Free Updates
Navigation
Categories
| October, 2008 (5) |
| September, 2008 (19) |
| August, 2008 (15) |
| July, 2008 (16) |
| June, 2008 (18) |
| May, 2008 (20) |
| April, 2008 (13) |
| March, 2008 (13) |
| February, 2008 (16) |
| January, 2008 (12) |
| December, 2007 (10) |
| November, 2007 (9) |
| October, 2007 (14) |
| September, 2007 (8) |
| August, 2007 (21) |
| July, 2007 (18) |
| June, 2007 (19) |
| May, 2007 (21) |
| April, 2007 (19) |
| March, 2007 (5) |
Search
Archives
| | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | | 28 | 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
More Links
|
 Monday, June 30, 2008
Mr. Mint dishes out $80K in Wisconsin
Posted by Chris
 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.
6/30/2008 4:52:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
|
|
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Frangipani sues HBO, Gavel Chat talks to him and SCD Classic goes back with Q AND A
Posted by Chris
 Excuse my childish term, but HOLY CRAP! The very man that has been recognized for authenticating many items as legit even though many autograph experts don't agree with his assessments, Donald Frangipani, is suing HBO for its report that was featured on "Real Sports" about counterfeit autographs. I'm looking for a link to the actual video of the story, but I think it may have been taken off of Youtube for some reason. I don't want to write too much about "The Donald" because he might come after me next, but all kidding aside, he doesn't have the best reputation in the hobby, to say the least. This is the entire list of the people named in the lawsuit. I want to point out that PSA/DNA, JSA and Richard Simon are also big names in the hobby that many of you will recognize. HBO; BRYANT GUMBEL; RICK BERNSTEIN; Case No.: ROSS GRENBURG;KIRBY BRADLEY; ANDREW BENNETT;JOE PERSKIE; TRES DRISCOLL; and ARMEN KETEYLAN,COLLECTORS UNIVERSE INC., d/b/a PSA/DNA AUTHENTICATION SERVICES; JAMES J. SPENCE, LLC, aka JAMES SPENCE AUTHENTICATION; JAMES SPENCE, individually; RICHARD SIMON SPORTS; RICHARD SIMON, individually; Anyway, I just got off the phone with "The Donald" and to my surprise, when asked if he was still active in the hobby as an authenticator, he said he was. "I'm doing 40 pieces right now for different clients," said Frangipani. "Of course (I'm still active in the hobby)."Frangipani was actually very pleasant to Gavel Chat on the phone. All I know is that this is a little scary for people involved in the hobby. If "The Donald" can sue these folks, I would have to think that anyone could get sued (which I guess is obviously true). This will be very interesting to see how it ends up. If it goes to trial, I would be very surprised, but weirder things have happened. I asked "The Donald" whether he thought it would go to trial and he said "positively."I wonder if he is good (or should I say bad?) at predicting the future as well as he is at authenticating. Click here for a very interesting Q and A that Rocky Landsverk did with "The Donald" in 2005.
6/26/2008 5:13:53 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Woods apple core hits 36K and counting
Posted by Chris
 Some things are just too easy for the blog and this is one of those things. Ending in a few hours on eBay is an apple core that Tiger Woods sunk his teeth into at the 2008 US Open.Not that I think the high bidder is actually going to pay for this, but I guess I will mention that it is at $36,000 with three hours left. This core is pretty impressive, considering the seller "never touched the core. And, scooped it up in a empty beer cup, as not to disrupt the DNA." Good stuff.
6/25/2008 9:06:53 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Classic
Posted by Chris
I swiped this from "Rob D." of the Network 54 Vintage Baseball Card Forum. Rob posted this great clip from a 1973 issue of The Trader Speaks. For those of you who have been living under a rock and don't know who Bill Mastro is, he is the founder of Mastro Auctions. I love the part in the article where it says "His recent purchase of a T206 Wagner (at $1,500) enabled him to accomplish this impossible task at the age of 19, perhaps the youngest collector to achieve such a goal." This piece is classic and I want to thank Rob for posting this on the message board!
6/24/2008 2:48:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, June 23, 2008
Gizmo says goodbye to GAI
Posted by Chris
For those of you who aren't familiar with Rick Giddings, he is the Illinois-based dealer who owns Gizmo's Sportscards. Rick is a good guy and I'm very impressed how he's built his business up, after starting about eight years ago. He often appears at the major card shows, including SportsFest 2008, where I took this video. Rick called me last week to let me know that he will no longer be authenticating signatures for Global Authentication. He was authenticating sigs for GAI for a few years, and may either take a position at another company or said he may just stick with dealing cards. According to Giddings, he was unhappy with the company's new management. If anyone in Gavel Chat Nation is going to the National and has an interest in vintage cards, make sure you stop by Gizmo's table to check out his inventory.
