Last to go

[springpin]

I read the excitement in posts about new acquisitions to growing collections. If we don't pass our collections down to a family member, we all face the prospects of one day disposing of our treasures. I was wondering which piece(s) in your collection would be the last to go, and why. For me it would be pins of either the 1956 or 1961 Yankees. My father saw Larsen's perfect game, and his talking about it was the start of my interest in collecting. I saw several games during the 1961 season and got caught up in Mantle/Maris chase of Ruth. Those are among my fondest childhood memories, and pins of those teams will be the last to go.

[Runscott]

Tough question. I have about 20-30 untouchable pieces, but my favorite is a circa 1911 bat that was used in games against the Kansas City Giants and Chicago Lelands Giants. Unless I run into real hard times, it will someday get donated to a museum in Iowa, where the games were played.

[cubsfan-budman]

My dad gave me his 58/59 topps cards. Not many, about 100 cards total...but those are the most important to me and won't ever leave my hands.

One of my sincere regrets is back in like '92 (I was 15), I traded one of his Bob Clemente cards for a box of 92 Fleer Ultra. Not the end of the world I guess, but not something I'll do again.

[Exhibitman]

The only items that I really hope to pass on are the items relating to our family's professional boxers. That material, which I have painstakingly accumulated, hopefully is going to pass down through the generations starting with my daughter. That plus playing Monty Python's "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" as a sing-along at my funeral, are my only explicit requests. Everything else is just stuff--I enjoy it but everything is always for sale at the right price. Besides, once I'm gone I will certainly have more pressing concerns than to worry about what happens to my cards.

[Runscott]

...Besides, once I'm gone I will certainly have more pressing concerns than to worry about what happens to my cards.

Like

[prewarsports]

Scott

That bat sounds awesome, did you get it from a family member or something? I would love to see it someday!

For me it would be a few of my early Roy Castleton items and Louis Sockalexis pieces. I hope to have one premium Sockalexis item to give to each of my kids someday. Now if my wife would stop adopting children (we have 6 kids under the age of 11!) I could have already done this by now!

Rhys

[Ease]

My dad gave me his 58/59 topps cards. Not many, about 100 cards total...but those are the most important to me and won't ever leave my hands.

One of my sincere regrets is back in like '92 (I was 15), I traded one of his Bob Clemente cards for a box of 92 Fleer Ultra. Not the end of the world I guess, but not something I'll do again.

Sounds familiar, my dad gave me his cards (57-68 topps) some almost complete sets. They will stay with my family. I sold his perfect Nolan Ryan rookie, probably would have graded at least an 8 today, for 150$ to a seedy card shop around the time I was 13 or so. I can't even remember what I bought with the money, probably a bunch of comics or something. Dummy move for sure.

[Runscott]

Scott

That bat sounds awesome, did you get it from a family member or something? I would love to see it someday!

For me it would be a few of my early Roy Castleton items and Louis Sockalexis pieces. I hope to have one premium Sockalexis item to give to each of my kids someday. Now if my wife would stop adopting children (we have 6 kids under the age of 11!) I could have already done this by now!

Rhys

Rhys, about eight years ago I bought some items saved by an old town ball player who managed a team and also saved their scorebook. I recently wrote an article about the player and the summer of 1911 when his team played KC, Chicago and several other interesting teams - waiting for the article to work its way through the editors. The town's unofficial baseball historian is now a friend of mine, and at some point all the stuff will end up back in his town.

[packs]

I have an N28 Jack Glasscock that I could never sell. It was my first 19th century card and my dad bought it for me as a birthday present when I was 12 or 13. My dad won't be around forever but that card will and I'll remember the day every time I look at it.

I could also never sell my Miller Huggins T206. It was the first pre-war card I ever bought at a Gloria Rothstein White Plains show when I was 10 or 11. I remember hanging out with Little Ray Kelly, who lived in my town and was a friend of my grandmother's, and him telling me stories about sitting next to Huggins in the dugout. One day my grandmother mentioned to him that I collected old cards and he told me to bring them with me next time. I'll never forget the look on his face when I pulled out that Huggins. I was sure he was expecting to see some Griffey rookies.

[martindl]

While I own a ton of cool stuff and some of it rare, i'm getting close to systematically letting it all go. It'll take a few years to move it all, right venue and timing and all that, with a goal of my heirs not having to deal with any of it when my time comes.
My wife and I own and run an antiques mall and when you're in this type business you tend to lose your emotional attachment to things. We have some family items that will get handed down, but nothing sports related, so I don't have a designated 'last to go'.

[springpin]

Rhys,

You maybe interested to know that in the upcoming Robert Edwards Auction there will be a previously unlisted pin of Sockalexis.

Paul

[GKreindler]

Packs,

Did you live in Valley Cottage?

Graig

[packs]

Yup. My grandmother used to live in Congers. Small world.

[thisisradioclash]

That plus playing Monty Python's "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" as a sing-along at my funeral, are my only explicit requests.

I like it.

