In an era where college athletes can now make money from their name, it was only a matter of time before a well-known player agreed to a public autograph session for more than just a little rent money.
Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, one of the top contenders for the 2021 Heisman Trophy, will be the first. He’s signed a deal to appear at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago on Saturday, July 31 at 11:15 AM.
While there’s no word on how much he’s getting paid, it’s a sizeable sum considering the cost to the public. TriStar Productions has Rattler in the lineup alongside its usual cast of Hall of Famers and other stars from the past and present and at $150, the cost for Rattler is as much or more than many. An inscription will cost $60 additional. He’s also taking photos with fans for another $150 a pop.
Rattler has already lined up other marketing deals since the court ruling that opened the door for student-athletes to earn money. Others have done public autograph sessions or agreed to do them, but Rattler is the highest profile athlete to sign for pay.
Want to hold a Lou Gehrig bat? You can do it at the National. Memory Lane is bringing a photo-matched Gehrig gamer to its booth and will make it available Thursday, July 29-Sunday August 1 from 11 AM to 1 PM. The company has done the same with Babe Ruth bats at past shows.
Long-time collector Marshall Fogel, whose PSA 10 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle was on recently on display in Denver, told Collectable U that he was recently offered $25 million for it.
Fogel’s card is considered the best of the three that have been rated Gem Mint 10. He’s owned it for many years and at this point, has no plans to sell.
As we told you a couple of weeks ago, Collectors Universe has hired a long-time collector for a new role. Now, we’re learning a little more about what that entails. The company has named Ryan Hoge as its first ever Chief Product Officer.
The position will oversee product management of both the trading card and coin sides. According to the CU, Hoge will “lead a team of product managers, designers and data scientists working with a growing engineering team to build products and services for CU’s customer base.
Hoge spent 16 years with Microsoft in a variety of product leadership positions.
He’ll utilize his background in tech to try and improve how the company operates and how it can help CU improve efficiency in research, grading and customer service. PSA will be looking to automate the identification of cards submitted for grading and make improvements to the Set Registry.
“Naturally, we’ll be looking at how these [new] products can help the company achieve its business objectives,” he stated. “I’m also excited to deliver new value to collectors to make the hobby more fun and engaging.
He’s not playing in the Finals this year, but the first LeBron James 2021 NBA playoffs jersey to come to auction sold for over $100,000 Thursday night through NBA Auctions.
Other Lakers jerseys and some donned by the team that knocked them out of the playoffs, the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns were also sold.
MeiGray Auctions has 21 goal pucks from this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs up for grabs including one that was used by Alex Ovechkin to score his 70th career playoff goal.
Multiple pucks from Brad Marchand, along with those shot by David Pastrnak, Tom Wilson, Taylor Hall and other players are in the auction, which runs through July 29.