6/23/2008 5:17:51 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Friday, June 20, 2008
First appearance of a pillow on Gavel Chat
Posted by Chris
 Today is a special day. Not just because I get to start my weekend in about 38 minutes (but who's counting?), but because today, June 20, marks the first appearance of a pillow to Gavel Chat Nation! Click here.I know everyone ... This is a very exciting moment, and we have Huggins and Scott Auctions to thank for this momentous occasion. Not too long after the record-breaking sale of the Honus Wagner T206 card, and coming just before Hunt Auctions' FanFest sale, collectors will have the unprecedented chance to bid on a puffy pillow that was once owned by the best basketball player who ever put on sneakers, Michael Jordan. I have no clue what color this thing is supposed to be, but I would love to have the chance to wake up in a pool of slobber on the same place that MJ used to rest his head. Have a great weekend!
6/20/2008 3:51:05 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Gavel Chat Newsbreak 6/19
Posted by Chris
6/19/2008 5:47:43 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
F-A-V-R-E and B-R-O-N-K-O
Posted by Chris
 Okay... Time for my meaningless rant of the day. I'm getting a little frustrated that time after time I am seeing two of my favorite football players, Bronko Nagurski and Brett Favre's names being misspelled by card companies, auction houses, etc.. It happened to Brett on his 1991 Stadium Club card and Bronko is faced with it all the time. Nagurski's name isn't spelled "Bronco," and Favre is not "F-A-R-V-E" no matter how it is pronounced or how you think it should be spelled. Show these guys some respect and learn how to spell their names. I told you it was a meaningless rant. You were warned. ******************
Anyway, the sports world is still buzzing over Tiger Woods' amazing victory from yesterday. I just hope the Lakers can show some magic of their own to extend the NBA Finals to one more game. How electric would that be? A GAME 7 in Boston?! This has been the best NBA season since the days of MJ, Bird and Magic. Lets just hope it keeps rolling. ******************
Two things I will mention briefly that are hobby related before you decide to boycott Gavel Chat for not having any industry chatter. I just had a chance to check out the autograph lineup for this year's National Convention in Chitown, and I would have to say I'm more than impressed, especially as a vintage football fan. Jim Taylor (who really doesn't do shows anymore), Joe Namath, LT, Terry Bradshaw, Y.A. Tittle will all be on hand at the Donald Stephens Convention Center ... Wow. Click here for the total list from Tri-Star's website. *****************
To the next line of business. Hunt Auctions continues to impress. I just took a quick peak at Hunt's Fanfest auction catalog, and holy crap! If you're Yankee collector, you're gonna be in heaven. As if the killer Whitey Ford Collection wasn't enough, Hunt also secured the Thurman Munson collection. What surprised me about these collections is how much was kept from each player. Old credit cards, check books, social security cards, trophies, rings, golf bags ... Heck, Whitey was a collector of all sorts of other pieces of memorabilia featuring other players, and in great quantity. Very impressive.
6/17/2008 4:57:42 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, June 16, 2008
Tiger does it again
Posted by Chris
 I've been saving my Tiger Woods feature story for our home page today, and it turned out to be perfect timing. Not since the likes of Michael Jordan and maybe even Bo Jackson was there a modern athlete with the collectibility of the great Tiger Woods. He had so many chances to fail this weekend. With his sore knee and his inability to hit many fairways, Eldrick sunk some crazy putts and hung on to win his 14th Major. This is great for the hobby and should make for some neat UDA pieces to be released in the upcoming weeks.
