Cooperstown Vintage shops?

[Ericc22]

Greetings,

Any opinions on the shops in Cooperstown? Any to be avoided, or do you have a favorite? Or are they just for looking?

Thanks!

Eric

[jbsports33]

Mostly just for looking, you may find a few things and there are many shops in the area right in the center of town.

Jimmy

[mjkm90]

Here is a link to photos posted by Joe Kirschner. Joe hasn't been active in a while, but he has a nice site featuring his collection. Hope you are listening Joe:)

The prices on these pieces are INSANE and they do so to lure people in for the junk they sell as well.

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c118/vintagesportscollector/?start=all

Joe's site
http://www.antiquesportscollector.com/

[sayhey24]

The National Pastime store featured in Joe's photobucket slide show is no more. Many of the items you see in the photos were just sold in large lots in the recently concluded Leland's auction.
I now own the large colorized single player photos seen in photo 19 and 21, and also the oversized Mellon photo collage seen in photo 26.

The other stores in town just have a smattering of memorabilia, and I'm not sure that all of them are open in the winter months.

Greg
http://www.baseballbasement.com

[Ericc22]

Would have been fun to see National Pastime, just to look.

We are in Cooperstown and most places seem open.

Let me know of any other recommendations if any.

Thanks!

Eric

[Ronnoco]

I bought, sold and traded tens of thousands of dollars worth of memorabilia (no cards or autographs) with the owner of National Pastime between 2003 and 2008. If you think the front window and display cases were impressive (and they certainly were--I vividly remember those beautiful Spalding trophies), you should have seen what wasn't in the public eye. He had the nicest collection of late-nineteenth early twentieth-century gloves I'd ever seen outside the HOF. We traded dozens of gloves, ring bats, lemon peel and early figure eight balls, CDVs, Cabinets, vintage snapshots, bat racks, you name it. The owner (Mike) was one of the nicest and best people I've ever dealt with. Prices were sometimes high, but he was always open to very fair trades and had the same insatiable appetite for quality gloves that I have for ring bats and photographs. I moved away in 2008 and the shop apparently closed in 2009 (I think). It is a terrible loss, considering that Mike had a lot of museum-quality material and would always do his best to treat customers fairly, while many of the other "vintage" shops in Cooperstown sold largely crap. It was easily my all-time favorite place to do business or just look around for hours on end. Even before he knew me I was never rushed out of the shop. I loved that place.

[ibuysportsephemera]

I am up that way a few times a year. Very hard to find vintage memorabilia at an affordable price. However, I do recommend Willis Monie Books on Main Street. Great selection of vintage books and ephemera.

Jeff

[Caseyatbat]

You may as well hit all of the ones that are open. They are worth going into if your already there. Mickey's Place is always worth going into. Also I believe Tom Catal (formerly owned the Mickey Mantle museum) has a shop in Cooperstown now. I believe its called Safe At Home Collectibles

[mjkm90]

Where did all the figural pieces, pinbacks, advertising, etc go?!?!?!? He could have one of the auctions of the decade if he went that route.

[sayhey24]

Where did all the figural pieces, pinbacks, advertising, etc go?!?!?!? He could have one of the auctions of the decade if he went that route.

Mike,

It's my understanding that quite a bit of it was sold privately, and much of the rest was sold through Leland's.

Greghttp://www.baseballbasement.com

[Bugsy]

Where did all the figural pieces, pinbacks, advertising, etc go?!?!?!? He could have one of the auctions of the decade if he went that route.

I believe many things were also sold on eBay a few years ago. I bought a fob from him.

[Ronnoco]

Where did all the figural pieces, pinbacks, advertising, etc go?!?!?!? He could have one of the auctions of the decade if he went that route.

Greg is correct. Most of the truly high end material was sold privately, while some of the museum-quality material (especially photographs) was sold through a few Robert Edward and other auctions in the years before the store actually closed. The HOF also bought some material directly. One thing to know is that the collection actually belonged to two separate men: the original shopkeep and his long-time understudy who bought the store and was buying the collection piece-by-piece over at least its final seven-year period. I have no idea how it was divided between them, but there were singular pieces that have yet to appear in any public sale or auction.

