Posted By:
Joe K.Dan- I think you could get more if you cut them up in bundles and sold them as firewood. 
I had a Garage Sale two weeks ago. Before hand I went through some “junk” sports stuff of mine looking for some items that I just wanted to get rid of. I knew I didn’t want to put that much out for sale because even most of my other stuff that is stored away and I wouldn’t mind selling, I didn’t really want to give away for only a buck or two. I ended up just putting out 3 junkie jerseys that I couldn’t even sell for that much on eBay, and one 1940s softball bat. I decided not to put out any of my other lower end bats because even those I would rather store away then give away. I figured if someone was interested in the one bat I would ask them if they had any interest in seeing others.
Most of the morning went by with out any real interest in the jerseys or bat. Just a few lookers who thought 2 bucks was too much to spend. Then in the afternoon a woman stopped by and showed real interest in the jerseys and bat (after buying an old microwave from me). She asked me several questions about when they were from, and where I got them, and if I know who used them. She didn’t know that much about the items, but she said her 11 year old son has taken a real interest in the history of baseball and would get a kick out of them. She also went on about this long story of how her grandfather played minor league ball. I sold her the 3 jerseys and the bat and asked her if she would be interested in seeing some other bats. I explained to her that they were nicer bats and I would be happy to sell them but only if someone had some appreciation for them and would spend more then $2. She understood and said she would show her son the items she bought and may stop by again before the end of the day.
The woman did stop back, this time with her son. While my wife manned the sale, I showed them some other bats inside. The kid got really excited. He didn’t know that much, but he loved seeing all the player endorsements. I told him about all the bats and he just went on and on with one question after another. I enjoyed speaking with and we talked for about 20 mins. Seeing that he had a sincere interest in vintage sports items, and learning more about the history of baseball, I figured I would show him my memorabilia room.
Well, the kid flipped out when he saw the room. He was so overwhelmed he didn’t know where to begin and what to ask first. He ended up staying for about 15 mins more and I invited him back when I had more time. They ended up buying 6 more bats and 2 more nicer jerseys at the same FMV that I would have gotten off eBay. I then threw in another 2 cheap bats and one more cheap jersey for free. (I sold him an H&B Al Kaline, H&B Duke Snider, LS Jackie Robinson, “Winner”, ”Crackerjack”, and a GoldSmith 1940s softball bat, and gave him an H&B Maris and another 1940s softball bat for free).
That night he wrote me a long email thanking me for the sale and memorabilia tour. We arranged for him to stop by again with his dad.
This past Saturday he and his dad stopped by and spent some time with me going over the collection. Sweet kid – very respectful and very polite. Asked a lot of questions, listened closely as I explained things, asked politely if he could see or touch something, and frequently suggested they leave if they were taking up too much of my time. Of course they weren’t - I love explaining things to people that are sincerely interested. His dad was as psyched about the whole thing as he was.
They left after about 90s mins, but not before I gave the kid a split finger glove for free to get him started. They wouldn’t accept it, but I insisted. Seeing how appreciative he was, and helping encourage someone young to get into vintage memorabilia is worth far far more than the glove – priceless!! I told them they can see the collection on my website and are welcome to email any questions.
Last night his dad called me to ask me some one-on-one questions about how he can “slowly” get his son started and what to look for on eBay and start with. I told him I would be happy to help pick out some very reasonable items to get him started.
Just got an email from the kid 30 mins ago asking me a question...uh oh...what have I started ??
Don’t worry...I haven’t told him about this forum.