It was a big weekend for larger shows: Dallas and Philly among them.
A case of the flue forced Pete Rose to cancel his appearance at the first of three Philly Shows this year, but is old teammate, Johnny Bench signed lots of autographs on Saturday.
In Greene County, OH, one of the faster growing events in that neck of the woods takes place twice a month with about 140 booths in two buildings at the fairgrounds in Xenia. The building was buzzing just minutes after the doors officially opened at 10 AM.
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An older, former employee of the Topps Company walked into Bankston’s Sports Collectibles in Waco, TX earlier last month and among the numerous items he offered for sale were some mysterious packs of 67-year-old football cards.
The cello packs carried the type of seal that was common to Topps cello packs of the era but contained only one card. That configuration is something even advanced collectors say they have never seen before.
They’re really impossible to authenticate since it’s a configuration never seen before, but the source makes for an interesting discovery. Were they a test issue? An in-house project of some sort? A promotion?
Unless others surface at some point, it’s possible we’ll never know.
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The Hall of Fame ring presented to Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff sold for over $14,000 Saturday in an auction of memorabilia consigned by his family.
Two gold jackets used by Huff for Hall of Fame ceremonies and activities each sold for over $3,000.
The auction was conducted through Damewood Auctioneers of Leesburg, VA.
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Greg Louganis has put three of his five Olympic medals, including two golds, up for auction, with proceeds going to charity.
The auction, being conducted on his website, includes:
1976 Silver, Platform (opening bid $350,000)
(1st Olympic Medal)
1984 Gold, Springboard (current bid $1.51 million)
(1st Gold)
1988 Gold, Platform (Opening bid $750,000)
(Last Gold)

Proceeds from the auction will go to the Damien Center, Indiana’s oldest HIV/AIDS org, which is in need of a new building. The auction runs through March 31 and includes other significant memorabilia items bundled with each medal, as well as the winner’s choice of a personal experience with the five-time Olympic medalist, which can include “peak performance coaching sessions, skydiving, rollerblading or some other fun activity,” according to his manager.
“The medals, they’re in the history books,” Louganis says. “Instead of holding on to them, I’m aiming to share my piece of Olympic history with collectors; together, we can help the Damien Center and its community to grow and thrive.”