Thinking of returning to memorabilia
 

Hey, guys, I have been lurking here on the memorabilia side for a while and really enjoy seeing your pick-ups and reading the discussions. I have collected for the better part of 30 years, and for the last 15 or so, it's been mostly just cards. However, as a younger collector, I collected all kinds of different stuff. Somewhere along the way, I zeroed in on cards at the exclusion of memorabilia, and I really couldn't tell you why that happened. While I still like cards, I want to branch out again. It would also be nice to take part in a hobby absent of plastic slabs. I am missing the memorabilia side with the nice, colorful display pieces. If you guys are like me, you have been to card shops and places like that which have really inspired you to recreate something that looks magical. The displays you guys show off are amazing!

Anyway, I have a modest sports room and would like to work on the memorabilia side of things again and perhaps build some displays. I am a Cardinals fan, and I think I would focus my efforts mostly on the 60s and 70s teams and perhaps late 50s. I've been a jack of all trades over the years and have dabbled in vintage photos, magazines, programs, scorecards, and a few pin backs. These would be items I would target again. I probably wouldn't rule out bats and pennants (along with steins, decorative ashtrays, raw baseball cards, etc.), but I also am interested in nodders/bobbleheads of the 60s. I have read every old thread from Net54 I can find and have read and reread information on the Nodder Exchange site. I feel like as long as I stuck with purchasing from that site and Inside the Park, I would probably be ok...and if there are ever any for sale here on the bst. I think avoiding ebay would be best. I am welcome to any other sources you care to suggest. In time, I might even expand beyond the Cardinals. I am baseball crazy!

With nodders, is restoration acceptable as long as it is disclosed? I understand value would most likely be impacted somewhat, but is it the taboo subject that it is in the card world?

That's probably good enough to start with. Thanks for your time, guys.

I don't think Restoration is a bad thing as long as you don't have a malicious intent behind it. If you're buying something to keep in your personal collection and not sell it, do what you want with it.

Dive right in, Robert!.....just stay away from SF Giants stuff. ;)

Nodder Exchange and ITPC are great sources but I wouldn’t discount ebay, other than a few sellers who seem to have an endless supply of “mint” dolls.

No worries on the Giants, Rob. Though I do like their color scheme. I will tell you scans you've posted over the years have influenced me with the nodders and other ceramic pieces in your displays. One thing I will ask: are the nodders which are more modern (past the early 70s) worth collecting??

Monetarily, no. I doubt they will ever have value. Even so, collect what you like!

I hear what you are saying. I am a Cardinals fan, even up to the present day team. My card collecting is exclusively vintage, and the biggest part of me wants my memorabilia collecting to be exclusively vintage as well. However, I don't totally hate the SGA modern bobbleheads I see of 90s-present Cardinals players. I am toying with the idea of maybe including a few. Let's face it, they don't cost much to acquire. It seems like there's not a lot of vintage Cardinals nodders out there except for the mascot heads...which I do like. And it's not as though I am going all in just collecting nodders. They will be a part of the displays along with photos, cards, programs, etc. Thanks for the feedback.

Hartland statues
 

Hartland statues are another memorabilia direction I am rediscovering. I have never owned one but have liked them. From reading some old threads about them, it appears (please correct me if I'm wrong) they aren't widely collected, but those who do collect them are passionate. You guys who collect nodders or Hartlands, which do you prefer? What sets each apart for you guys? Sorry for all the questions, I am in that research and learning portion of things right now as I start to look into memorabilia again for the first time in a while. I've done some reading, and I like to see how you guys who actually have collected them see them.

whiteymet is the go-to guy for Hartlands around here. He also just bought a huge collection and may have some Hartlands to sell.

I like them equally...

Hartlands were a little more fun to collect because you were completing a legitimate set.

But Nodders are fun because new variations can sill turn up, and there are so many different ones to collect.

So I recommend you delve into BOTH. In addition to Fred (Whiteymet)... here are a couple of other nice venues...