6/16/2008 6:21:06 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Friday, June 13, 2008
Johnny Bench's visit with Gavel Chat and Pete Rose part II
Posted by Chris
6/13/2008 3:00:09 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Hobby pioneer Bob Lemke makes rare appearance on Gavel Chat
Posted by Chris
 You know, it really is amazing to think that about 30 years ago baseball cards were worth almost nothing compared to what they are today. Mickey Mantle rookies went for only hundreds and Honus Wagner T206s could be purchased in the four-figure range. I guess everything has to start at the bottom and work its way up, but when you think of what cards sold for in 1980 compared to what they sell for currently, it really is hard to believe and makes me wonder what the next big thing is going to be in the hobby world. Pogs, Beanie Babies and Cabbage Patch Kids have come and gone, but it always seems that there is something new that collectors are going crazy over, and it also seems that cards remain very popular. There was no grading back then, most packs consisted of wax and held chewing gum, and the word "foil" was a word more suitable for what you wrapped leftover food in. Below is a video I took with the man who brought Sports Collectors Digest and the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards to our publishing company. You would be hard pressed to find anyone that knows more about vintage baseball cards than Bob Lemke. I'm fortunate to work less than a mile from where Bob currently is employed, and also very lucky that he is happy to answer any question about hobby history that I come up with. I hope you enjoy this video of a true baseball card collecting pioneer.
6/12/2008 4:33:29 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Mr. Mint talks to Gavel Chat about his most famous find
Posted by Chris
 There are some stories that you can hear over and over again and not get tired of them. For those of you who don't know, Mr. Mint's 1952 Topps baseball card find was his most famous and one of the craziest hobby stories you'll ever hear. If you read about the story in print, that's one thing, but I wanted to give Gavel Chat Nation a chance to hear about the story straight from Alan Rosen's mouth. This video was taken over the past weekend at SportFest and it's a classic! Enjoy.
6/11/2008 11:18:09 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, June 09, 2008
Pete Rose visits Gavel Chat Nation and rips Selig ... again
Posted by Chris
Well, SportsFest 2008 is in the books and I was pretty pumped when Gavel Chat gained access to the autograph signers' private signing area. We got a chance to talk with Johnny Bench and had a great, candid chat with Pete Rose. In true Hit-King style Pete held nothing back and answered every question we asked without hesitation. Below is the first part of our Rose interview, and for the next two weeks we will be posting some awesome exclusive video footage from the show.
6/9/2008 11:10:32 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Friday, June 06, 2008
SportsFest starts today – Are shows on the decline, or are we just confused?
Posted by Chris
 Today is a very exciting one for me, and it's something I've gotten pumped up about every year since its inception in 1999. I wasn't working at Krause Publications during the first year of the Chicago SportsFest, but my best friends and I made the journey from Green Bay down the highway about four hours to check out some of the hobby's best memorabilia and cards that appeared in one building at the same time. From what I remember, we had a chance to chat with David Hall, head man of PSA, and treated him in awe like his was Michael Jordan. Speaking of MJ, we also got to stand on the same wood floor when Jordan hit his final shot in a Bulls uniform, a great display that I think Upper Deck brought in. Shows have definitely changed over the years and it seems that lately every time I go to one people are always focusing on how floor traffic has decreased over the years. Check out these pictures I posted from National Conventions (I'm not sure what year these photos are from, but probably from about 20 years ago).  It's amazing to see how many people went through the doors in the shows from years ago, but one thing that I come up with when I see things like this is not how light traffic currently is at card shows, but how gaudy the numbers of customers were back then. I actually think that SportsFest 2007 had normal numbers, way less than the first SportsFest, but those were different times. Card collecting was at its peak, and nothing can stay at the top forever. Remember Michael when he played with the Wizards, or Marino's last stint with the Dolphins? I leave for Schaumburg, Ill., in about two hours and can't wait. I'm not going to focus on how dramatic the decrease is in dealers from 20 years ago, but I'm going to pay close attention to the current excitement of the market and the extraordinary volume of impressive pieces that will be on display, as compared to the small setup that was present at the first National in 1980 when only 150 dealer tables piled into the Los Angeles Marriott.
6/6/2008 10:48:55 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Hard-hitting autograph website lacks credibilty
Posted by Chris
 I recently stumbled upon a website called autographalert.com, and I must say, it really touches on some hard-hitting issues in the autograph world. The one problem I have with it, however, is that (from what I could see) there was no author's name on who wrote these articles and many of the stories use anonymous and/or one-sided sources in the stories. For those of you who have been longtime readers of Gavel Chat, you'll know that we are big on credibility and standing behind what we write. I did a website lookup to see who autographalert.com was registered under (considering I searched their entire site twice and couldn't even find a contact name, just a generic email address) and this was the info that I turned up: Registrant:
Autograph Alert
PO Box 297167
Pembroke Pines, Florida 33029
United States
Registered through: Broadband National, LLC
Domain Name: AUTOGRAPHALERT.COM
Created on: 16-Mar-05
Expires on: 16-Mar-09
Last Updated on: 16-Mar-08
Administrative Contact:
Mike Frost, Steve Koschal steve@paasaa.com
Autograph Alert
PO Box 297167
Pembroke Pines, Florida 33029
United States
(561) 582-4439Now, from what I remember, Frost and Koschal are considered autograph authenticators. I also really think there is some interesting reading on their site, but I have little respect for any entity that writes nearly all negative articles, with many anonymous and/or one-sided sources. Also, I can't respect or seriously acknowledge a story that doesn't include a byline... Makes no sense to me. If all this information is so important to the hobby, and they stand behind it, why on earth wouldn't they want credit for their findings?
