$125,000,000 Sports Immortals Collection

[Mark]

It's an astonishing collection. Hats off to him. What has me wondering is exactly what a young Joel Platt or a young Barry Halper said to the families of sports legends to persuade the families to give them some of these items.

"Hello, Mrs. Wagner, you don't know me, but I'm a teenage collector of sports memorabilia, and even though I'm too young to have seen your late husband play, I would really, really, love for you to give me some of his game used equipment, trophies, and uniforms. " "Sure thing, young man, here are some of family heirlooms. Can I help you get them into your car? Or would you prefer to take our car?"

[Huysmans]

Originally Posted by Mark

It's an astonishing collection. Hats off to him. What has me wondering is exactly what a young Joel Platt or a young Barry Halper said to the families of sports legends to persuade the families to give them some of these items.

"Hello, Mrs. Wagner, you don't know me, but I'm a teenage collector of sports memorabilia, and even though I'm too young to have seen your late husband play, I would really, really, love for you to give me some of his game used equipment, trophies, and uniforms. " "Sure thing, young man, here are some of family heirlooms. Can I help you get them into your car? Or would you prefer to take our car?"

You have to remove your modern collecting ideology. Keep in mind that in the 1950s and 1960s other than cards, there was no built-in hobby for memorabilia like in the present day - especially game worn/used items. There are numerous examples throughout the years of jerseys worn by very famous players being recycled to farm clubs and minor league teams. These were utilitarian items... not collectibles. The overwhelming majority of people put very little to no monetary value on these pieces, including the families of ex-players. Sure, items were kept for posterity or as souvenirs, but the thinking that these items had market value didn't exist to most, hence, they were easy to give away, with most families probably just thankful that someone took an interest in their relative.

A further footnote may relate to the general custom in the past of gifting items by the players themselves, something somewhat lost in today's heavily-monetized era.
Case in point, imagine an athlete trying to charge for autographs during the 1950s.... now imagine athletes NOT charging for autographs today....

it's a completely different hobby now.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Huysmans

You have to remove your modern collecting ideology. Keep in mind that in the 1950s and 1960s other than cards, there was no built-in hobby for memorabilia like in the present day - especially game worn/used items. There are numerous examples throughout the years of jerseys worn by very famous players being recycled to farm clubs and minor league teams. These were utilitarian items... not collectibles. The overwhelming majority of people put very little to no monetary value on these pieces, including the families of ex-players. Sure, items were kept for posterity or as souvenirs, but the thinking that these items had market value didn't exist to most, hence, they were easy to give away, with most families probably just thankful that someone took an interest in their relative.

A further footnote may relate to the general custom in the past of gifting items by the players themselves, something somewhat lost in today's heavily-monetized era.
Case in point, imagine an athlete trying to charge for autographs during the 1950s.... now imagine athletes NOT charging for autographs today....

it's a completely different hobby now.

I wasn't assuming that these things had monetary value. Sentimental value to the family? yes.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Mark

I wasn't assuming that these things had monetary value. Sentimental value to the family? yes.

Think about all the players today, in their 70s and 80s who realize they have a mountain of stuff and need to get rid of it. Johnny Bench being one of the latest examples. At some point they all come to the realization it has to go. Go back 70 years, older players have a mountain of stuff with little value, they need to downsize, and someone asks for something. It fills the need of the family.

My grandma moved out of her house when she was in her 90s a couple years ago. She needed to get rid of everything essentially. Objects might have intrinsic value to her, but not necessarily her kids or grandchildren. No one wanted her pool table. No one wanted her 120+ year old pump organ. Lots of anniversary gifts went unclaimed. They were silver plated rather than solid silver, so they weren't really valuable either. Photos were hard to give away, especially if there was no comment about people, time, or place. It's just the way it goes.

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[Mark]

Originally Posted by todeen

Think about all the players today, in their 70s and 80s who realize they have a mountain of stuff and need to get rid of it. Johnny Bench being one of the latest examples. At some point they all come to the realization it has to go. Go back 70 years, older players have a mountain of stuff with little value, they need to downsize, and someone asks for something. It fills the need of the family.

My grandma moved out of her house when she was in her 90s a couple years ago. She needed to get rid of everything essentially. Objects might have intrinsic value to her, but not necessarily her kids or grandchildren. No one wanted her pool table. No one wanted her 120+ year old pump organ. Lots of anniversary gifts went unclaimed. They were silver plated rather than solid silver, so they weren't really valuable either. Photos were hard to give away, especially if there was no comment about people, time, or place. It's just the way it goes.

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That might be the way some think about it. Bench says that he auctioned his vast collection because selling it would provide for his family. The monetary value was very clear to him.

But if it's 1967, and your late husband or father kept a few bats or a trophy, I would think that you'd want to keep what he valued or that you'd want to pass these things along to a family member. Maybe give these things to an old friend of the deceased. If we're talking about large pieces of furniture that belonged to people who are not famous (was your grandmother famous?), or if aging widows are moving into small apartments, OK. I get that. But it seems odd to me that a family would easily give away things to a young stranger that a great athlete thought it worthy to keep. But it is certainly true that the monetary value of these things has changed the situation.

[Huysmans]

Originally Posted by Mark

I wasn't assuming that these things had monetary value. Sentimental value to the family? yes.

Items from past players are routinely sold currently at auction day, after day, after day...
why is there no sentimentality with these items for the families?

The historical bottom line....

No hobby with little monetary value... gifted.
Huge hobby with considerable value... sold, NOT gifted.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Huysmans

You have to remove your modern collecting ideology. Keep in mind that in the 1950s and 1960s other than cards, there was no built-in hobby for memorabilia like in the present day - especially game worn/used items. There are numerous examples throughout the years of jerseys worn by very famous players being recycled to farm clubs and minor league teams. These were utilitarian items... not collectibles. The overwhelming majority of people put very little to no monetary value on these pieces, including the families of ex-players. Sure, items were kept for posterity or as souvenirs, but the thinking that these items had market value didn't exist to most, hence, they were easy to give away, with most families probably just thankful that someone took an interest in their relative.

A further footnote may relate to the general custom in the past of gifting items by the players themselves, something somewhat lost in today's heavily-monetized era.
Case in point, imagine an athlete trying to charge for autographs during the 1950s.... now imagine athletes NOT charging for autographs today....

it's a completely different hobby now.

Great perspective, right there... Even though it was not all that long ago, it was a more innocent, trusting and completely different world back then.