[Topnotchsy]

Like many, I started with cards. Over time I became enamored with what could be bought for the price of a card. I think that cards have a few things going for them which will keep them as the 'go to' collectible (generations of nostalgia around collecting, small and easy to collect and store, cards are clearly defined so you know what you are looking at, there is the checklist and set pursuit aspect etc.) but I like memorabilia more for the stories they tell.

For me, the hobby and research about baseball are a circle. I come across collectibles and those drive me to do more research. The research unearths new stories and aspects of baseball history, and that drives me to find new items that are related.

I find the nexus between baseball and American and world history fascinating. Two of my primary areas of collecting are WWII baseball items and Integration-related items. Both are examples of where baseball played a role in something much bigger. I love that.

As noted, the bang for your buck is a huge deal for me. As an example: one of the players I focus on in my Integration collection is Roy Campanella. He was one of 4 black players to sign between the 1945 and 1946 offseason (meaning that he signed before the Minor League color barrier was broken in 1946).

Roy Campanella's rookie card is his (edited) 1949 Bowman card. PSA reports that there are 2 PSA 10's, and a value of $108,000 for one. PSA reports 18 PSA 9's and has the most recent price of one at a hair under $30,000.

I was able to acquire Campanella's 1946 Minor League contract with the Nashua Dodgers for a fraction of what the PSA 9 costs. Despite it being the actual historical document. Despite it being signed by Campanella twice. Despite it being a document that played an actual role in the breaking of the color barrier (Campanella to the best of my knowledge, was the first to integrate a team in the United States, as Jackie Robinson was playing in Canada). And at most there are 3 copies of that contract extant (since the player, the team and the league would get a copy). There are 18 PSA 9's and 2 greaded higher which means there are at least 20 copies of the Bowman rookie card graded by PSA (not to mention SGC and others). It is unsigned. It is small. It had no historical role in the game. And it sells for a lot more than I paid for the contract. For me, it's a no-brainer. (And the 1946 team signed photo formerly owned by Walt Alston sold for less than the 122 PSA 8's go for).

And that points to an example of a story. Doing some searching I came across a contract for Campanella with the Danville Dodgers for 1946. Doing some digging I learned that he had first signed to play in Danville, but Branch Rickey was informed that the team was not ready to integrate, so he re-signed a few weeks later on a new contract to play in Nashua. To me this added a whole new dimension to the signing which I don't recall Campanella writing about in his book (though I'm working from memory). That to me was fascinating. And I was able to snag that contract too. For less than a PSA 9.

Attaching a couple of pics as well