Ed. Note: Welcome to the second edition of Bobble Bulletin, which provides updates on bobblehead collecting including news, significant sales, new releases and more.
Sister Mary Jo, who became an internet sensation after tossing the first pitch at the Chicago White Sox game on Saturday, is getting her own bobblehead.
Sister Mary Jo, who teaches theology classes for sophomores and juniors at Marian Catholic, was selected by the school to throw out the ceremonial first pitch as part of the school’s “Night with the White Sox” at Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field.
Sobieck confidently walked to the pitcher’s mound wearing a traditional habit and white Marian Catholic High School jersey with #60 on the back celebrating the school’s 60th Anniversary. She was so confident that she did an arm-bounce trick before her first pitch, which was a perfect strike.
Produced in conjunction with Marian Catholic, the bobblehead is available for pre-order in the Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads cost $25 each plus a flat rate shipping charge of $8 per order and are expected to arrive in December.
Each bobblehead will be individually numbered and come in a collector’s box. $5 from every bobblehead sold will go directly to Marian Catholic High School.
Plans continue for the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee—but into each life a little rain must fall. Or in this case, a sprinkler system.
Shortly after our last update, the Hall of Fame and Museum received an unfortunate surprise—the requirement to install a sprinkler system. Installing one in an older building isn’t easy and takes a lot of patience, but the work is finally underway and is expected to be completed in early September. In the meantime, nearly everything has been set up, and that process is nearly complete. All the exhibits and interior signage will be going up soon as well. Expectations are the facility will open in the fall.
The concept of a National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum was announced in November 2014 with the goal of having a one-of-a-kind experience featuring bobbleheads from all genres and periods as well as dozens of exhibits related to bobbleheads.
Approximately 6,000 unique bobbleheads will be on display at any given time. The Hall of Fame and Museum, which started with the collection and passion of two long-time friends, also produces bobbleheads for retail sales as well as for individuals, organizations and teams across the country.
Several new bobblehead projects have kept the Museum busy including the two biggest undertakings to date:
1st AAGPBL Bobblehead Series
This first-of-its-kind series is the first to feature all 15 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) teams, and this marks the first bobblehead for 10 of the 15 teams. It’s exciting to be releasing the bobbleheads in conjunction with the League’s 75th Anniversary this year.
The ratio of female to male bobbleheads is very low, so it’s great to be able to honor and commemorate the AAGPBL and the trailblazing athletes who played the highest level of baseball with this bobblehead series. The AAGPBL players and their stories continue to serve as an inspiration for athletes across the world, and bobbleheads are the perfect way to celebrate the trailblazing women of the AAGPBL.
You can find more information about the bobbleheads here. The bobbleheads were produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and are officially licensed by the AAGPBL.
Negro League Bobblehead Series
The Hall of Fame and Museum will soon be launching a Kickstarter Campaign to help produce a large lineup of Negro Leagues players as well as the first series of Jackie Robinson bobbleheads, which will feature 20 different bobbleheads of Robinson released in conjunction with what would be his 100th birthday in 2019. The bobbleheads will celebrate Robinson’s career from high school through retirement.
To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues in 2020, a series of bobbleheads featuring dozens of legendary Negro Leaguers—many of whom have never had a bobblehead—will be released. The bobbleheads are officially licensed by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and some of the bobbleheads will also be available there.
You can sign up here to be among the first notified when the Kickstarter goes live, and this will give you an opportunity to save and get other perks.
Bobblehead Auction Roundup
Vintage bobbleheads have continued to draw top dollar at auction including the following bobbleheads that recently sold on eBay:
- Set of 10 National League Mini Bobbleheads from the 1960’s sold for $3,000 while the set of 10 American League Mini Bobbleheads from the 1960’s sold for $2,750.
- This pristine Roberto Clemente 1960’s nodder sold for $1,775.
- The rare African American players from the 1960’s continue to draw top dollar, with this Cowboys bobblehead selling for $1,775.
- It’s not just old bobbleheads that are commanding big bucks…some of the bobbleheads from the past 5-10 are starting to rise in value as more collectors look to add to or complete their collections. One example is this Bernie Brewer Stitch N Pitch Bobblehead that was part of a special ticket package, with a cost of around $25, during a 2010 Brewers game. Shortly after the game, they were selling for around $40-$50, but have now been selling for closer to $800.
Recent Unique Bobblehead Giveaways
The 25th Anniversary of Sandlot has led to many teams having Sandlot themed bobbleheads, which have been unique and extremely popular with fans.
The University of California will be giving away a bobblehead commemorating “The Play” at this year’s “Big Game”, and the bobblehead even incorporates a trombone. This continues a recent trend of bobbleheads commemorating memorable moments.
And even though the Baltimore Orioles traded pitcher Kevin Gausman at the trade deadline, the team went forward with their Gausman “Game of Thrones” bobblehead promotion, which was part of a special ticket package. They’ve been popular on the secondary market.
Bobblehead Q&A – In this section, we’ll answer one question that came in over the past month. Submit your questions by emailing [email protected].
Question: What makes some stadium giveaway bobbleheads so much more valuable than others? For example, the Javier Baez bobblehead that the Cubs gave out in July has been selling for over $100 while other SGAs only sell for $10-$20.
Answer: It all comes down to supply and demand. In the case of the Baez bobbleheads, only 10,000 were given out, while 40,859 fans were in attendance. That means that fewer than 25% of fans attending received the bobblehead. Of course, some fans could have cared less about the bobblehead, especially since the lines to enter were among the longest reported at Wrigley for a giveaway. But the majority of those who took the time to wait in line kept their bobblehead. However, some fans, seeing that the bobbleheads had reached around $150 each on eBay, decided to cash in. The supply was also lowered as the lines were so long that many people hoping to get multiple bobbleheads to resell were unable to.
The high demand was also fueled by Baez’s rising popularity, the cool pose with Javy blowing a bubble, and the fact that millions of TV viewers saw the bobblehead as ESPN showed it multiple times during the Monday Night Baseball telecast. In addition, many of the 30,000 plus fans walking around Wrigley Field likely took to eBay to score the bobblehead that they missed out on and saw other fans carrying.
What will the long-term value of the Javier Baez bobblehead be? Only time will tell, but if Javy and the Cubs win another World Series and if he joins the ranks of legends such as Banks, Williams and Santo, which is a long way off, the bobblehead could fetch significantly more in 10-15 years.
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