Hank Aaron 1st Hit/Run/Home Game Program Owned By Bob Botz

[MCyganik]

I loved all of the well-thought out responses in this thread and in my short time collecting programs I echo the variance of "value" that they bring in the market. On one hand I wish the hobby would appreciate these treasures of history/art more compared to the fanatical values that cards bring for their history and art. On the other, because they are under-appreciated for the most part, a "high dollar" item for me on a rare, maybe very rarely ever seen again program is a drop in the bucket for a pre-war card among many in a set that other collectors chase. So for someone with a tight budget and a young family, it feels attainable to acquire vintage memorabilia in this way, and affords a level of research that I get out of placing the program within the context of its game, series, season, culture etc.

Jeff - that sounds like an incredible collection. How do you have it set up?

Are there any resources or collector hubs for programs/scorecard etc collectors out there? I'm part of a little used Facebook group but it seems like outside of tons of personal research on my own and talking to the occasional collector like this on this forum, there's not a ton of central knowledge about this area of collecting.

[71buc]

Last year I lucked into a lot of ten 1971 Pirates scored programs. I was the only bidder. Among them was a beautifully scored September 1, 1971 program which featured the first all minority MLB starting line-up. That game pretty much sums up my love for that team and my collection. I would love to find a stub to that game but have yet to encounter one. I find that odd as there were 11,278 in attendance. I can't imagine that even a third of those in attendance both purchased and scored a program. It would seem that the odds of finding such programs are much less than finding a stub.

[MCyganik]

Originally Posted by 71buc

Last year I lucked into a lot of ten 1971 Pirates scored programs. I was the only bidder. Among them was a beautifully scored September 1, 1971 program which featured the first all minority MLB starting line-up. That game pretty much sums up my love for that team and my collection. I would love to find a stub to that game but have yet to encounter one. I find that odd as there were 11,278 in attendance. I can't imagine that even a third of those in attendance both purchased and scored a program. It would seem that the odds of finding such programs are much less than finding a stub.

That's the kind of story I love to hear about program collecting. For every major milestone game from a HOF there is to find, I love researching and finding historic games that are just a small part of the baseball narrative. I picked up a 1968 Indians program a few months ago for $3 that was for Ron Hansen's unassisted triple play game. Is it worth more than $3? Probably not. But it has its place in baseball history and I treasure that.

[ibuysportsephemera]

Originally Posted by MCyganik

Jeff - that sounds like an incredible collection. How do you have it set up?

See the photos...this is just a part of the collection. Sorted by sport and then team.

Originally Posted by MCyganik

Are there any resources or collector hubs for programs/scorecard etc collectors out there? I'm part of a little used Facebook group but it seems like outside of tons of personal research on my own and talking to the occasional collector like this on this forum, there's not a ton of central knowledge about this area of collecting.

Other than Net54 I am not aware of a good place or resource that focuses on Programs or Scorecards.


Jeff

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by ibuysportsephemera

See the photos...this is just a part of the collection. Sorted by sport and then team.





Other than Net54 I am not aware of a good place or resource that focuses on Programs or Scorecards.


Jeff

Wow...

[MCyganik]

Originally Posted by ibuysportsephemera

See the photos...this is just a part of the collection. Sorted by sport and then team.





Other than Net54 I am not aware of a good place or resource that focuses on Programs or Scorecards.


Jeff

That... is... incredible. Is your collection all eras including today's game, or is there a particular vintage focus for you? Are they all acquired from hobby pickups or are there sections from games you attended over the years?

For example, I have maybe 300 programs, but most are vintage pre-1970s with a small section for games I go to. My dad however has a whole wall of a thousand+ programs, some he has randomly picked up over the years, but most are from games he's attended as a kid in Detroit in the 60s-70s and as an Arizona Diamondbacks season ticket member. Getting a program to every game of every season he's been to adds up pretty quickly.

But yeah Jeff, if there was ever a way a group of us program aficionados could get together to create a program checklist/database, I'd imagine you would be a primary source!

[ibuysportsephemera]

Originally Posted by MCyganik

That... is... incredible. Is your collection all eras including today's game, or is there a particular vintage focus for you? Are they all acquired from hobby pickups or are there sections from games you attended over the years?

For example, I have maybe 300 programs, but most are vintage pre-1970s with a small section for games I go to. My dad however has a whole wall of a thousand+ programs, some he has randomly picked up over the years, but most are from games he's attended as a kid in Detroit in the 60s-70s and as an Arizona Diamondbacks season ticket member. Getting a program to every game of every season he's been to adds up pretty quickly.

But yeah Jeff, if there was ever a way a group of us program aficionados could get together to create a program checklist/database, I'd imagine you would be a primary source!

I collect a little bit of everything but almost everything is pre 1970's for pro teams and pre 1980's for college football. I do save the ticket stub and program from every game I attend, but most have been purchased over the last 30 years at flea markets, shows, eBay, etc. I'd be happy to share my inventory if anyone wants a particular item.


Jeff

[FourStrikes]

Originally Posted by ibuysportsephemera

See the photos...this is just a part of the collection. Sorted by sport and then team.





Other than Net54 I am not aware of a good place or resource that focuses on Programs or Scorecards.


Jeff

the volume is beyond impressive!...

I possess less than 1000 programs - some scored, most not - *please* PM me a want list, and IF I can help out, consider me in...

not necessarily soliciting multiple replies, but always willing to help out a fellow collectors whenever I can...while it will likely take me a while to go thru my stuff, I'm pretty open minded!