The store owned, for example, one of the HUGE original 1939 "Cooperstown Baseball Centennial" wooden signs that were produced by the city for the HOF opening in the same year. The last owner once told me that it was probably the most valuable single piece in the collection, as fewer than four of the original signs were extant--and one of those was in the HOF. Could you imagine THAT in an REA? I am plagued by the question of who got the "Base Ball Today" horse-worn canvas sign that I lusted over for many years. The owner would never talk seriously about selling it.

It was very strange looking at the recently-completed Leland's auction and seeing some of my old items (e.g. the Adirondack bat rack and many of the early gloves) gone to new homes. A grim reminder that some of my particular contributions weren't exactly high end. None of the highest-quality items that I sorely regret selling or trading showed up in the Leland or any other auction I know about. Someone may have moved in quickly on them. There are many things I'd love to own again (but I suppose we all sing that song.)

[sayhey24]

Here is that Cooperstown sign -- you don't see that white shiny material in person -- it's reflection from the flash -- they used reflective paint so drivers could see it at night. It took me years of waiting, but I finally purchased it a couple of years ago.

Greg
http://www.baseballbasement.com

[bigtrain]

There is also a Cooperstown Baseball Centennial sign hanging in the Doubleday Cafe on Main Street.

[sayhey24]

Here is an original wire photo of one of the 1939 Cooperstown signs.
I've also included photos of three other pieces I picked up at the closing of the National Pastime store.

Greg
http://www.baseballbasement.com

[Scott Garner]

Simply awesome, Greg!!
I love these items!! :)

[Ronnoco]

Here is that Cooperstown sign -- you don't see that white shiny material in person -- it's reflection from the flash -- they used reflective paint so drivers could see it at night. It took me years of waiting, but I finally purchased it a couple of years ago.

Greg
http://www.baseballbasement.com

Tremendous! What a beautiful acquisition, Greg. I'm glad it ended up in the hands of someone who will cherish and curate it.

[Cooptown]

I had three favorite stores in Cooperstown growing up:

Mickey's Place
National Pastime
Larry Fristch Baseball Card Museum

Sadly, all three are either gone or not the same.

Larry's Museum, which I have talked about in a few posts in the past, might be my all time favorite. I believe it was only open for about a year, but it was a museum of my his amazing collection, along with a small shop in the lobby where he sold cards as well. As I had posted in the past, even after I realized it closed, I would still walk by it every HOF Induction weekend hoping that it somehow miraculously appeared again. It was a baseball card lover's dream. At one point I believe the building was an ice cream shop and then maybe a realtor's office, and last I checked I believe it was empty. Gorgeous building too.

National Pastime, well, I can't add much more than what was already posted. While I loved that store, I always wondered how it stayed open so long. This was well before the days of the internet and online auctions. There were always tons of people going in and out of the store, yet I never really saw anyone buying anything. I loved that store, but I viewed it more as a museum than a store. I loved going in there to view the items, but I was more of an autograph and baseball card collector, instead of memorabilia.

Mickey's Place. Out of the the three I am talking about, Mickey's Place is still there. However, like many things with this hobby, it's "just not the same". The store now is a lot more tshirts, hats, etc. Back when the store first opened (circa 1992/93 or so?) it was all baseball cards and memorabilia. In the back there is still an area that is devoted to Mickey Mantle in a glass case. Well that use to be a majority of the store. I believe this business changed hands at one point.

A lot of the shops in Cooperstown are either:

1) Overpriced or 2) Tshirts, hats, trinkets, etc.

The diehard baseball card or memorabilia collector is better off looking someplace else. I love Cooperstown (hence my username), but it's just "not the same anymore".

I will highly recommend a shop called Legends are Forever that is located right on Main Street, not far from Doubleday Field and on the same side of the street. I have known the owner for 20 plus years and is a very stand up guy. I use to work baseball card shows and in his baseball card shop many, many years ago.