• Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
  • Hot on Ebay
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Nolan Ryan Cards
      • T206 Cards
      • 1952 Topps Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Stephen Curry Cards
    • Most Watched Football Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Soccer Cards
      • Panini World Cup Stickers
    • Rookie Cards
    • PSA 10 Cards
    • Sports Autographs
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
  • Search 268X60

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

Top Mobile

Memory Lane Vintage Sports Cards and Collectibles
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
    • What’s Hot in the Shop
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Memorabilia / Around the Hobby / New Card Show, Auction to Benefit Jim Thorpe HOF

Top Banner 486X60

Mile High Card Co.

New Card Show, Auction to Benefit Jim Thorpe HOF

July 27, 2016 By Bob D'Angelo

With more than 16 years of experience in live dinner theater, Scott Russell is no stranger to a stage.

And with his additional knowledge of sports card shows and auctions, the Pennsylvania resident is hoping to stage a successful event to benefit the Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame.

Split Rock ResortThe inaugural Jim Thorpe Sports Card Show and Auction will be held on Saturday, November 12, at the Split Rock Resort in Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, from 10 AM to 4 PM. The resort is near Jim Thorpe (the city). Admission is $5 per person, and dealers can rent booth space for $100.

The auction will begin at 2:30 p.m., and there will be approximately 100 lots. Buyer’s commission is 13 percent, with a 3 percent discount for cash. The 10 percent buyer’s commission will be donated to the Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame — the non-profit group that run and maintains the memorial and mausoleum for Jim Thorpe, the great athlete who won the decathlon and the pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics, a star football running back for the Carlisle Institute (in college) and the Canton Bulldogs (in the pros), and a major-league outfielder for six seasons, mostly with the New York Giants. The Hall of Fame will receive 100 percent of the proceeds from any items it places in the auction.

Jim Thorpe statue
A statue of Jim Thorpe has a prominent spot near his grave. The Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame would like to build another statue to honor the athletic great.

The Hall is hoping to build another statue of Thorpe, a Native American of the Sac and Fox nation in Oklahoma, to showcase more of his sports talents.

Thorpe excelled in the Olympics, football and baseball.

At the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Thorpe had a famous exchange with King Gustav V of Sweden:

“You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world,” the monarch said.

“Thanks, King,” Thorpe answered.

Thorpe was stripped of his Olympic records and medals in 1913 because he had received $2 per game money for playing semipro baseball in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, in 1909 and 1910.

Jim Thorpe at 1912 Olympics
Jim Thorpe at 1912 Olympics. He won the pentathlon and decathlon events.

After decades of debate and appeals, the International Olympic Committee restored Thorpe’s amateur status in October 1982 and agreed to replace his medals. They were presented three months later to two of Thorpe’s seven children, Gail and Bill, in Los Angeles.

The Hall is hoping to raise enough money to construct another statue honoring Thorpe, who was named best all-around male athlete of the half-century in a 1950 Associated Press poll. Thorpe died in 1953 in California at age 64 of a cerebral hemorrhage, destitute and ravaged by years of drinking.

One lure for bidders could be a belt buckle belonging to Thorpe, donated by Grace Thorpe, one of three daughters from Thorpe’s first marriage.

JIMTHORPE
Jim Thorpe was a football star in college and the pros.

“The Hall of Fame is trying to decide whether to donate one of Jim Thorpe’s belt buckles (for auction),” Russell said. “There’s a letter from his daughter. She donated it directly to the president of the Hall.”

Hall president Jack Kmetz became friends with Grace Thorpe in 1999. He said her name and address are on the plastic box covering the buckle, which was donated around 2007. Grace died April 1, 2008, at age 86. She had visited the town that bore her father’s name on several occasions. Interestingly, Jim Thorpe never visited the town named for him. His third wife and widow, Patricia, approved his burial in the borough that used to be called Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk. The town’s name was changed to Jim Thorpe, and despite some court battles to return his remains to his native Oklahoma, a final appeal in 2015 upheld his burial in Pennsylvania.

1933 Goudey Sport Kings Jim Thorpe
A 1933 Goudey Sports Kings card of Jim Thorpe will be one of the auction items.

A 1933 Goudey Sport Kings card of Thorpe will also be among the items in the auction.

The bidding will be live, with no online bids accepted.

Guests for autograph sessions at the card show will be former major-league outfielder Al Oliver, former New York Rangers captain Ron Greschner and his teammate, enforcer Nick Fotiu. Anyone purchasing an autograph ticket will receive free show admission.

“We’ve tried to focus on Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey figures,” Russell said. “When I talked with Ron Greschner he asked if he could bring Nick Fotiu and I said sure.”

Working at shows is old hat for Russell, who first set up tables as a 14-year-old at malls and hotel shows in 1986.

thorpe_1955_All-American
A 1955 Jim Thorpe All-American card will be one of the auction items in November.

“I started setting up at card shows when any idiot could do it,” he said. “I was kind of the mascot. I was younger than everyone else.”

As a youth growing up in Morris County, New Jersey, Russell always had an appreciation for sports and sports cards.  Even though he lived in northern New Jersey, Russell grew up rooting for the Dodgers. That loyalty came from his father, who was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and watched them play in Jersey City in 1957 when the franchise held seven home games away from Ebbets Field.

Russell’s father played center for his for his high school football team in Boonton, New Jersey, a squad that featured future Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick (although Kiick won all-county accolades as a defensive back during his prep career).

Russell’s family moved to the Pocono Mountains area of Pennsylvania, and he attended Albright College in Reading — where he graduated with a double major in political science and Spanish.

