Brooklyn Dodgers Autographs declining interest?

[homerunhitter]

With so much of this new generation of collectors interested only in autographs of players like ohtani, betts, trout, judge, acuna jr, skenes, Soto , Harper, Witt jr etc, Do you think that there will be less collectors that collect the old team such as the Brooklyn Dodgers? Example, most collectors nowadays would choose a Juan Soto autograph over a Carl furillo autograph or a paul skenes auto vs a preacher roe auto. Just wandering what the future of and the long term forecast of collecting Brooklyn dodger autographs will be. Seems to me like its fading Do today’s collectors even know who Clyde king, rube Walker, Billy loes, Bert Hamric or Charlie Neal are? What are your thoughts?

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

A lot of the Brooklyn players who lived long enough were fixtures at NYC-area shows, so younger collectors during the first card boom were able to see these men in the flesh and their interest was gained that way. That is missing for young collectors today. I do feel that the modern era will be a healthy gateway to vintage for several young collectors and the interest will always be there. Time will tell to what extent, however.

[mr2686]

I definitely think (overall) there is less interest, but there's still interest in players like Hodges, Campanella and Robinson. All I know is that I've been able to find several autographs of players that played on the 55 team (on all mediums) for a lot cheaper than they used to be.

[theshleps]

There will always be HOF collectors. As to completists for a team like the Brooklyn Dodgers there will be less. Just like set collectors of older less popular sets (33 Goudey and 52 topps being exceptions) less folks will be outrageous prices for cup of coffee guys that died young

[gonefishin]

There will always be demand for vintage Brooklyn Dodger autographs - always. If the Dodgers went away like the Browns, then maybe so, but they didn't. There move to LA just added fuel to the fire for Brooklyn Dodger autographs.

Invest in any Brooklyn item from let's say 1940 on and you will not lose money if that's your concern.

[homerunhitter]

Thanks guys for your posts! I think my concern as a Brooklyn dodgers collector is that you can go to any card show in the country and there are Slabs and Slabs everywhere of Ohtani, Judge, Soto and Skenes. But hard to find a cal Abrams, George Shuba, Don Bessent, Johnny Podres or Erv Palica. Want a signed ohtani, it’s everywhere! Want a signed rube Walker? Most collector’s nowadays never heard of him! They will tell you all about Aaron judge but say Karl spooner who?!

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Well, that's when you tell them about this kid from upstate NY who was incredible on the mound for a split second but got injured and didn't last very long. In that time, he did get to play for one of the most fabled World Series Champion teams in history before disappearing for years, being rediscovered working in the Florida orange groves. Due to his whereabouts being unknown for some time, he didn't sign much. Even after he was located, someone else signed some of the autograph requests on his behalf! He passed away at 52, just a year shy of the 30th anniversary of the 1955 championship.

Maybe if you tell the right person, it will inspire their interest and take their collecting in a much better direction! Passion can be addictive and contagious, especially when the other person's toe is already in the water, just at the other end of the pool. Each of these "Who???"-types has their own story, many of which are way more interesting than those of the guys who are household names.

[homerunhitter]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Well, that's when you tell them about this kid from upstate NY who was incredible on the mound for a split second but got injured and didn't last very long. In that time, he did get to play for one of the most fabled World Series Champion teams in history before disappearing for years, being rediscovered working in the Florida orange groves. Due to his whereabouts being unknown for some time, he didn't sign much. Even after he was located, someone else signed some of the autograph requests on his behalf! He passed away at 52, just a year shy of the 30th anniversary of the 1955 championship.

Maybe if you tell the right person, it will inspire their interest and take their collecting in a much better direction! Passion can be addictive and contagious, especially when the other person's toe is already in the water, just at the other end of the pool. Each of these "Who???"-types has their own story, many of which are way more interesting than those of the guys who are household names.

