Charity Auction - The Painted Turtle $6000! 20 mins left!

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Posted By: Kyle

Hey Everyone,

As I was reading the 400+ post thread of madness, a random idea came into my head.

Wouldn't it be cool to see what type of collection could be developed if every active board member (or atleast those willing to contribute) donated/parted-with one card from their collection/tradelist/etc. worth atleast $10-$15. If 100 cards were received, wouldn't it be neat to see what was all in the collection?

Then I started thinking what would something like that be worth - 100 random vintage cards. No better way to find out than to auction it.

Then I thought, well what an even better reason to auction it off with 100% of the proceeds from sale were donated to a charity.

Would anyone participate in an endeavor like this if it was hosted by one of the large auction houses in which they offered to receive all donations, catalog and sell the "charity auction" in one of their upcoming auctions? Buyer would pay shipping, insurance but no premium. All donations could be sent in by a specified date, and perhaps acknowledgments of those who donated could also appear on the last page of the auction catalog, and if possible on the website.

It'd be pretty cool to see how many items would be sent in, and if a really generous collector would be willing to fork over several hundred dollars, or maybe a couple grand for the lot knowing that the money was going straight to a good cause.


-Kyle-

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Posted By: mark

Its good to give once in a while. I have a few cards around for it.

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Posted By: Wesley

Didn't one of the forum members do this for the hurricane relief/ Red Cross a few years ago? I am not sure how much money was raised, but maybe he would be interested in hosting such a charity auction again.

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Posted By: Steve f

The missus and I cleaned out the hobby room of modern duplicates and lower end vintage. We raised over $1000 one week for Katrina using eBay's Mission Fish.
The buyers were WONDERFUL and grabbed up all my shaqs, jordans, bonds, lindros, bledsoes, mcgwire etc. and some beater Goudeys, strips and Tobaccos. If they had been regular auctions, the crap wouldn't have moved nearly as fast.


This one generous buyer couldn't get enough;

+who needs "brownie"? wish they coulda got help 2 the victims this fast! AA++
Buyer dreaminoutloud( 683) Sep-11-05 15:34 5237582949

+who needs "brownie"? wish they coulda got help 2 the victims this fast! AA++
Buyer dreaminoutloud( 683) Sep-11-05 15:34 5237611233

+who needs "brownie"? wish they coulda got help 2 the victims this fast! AA++
Buyer dreaminoutloud( 683) Sep-11-05 15:33 5237613771

+wish they coulda got help 2 the victims this fast! AA++
Buyer dreaminoutloud( 683) Sep-11-05 15:32 5237615766

+wish they coulda got help 2 the victims this fast! AA++
Buyer dreaminoutloud( 683) Sep-11-05 15:32 5237622475

+wish they coulda got help 2 the victims this fast! AA++
Buyer dreaminoutloud( 683) Sep-11-05 15:32 5237626249

+wish they coulda got help 2 the victims this fast! AA++
Buyer dreaminoutloud( 683) Sep-11-05 15:31 5237634450


PS; the Red Cross is still hurtin'. For more info;

http://www.missionfish.org/About/about.jsp

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Posted By: peter chao

Kyle, Guys

I like the idea, why don't we donate the money to the United Nations. How fitting...considering the amount of bickering we get on this Board...it's amazing the UN can function at all.

Peter

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Posted By: Kyle

I saw this potentially being more successful if the auction was run those one of the house's catalogs. Not saying its going to be some amazing deal or opportunity, but it could generate some PR too for the charitable organization, the house that co-sponsors it and those who contribute.

The fun thread will be determining which charitable cause to donate to.

By the way, if we could just HAVE our Net54 Auctions, we wouldn't need an auction house. (That was a joke, ha ha)

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Posted By: JK

This was done for Hurricane relief after Katrina. Ted Golden ran the auction.

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Posted By: Kyle

Ted, where are you? Want to try it again? Was it worth it? Do you think it worked well?

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Posted By: JK

I also doubt very much you would get a major auction house to agree to this, but you never know. As far as getting the board together on a charity - short of a natural disaster, forget about it. Just look at the original steak dinner thread and you will understand.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I think you could get a major auction house to do it...and it would be cool and good publicity for them if they would match the final bid.

How about this charity: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/site/c.iqLTI2OBKlF/b.1109075/k.9013/Headquarters.htm

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Posted By: JimB

Great idea. Agreeing a charity could be a bit challenging. I would suggest something as politically neutral as possible. For example: cancer research or aids research or something like that.
JimB

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Posted By: peter chao

Kyle, Jim

Cancer and Aids research are high profile charities that already obtain a lot of Foundation money. Our auction might obtain only $5,000 or so. Let's give it to less high profile charity that can really use the money.