For 16 years, Russell was an actor and production worker for Rainbow’s Comedy Playhouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which touts itself as “America’s only all-comedy dinner theatre.”

He met his future wife, a stage manager, while working at Rainbow’s. But he missed the thrill of collecting cards and talking sports.

“It’s very lonely being a sports fan in theater,” Russell said.

But despite the job security, Russell left the stage and opened his own online store, Aquarian Sports Cards.

“It was kind of scary leaving my day job,” he said.

Russell said he has had some success, although he confesses that at age 44, he is still one of the younger dealers around.

“Cards are a great way to feed my mania,” he said.

Russell is always gratified when he sees younger collectors at card shows, particularly when they are knowledgeable about vintage cards.

“One kid wanted to know about a Ray Nitschke card,” he said. “I wanted to pick him up and hug him.”

Building another statue to honor Thorpe would add to the athlete’s legacy, Russell said.

“The Hall of Fame has tried to add another statue, but they don’t come cheap,” Russell said.

Staging the auction and card show will go a long way toward financing that new statue.

So far, Russell said he has seven booths paid for, but with a September 1 deadline for dealer discounts the small amount does not concern him.

“Being conservative I’d say I have another seven dealers lined up, and in August we’re starting some dealer specific advertising,” he said. “Our goal was 36 booths and we can actually increase that number if need be. Eventually we’d love to grow this into a multi-day show with hundreds of tables.

“But this time out if we get 30-ish dealers I’d be very pleased.”

Full details on the show and auction can be found here.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg

Related Stories:

The Craziest One Day Show Ever Autographed Bo Jackson footballStars Coming Out For Halloween Show In Philly Ephrata Lions Club sports card showA Fixture Since ’80, Ephrata Lions Club Show Returns Florida Dealer On A Mission To Help Pastor 1956 Yogi Berra World Series ringNotes: Yogi’s Ring; Moon Shoes Update; Saskatchewan Show; Tek Break With Flick Observations on Returning to a Card Show Halladay, 27 Others Signing at Philly Show This Weekend Fall Chantilly Show Includes 80 Autograph Guests WSSCA Show Set for November Sports card show Nashville Antioch TennesseeSt. Louis, Nashville Shows Set for This Weekend

Bottom Mobile

Bottom Banner 336X280

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Around the Hobby Tagged With: 1933 Goudey Sport Kings, Jim Thorpe, sports card shows

Left #1 200X50

What\\\

Left #2 200X150

Left #3 200X150

Right #1 160X240

Memory Lane

Right #2 160X240

Left #4 160X600

Right #3 160X600

  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

Right #4 – 160X240

Bargain Corner

  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $100
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards Currently Under $5
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards Currently Under $5
  • Pre-1980 Graded Basketball Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1980 Graded Hockey Cards $5 and Less
  • Complete Sets Under $10 with Free Shipping
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30
  • Rookie Cards Under $1

RSS Auction Report

  • Iconic Auctions February 23, 2019 Autographs & Memorabilia Auction In Progress
  • Bid Now On The Current Weekly Sunday Auction by EvansArchive on eBay
  • Landmark Mystery Fiction Collection of Otto Penzler Offered by Heritage Auctions in March 6 Rare Books Auction
  • Clemente’s 1972 All-Star Ring, His Final Baseball Award, To Be Sold in Mile High Card Company March Auction


Categories

  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Library of College Football
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Old Hockey Card Sets
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Shopping
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia
    • Around the Hobby
    • Sports Memorabilia News
  • What's Hot in the Shop

Sponsor Links

  • Buying Vintage Sports Cards
  • Game Used Jerseys
  • Every Athlete Autograph Event
  • 1952 Topps Baseball
  • Championship Rings For Sale
  • Vintage Basketball Cards
  • NBA Signed Items
  • Signed Sports Memorabilia
  • UFC Memorabilia
  • Autographed Baseballs
  • NASCAR Autographs
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cards
  • Player Pictures
  • Vintage Football Cards
  • Sports Card Boxes
  • Sports Collectors Store

Left #5 200X50

Sports Card Forum

Pages

  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 20 Hottest Barry Sanders Football Cards
  • 2016 Cubs Replica Championship Rings Don’t Cost a Fortune
  • 2017 Topps Definitive Collection Box Breaks, Most Watched
  • 50 Hottest Kareem Hunt Rookie Cards
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • About Us/Contact/Advertise
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Affordable Vintage Sports Cards and Collectibles
  • Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Best Derek Jeter Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Best Display Cabinets for Sports Memorabilia
  • Best Joey Votto Rookie Cards
  • Current Most Watched Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Eagles Super Bowl Champions Memorabilia Guide
  • Fanatics Under Wraps 2017 Next Level Edition Autographed Baseballs
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Great Gifts for Cubs Fans
  • Guide to 2018-19 Clemson Tigers National Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Houston Astros Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Memorabilia
  • Hank Aaron Cards on eBay
  • Henrik Lundqvist Rookie Cards a Strong Long-Term Play
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Hottest Lonzo Ball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini World Cup Stickers on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Topps NOW Cards on eBay
  • Hottest UFC Relic Cards
  • Hottest Xander Bogaerts Rookie Cards
  • LeBron James Lakers Jerseys Already Available
  • Links
  • Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
    • Hottest Michael Jordan Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Patriots Super Bowl 51 Champions Merchandise
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Test
  • The 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Kris Bryant Auto Saga: A Timeline
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top Selling Patriots Super Bowl Championship Items
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
  • What’s Hot on eBay
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Write About Your Sports Collection

Copyright © 2019 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Genesis Web Design by Wickam Group