or email me your list to chris.nerat@fwpubs.com.

Also below is Part II and III of the trip I went on with Alan "Mr. Mint" Rosen.

Both pieces are very interesting, so make sure you check them out!

As PSA President Joe Orlando told me on the phone the other day, and I agree with his sentiments, “Tickets actually do link to the event. A baseball card is a wonderful collectible, but the ticket, that was used to get into the event. It’s a part of the sports history, where the collectible is a part of our culture and collecting, but it’s not an actual part of the event.”

I’ve written about tickets in previous columns, and I still think stubs and fulls are the most undervalued pieces of memorabilia in the industry. Even though they’re really starting to take off in popularity, they still haven’t even come close to their peak as far as value and demand is concerned.

There’s no question ticket collecting took on a life of its own when PSA started slabbing them. In addition to the excitement, collectors are really starting to realize just how tough it is to obtain some of these treasures.

I recently interviewed five of the hobby’s most influential ticket gurus to get their opinions on the top 10 tickets of all-time. As I explained to them during our discussions, I have no real criteria for these compilations,  just that historical significance, scarcity and value should all be taken into consideration.


Chris Corso
  Bio: Chris Corso (corso68@aol.com) is a life-long Yankees fan with his hobby passion focusing mainly on the 500 Home Run Club. Corso is still in search of a Jimmie Foxx and Willie Mays 500 HR ticket for his collection. Corso is a true collector and is a very important ambassador of the ticket-collecting niche in the hobby.

#1 1929 Babe Ruth home run No. 500 – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 1 stub
#2 1962 Wilt Chamberlain 100-point game – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 9 stubs
#3 1997 Masters – Tiger Woods first Major victory – PSA Population Report: N/A no holder
#4 1919 Black Sox World
Series Game 1 – PSA
Population Report: 0 fulls, 2 stubs
#5 1940 Jimmie Foxx home run No. 500 – PSA
Population Report: 0 fulls, 1 stub
#6 1935 James Braddock vs. Max Baer – None graded by PSA
#7 1961 Roger Maris home run No. 61 – PSA
Population Report: 0 fulls, 4 stubs
#8 1965 Willie Mays home run No. 500 – None graded by PSA
#9 1937 Triple Crowns - War Admiral and Joe “Ducky” Medwick – PSA Population Report: 1 stub 0 fulls for
Kentucky Derby and no stubs or fulls graded for
Medwick’s Triple Crown
#10 1956 World Series Game 5 – Don Larsen’s perfect game –  PSA Population Report: 5 fulls, 27 stubs

Al Glaser
   Bio: Al Glaser owns and operates SuperbowlTicketCollector.com and gradedtickets.com. Glaser is a
collector first and a seller second. He enjoys
educating fellow ticket collectors via his websites, and currently owns the No. 1 finest set of
all-time on the PSA Set Registry.

#1 1932 Babe Ruth Called Shot Game 3 – PSA Population Report: 5 fulls, 17 stubs
#2 1969 Super Bowl III – PSA Population
Report: 10 fulls, 64 stubs
#3 1956 World Series Game 5 – Don Larsen’s perfect game – PSA Population Report: 5 fulls, 27 stubs
#4 1980 Miracle on Ice – U.S. defeats Soviet Union – PSA Population Report: 21 fulls, 1 stub
#5 1960 World Series Game 7 - Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off home run – PSA Population Report: 4 fulls, 13 stubs
#6 1974 Hank Aaron career home run No. 715 – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 8 stubs
#7 1988 World Series Game 1 – Kirk Gibson walk-off home run – PSA Population Report: 6 fulls, 17 stubs
#8 1982 NCAA Finals Game – Michael Jordan game-winning shot (UNC) vs. Georgetown – PSA Population Report: 8 fulls, 6 stubs
#9 2000 U.S. Open 4th round (final round) - Tiger Woods wins by record 15 strokes – PSA Population Report: 10 fulls, 0 stubs
#10 1977 World Series Game 6 - Reggie Jackson three consecutive home runs – PSA Population Report: 8 fulls, 15 stubs

Dennis Jose
Bio: Owner of one of the most heavily trafficked ticket memorabilia websites in the hobby (chicagotix.com). Stationed only blocks away from Wrigley Field, Jose has specialized in tickets for many years.

#1 1973 Super Bowl VII – PSA Population Report: 66 fulls, 40 stubs
#2 1969 College All-Stars Game – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 1 stub
#3 1972 Roberto Clemente hit No. 3000 – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 6 stubs
#4 1930 Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown (Gallant Fox) – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 1 stubs
#5 1969 Super Bowl III – PSA Population Report: 10 fulls, 64 stubs
#6 1959 Ali Golden Gloves (March 11) – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 1 stub
#7 1992 Nissan Los Angeles Open – Tiger Woods’ first pro tourney – 16 years old – PSA Population Report: 12 fulls, 0 stubs
#8 1981 NFC Championship Game - “The Catch” – PSA Population Report: 7 fulls, 0 stubs
#9 1975 World Series Game 6 – Carlton Fisk’s historic home run  – PSA Population Report: 6 fulls, 4 stubs
#10 1998 Game 6 (Game K) NBA Finals Bulls vs. Utah – Michael Jordan game-winning shot vs. Utah – PSA Population Report: 1 fulls, 12 stubs

Chris Nerat
Bio: I really got interested in collecting tickets due to my interest in vintage Green Bay Packers memorabilia. Through that venture, I started picking up significant tickets from other sports and have had great enjoyment in this segment of the hobby.