Todays collector don’t want to hear that! They want to talk about ohtanis 50/50 season or judge hitting 60 home runs! 30-40 years from now only the big names Robinson, Hodges, Campanella, Reese, Snider, Koufax, etc will be remembered by collectors. No one is going to give a rats $&@ about amoros, Gilliam or Erskine! Sad to say but that’s the way the cookie crumbles! It’s all about who is in front of them now! Even the old farts in 30-40 years will be the generation reminiscing of mattingly, Canseco, McGwire, Sammy Sosa, gooden, Clemens and Bonds!

[HexsHeroes]

[packs]

Isn't that the natural order of things? I mean, why would anyone carry a torch for Carl Furillo? It would be the equivalent for me to wait 40 years and say it's a shame no one remembers Brett Gardner anymore.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Kinda the same, but kinda different.

There have been many books and some documentaries about the Brookyln Dodgers. I wouldn't even know if there was anything like that detailing Gardner, as I don't care about his era, but I'm guessing there hasn't been.

A lot of us who collect this stuff weren't alive at the time, yet we appreciate it. While the numbers may not be as strong down the line, it's guaranteed that some currently younger fans will discover the same things we did and collect in the same fashion. Again, perhaps not as many, but thankfully not zero.

Either way, now is not the time to sell this kind of stuff, unless it's signed tougher cards, of course. I'd rather be surprised by a resurgence or go down with the ship if it never arrives. Not giving away my Spooners, Bessents or Hamrics, thanks very much.

[packs]

As an NYC resident I think the city could definitely do more to play up its past associations with the Giants and Dodgers. There is a small marker for the former site of home plate for Ebbets Field. There's also a small plaque on the side of an apartment complex to mark the former Polo Grounds.

But that's all you'll see. The city doesn't really acknowledge either franchise in any way.

[mr2686]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Kinda the same, but kinda different.

There have been many books and some documentaries about the Brookyln Dodgers. I wouldn't even know if there was anything like that detailing Gardner, as I don't care about his era, but I'm guessing there hasn't been.

A lot of us who collect this stuff weren't alive at the time, yet we appreciate it. While the numbers may not be as strong down the line, it's guaranteed that some currently younger fans will discover the same things we did and collect in the same fashion. Again, perhaps not as many, but thankfully not zero.

Either way, now is not the time to sell this kind of stuff, unless it's signed tougher cards, of course. I'd rather be surprised by a resurgence or go down with the ship if it never arrives. Not giving away my Spooners, Bessents or Hamrics, thanks very much.

Currently there are 8 signed 3x5's of Bert Hameric up on ebay, easily the most I have seen in many years. I couldn't even find one for a few years, and then stumbled upon one pretty cheap because the listing had his name spelled wrong. LOL

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

It's astounding, Mike.

It always used to be whenever I had a Spooner or Hamric, I had a list of immediate buyers at nearly triple the price some of these are going for. A lot of collectors must have passed away/divested close to the same time.

It's also funny that you mentioned getting a Hamric cheaply due to a misspelling in a listing. I have a similar story. One time, I was surfing eBay and changed the viewing option to show auctions that were ending soonest. When the screen changed, the first thing on the list was a lot of unidentified cuts. The seller apparently couldn't read perfectly legible cursive. They were all from the Texas League, and cut from scorecards/programs. There was Spooner, Hamric (the only one I had ever seen signed "Ham Hamric") and even a gorgeous Willard Brown. Less than a minute until the auction ended! I quickly threw in a bid that was a lot higher than the $42 I won them for.

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by packs

As an NYC resident I think the city could definitely do more to play up its past associations with the Giants and Dodgers. There is a small marker for the former site of home plate for Ebbets Field. There's also a small plaque on the side of an apartment complex to mark the former Polo Grounds.

But that's all you'll see. The city doesn't really acknowledge either franchise in any way.

Would you celebrate the girl that walked out on you?

[packs]

I guess not. You do still see the occasional Brooklyn Dodgers hat in the city but you don’t see anyone wearing LA or SF hats. I think there’s still plenty of love for the Brooklyn Dodgers but the city doesn’t promote it at all. Makes it harder to pass a passion for the Brooklyn teams.