Inside the Park Collectibles
Nodder Exchange / All doll Auction

He has a link to the Hartland statutes he bought and that he's selling.
Here's his listing from the Buy,Sell,Trade section:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=285743

Dude, you wrote this too late! There has been a series of auctions from MR CLARK Auctions, the Shaw Collection, the guy was a serious Cardinal's fan. Not sure what's left, but they are on Auction 7 now. Maybe a couple others are planned this year. But if you want some items, now is the time to jump in. These are online auctions.

https://www.apro.bid/auction/7th-sha...57/bidgallery/

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I could be wrong, but I thought the StL minis, white, green and gold bases were ALL mascot heads.

Thank you for the link. I have always prided myself on being a day late and a dollar short. Mission accomplished once again!

Yes, sir. You are correct!

Thanks for that, Mark. The longer I look at them, the more I like the Hartlands. I admit that the idea of a complete set appeals to me but not sure I would ever actually pull that off. The fact that they represent the players (the likenesses aren't too bad) is also a draw for me. Details like the batting stance of Williams and Musial are very nice, life-like touches. The look of the uniforms aren't half bad either. I like the nodders ok but not quite as much as the Hartlands. I think I like the mascot heads the most of the nodders.

Agree with you on all of that...

And I think the Cardinals White Base Nodder is the greatest one ever made. It's a true work of art. I believe that if they made an Athletics Elephant Head Nodder, it might have rivaled the Cardinals. But it never happened... just the common/boring boy head, and a true missed opportunity. :(

Go for player endorsed baseball gloves. Get their correct hand and find a baseball card with a fielding pose. I get lots of comments on my display.

I agree. That would be a great piece.

Yeah, that elephant would've been phenomenal! I definitely like the mascots vs. the boy heads. That Pirates mascot is pretty sweet, too...along with the Braves and the Reds.

I collect lefty endorsed first base mitts from turn of the century to the early 70's and the only problem is with around 100 of these old leather mitts is that with the high humidity in the midwest they get to smelling once in awhile! :eek:
Invested in a dehumidifier.

Like others, I started off with cards, and moved on to what I consider more interesting things. I never liked the idea of collecting sets — who needs 10 Wayne Terwilligers? I like type card collecting, but at some point I found myself chasing tiny and uninteresting black and white cards. It feels liberating to stop focusing on anything. I simply buy what I like, with an emphasis on how well it will display. At the moment, most of my searching is for caps, jerseys, pinbacks, autographed programs and display boxes. I just created a website for my memorabilia at: www.chris-counts.pixpa.com

Good move
 

I like cards as much as the next guy, and we all started with them, but what I've always called "3-D" or "Oddball" stuff is more fun, IMO. And why not move back and forth once in a while, who says you have to choose one or the other? Happy collecting!

Couldn't agree more. I figure I will still buy cards from time to time, but there's so much else out there.

Love the site! You have many nice pieces. As strange as it may sound, I think the vintage boxes are among my favorite. Lately, I have looked at a few Hartlands. Those boxes are so neat to just look at, and then there's the statues ��. The colors/graphics that were used then are very attractive. Like you said, I am thinking about how items display. I have a small sports room, and I want to start focusing on filling it. In my younger days, I dabbled in memorabilia. Not sure when, why, or how I went all in on cards? I still enjoy them, but I want nice display items that provide a variety.


There is a universe of stuff out there that I like (Hartlands, photos, programs, pinbacks, etc.) and find reasonably affordable. It is amazing how relatively inexpensive many of this is. I just don't have deep enough pockets to play the pricey graded card game forever, nor do I want to. That's another liberating aspect of memorabilia...no slabs, no TPGing, no plastic. So many items you guys get are really unique and not a dime a dozen, and it's not always about a particular grade or condition. It is also fun reading lots of old threads on the various types of memorabilia I am interested in. You guys are fountains of info!

THAT is exactly why the people who sell their opinions drove me away from cards.

Doug "I don't need to pay for opinions, I have plenty of my own" Goodman

Poor Wayne, he gets no respect.

Hard to disagree. It has become increasingly difficult to collect vintage cards if you don't embrace the TPGers. Again, another plus for memorabilia since there's none of that.

5 thumbs up on "buy what you like"

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