#1 1967 Super Bowl I –  PSA Population Report: 20 fulls, 53 stubs
#2 1974 Hank Aaron career home run No. 715 – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 8 stubs
#3 1919 Black Sox World Series Game 1– PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 2 stubs
#4 1932 Babe Ruth Called Shot Game 3 – PSA Population Report: 5 fulls, 17 stubs
#5 1928 “Win one for the Gipper” Notre Dame vs. Army – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 1 stubs
#6 1962 Wilt Chamberlain 100-point game – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 9 stubs
#7 1961 Roger Maris home run No. 61 – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 4 stubs
#8 1967 Championship Game “Ice Bowl” – PSA Population Report: 12 fulls, 10 stubs
#9 1997 Masters – Tiger Woods’ first Major victory – PSA Population Report: N/A no holder
#10 1980 Miracle on Ice – U.S. defeats Soviet Union – PSA Population Report: 21 fulls, 1 stub

Erik Olson
Bio: Erik Olson got his start in collecting in the early 1980s while focusing mainly on trading cards. His hobby interests still remain with cardboard treasures, although Olson has been getting more and more into the ticket niche recently, collecting mostly NFL Championship, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods tickets.

#1 1941 (June 6) Joe DiMaggio last game of hit streak – PSA Population Report: None graded by PSA
#2 1962 Wilt Chamberlain 100-point game – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 9 stubs
#3 1967 Super Bowl I –  PSA Population Report: 20 fulls, 53 stubs
#4 1980 Miracle on Ice – U.S. defeats Soviet Union – PSA Population Report: 21 fulls, 1 stub
#5 1982 NCAA Finals Game – Michael Jordan game-winning shot (UNC) vs. Georgetown – PSA Population Report: 8 fulls, 6 stubs
#6 1956 World Series Game 5 – Don Larsen’s perfect game – PSA Population Report: 5 fulls, 27 stubs
#7 1967 Championship Game “Ice Bowl” – PSA Population Report: 12 fulls, 10 stubs
#8 1960 Cassius Clay vs. Zbigniew Pietrzykowski – Gold Medal – PSA Population Report: 1 fulls, 0 stubs
#9 1973 Kentucky Derby – Secretariat – PSA Population Report: 1 full, 5 stubs
#10 1973 NCAA basketball UCLA vs. Iowa – Bruins 88th straight win – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 1 stubs

Joe Orlando
Bio: Joe Orlando is the President of PSA and has been an advanced collector of sportscards and memorabilia for more than 20 years. Orlando recently completed his second book about the hobby, Collecting Sports Legends.

#1 1932 Babe Ruth Called Shot Game 3 – PSA Population Report: 5 fulls, 17 stubs
#2 1962 Wilt Chamberlain 100-point game – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 9 stubs
#3 1971 Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I – None graded by PSA
#4 1969 Super Bowl III – PSA Population Report: 10 fulls, 64 stubs
#5 1974 Hank Aaron career home run No. 715 – PSA Population Report: 0 fulls, 8 stubs
#6 1956 World Series Game 5 – Don Larsen’s perfect game – PSA Population Report: 5 fulls, 27 stubs
#7 1988 World Series Game 1 – Kirk Gibson walk-off home run – PSA Population Report: 6 fulls, 17 stubs
#8 1938 Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling II – PSA Population Report: 1 fulls, 0 stubs
#9 1986 World Series Game 6 – Buckner’s blunder –PSA Population Report: 2 fulls, 5 stubs
#10 1989 Texas vs. Oakland Nolan Ryan’s 5000th strikeout – PSA Population Report: 10 fulls, 2 stubs

Sorry I didn't post a blog last Friday, but I was in Appleton, Wis. with "Mr. Mint" Alan Rosen on one of his famous vintage card and memorabilia buying trips.

Rosen's son Blake, Dave Czuba, T.S. O'Connell and I were on hand for the deal and Gavel Chat Nation will get a unique insiders' look at what goes down on one of these amazing buying trips.

This video will have to run in multiple parts, as Youtube only allows for 10 minutes per clip. Part I features the Mint Man as he meets Paul, who is selling his entire collection.

Paul has been collecting pretty much all his life and has finally decide to part with his collection in order to pay for his grand children's education.

This clip leaves off with Rosen getting really excited as he enters the final room of the house. You'll have to tune in tomorrow to see why he got so pumped.

Enjoy.