Peter

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Well I think everyone supports the injured soldiers coming back from Iraq. I don't think there's any conflict there.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Ah, that NYC dinner thread will never die. And since I initiated it, I guess I bought myself a bit of immortality.

I think we could run a charity auction right here on the board. There would be no overhead, and since the cards would be donated, we wouldn't have to worry about whether or not they sold for full value.

But what charity are we playing for?

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Posted By: Dylan

I think 5,000 dollars could do its most good with one of the charities that donates food and medical supplies to impoverished areas in the world. a little can go a long way when it comes to feeding children.

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Posted By: peter ullman

i would donate a card...that's a cool idea...but only if the lot is sold as a whole...and I agree that having it in a major auction would be best.

pete ullman

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Since this is a baseball forum and we collect cards of the old players why not donate the money to BAT,the baseball assistance team,which helps retired players who dont have enough money

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/community/bat.jsp

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Posted By: Kyle

I like John's charity idea. The new question is is how many items would the lot need to have to be remotely successful? Then the next step is trying to get a house to help us out too.

-Kyle-

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

BAT is a great idea.

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Posted By: Dave

So what is the universal thought on the dollar value of the cards that would be donated?

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Posted By: JimCrandell

I will contribute with two qualifications:

1)It go to a dealer whose ethics in the hobby are unchallengeable(like Barry).

2)The charity is politically neutral or to the right of center. Doesn't have to be Operation Rescue--just no leftist cause charities.

Jim

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Posted By: Jim Loewke

I like Dylan's idea of feeding the hungry children the best; nothing against BAT but feeding kids who otherwise would be going to bed hungry seems like a better destination for help. I also think the dollar goes farther in foreign countries for getting food and medicine.

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Posted By: JimCrandell

I would recommend a charity which assists the veterans of the Iraq war.

Nothing against woerld hunger but we should make this something for people in the United States.

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Posted By: Bill Stone

How about the National Baseball Hall of Fame.?

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

If we get an idea hatched here maybe Leon could throw up a new poll about where the money should go. I like the idea of it going to BAT or the injured soldiers coming back from Iraq/Afghanastan.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Instead of trying to pick one charity idea which you will never get everyone to agree on why not have more than one charity and the person donating can decide where they want the money to go so instead of having one huge lot,you can have 3 or 4 smaller ones.Im sure youll get more donations and bidders that way

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Posted By: Jim Loewke

More than one destination is a good idea; anything to get more involvment is better.

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Posted By: Kyle

Now I like John's flexible charity idea. Plus if I was donating a large sum of money, I'd be more inclined to donate more if I could choose the cause.

-Kyle-

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Well if Leon runs with the poll maybe the percentages of the proceeds can be divided up by the percentages in the poll? Just a thought. I think one large lot of Net54 goodies would do very well.

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Posted By: barrysloate

I would be willing to help put a charity auction together and even throw something in, but I suggest it be done on the board, similar to the way Michael sold his Drum back (perhaps with a few refinements). First, it is a board effort so this is a good venue. Second, printing costs can run quite high, and do we really want to print 1000+ catalogs when it's likely that many people check the board anyway? I think with a zero overhead we can donate the most possible money.

But can we agree on which charity the money will go to?

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Posted By: Kyle

Hey Everyone,

To clarify my idea, I was thinking that our "charity auction" would consist of ONE lot. All donations would be put into this massive lot and sold potentially through a generous auction house who was willing to sponsor it.

I envisioned the listing take up one page of their catalog, with several pics, a list of all items include, information on the charity or charities being sponsored and a note saying where the collection came from.

So ideally, the only work that'd need to be done is gather cards, forward cards to auction house (maybe even send them the scanned images) and let them do the rest.

-Kyle-

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Posted By: Kyle

Hey Everyone,

Quick note, Robert Edward Auctions has offered to donate the space in their catalog, run the one auction lot format as originally thought of and donate all funds plus the buyers premium to the selected charity. Logistics of which auction it could run in are to be determined, as it may be too late for their upcoming one.

Thanks, Robert!

-Kyle-

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Posted By: JimCrandell

Another classy act by a guy who seems to always do the right thing.

I vote for using Rob.

Jim

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Posted By: Kyle

Robert got back to me and said they could get it into their 2007 auction if we have the lot in their hands by 02/22/2007. Logistically, would those be willing to contribute send their donations to me, I would catalog and forward all to Robert, and he could

Here's what I am thinking regarding sending in cards:

1. Cards sent tracked or insured
2. I'd be great to have cards sent in cardsavers with a label on the back identifying what the card is (I still get confused)
3. Must be in my hands by 2/20, will forward via overnight mail to Robert on 2/21 for inclusion in their next auction. (I am out of town 2/16, returning 2/20)
4. I will catalog and write a sample description of the lot.



