Hunt Auctions & the NFL have made some additions to their upcoming Super Bowl auction in Tampa.
Several San Diego Chargers jerseys from the game in London early this season are among the 309 lots now as well as some other game worn jerseys including Michael Turner, Joey Porter, LaDainian Tomlinson and Chad Pennington.
There are a couple of nice full tickets Packer fans will like: one from the Ice Bowl and another from Super Bowl I. Here's the complete list.
When Toyota and Harley-Davidson are laying off workers, you know it's a rough economy.
There was a story we linked to this week in a suburban Chicago newspaper that discussed the impact all of the bad financial news on the sports memorabilia industry. It was well done with some very forthright comments from dealers, shop owners and Bill Mastro of Mastro Auctions.
The catalogs and online auctions are starting to roll out again after the holiday break and while the super high grade vintage material is still very strong, there are plenty of bargains out there. If you're not in a rush--and you've got money to spend--it's a great time to be a buyer or even. .dare I say...an investor. Many lots are going unsold. Mid-grade vintage material is moving cheap. If you're buying as a collector, you'll probably be able to buy almost twice as much now as you could have six months ago.
In this market, dealers who know what they're doing are hustling big time. Doing whatever they can to drum up interest in their auctions, their store, their websites, etc. Those who don't will get left in the dust. There isn't enough money flowing into the hobby right now to keep everyone above water.
As a collector, you get the chance to take advantage of lazy sellers who don't market, don't engage their customers and aren't reaching out to the global audience via every internet portal or social network. Some are pricing things low just to get some cash coming in. Don't listen to those who say the hobby is "dying" or the baseball card market is "dead". When the economic conditions turn around--and it could be another nine months or year--things will get back to normal. No one is going to stop loving old baseball cards or Hall of Fame autographs. The demand will be there again and prices will inch up later on.
Some see the market as a time to curl up into the fetal position. Others see it as an opportunity. Every down arrow I see. Every auction catalog. Every bargain on eBay makes me wish I had a Swiss bank account. Or a wife who was good at playing the lottery.
The 1869 Peck & Snyder card we've been chronicling wound up on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno Tuesday night...along with its current owner, Bernice Gallego.
The 72 year-old owner of Fresno's Collectique listed the card on eBay, only to discover it was worth a lot more than her $9.99 opening bid. She pulled the card and it's now in a special auction via Memory Lane.
Gallego told Leno she wrestled with the decision to pull the auction, believing that once it was up, it should stay up. After speaking with a nearby collector/dealer/promoter, Rick Mirigian, she opted to leave eBay behind in search of a better offer.
If you missed the show, here's a link to the streaming video on the Tonight Show website. (she's the second guest of the night)
Some facts and figures about the 2009 Super Bowl, known to fans of the Roman Empire as Super Bowl XLIII.
Super Bowl date: February 1, 2009
Kickoff Time: Approximately 6:20 PM EST
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Super Bowl XLIII television coverage: NBC
Super Bowl XLIII face value ticket prices $800-$1000 each
Percentage of average fans who get the chance to buy tickets: 1% (random drawing)
There is a growing number of Super Bowl ticket collectors out there and one fascinating part of that part of the hobby is being able to actually chart the face value of Super Bowl ticket prices through the years. 2009 Super Bowl tickets have hit $1,000 for the first time. That's if you can somehow score them at face value. Most brokers and those selling on eBay have been getting $2000-3000 each. It's a startling jump from where the league set prices not that long ago.
Tickets to the first Super Bowl ranged from $6 to $12. They were $12 in Super Bowl II and III. Held at $15 for IV to VIII, then rose to $20, 30, $40, $60, $75 and finally, $100 for Super Bowl XXII and XXIII. From the 1990s on, Super Bowl ticket prices jumped at least every other year except in the mid-1990s when they held at $325 for three seasons.
Prices have really skyrocketed in the last 15 years though. For Super Bowl XXIX, played in 1994, face value was still $200. Top tickets for the 2009 Super Bowl will be five times more expensive. Yet not only will all of Raymond James Stadium's 72,000 seats be filled, they could probably fill it two or three more times without a problem. The Super Bowl is still a magnet for those with the means--and a once in a lifetime trip for those who need to scrimp.
Super Bowl memorabilia is still hot, too. Over 6,000 Super Bowl-related items were listed on eBay as of Sunday.
Editor's Blog
Tickets to the first Super Bowl ranged from $6 to $12. They were $12 in Super Bowl II and III. Held at $15 for IV to VIII, then rose to $20, 30, $40, $60, $75 and finally, $100 for Super Bowl XXII and XXIII. From the 1990s on, Super Bowl ticket prices jumped at least every other year except in the mid-1990s when they held at $325 for three seasons.