[perezfan]

I could write a novel on this, but will spare you all and keep it brief...

Memorabilia allows you to get MUCH closer to the game (and to the players) than mass-produced pictures on cardboard. How can you even compare a card to something that the player either touched, wore or used playing the actual game?

What is the real difference between a 1952 Topps Mantle and a 1952 Les Moss? Both came from the same factory, both have the same cardboard stock, and both came out of the same pack. They just mass-printed a different image on the two cards.

Compare that to a game-used Bat with tons of use and pine tar... held and swung by someone who actually played the game. Or a game-used Jersey, Jacket or Cap... all things we may have seen used on the field in our childhood, that we still remember with such fondness and amazement that we can actually own it today?

Or perhaps a Type 1 Photo.... a unique image captured and developed by a legendary photographer who stood on the very same field as Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig, Robinson, etc.

Or perhaps a scorecard, ticket or lineup card from a milestone or record-setting game? Something that was tangibly present during a meaningful time of greatness.

Or maybe an autograph... either a bat, ball, program or album page actually touched, held and signed by a legendary player.

Or a 100 year-old felt pennant that miraculously stood the test of time, still displaying incredibly artistic graphics and defying the odds with no moth holes, rips, fading or tears.

Or perhaps a Trophy awarded to a legendary player or team for accomplishing something great. The tangible culmination of a lifetime of diligent work and training.

Or a defunct stadium artifact like a Turnstyle, Sign or Stadium Seat. Something that we would otherwise vaguely remember, miraculously brought back to life as a part of our collections.

Or maybe a piece of antique equipment from shortly after the Civil War era... an early antique bat, jersey, lemon peel ball or weldless catchers mask. Miraculous survivors that tell the history of the game while making for stunning display pieces.

Okay, so maybe I did write a "novel". But how do you even begin to compare a piece of cardboard that the player never touched (or even saw) to these historic artifacts of greatness? Yes, I did start out collecting cards, but the evolution into memorabilia is one that I will never regret (until I have to downsize, that is!)