I am the guy you've been praising throughout this thread, lol. My name is "Ritz" and there are a very small few of you that know me from doing business together (although I won't name you, since I'd hate to demonize you from our peers here, lol). Others know me from my eBay handle - AmericanCollectible - as I've made many purchases from sellers there over the years.
Many of you know me, even though you don't. I've been a pricing contributor to Beckett since day 1 in 1984, and have been featured numerous times in periodicals for my collections. I am, of course, primarily a collector - but I do enjoy flipping a piece or 2, when I purchase entire collections. This is my hobby, not my life. My life is, well, complicated (in a wonderful way, of course). I have over 1.2 million cards - and no, 1.1 million are NOT 1970's-1990's chum lol). Among my most prized sports collectibles are a 5-card proof strip of the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner (with Cy Young and Mordecai Brown on the strip as well) a 16 card-run of 1887 Allen & Ginter proofs, including the Charles Comiskey, and a certain 1951 New York Yankees yearbook (the only year DiMaggio and Mantle were teammates and listed together in one yearbook)...
This is the fabled yearbook some folks have heard rumors about at the conventions every so often. Currently autographed by over 200
Qualified Yankees, witnessed by me - in person (including the obvious: Joe DiMaggio - on 3 seperate occasions, Mickey Mantle - twice, Billy Martin, and many more Hall of Famers and important hard-to-obtain Yanks) as well as over 100 additional PSA, JSA, and Beckett autograph cuts that I've deemed important enough to include in the book...and this is where the Paul Krichell signature has found a new home.
As a traditionalist, myself, I fully understand the ire some folks here have expressed regarding the signature extraction. While I bear no ill will to those that have vented, I will address the more colorful comments - after all, why not? Lol. I can also offer that I very, very rarely purchase a full document for the sole purpose of obtaining the signature. Paul Krichell, is indeed a rare one - but not terribly expensive. In fact, if clicked on my eBay listing, you can readily see the original listing link from last month - in which I purchased the document for a whopping $105 (yes, sarcasm intended). If anyone was indeed that taken with it, you were free to outbid me. Now, on to the important part - I have seen a few Krichells come up for sale in the last 20 years - and all of them - ALL OF THEM - had far more historical signifiance than this. In fact, the document had 5 unique bidders on the original item. 5 - so yeah, not alot of interest there in a mid-interim age and dirt-damaged office memo regarding a never-was semi-pro minor leaguer. Think about that vs what abominations Topps, Upper Deck and the other pros have done with ACUALLY IMPORTANT ITEMS that have actual interest.
Anyhoo, here's some fun...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Hufford
This isn't one of those examples from the 1940s, where collectors just seemed to want the signature, and could care less about what it had been written on.
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As explained above, of course I cared. That's why I made the cut.
There's a whole subculture out there regarding people who REALLY don't care about what they destroy. I'm gonna make the leap and say that stuff might leave you in a fugue state, lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Hufford
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Many leftovers. Big marketplace. Ya might wanna think outside your own box. $100 letter - that's all it be, my friend. No historical signifiance - or you'd a'bought it intact, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mighty bombjack
That is bizarre and sad.
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Now imagine how bizarre chopping up all those Ruth, Gehrig and Cobbs bats as Topps is fond of doing, and sticking the leftover wood chips on baseball cards. Hmmmmm...
Quote:
Originally Posted by prewarsports
Not only that, but at least make a nice 3X5 or something, my 3 year old daughter could have done a better job with those plastic safety scissors!
Rhys
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I do my best, my friend. As I've done to quite a few items I've purchased from you. And hey, gimme some credit, I do use a very nice set of steel graphite laser scissors.
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Originally Posted by 39special
I don't understand why someone would ruin a letter like that.What a waste!
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Indeed. I think you should have bought it yourself last month, and promptly donated it to Cooperstown. They're in the market for exactly this kind of document.
Quote:
Originally Posted by travrosty
just when i had thought i had seen it all, i see this.
when i saw muhammad ali's yellowed cut fingernail clippings (or was it toenail) being offered on ebay for a tidy sum, i had thought i had seen it all, but nope!
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You should have seen the french toast with the picture of the Virgin Mary on it - might have been a religious experience for ya!
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecatspajamas
I just hope he puts a piece of scotch tape over the cut when he puts it in his album to protect it!
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I use Scotch double-sided (non-acidic) 1/2" temporary, if you must know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leon
I have a few things with those kinds of stickers. There should be a law against them . And of course removing that signature should be illegal too !! That is crazy. |
If I am to be prosecuted, be it in the name of the love baseball - but more specifically, a museum-worthy Yankee Yearbook (and yes, most recently Grey Flannel has upped their estimate on what the minimum bid might be - and no, it's not for sale).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay Wolt
James, they must have certified the letter in whole w/ the signature.
Since once the signature was missing, it was juts a typed letter and that's a service they don't provide.
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Indeed. And I do have the PSA LOA that it came with. I missed that in my listing, which I'll update.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Runscott
+1
When I first read the ebay description, I thought maybe the seller was playing a bizarre joke on us. It's hard to believe that he couldn't anticipate how stupid other collectors would think his actions were.
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Actually, I really didn't. Jim, right below you here, will probably tell you that his pages are quite often on eBay with signatures wfrom autograph books from the 20's through the 70's. Collectors simply buy the pages, take the signatures they want, and then flip what's left. Very, very common. Right Jim...
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimStinson
As strange as strange goes for sure.
BUT I once sold Johnny Grabowski's LAST Yankee contract (1929) , Grabowski is one of the all time toughies from the 1927 team, He died in 1946. It was an historically significant contract and found out later the buyer was going to CUT the signature out for a display. (hope he's not reading this). I thought he was joking.....HE WAS NOT JOKING. Another collector came to the rescue and worked out a trade plus cash for his Grabowski cut in exchange for the intact 1929 Contract
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stinsonsports.com
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OK, Jim - the Grabowski story is just...well, I'm not here to pass judgement, lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Runscott
Every time I see a cut of a famous person, I wonder what the surrounding document looked like. I have a Walter Johnson letter with a beautiful signature, and the accompanying envelope, also signed. It's tempting to sell the envelope, but it's the only way of dating the letter. Given all the cuts out there, I guess I'm lucky the envelope is still intact.
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Its a double edged sword. I've seen gorgeous displays with nothing buts cuts, and maybe a centerpiece picture. But, for practical reasons, the displays can't accommodate full items - and some autographs are either impossible, or virtually impossible to find in cut form. I don't personally like the big displays (my Yearbook is simply Yearbook size), but I can see both sides of the argument.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaddurbin
the full PSA loa does NOT accompany the sticker so i'll pass
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Again, forgot to list the LOA as included. I'll make the adjustment in the listing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scooter729
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Congratulations, you found the link I listed in the current listing. Good detective work, or... well anyway....
First post, I know, I know. I did actually register here last March, when I found the site. I troll from time to time - but I'd love to be more active in the community. Just so you folks don't thing I'm blowing smoke up...I'll take some pics of some fun stuff including the Yearbook - and post em in this thread tomorrow. I'll even take one of the Krichell's new home.
And a'let the sparks fly....