And to answer OP, my "last to go" would be my T-213 Type 2 Walter Johnson (Coupon Cigarettes "Made in New Orleans" back). I'm from DC and grew up liking/collecting Walter Johnson, and I met/got to know my fiancee in New Orleans, so there's lots of sentimental value. Also, it's one of the cards from the "Louisiana find" a couple years, and I love the story behind that discovery. I'll probably never get rid of my '49 Bowman Satchel Paige card, either, which I absolutely love. It was the first card I bought raw being unsure of its authenticity but using my best knowledge of the set to figure it out. Sure enough, SGC graded it :)

[yanks12025]

I never plan on selling this. It's not worth much but it's the memories of going to the games with my father. But my tickets from the last game at the old yankee stadium and the first game at the new one.

[GKreindler]

Awesomeness. I grew up in Monsey and spent most of my life there. Rockland is always in my heart.

Graig

[packs]

Ah Monsey. I never got over there much but I used to take the bus from Suffern to the city all the time. I always loved Nyack too. Hook Mountain especially. My family from Rockland are the Cifuni's. I wonder if you knew any of them?

Did you know Ray Kelly?

My grandmother never liked baseball or even paid attention to it. Somehow she managed to grow up literally next door to Whitey Ford (who she said was a real jerk when they were kids) and later in life became good friends with Ray Kelly.

[GKreindler]

I don't think we knew any Cifunis, but I can certainly ask my parents. They might know better than me. Actually, I'm sure they do.

Monsey was a nice place to grow up, but certainly in the past 10-15 years, things have been getting pretty bad, community-wise.

I never knew Little Ray, but I do remember seeing an autographed photo of him up in the Palisades Mall right after it opened up. For some reason, I think it was in Chili's, not the sports memorabilia store they had on the top floor. But yeah, at the time, I was just really shocked that he had happened to walk into that place to begin with, as I guess it was only 2-3 years before he passed.

I do have wonderful memories of going to the Wizard of Cards in Nanuet, Mr. Comic at the Spring Valley flea market, and Danny's Dugout in Suffern for all of my baseball card needs. At the young age of ten, there weren't many.

And I even remember going to some of the Gloria Rothstein shows at the WCC with my father - it was there that he bought me a nice '64 Topps Bobby Richardson card for $4 when I wasn't more than 7 years old. I remember freaking out, thinking it was so amazing to own something of Bobby's. THE Bobby Richardson! Of course when I told my friends the next day, they had no clue who I was talking about. If the player wasn't named Mattingly, Murphy, Strawberry or Joyner, they probably never would have cared.

Graig

[71buc]

I have been collecting since the early 70s. I have four kids who could care less about my collection so I will eventually sell it all. Out of curiosity I asked each of my kids if they could pick one item for themselves from my collection what that item would be and why. I was shocked by their answers. My 23 year old son said, "Your Aaron and Clemente Rookie cards because they were your heros." My 20 year old daughter wanted my photo collection. She said, "Whenever I see old baseball photos I think about you". My twelve year old wants my autographed Roberto Clemente night poster because, "He cared about people just like you". My youngest is 10, she is claiming my 1971 Pirates NL Pennant because, "They were your favorites when you were little like me". Not once was the monetary value of the pieces mentioned. I will make certain each of them receives the item they identified. They may not understand my collecting but they sure understand me. I was touched. Ironically I have a worthless 1970 Red Sox Pennant that my Dad bought for me at the first game he took me to. It is the origin of my collection and a token of one of my fondest memories of him. It is also my favorite item in my collection.

[springpin]

What a touching response! While our items differ, the reason behind them often seems related to childhood, our own or others.

[GrayGhost]

I have been collecting since the early 70s. I have four kids who could care less about my collection so I will eventually sell it all. Out of curiosity I asked each of my kids if they could pick one item for themselves from my collection what that item would be and why. I was shocked by their answers. My 23 year old son said, "Your Aaron and Clemente Rookie cards because they were your heros." My 20 year old daughter wanted my photo collection. She said, "Whenever I see old baseball photos I think about you". My twelve year old wants my autographed Roberto Clemente night poster because, "He cared about people just like you". My youngest is 10, she is claiming my 1971 Pirates NL Pennant because, "They were your favorites when you were little like me". Not once was the monetary value of the pieces mentioned. I will make certain each of them receives the item they identified. They may not understand my collecting but they sure understand me. I was touched. Ironically I have a worthless 1970 Red Sox Pennant that my Dad bought for me at the first game he took me to. It is the origin of my collection and a token of one of my fondest memories of him. It is also my favorite item in my collection.

I nearly had tears when I read this reply. You must be so proud to know your children have such an emotional bond to you, as you did with your dad. Do you know what that means? You have WON in the ballgame called life, in the most important way. Thanks for making me smile on a day when Im not in a very good mood.

[Exhibitman]

Thanks, Nick.

You have to pick your funeral music carefully in advance. I was at a funeral last week and the music sucked. I can't believe that the dead guy would have wanted it that way. I'm putting together a whole play list. In addition to the Python sing-along, I know I want Led Zeppelin's In My Time of Dying and Run Like Hell by Pink Floyd. Also at least one of the George Harrison psychedelic Beatles numbers. And at least one song with an F-bomb in it because why not.