I know 2 weeks is a tough turnaround, but if everyone thinks its possbile, lets go for it... and select a charity too.

-Kyle-

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Posted By: peter ullman

i'll donate...as I've said...dependent on the charitable organization...and I'm partial to donating to a baseball/sports related cause.

pete ullman

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Posted By: Tom Hines

I think Dave asked earlier and I did not see any guidance other than the original post but what is the card value minimum / maximum? Personally I have a couple of cards thet I would not mind donating that would be in the $50 - $100 range but do not want to upset the apple cart here. Also I think a compilation of charities might be the best route as a consensus here on one or two will not likely happen.

Tom

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Posted By: Kyle

I was thinking $10-$15, but if someone had something $50+, sure!

As for the charity, we'll never come to an agreement but will figure something out.

-Kyle-

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Posted By: Kyle

Does anything think its feasible to get a solid 75-100 items in two weeks for the auction, or is it something that should be put off to ensure we have that may items?

I really only want to try to make this work if others are convinced it can work.

Thanks to all those who are supporting it thus far!
-Kyle-

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Posted By: Tom Hines

I am willing to support. The 2 week thing will cause a bit of a crunch but is dooable. Do you have a contingency plan if we don't make the 22 Feb deadline?

Tom

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Posted By: barrysloate

75-100 items sounds like a lot in a short period of time, but if you look at it another way, each person only has to make the effort to send one item. That shouldn't be too difficult. Would it save time to send them directly to Rob?

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Posted By: Jay

Barry--I don't think it would be fair to Rob, after his generous offer, to make him aggregate the material. The original idea proposed to have Kyle do it sounds better. I would like to suggest that we donate the proceeds to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Either that,or perhaps Leon could make the next poll which charity we should donate to. That would probably save needless arguements.

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Posted By: leon

I will donate a card and do a new poll if that's what ya'll want....Lets see where this goes in the next day or so....I am open and neutral...

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

So far the ideas for a charity are:

Baseball Assistance Team
Injured Veterans of the War in Iraq
MDA
AIDS
Cancer research

Any others that need to be added to the list?

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Posted By: barrysloate

Jay- I agree it would be much less work for Rob if one person sent a single package. But we are working with a deadline, and it would mean each item would need to be shipped twice, cutting down on valuable time. As far as the charity, there are a hundred good ones, so how do we decide?

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Posted By: Kyle

I really don't mind receiving everything, and Ted Golden also offered to receive and assist with this. If someone else wants to receive and catalog, thats fine with me too. I just want to see this go through!

I'd prefer to have one person manage the receiveables and deliver everything to Robert in one nice box with the digital catalog files, some scans if possible to save REA some time, and some paragraphs on the auction.

I think the two week window is tight, but even first class mail only takes 3-5 days (most of the time). If the deadline to send to me was 2/15/2007, I should have everything in hand by 02/21 and can overnight to Robert then.

I like the poll idea for the charity, but I would sure be disappointed if the concept of the auction was lost if some were upset with the "winner". We're trying to do something nice, have postive thread on the board and eventually, upon the auction's close, be able reflect on the success.

-Kyle-

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Posted By: barrysloate

Kyle- Rob Lifson has some favorite charities, among them those that are for the ethical treatment of animals. Perhaps Rob should pick a charity since he offered to do this.

Also, why not post your address, so people can start sending things to you.

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Posted By: peter chao

Dan, Guys,

BAT, do they also contribute funds to help elderly Negro League players. If so, maybe we can earmark the funds to go directly to them...

Peter

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Posted By: Kyle

Good idea, but will the board be okay with it?

Also, Ted Golden offered to help with tax documention for those who would like to retain a receipt for their 2007 taxes.

So with that said, I hope this covers all the bases:

1. Send in card legibilly specifying with what it is, year, player, etc.
2. Declared value (write NONE if you don't want a tax doc back)
3. Typed up address for tax document if desired


Think of anything else, let me know.

(address removed, please see later posts)


It'd also be great to know who to expect a package from. So an email to kylebicking@yahoo.com will help. I don't want to be accused of stealing any of your donations.

Thanks guys,
Kyle

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Posted By: Kyle

I was thinking that the auction should have a minimum of 50 items in it. In the event I don't receive a total of 50 or more, we'll regroup and figure out an alternative. Also, in the event that we have to regroup, I will return cards to those who request them.

Lastly, no limit on what you donate... the more the merrier!

Thanks!
-Kyle-

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Posted By: Dylan

If people dont want to donate to a charity where money would be applied overseas (feeding the hungry) that fine. But i think more support could be generated for a charity that potentially saves lives over making retired baseball players lives more comfortable. There are charities that help people receive urgent medical care in our own country. Or one of the many charities that contibutes to disease research . The money stays in America and can have a lot of potential to do good.