Inexpensive pieces in your collection that you like
 

Much of my collection is on the website, CooperstownExpert.com. I'll insert links in this post about pages too. There's something for all baseball autograph collectors on the site. All HoFers have a page and there are pages for 300+ non-HoFers too.

I recently picked up an Effa Manley letter. It's the first addition of a "new" HoFer to my collection in a few years. I just can't afford what it takes. With a son in college I'm focusing on affordable quality pieces.

We all have inexpensive pieces that we really like. What are yours? I'll post a few that were under $100 that I really like. I hope others share their inexpensive but cool pieces. Sometimes we all need to be reminded there are affordable worthwhile collectibles.

The first image shows Warren Giles' expense report from when he presented the Cy Young Award to Steve Carlton in Philadelphia. I thought it was pretty neat and it was only $50.

I'll stay with Giles for this post...other pieces here include a letter about Grover Cleveland Alexander's financial difficulties, a telegram from Giles congratulating Warren Spahn on his 300th win, a letter about the low attendance at Chuck Klein's 4-homer game, and a letter concerning the acquisition of a George Wright single-signed ball. There are other letters on Giles' page that are cool, but I'll quit there.

Really looking forward to seeing other inexpensive neat piece. Please share!

This exhibit is one of my favorite pieces. I think I paid $60 for it:

https://live.staticflickr.com/4460/3...81d7afc4_z.jpg

My TTM Will Clark

Nice!
 

The Joe Wood and Will Clark pieces are great examples. It's nice to tap into some of the affordable pieces that are still nice. Thanks for sharing!

This wallet with Billy Pierce’s name embossed was an inexpensive addition to my Pierce collection. Came from the liquidation of his mementos after he passed away in 2015.

Attachment 471019

Attachment 471020

I also have this cool Harry Coveleskie business card. Or at least I assume it was some kind of promotional business card type of thing for his cafe. I picked it up for $25:

https://live.staticflickr.com/4381/3...0bc6e57e_w.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/4406/3...7d74e5f6_w.jpg

That Pierce wallet is NEAT!

There are a couple of things on Pierce's page you might like to see. Click here. Nothing super special but still...

Great Coveleskie item!

Thanks for the link to your site. I enjoy seeing oddball BP pieces. I sent him a few letters like that and he graciously answered my questions. I regret that I never got to meet him in person (other than to see him pitch in NY against the Yankees a few time).

My humble TTM. I asked if he would sign this for me before I sent it. He was excited to be asked. Came back with a beautiful signature and great inscription. Definitely the only original I’ll ever own of him.
Drew

Since I don't have any expensive ones.... all of them? :)

I suppose the favorite for a while is this ball I got for 50 cents at a flea market from a dealer who told me it was "little league or something" And tried to upsell to ones signed with felt pens so wide they were almost paint brushes.
I figured even a written on minor league ball had to be worth 50 cents. (And this was only like 3-4 years ago)

I like it because he was between Seattle PCL and NY- probably just drafted by the Giants. And whoever got it used a ball from a league he wouldn't play in until 1957.

https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=26975
https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=26976
https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=26977

Another one of my favorites. I've always been fascinated by Steve Dalkowski's story. It took me a long time to track one down but it didn't cost much when I did:

https://live.staticflickr.com/4534/3...a6cbef7c55.jpg

Nuke Laloosh!

That's really great! I just recently got the Dalkowksi rookie, which I'd been wanting for years, so I guess this is the next thing on my list.

Love this one of Smoky Joe!

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Not an autographed item, but one of the ballplayers listed within (Norman Glaser) has a story of particular interest to vintage Detroit Tigers ballplayer autograph collectors, such as myself.

I am hoping either Rhys, Jodi, Jim Stinson, or whomever may weigh in as I am sure I will get the details wrong, but it is my understanding that Glaser had gone long unrecognized as being a former member of the Detroit Tigers. That it has only been within the past 10 year or so that his participation with the Tigers was finally recognized. I believe Dr. Ed Fisher is another similarly "recent" discovery too.

The important of a discovery like this is that for collectors like me, one name is added to the want list (instead of off of it), and that prior opportunities to acquire an example of their autograph may have been missed. Just because we did not know of that ballplayers existance, and/or affiliation with the team we collect.

I would certainly love to hear more of what others know and can share about Norman Glaser. And as I do not have an example of his autograph, I certainly would in interested in obtaining one.

Thanks.
Vincent

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I did a fair amount of research on Glaser many years ago and was very fortunate to make the acquaintance of his daughter who was just a wonderful lady. We exchanged all the clippings we each had regarding his baseball career and she even sent me a lovely original snapshot of Glaser in later life which I'll hang onto forever. Unfortunately, no autographs. He must have been a great man to raise such a woman as his daughter turned out to be!

Somewhere along the way in his baseball days, Glaser formed a friendship with Charlie Gehringer which lasted both their lives. You'd think that perhaps the fastidious Mechanical Man might have noticed his friend's omission in the various baseball encyclopedias! Whenever Charlie was in town with the Tigers, he'd always call Glaser up and arrange to meet at the team hotel. A wonderful family man, Glaser would have his girls in tow. They would always eat at the hotel restaurant with Gehringer and the rest of the Tigers. "You have to remember that we were girls! It would have been much more exciting for a boy!" Breaking bread with the 1935 Tigers? Yeah, kind of exciting.

As to Ed Fisher, I'm confident Karl Wingler already had the right answer as far back as the 1940's or early 50's.

Thanks Jodi.
Fun info.

Awesome thread idea with some great stuff already posted.

Been camping for the last week so couldn't post any of mine and leaving tomorrow to go camping in a remote area hoping for clear skies to watch the Perseid Meteor shower.

Anyway here is my contribution till I get back.

This one is awesome to me in so many ways.

An amazing member who I sadly can't remember their name PMed me out of the blue and offered to have Billy sign a card for me. I tried to offer them something for doing it and they would not take anything. The awesome member was attending some event with Billy and got him to sign the card for me after the event. To top it off the member could only get one card signed and used it to get my card signed instead of one for themselves.

I have been a huge fan of the 89 Fleer Bill Ripken error card for a long time and have a pretty decent collection of all the errors/variations. It is my only Billy Ripken Auto. It is personalized to me. It was free. A great example of how hobby members help others.:)