Are team-focused sports memorabilia shows the next big thing? The first ever Cincinnati Reds Collectors show certainly was a big draw. Collectors from a Facebook group devoted to the oldest franchise in baseball held their first in-person event inside a ballroom at the Marriott North in West Chester last Saturday. Hundreds of fans and collectors turned … [Read more...]
Reds Collectors Group Planning for First Show
It began as a small social media club of baseball fans and collectors seven years ago. Since then, the Cincinnati Reds Memorabilia Collectors Facebook Group has grown to over 10,000 members. This Saturday, May 22, they’re holding what might be one of the most unique single team oriented memorabilia shows the hobby has ever seen. It’ll be held from 10 AM to 4 … [Read more...]
Chris Sabo Q&A: Practicing His Signature, Motor City Sports Fandom and Listening to Eminem
Whether it was on the diamond, on the ice or even on the links, Chris Sabo has always embodied the blue collar and workmanlike approach of his hometown of Detroit. As a high school senior, Sabo had to make the decision to pursue a future in baseball or hockey. He chose to attend the University of Michigan on a baseball scholarship. While in Ann Arbor, the third baseman led the … [Read more...]
Auction Angel Returns Johnny Bench’s Personal Memorabilia to its Rightful Owner
You never know when or where you will meet someone who will change your life forever. It’s often a chance encounter that rewrites the course of history—a reminder to us that any new friendship is worth nurturing. For Johnny Bench, it was a man named Alan Horwitz who he had met at a hypnotist show in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1967 while he was a young catcher for the Reds … [Read more...]
Johnny Bench Memorabilia Brings Nearly $2 Million at Louisville Slugger Auction
Johnny Bench was money in the bank during his Hall of Fame baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds. And the items from Bench’s personal collection that were part of the 17th Annual Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Live Auction, hosted by Hunt Auctions, banked some large figures. The auction ended Saturday and racked up nearly $2 million in sales from Bench’s … [Read more...]
Memorable Road Trip: Georgia Card Shop Employee Snares Acuna’s 1st Home Run Ball
Luckily for Joe Webster, there isn't a lot of demand for Cincinnati Reds tickets these days, especially not in the outfield. The Atlanta area college student was so excited about Ronald Acuna's promotion to the Braves roster that he drove all night to Ohio and got himself a prime seat to watch the 19-year-old phenom play. He had the day off from his part-time job at … [Read more...]
Notes: Tribune Hobby Story; PSA’s New Show; Astros Rings; Reds Museum Highlights Uniforms
Some publicity for the hobby courtesy of one of the nation’s top newspapers. The story by Chicago Tribune reporter Alex Parker was fairly extensive, covering the changing landscape of baseball cards, the effort to keep kids interested, the big money aspect of vintage icons and more. You can read it here. PSA has launched a new online hobby video segment. The … [Read more...]
SCP Auctions Offering 1919 World Series Press Pin
The 1919 World Series was infamous because of the Black Sox scandal, where eight members of Chicago’s American League baseball team conspired to throw the postseason series. It's ingrained in pop culture. There’s the immortal quote — real or made up — by the boy pleading with “Shoeless” Joe Jackson at the courthouse steps, “Say it ain’t so, Joe,” which was later preserved on … [Read more...]
Kahn’s Baseball Cards Had A 15-Year Run
For 15 years, fans who loved hot dogs and baseball had a chance to collect an annual set of trading cards. Based in Cincinnati, Kahn's baseball card sets started with only Reds players but the company later expanded its checklists to include players from teams in areas where its products were sold. Here's an overview of the history of the Kahn's issues. Kahn's … [Read more...]
Ramblings: Few 70s Teams Resonate More Than Big Red Machine
At a recent card show where I’d taken a table, a customer purchased some vintage Cincinnati Reds cards and explained his passion for cards of guys who played for the Big Red Machine teams of the 1970s. After I thanked him for his payment, the thought occurred to me that the Reds have to be the most beloved and collected team of that era. Out of the five teams which won the … [Read more...]