The (Base) Ball (card) Is In Our Court

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Posted By: Rhys

I have said this about 10 times on this board and I guess I will make it 11. I still have no idea why our hobby does not have a collectors organization that self polices the way other collectibles do. It would be as simple as giving it a name like "The Association for Antique Sports Collectibles" and having someone with some sway starting it. Dues could be small and anyone who wishes to sell in a reputable market would join and adhere to certain principles and guidelines. It would also be self policing in regard to violations of ethics and dealers and big auction houses would be subject to to same level of scrutiny through the organization as a full-time ebay seller if a case for violations was brought before some type of a panel.

Just about every other hobby has something like this that actually does something to try and maintain the integrity of their field, while Sports collectibles just get bad press after bad press in the media. From everything I have seen in other areas, this works pretty well.

There is really only one hurdle to accomplishing this; you would need someone of Mastronet/Robert Edwards type of sway in the hobby to start the organization with some type of third parties (longtime collectors Like Terry Knouse etc.) to comprise the board and set the rules and then ask others to follow suit and join. Others would do so because they would look like they were dodging responsibility if they did not and in the cut-throat world of auction houses, integrity and who you trust is a big deal. Eventually every dealer would join if they wanted to assert any type of perception of honesty in the hobby and before you know it, its done.

I have thought about starting something like this myself for years because it was obvious to me since 1988 that the hobby needed to organize somehow, but it would take some initial muscle to get it off the ground, muscle that only a few major auction houses or companies actually have in our hobby. I think if someone like Robert Edward auctions, mastronet, Steiner Sports, PSA, GAI, SGC etc were to help take the lead and really go for something like this, it would impact the entire hobby in a positive way, and give some good press attention to a hobby that needs to clean itself up in many ways.

That is what I think anyways.

Rhys Yeakley