Brooklyn Dodgers Autographs declining interest?

[mr2686]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Kinda the same, but kinda different.

There have been many books and some documentaries about the Brookyln Dodgers. I wouldn't even know if there was anything like that detailing Gardner, as I don't care about his era, but I'm guessing there hasn't been.

A lot of us who collect this stuff weren't alive at the time, yet we appreciate it. While the numbers may not be as strong down the line, it's guaranteed that some currently younger fans will discover the same things we did and collect in the same fashion. Again, perhaps not as many, but thankfully not zero.

Either way, now is not the time to sell this kind of stuff, unless it's signed tougher cards, of course. I'd rather be surprised by a resurgence or go down with the ship if it never arrives. Not giving away my Spooners, Bessents or Hamrics, thanks very much.

Currently there are 8 signed 3x5's of Bert Hameric up on ebay, easily the most I have seen in many years. I couldn't even find one for a few years, and then stumbled upon one pretty cheap because the listing had his name spelled wrong. LOL

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

It's astounding, Mike.

It always used to be whenever I had a Spooner or Hamric, I had a list of immediate buyers at nearly triple the price some of these are going for. A lot of collectors must have passed away/divested close to the same time.

It's also funny that you mentioned getting a Hamric cheaply due to a misspelling in a listing. I have a similar story. One time, I was surfing eBay and changed the viewing option to show auctions that were ending soonest. When the screen changed, the first thing on the list was a lot of unidentified cuts. The seller apparently couldn't read perfectly legible cursive. They were all from the Texas League, and cut from scorecards/programs. There was Spooner, Hamric (the only one I had ever seen signed "Ham Hamric") and even a gorgeous Willard Brown. Less than a minute until the auction ended! I quickly threw in a bid that was a lot higher than the $42 I won them for.

[HexsHeroes]

Originally Posted by mr2686

Currently there are 8 signed 3x5's of Bert Hameric up on ebay, easily the most I have seen in many years. I couldn't even find one for a few years, and then stumbled upon one pretty cheap because the listing had his name spelled wrong. LOL

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Not claiming any or all the Hamric's 3x5s currently listed for sale previously resided in my vintage autograph collection before I sold it back in 2022. But I accumulated 10-12 Hamric items over 25+ years of collection. And key to that count was the opportunity to meet and regularly deal with super collector James Grant MacAlister. He provided me with several 3x5s and the only signed personal Hamric check that I have encountered over those years. I often wonder if there are any remaining collectors with collections of the magnitude of JMG whose items have yet to see the light of day again. Jack Smalling use to be in that camp but he since sold his collection afew years ago, via Heritage Auctions I believe.
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JGM also provided me with a quantity of Duke Maas 3x5s over the years. I sold/traded several of those 3x5s to vintage autograph dealer Ron Gordon at an early 2000's National Show. The rest were sold with my collection. Curious as to whether those have made it out into the marketplace.

[Topnotchsy]

I think the whole collectible market is very suppressed after the huge spikes during COVID, so it is hard to tell how things will settle in the long run.

I've wondered about this in the past (the idea that as time goes on, people are less and less interested in the past). It is possible that the younger generation today will be that way, but in the past, it seems that people continue to pay attention. People still collect items from the Chinese dynasties of hundreds (or thousands) of year ago. Coins for ancient Greece. Vintage furniture etc. And the hobby seems to be the same. I see many people under 40 who collected for years and have over time migrated to vintage.

I think that some see the present as a threat to the history. I think that for many, it is a gateway to the history. You watch Ohtani, and at some point start to learn more deeply about other two-way players like Babe Ruth or Bullet Rogan in the Negro Leagues. Or you look at a power/speed combination and here stories of Willie Mays etc.

[T206Collector]

On the card side, T206s are very common. But it is precisely the prevalence of T206 cards that breeds T206 collectors. You need a reasonable supply to generate conversation between collectors. That's why I got into autograph collecting -- but only the T206 guys. Collecting rare baseball autographs of players not associated with classic baseball card sets is not supported by a lot of interested collectors.

Relatedly, the setting of prices is driven by competition for items. But nobody knows how high to bid when there is no existing market. That’s why I spend a lot of time trying to educate collectors about the relative scarcity of T206 player autographs.

A popular Brooklyn Superbas from years gone by, but only because of the T206 set...

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

On the card side, T206s are very common. But it is precisely the prevalence of T206 cards that breeds T206 collectors. You need a reasonable supply to generate conversation between collectors. That's why I got into autograph collecting -- but only the T206 guys. Collecting rare baseball autographs of players not associated with classic baseball card sets is not supported by a lot of interested collectors.

Relatedly, the setting of prices is driven by competition for items. But nobody knows how high to bid when there is no existing market. That’s why I spend a lot of time trying to educate collectors about the relative scarcity of T206 player autographs.

A popular Brooklyn Superbas from years gone by, but only because of the T206 set...

Very astute point. Additionally, if there is not enough available, it removes a lot of the fun from collecting since part of the fun of the chase is actually finding what you are looking for.

Cards in general have some benefits including a known, clear checklist, small size (which makes them cheap to ship, easy to store and care for etc) etc.