Collection Center piece
 

I'm having a pretty good month hobby wise. For this 1971 Pirates collector this is about as good as it gets. I have always dreamed of owning one of these but never thought I'd actually add one to my collection. Such things have been the stuff of fantasy for me. This ring is the very definition of my collection and I'm elated to say the least. Ironically the original owner was in charge of ticket sales which makes it a cool companion piece for my 1971 Pirate ticket stub collection. Who am I kidding? This ring is the center piece of my little collection. I'd love to see your centerpiece and hear why it so special to your collection.

Amazing.

Congratulations.

Everything I have pales in comparison.

Thanks Doug I've seen your posts and know that you have an incredible collection. My narrow focus pales in comparison to the many collections I have seen here. Nonetheless, I really enjoy seeing the gems others have in thier collections. I was hoping to see others post thier pieces that define thier focus and collections. I love the 71 Bucs as they are the team that made me fall in love with baseball. They represent much of what I love about baseball and diversity. Do you have one seminal piece that defines your collection and passion for collecting?

I collect Cincinnati Reds, primarily pre war, but Larkin was my boyhood captain. The top hat is Barry Larkins 1990 WS celebration hat. I don't yet have it displayed. But between it, the Wheaties box, and a couple other items, it'll present well when I get around to it. It's not my most expensive item, but it's the best Reds item I own. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...531e966db5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b5c88475a7.jpg

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Awsome hat, Larkin was the epitome of class. Thanks for sharing.

Centerpiece
 

Congratulations!

Spectacular ring.

I got my centerpiece last year - I can sure relate. https://us.v-cdn.net/6027503/uploads...409mgpb395.gif

Mike - I think it's awesome that you collect one year of one team. It's got to make the hunt that much more satisfying when you find something that fits your narrow focus. Congrats!!!

I'll have to think a bit on whether I have a Giants centerpiece or not.

What a great ring!!!, As a Life long Expos fan my collection is Focus around rare Expos memorabilia, My center piece are these 5 Full tickets from their 1st Home Opener I have all 5 colors,

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a0d6ea56eb.jpg31 by Guy Bourque, on Flickr

Congrats Mike! Deserves to be in your collection.

+1 Congrats

Congrats Mike! I love that 71 team. As for centerpieces, not sure if I have just one since I collect a lot of individual HOF autographs as well as putting together all the autographs from several "famous" teams. With that said, I would probably say my 1960 Pirate project would be as close to a centerpiece for me, since it took a long time (a couple of autographs, either finding the right condition or just finding one) took a lot longer than expected. This one has every member that put on a uniform during the season, including coaches, front office/owners and broadcaster.

Thanks everyone. Those Expos tickets are beautiful. I have only been able to find one for my collection. They are hard to find. The only other stubs that seem as tough are the 1971 Padres.

The 1960 autograph display is incredible. I have done the same thing with the 1971 team. However, I have been unable to land Galbreath and Dr. Finegold. Rimp Lanier was really the only challange for the players.

This is all of the jewelery related to the 71 Series.

LOVE the ring Mike! Just awesome...

Ring. Wow!
 

Way to go, Mike. Love the ticket-sales connection. Congrats!

GREAT RING!! I hope it gives you some collectors juice and some of the 71 stubs you still need pop up. Always a pleasure to read about your hunt.
Jonathan

Awesome, Mike...

Congrats on landing that amazing Ring. What a perfect centerpiece for your great Pirates collection.

Way to go! :D

I have a couple of collections, and I've been able to get a centerpiece item for each.




My primary collection is around baseball's integration. While Jackie breaking the color barrier was a singular moment, there was obviously a lot that led up t that, and him playing did not mean the end of discrimination etc. My collection tries to capture the narrative and nuances of that story, beginning with a Signed High School Yearbook that shows Jackie playing on an integrated squad in John Muir Highschool back in 1936 and running through his baseball career.

The centerpiece of my collection revolves around another player who signed in the same offseason as Jackie. Like Jackie, Campanella signed with the Dodger's in the offseason between the 1945 and 1946 season (Campanella was the 4th black player to sign, after Jackie, John Wright and Don Newcombe).

