Sports Memorabilia Industry Odds & Ends

Last Thursday night was a pretty normal night for Buffalo resident Doug Wielinski.

He was in his house, apparently working on his sports memorabilia collection. He was an avid fan of the Yankees, Bills, the old Buffalo Bisons and the Sabres. He was serious enough about the hobby to show up at local weekend flea markets and antique shows at 6 AM to get first crack at whatever might be out there. A father of four adult girls, Wielinksi was 61 and probably looking forward to retirement.

Around 10 PM, he must have heard a loud noise. A low flying airplane. Seconds later, Doug Wielinski was dead.

A Continental Airlines flight had dropped from the sky and onto the family's home. His wife and one daughter who was also in the house, got out OK. 49 others on the plane were killed. A memorial service for a collector one local dealer called "a real gentleman" will be held on Saturday.

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It's always fun to rip open new packs of cards--even if you're more of a vintage guy or girl, but the short prints that now seem to be a part of just about every set on the market make me glad I'm not addicted to the modern stuff. Any of us who grew up in the age when set collecting was pretty much all anyone did would be driven completely bonkers trying to find them all. I'd rather let someone else do the work and buy a master set sometime in July.

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The Premier Collectible Conference and Exhibition, which debuted in Chicago last year, was scheduled for April again this year, but instead they'll wait until 2010 for the second edition. Considering the economic climate, it's probably a smart move. The PCCE is a great concept--and we enjoyed being part of the event last year, listening to the panel discussions which delved into some of the hobby's issues and concerns.

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1954 Dixie Lid Richie Ashburn, where are you?