You can’t visit the Baseball Hall of Fame right now, and probably won’t be able to for a while, but you can take a virtual trip and hear from the museum’s curator about the Shoebox Treasures baseball card exhibit. The Hall has unveiled what it calls some “unique and entertaining virtual programming” during the COVID-19 crisis including Virtual Field Trips, Curator Spotlights … [Read more...]
Hall of Fame’s “Starting Nine” Highlights Items from Each MLB Franchise
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum recently introduced Starting Nine, a team-themed experience that highlights nine pieces for each team among the vast collection of tens of thousands of treasured artifacts preserved in Cooperstown. The idea is to help tell each team's story in the form of its artifacts. Museum officials say curators spent many hours … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Topps Sketch Card Artist Gets Hall Call
We don't know all of what will be inside the Baseball Hall of Fame's new, permanent baseball card exhibit when it opens later this year but we do know they'll soon be featuring the work of an artist familiar to current collectors. Todd Aaron Smith has already created numerous 1/1 sketch cards for Topps baseball cards. His work will be part of a display at the Hall that … [Read more...]
Second Ball with Autographs from 11 Original Hall of Famers Heads To SCP Auctions
What began as an adventurous trip by a rabid baseball fan nearly 80 years ago will likely end in a big payday for his descendants. In August, a ball signed by the 11 living members of the first Hall of Fame class fetched $623,369 in an SCP Auctions sale. Now, SCP is selling what it calls “the second finest known” autographed ball from that June 1939 ceremony in … [Read more...]
Ex-Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria Donates Huge Bobblehead Collection to Hall of Fame
He’s sold the franchise to a group led by Derek Jeter, but the massive bobblehead collection of former Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria isn’t part of the deal. Instead, the 900 nodders will pack their bags and take up residence at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. ESPN has reported that Loria originally bought 600 items in the collection from a Houston Astros … [Read more...]
Notes: Neshek Talks Collecting; HOF’s Preservation Conference; Unopened 1951 Box
He’s still pitching—and still collecting. Pat Neshek, who spent his college years at Butler chasing down autographs from minor league players on the way up, is about to start his 11th season as a major league pitcher. He’s with the Philadelphia Phillies now after spending the last two seasons with Houston. The uniform has changed a few times since his 2006 debut but … [Read more...]
Photo Shows 1939 Baseball Centennial Covers
Collecting was a big part of the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame back in 1939. Proof of that can be seen in a rare photograph from the archives of The Sporting News. The 5 ¾” x 7 ¼” image shows stacks of envelopes and a woman holding sheets of the new Baseball Centennial stamps as workers in the Cooperstown, New York post office piece together first day covers with the … [Read more...]
19th Century Star Barnes Popular with Collectors
It's Hall of Fame voting season in the baseball world. A good rule of thumb in collecting is that anytime a player is enshrined, the price of their memorabilia will go up. There are exceptions to this of course. One exception is a player almost entirely forgotten by modern fans, one who didn't even make the Pre Integration Era ballot this year, but one who was celebrated as … [Read more...]
Baseball Hall of Fame Creates New Mobile Apps
Baseball fans can now have Cooperstown in the palm of their hand, thanks to new mobile applications for Apple and Android devices available from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Through a new licensing relationship with Celebrity Apps of Pleasanton, Calif., the Museum has launched its first mobile device application: “Baseball Hall of Fame Trivia.” … [Read more...]