Collection Center piece

[Topnotchsy]

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

Baseball's Integration

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.

WWII Baseball

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.

Game-Used Lineup Cards

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.

[71buc]

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

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by 71buc

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

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)

[perezfan]

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!

[71buc]

Here you are the shanks as requested

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by perezfan

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

Mark,

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

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.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

Mark,

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

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.

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.

[perezfan]

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!

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

Baseball's Integration

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.

I love contextual history! Very cool!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by perezfan

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.

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... :-)

Originally Posted by todeen

I love contextual history! Very cool!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

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.