As an illustration of the complexity of the process, Campanella originally signed to play in Danville, but ultimately it was decided that the team (or league... there are different versions of the story) wasn't ready to integrate, so he re-signed with the Dodgers a few weeks later to play in Nashua. I've been lucky enough to acquire both his Danville and Nashua contracts.



A second area I collect is WWII baseball items. During WWII, a large percentage of the great players were drafted. To the degree that the Navy held a best-of-7 All-Star series. The series featured Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Johnny Pesky, Bob Lemon and others. The series was won in 6 games, though they played a 7th to entertain the troops.

A number of years back I was able to acquire the final pitch thrown in the clinching game. It came from catcher Bob Scheffing's personal collection. It remains the centerpiece of my WWII baseball collection and I don't imagine anything will likely surpass it.



The other major area I focus on is lineup cards. Because it's a pretty niche area, I've been able to acquire lineup cards from many WS games (including a number of WS clinching games), vintage lineup cards dating back to the 30's including ones signed by Connie Mack, Walter Johnson, Casey Stengel etc. and ones that feature HR's by Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio etc.

I've been able to find MLB debuts of Frank Thomas, Pedro Martinez and many other stars. Milestones such as George Brett's 3000th hit and the 1984 Gold Medal Game.

But recently I was able to acquire one lineup card that means more than any other. It was the lineup card from the Orioles game that was never played on 9/11/2001. The blank lineup card is a reminder of the day when sports and the world stopped. I'm from NY and was in High School then and the day changed my life. It's likely not worth near what many of the others are worth, but it's definitely the centerpiece of that collection for me.

Jeff those are absolutely stunning items. Its crazy to me that such things reside in personal collections.

LOL...I had to draw the line at Dr. Finegold. I've never seen his autograph and I had enough trouble finding Danny Whelan on a flat, let alone the team doctor.
By the way, it looks like we have the 60 and 71 teams covered, but I never see anyone on here giving any love to the 79 team. Go Bucs!

Mike,

I really appreciate that! It's taken years to build the collection and I'm honored to be able to include these piece.

What I marvel at, is that a collector like me was able to afford them. I'm blessed to acquire some nice pieces, but certainly don't have near the budget that many people here have.

For reference, all the items I posted combined cost less than a 1952 Topps Mantle PSA 1.5 (and less than some PSA 1's).

Different markets and different items have different collector bases, and it's not about comparing one to the other, but for me, these are much more exciting. (I know for others, they totally are not, and I'm thrilled that everyone has items that they collect that make them happy)

Great stuff Jeff! You must have one of the best Lineup Card collections in the world!

Mike...
Can you possibly post the side views of the ring? I am always taken by the beauty and artistry of these things, and would love to see the engraving on the two shanks (I think that's what the sides are called?)

Thanks!

Here you are the shanks as requested

Mark,

I've found that the key is to collect something that no one else cares to collect :D.

I certainly appreciate people here and elsewhere who enjoy seeing the collection as I've been working on it, since my family mostly thinks it's nuts lol.

Seriously though, I know that lineup cards are fairly niche. Even people who appreciate them generally acquire a couple related to their favorite team or player, and not as a collecting focus in itself. For me, I kind of see them as a game-used version of a program. They tell the story of the game in a way, and because they are a little obscure, I've been able to acquire pieces associated with some significant games; something I would never be able to do with game-used jerseys etc.

It also has an element of a treasure hunt, as there's often the chance to purchase lineup cards where people haven't bothered to ID the game (especially if the date isn't written on the card.) I've been able to find some pretty cool pieces that way, which adds to the fun.

It's hard to pick a center piece of my collection but if I narrowed it down it would have to be my Forbes Field window.

Wow that is beautiful! What's the back story on that piece?

Thank you
 

Okay I would like to thank you for that window picture. I showed it to my wife and now she doesn’t mind my boxes of cards and albums so much! LOL 😀 I’m not even going to ask you how the heck you got that thing home and in the room.....

So I picked this up at the Hunt Auctions All-Star Game auction in Pittsburgh back in 2006. My mission was to get one of the Forbes Field windows they were auctioning off as well as some of the original 1909 Forbes seats. The 1909 seats were placed in the Allegheny Club at Three Rivers after removal from Forbes.

I had to fly into Pittsburgh and I had rented a U-haul in order to bring these pieces with me back home in Missouri, luckily I won both items and didn't waste my time at the auction!

