Posted By:
T206CollectorCopyright 2003 The Des Moines Register
All Rights Reserved
Des Moines Register
April 5, 2003 Saturday
SECTION: HOME AND GARDEN; Pg. 3H
LENGTH: 724 words
HEADLINE: Investment plan is in the cards;
Iowa Collects; This collection of sports memorabilia covers all the bases, from being fun to being valuable.
BYLINE: Beam Patrice, Freelance OK
BODY:
Patrice Beam
At the age of 22, collector Adam Moraine's goal is to become a millionaire by the time he is 50. To date, he has amassed a collection of more than 60,000 baseball cards, autographs and other memorabilia, which sport a six-figure book value.
When did you start to build your collec-tion?I began at the age of 8. My grandfather encouraged me to take up a hobby, and in the 1980s baseball card collecting was experiencing a boom. We both thought it would be a good collectible for me, so I started out buying packets of cards.
My grandfather also took me to baseball card shows to meet the stars, buy cards and get autographs. The first time I met Brooks Robinson was when I was 11 years old. During the past 15 years, baseball has become my love and my passion.
I go to games when I can fit them in with work, and I'm a charter member and volunteer at the Bob Feller Hometown Museum. In fact, I was born on the same date as Bob Feller, Nov. 3.
I've met many stars at the museum, including Stan Musial, Tommy Lasorda and Gaylord Perry, and had my picture taken with most of them.
When did baseball cards first come on the market?In the late 1880s, the first baseball cards were called Old Judge. They were approximately 1 by 2 inches and were put into tobacco packets. I have about a dozen tobacco cards dating from 1909.
The most valuable card from this time period is a Honus Wagner from the Pittsburgh Pirates, worth $1.2 million. I sure wish I had one of those cards. I do have his autograph, worth about $500.
Why do you collect?Mainly, I collect for investment purposes. I don't sell or trade -I just buy.
My No. 1 goal in life is to have a multimillion-dollar investment portfolio before the age of 50. Currently, my collection is worth more than $100,000. I do research on Internet auction sites and read the Beckett Almanac of Baseball Cards to keep abreast of current values.
Do you have limits on what items you buy?I prefer to collect vintage baseball stuff that dates from the 1950s and 1960s. Those were the innocent days of the hobby, when baseball stars played for the love of the game and not the multimillion-dollar contracts.
I have an autographed Babe Ruth "cut" signature card valued at $2,500; a Ty Cobb canceled check for $800 and an 8-by-10-inch photo of Roger Maris for $700. But the gem of my collection is a 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle card valued at $3,000.
Did you ever get a bargain?When I was a junior at East High School, I went to an estate sale and found a box of baseball cards from the 1950s. The seller wanted 5 cents each for them. There were no major star cards in the box, but they were worth $5 to $10 each. It was a nice find.
When it comes to autographed baseball items, are forgeries common? Yes, and collectors should always follow the old adage "buyer beware." For the most part, I get my autographs in person. Those I don't get myself I buy from a Universal Autograph Collectors Club dealer.
Do you have any desire to sell your collection? I can't see myself parting with my cards yet. Maybe I have an emotional attachment to them because of my grandfather.
I keep a written list of every item I own and have them sorted by category and stored in boxes. My most valuable items are in a safe deposit box.
Baseball cards have been around for 115 years, and I don't see the hobby winding down anytime soon. In 10 or 20 years, as these cards and autographs become more rare, my collection might be worth $500,000. A couple of years ago another collector auctioned off part of his collection for $2.5 million.
What items do you still hope to purchase? I have a Babe Ruth autograph and I want a Lou Gehrig one. I also want a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card. I have his second year, but not his first.
I understand you have branched out into other collections.Yes, several years ago I wrote to John Pappajohn and asked for investment advice. He suggested that I expand my collecting.
So now I have autographs of Hollywood celebrities, historical figures and other professional athletes in addition to baseball stars. My favorite nonsports autographs are Mother Teresa and President John F. Kennedy.
Have a large or unusual collection? Contact Iowa Collects, Box 41397, Des Moines, Ia. 50311 or patricebeam@hotmail.com.
GRAPHIC: _By: DOUG WELLS, REGISTER PHOTOS; Baseball legend: Adam Moraine, right, is a charter member and volunteer at the Bob Feller Hometown Museum in Van Meter. This is his autographed picture with the Hall of Fame pitcher. Left: A 1909 tobacco card of Hall of Famer Miller Huggins.A 1953 Mickey Mantle card from Topps. Signed ball: Adam Moraine has an autographed ball from Ted Williams._ Moraine; Collector details; WHO: Adam Moraine; COLLECTION: Baseball cards and other memorabilia; HOME: Des Moines; OCCUPATION: Clerk at Quik Trip Inc. NUMBER OF ITEMS: More than 60,000 items; WHAT IT COSTS: Many baseball cards can be purchased for $1 to $20, and autographs between $5 and $50. CONTACTS: Bob Feller will be at the Bob Feller Hometown Museum in Van Meter from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Go online at www.bobfellermuseum.org. CLUB: Universal Autograph Collectors Club, Box 6181, Washington, D.C. 20044 PUBLICATIONS: "Beckett Almanac of Baseball Cards and Collectibles," by Beckett Publications (2002)
LOAD-DATE: April 26, 2003