[gonefishin]

I guess this thread needs a picture to boost it up!

Years from now collectors will still want this photo!

[homerunhitter]

What medium do you guys like for your Brooklyn dodgers? I use to really like 8x10 photos but recently I sold some extra non Brooklyn dodgers 8x10s on eBay and was disappointed with the sales price. It appears not many people collect signed 8x10s anymore (auctions getting one bid of .99 cents!) maybe I’ll go back to signed cards.

[HexsHeroes]

Originally Posted by mr2686

Currently there are 8 signed 3x5's of Bert Hameric up on ebay, easily the most I have seen in many years. I couldn't even find one for a few years, and then stumbled upon one pretty cheap because the listing had his name spelled wrong. LOL

.
Not claiming any or all the Hamric's 3x5s currently listed for sale previously resided in my vintage autograph collection before I sold it back in 2022. But I accumulated 10-12 Hamric items over 25+ years of collection. And key to that count was the opportunity to meet and regularly deal with super collector James Grant MacAlister. He provided me with several 3x5s and the only signed personal Hamric check that I have encountered over those years. I often wonder if there are any remaining collectors with collections of the magnitude of JMG whose items have yet to see the light of day again. Jack Smalling use to be in that camp but he since sold his collection afew years ago, via Heritage Auctions I believe.
.
JGM also provided me with a quantity of Duke Maas 3x5s over the years. I sold/traded several of those 3x5s to vintage autograph dealer Ron Gordon at an early 2000's National Show. The rest were sold with my collection. Curious as to whether those have made it out into the marketplace.

[Topnotchsy]

I think the whole collectible market is very suppressed after the huge spikes during COVID, so it is hard to tell how things will settle in the long run.

I've wondered about this in the past (the idea that as time goes on, people are less and less interested in the past). It is possible that the younger generation today will be that way, but in the past, it seems that people continue to pay attention. People still collect items from the Chinese dynasties of hundreds (or thousands) of year ago. Coins for ancient Greece. Vintage furniture etc. And the hobby seems to be the same. I see many people under 40 who collected for years and have over time migrated to vintage.

I think that some see the present as a threat to the history. I think that for many, it is a gateway to the history. You watch Ohtani, and at some point start to learn more deeply about other two-way players like Babe Ruth or Bullet Rogan in the Negro Leagues. Or you look at a power/speed combination and here stories of Willie Mays etc.

[T206Collector]

On the card side, T206s are very common. But it is precisely the prevalence of T206 cards that breeds T206 collectors. You need a reasonable supply to generate conversation between collectors. That's why I got into autograph collecting -- but only the T206 guys. Collecting rare baseball autographs of players not associated with classic baseball card sets is not supported by a lot of interested collectors.

Relatedly, the setting of prices is driven by competition for items. But nobody knows how high to bid when there is no existing market. That’s why I spend a lot of time trying to educate collectors about the relative scarcity of T206 player autographs.

A popular Brooklyn Superbas from years gone by, but only because of the T206 set...

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

On the card side, T206s are very common. But it is precisely the prevalence of T206 cards that breeds T206 collectors. You need a reasonable supply to generate conversation between collectors. That's why I got into autograph collecting -- but only the T206 guys. Collecting rare baseball autographs of players not associated with classic baseball card sets is not supported by a lot of interested collectors.

Relatedly, the setting of prices is driven by competition for items. But nobody knows how high to bid when there is no existing market. That’s why I spend a lot of time trying to educate collectors about the relative scarcity of T206 player autographs.

A popular Brooklyn Superbas from years gone by, but only because of the T206 set...

Very astute point. Additionally, if there is not enough available, it removes a lot of the fun from collecting since part of the fun of the chase is actually finding what you are looking for.

Cards in general have some benefits including a known, clear checklist, small size (which makes them cheap to ship, easy to store and care for etc) etc.