Wow! That is just an incredible setup, it looks great! That's what I call living with your collection, love it!

Jeff...
Even though I have no lineup cards in my collection, I agree with everything you said. It must be fun to acquire one and then find out if there was historical significance to that game. Or better yet, do the research in advance, and pounce on an item that nobody else fully appreciates.

I think Line-up Cards are way cooler than Programs for two key reasons...

1. There are only two per game, as opposed to a plethora of Programs
2. They resided in the Team Dugout, and were a working part of the actual games

Great niche... wish I would've pursued it harder when the income could support it. :o

Mike:
Thanks for posting the sides of the beautiful Ring. The engraving is gorgeous, and looks like the Ring was very well cared for. I've seen examples offered at auction where the surface gets worn away to the point you cannot really tell what the original engraving looked like.

Yours looks pristine!

Multi-signed Indians Jersey
 

70 Current Autographs with 7-10 more to go!!!

That's a cool format for autographs.

Ya I wore this jersey to my Bachelor party as well as to get ready for my wedding. It just so happened that my wife's maid of honor was then dating Trevor Crowe who played for the Indians. I got Gaylord Perry to sign it then just started getting more and more. Going on 11 years working on this jersey.

Mike, Your focus on the 71 pirates is just amazing! Beautiful ring. To all the other collectors great items! I have had a ton of center piece items but to me this uniform means the most to me. I was coming off the ends of Mantle and Maris and then this young kid came along... I have kept this one a long time .. 1977 world series top.... Game used . Game 1,2 and 6... But these pins will run a close second...

Beautiful jersey, I am an avowed Yankee hater but always loved Munson's attitude and leadership style.

Ditto on everything he said, Braves fan here! (Chop Chop!)

I love contextual history! Very cool!

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Wow
 

That's pretty amazing

99% of the time I look up the games and discover that nothing of note happened, but occasionally I find something interesting. Just today I picked up a small lot of 5 lineup cards that happened to have the 1st career HR for Billy Jo Robidoux. He played 173 career games over 5 seasons between Milwaukee, Chicago and Boston in the 80's, and wasn't a great player by any stretch, but for fans of the team (or maybe just relatives of his), the lineup card from his 1st career HR could be a big deal. It's not a valuable piece but I love finding items like that and finding the collector who will really appreciate it.

(And then there was the time I found Frank Thomas's 500th HR in a lot... :-)


Thanks! I reading books on the era, learning more which leads to finding new items to buy, which points me towards more books to buy. I've been trying to chronicle the story of integration through collectibles, and hope to put together a website at some point in the not-too-distant future.

See post #27.

The great thing about center pieces is that, somewhere down the road, it will be replaced by some other acquisition that is the new center piece...except in the case of that Forbes Field window...that can't be beat. :eek:

Word!
That Forbes window is badass! ;):cool:

A Thirty Year Wait
 

Since others have posted theirs - I thought what the heck.

Background - I was only collecting a few years when I went to the National in Atlanta - 1992.

Since the only thing I'd seen prior were the "Holiday Inn" events in Augusta, this was an eye opener!

A table where someone was specializing in WS press pins, jersey tables, an 8 pack 52T cello, the PSA 8 Wagner and then shiny and incredible - a WS trophy.

Last year, Goldin had an auction where no one was bidding on this non-player trophy since it was really dirty and looked pretty bad. I was the only bidder.
And it cleaned up really nice! (Dave Stewart was the MVP that year BTW)

So, here is the "focal" of my collection:

https://us.v-cdn.net/6027503/uploads...t9hyzvw0x4.jpg

Great trophy!!

+1

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Beautiful trophy

My focus has wandered some over the years, but I married a girl from Kansas who went to KU and was there for the 88' Championship.
We moved to Lawrence KS from Chicago to raise our kids and I fell in love with the Jayhawks.
When this came up for auction many years back it was relatively uninteresting to the larger collecting community, so I happily (and affordably) bought it.
Don't know that it has significant monetary value but it's significant to us in the story it tells.

From the man who created the game of basketball, his personal copy of the 1920 Rule book.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...pspnynhiw1.jpg

Hi Daniel,
Great story and great Centerpiece artifact! Thanks for sharing.

+1