Two familiar faces from the annual National Sports Collectors Convention have passed away. Longtime hobby fixture Dick Gordon died Monday. An attorney by trade, Gordon represented dozens of retired athletes for autograph signings and speaking engagements and sold memorabilia through his company—Dick Gordon Sports, based in the Baltimore area.
He was 85.
Dolly Niemic Konwinski, a former player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, who was a fixture at the NSCC and other shows for many years, died Saturday at age 87.
We are saddened to hear of the passing of Dick Gordon and Dolly Konwinski this past week.. both were longtime National exhibitors and members of the National family, we send our condolences to their friends and family. pic.twitter.com/rdLgRlz2kF
— The National (@nsccshow) September 26, 2018
Gordon’s booth at the National always included hundreds of signed and unsigned items, many from his association with players from the Red Sox and Orioles.
He’s survived by his wife of 57 years, Gloria.
“Everybody loved Dick,” NSCC Public Relations Director Ray Schulte told Press Box Online. “He was a great storyteller and had immense integrity.”
As we reported over the summer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has consigned his championship rings, game-worn uniforms, awards and other memorabilia to auction.
Among the items up for grabs: His 1969 UCLA championship ring and 1971 and 1982 Lakers NBA title rings; two NBA All-Star jerseys, jerseys from his time with the Lakers and Bucks 
and all three of his NCAA Tournament MVP awards from the 1960s.
The items will be sold through Goldin Auctions next month.
Abdul-Jabbar says he’s donating some of the proceeds to The Skyhook Foundation, a charity aimed at helping underserved kids with educational opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
“When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple,” he said.
It’s not the first time Abdul-Jabbar has offered items from his collection. He consigned numerous pieces to Julien’s Auctions several years ago but a dispute erupted before it got off the ground and the sale was cancelled. A memorabilia company he founded with his longtime manager also placed items on eBay last year.
Lelands is moving.
The long-time auction house says continued growth is the reason it will relocate Monday from its current home in Bohemia, NY to a new office in Matawan, NJ that will offer more space.
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