The mail comes from kids. From adults. From fans. From collectors. And it keeps coming. Spring training. Regular season. Off-season. Fan mail is nothing new, of course. Fans have always sent players notes of admiration, praise, encouragement--- or something not so nice. In an age of social media, though, most of … [Read more...]
Jack Brickhouse Collection Set for Chicago Sale Saturday
Memorabilia from the career of Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Brickhouse is being sold this weekend. Brickhouse died in 1998 at age 82. He’s best known as the voice of the Chicago Cubs on WGN Radio and TV from 1948-81 but also broadcast Chicago Bears football, boxing and other sports. He also handled national assignments including several World Series. Coy-Krupp, a local … [Read more...]
Ramblings: My National Journey Resumes
It won’t be long before I hop on a plane and head to the National Sports Collectors Convention. I had been to more than 30 in a row until my streak came to an end last year so I’m really looking forward to being back in Chicago which was the location of the first ever National I attended way back in 1983. In fact, I still remember a few days before the show, it was obvious to … [Read more...]
Director: Signs Point Toward Strong NSCC
The first National Sports Collectors Convention was hatched in the waning months of 1979 and became reality the following year when some southern California men decided it was time sports collecting had its own major, annual event. Back then it was a 'convention' in the truest sense with receptions, seminars, discussions and outings. Today, it's the biggest 'card show' … [Read more...]
1971 Milk Duds Set Not a Dud With Collectors
Bubble gum and baseball cards are forever linked but, as most collectors know, there have been many other food products involved with cardboard memories of the national pastime. Bread wrappers, candy bar wrappers and backers, popcorn holders, even meat products are among the edible goodies that have used baseball cards as incentives. But not all food-related baseball items are … [Read more...]
VIP Bags, Free Autographs and Plenty of Stuff to See
[View the story "2013 National Sports Collectors Convention: Day 1" on Storify] … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: The Stuff is Enough at the National
There will be more than 90 athletes past and present who get paid for showing up and scribbling autographs but the real stars of the National Sports Collectors Convention are out on the main floor of the convention center; the hundreds of vendors traveling from across the U.S. and Canada bringing sports history for sale with them. Somehow, most will make money. Some attend … [Read more...]
Thousands of Rare Sports Photos Now Available
The Chicago Tribune's efforts to monetize its mammoth inventory of original archive photographs, including thousands of rare sports photos, continue. As we reported in April, Masterpiece Marketing Group, a dealer of original newspaper archive photographs, has been working with the Tribune and other newspapers to create an online storefront. Newspapers have locked away … [Read more...]
1919 World Series Pin Shines Light on Daubert
While much of the focus on the 1919 World Series surrounds the Chicago White Sox and gambling conspiracies, the Cincinnati Reds organization touts its title with enthusiasm. The recent consignment of a 1919 World Series pin--forerunner to the World Series ring--is lobbing a little more love at the team that history kind of forgot. As we revealed last month, Robert Edward … [Read more...]
Upper Deck Releases Be a Player Hockey Set
With the Stanley Cup Finals set to begin on Saturday evening between the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks, the Upper Deck Company has just released its latest NHL-licensed trading card set: 2009-10 Be A Player Hockey. The company says that the 300-card regular set features "the most sought-after players in the NHL and guarantees one autograph card in every pack, … [Read more...]