Byline: Joseph Pisani
It’s World Series time again and while the game heats up, so does a desire to own World Series baseball collectibles.
If you’re lucky enough to score World Series tickets, it might be a good idea to keep a look out at the stadium for things that might one day increase in value. Leila Dunbar, the director of the Collectibles Dept. of Sotheby’s in New York, says holding onto World Series programs is a good idea, even though it may take some time for them to increase in value.
If the program or ticket is from a unique game with a great story behind it, then the value to collectors will go up. For example, a World Series program from 1907 sold at Sotheby’s in December, 2005, for $20,400 — a bit over the high end of its $15,000 to $20,000 estimated sale price. The program comes from a unique game — it was the first time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. The Cubs won one other World Series, in 1908, but haven’t won another since then. By contrast, a more recent 1971 official World Series program is being sold on gottahaveit.com for $75.
Signed balls are also a collector’s favorite, so if you see a chance to get a player to sign a ball or bat at a World Series game, grab it. Dunbar offers this tip: Get the player to date his autograph. “Collectors love that,” Dunbar says, but on top of that, having a date of reference increases the value. A Derek Jeter 2001 World Series bat was sold for $26,450 at a Sotheby’s auction in December, 2004. The bat had Jeter’s signature as well as this unique, dated inscription: “Derek Jeter, ‘Mr. November,’ Game 4 Walk-Off HR, 11-1-01, W.S.”
Subway Souvenir
According to Peter Siegel, owner of Gotta Have It! Collectibles, which sells memorabilia at its store in New York City and online at www.gottahaveit.com, another hot item are game-used bases. Complete with dirt from the stadium, one base from a 2000 World Series game is on sale at gottahaveit.com for $9,500. Why the interest in collecting bases? Major League Baseball stamps the World Series logo on the top of each base, and they’re unique each year.
The base Gotta Have It is selling for $9,500 is from the “Subway Series” played between the New York Mets and Yankees. The base includes a trademark “Subway Series” design which features the Mets’ and Yankees’ logos along with the subway lines that service their respective stadiums.
Both Siegel and Dunbar warn that anyone buying baseball collectibles should stick to places that offer guarantees of authenticity. The Gotta Have It store always has a rotating inventory of baseball memorabilia. Sotheby’s also has an upcoming Dec. 1 online auction with SCP Auctions and an April, 2007, live auction featuring the estate of baseball legend Casey Stengel. Both venues offer firm guarantees.
Take a look at some items that have hit a home run at auction, as well as some World Series items currently available on the market.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2006/db20061025_739729.htm
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