6/5/2008 5:22:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tim Mara signature does exist
Posted by Chris
 Just wanted to thank SCD reader Mike Moran for contacting me today with a link to his New York football Giants website: CLICK HERE. Sometime last year I wrote a column on the most significant football Hall of Fame players' autographs and the toughest player's auto I came up with was Giants founder Tim Mara.Today is the first time I've ever seen an example of a Mara graph. Mr. Moran's father played for the Giants from 1928-1933. ************
I'm going to continue to hype SportsFest, considering it's coming up this weekend. I'll be gathering lots of interviews, video and editorial copy, from the show and hopefully shaking lots of hands. If anything looks extra interesting at the show, I will be sure to snap some photos for Gavel Chat Nation.  If you are planning on going, and are a subscriber to SCD, don't forget that there was a coupon in an issue of SCD a few weeks ago for free admission (I forget what the exact date the issue is, but it's free so I'll let you do the research). Not bad. Free admission and free parking. ************ And this may be a bit off topic, but is anyone from Gavel Chat Nation also hooked on Vitamin Water. I usually don't fall into the trap of a killer marketing strategy, and I'm convinced that the only reason I like this stuff is because it's really tasty, but I guess I'm not totally sure. Maybe I'm giving in to those cute Shaq and Lebron ads, or the plain, but ever-so-hip packaging. All I know is I have a yellow one in the morning for my energy and a XXX at night for my antioxidants. I wonder if Vitamin Water would sponsor the blog... Hmm.
6/4/2008 4:44:53 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Gavel Chat reader to open a 1952 Topps pack on blog from SportsFest
Posted by Chris
 Alright, I lied ... Kinda. Wouldn't it be cool though, to see a box-break style crack of someone opening a 1952 Topps pack, or any important vintage pack for that matter? Well, I'm throwing it out there. I'm inviting any interested parties to approach me with a pack pre-1985 at SportsFest and you will instantly become a star. I will video tape you opening the pack and post it on the blog. To those of you who don't realize, Gavel Chat has become one of the most popular sports card and memorabilia blogs ever and thousands of people will see your mug on the blog. You will also be subject to a little Gavel Chat Mojo, which has not let anyone down yet, and you may pull a very  valuable card as a result. At the very least it will be tons of fun!! Don't let Gavel Chat Nation down. Note: The images for the post were borrowed from the Baseball Card Kid's website. The blog would like to give a shout out and special thanks to Mark Murphy for the use of these wonderful photos. ****************
Gavel Chat Newsbreak 6/2
6/3/2008 4:11:25 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, June 02, 2008
Monday's Gavel Chat rated PG-13
Posted by Chris
 Two warnings on today's Gavel Chat ... The first is that this post has nothing to do with collectibles or auctions. The second warning is if you have a weak stomach, you may want to go surf eBay or something instead of reading your favorite blog. I had to tap into the wonderful world of the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and the event that took place on Saturday, featuring former street fighter Kimbo Slice. I was watching Kimbo on Youtube for nearly two years now and never thought I'd see the day when this freak would be taking in six figures on National television. The fight was pretty much what I expected, and was actually pretty entertaining, until I saw one of the worst, most disgusting things ever. Kimbo hit his opponent's cauliflower ear like a Piñata. After I saw his opponent come out of the locker room, the first thing that I saw was his horrible looking, throbbing ear and yes, Kimbo nailed that thing and popped it like a grape.  Aughhhh!!! I will say, however, that other than Mike Tyson, I have never seen a guy with such a freak show-type of excitement as Kimbo. Which card company will be the first to put Kimbo in one of its products and what innovative seller will be selling that poor guys ear on eBay... Gosh, I hope not.
Maybe Kimbo's opponent should have watched the following video before he stepped in the cage Saturday night:
*************
Also, don't you think "phantom ticket" would be a better word for these than "useless?" LOL
6/2/2008 4:32:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
|