Thanks all for the great response to Auction 101 on Thursday. Sounds like it will be a lot of fun. You'll notice in the headline that it said essentials for the SERIOUS collector. You don't have to have any of these things to have  a great time at an auction. There's lots of people who go every week with a wallet and a smile. 

If you truly do want to turn your hobby into a profitable side business, or just want to make sure you get the best deal possible there are a few things that I recommend you bring with you. 

1. Ain't technology great! You probably have this with you already.  A cell phone with picture taking capabilities, (close ups if possible) and the ability to get on that new interweb thing. You can truly do research in seconds and find out actual values and what to look for. IE: Did you know that according to experts, 80% of the signed sports memorabilia on ebay is fake? Do your homework. If you're going to shell out a hundred dollars or more for a signed card or book, check out the signature to make sure it's real.

2. Simple to carry, cheap to buy. A jewelers loupe can be picked up for about 10 bucks. Not only great to actually check out jewels to check real from paste, but also to get a close up look at that signature.

3. An electronic scale. I know, who wants to wander around carrying a huge scale. Not a bathroom scale (which I avoid at all costs) but a small electronic scale that measures grams. A typical gold ladies ring weighs between 2.5 and 10 grams. It's important to know if you're buying for scrap weight if it's 2 or 10. At 18-19 dollars a gram for 10k gold, you could be out a chunk of money in a hurry.The scale also comes in handy when calculating shipping weights for ebay parcels

4. The cheapest of them all. A notepad. If you've picked out 6 or 7 things at the preview you want to bid on, it's extremely handy to take down any notes as it's easy to forget. Like, did that tin toy come in a box? What were the markings? Trust me, you won't want to forget this one. It's also really handy to take down other collectors info as they may have what you want and visa versa.

5. Ok, this one is actually for between the preview and the auction. Reference books. I've created quite a library on all things collectable. From books on silver makers marks, to comics, to rare books, to beanie babies, to pottery, to tin toys etc. I seldom spend more than a buck or two as all I'm trying to do is get a feel for the particular item. For instance, an original Robbie the Robot Japanese made tin toy has been reproduced for quite some time. If you can buy one at an auction for $30-$40 you can almost be guaranteed it's a reproduction. ( Robbie can go for over $2500 in the box).  A good reference book will tell you how to tell the difference.
Most of my reference books are out of date so the pricing is totally wrong but I know if the item is listed it has a history and I can check the pricing trends if not the actual price.

So, looking forward to the preview on Wednesday, if anyone needs help or any questions answered, give me a call. Happy picking!

One of the best things for me about doing collectables is the chance to go to auctions.  The variety of items, the chance to find that hidden gem and the ability to get something for less than you think it's worth is one of the main drawing cards. In the last several months I've referenced some of the auctions that I go to on a regular basis and have had some great feedback. One of the common questions I get is "Can I go to one with you". The easy answer to that is "OF COURSE". 

For those of you who live locally I would love to have you join me. For those of you who follow online, I am going to make it easy as I am going to have a quick "how to" for beginners for next Thursday, January 31st. If you would like to join me just leave a note here on the contact page. 
What I intend to do is to give everyone an imaginary $100. I may use a real $100. On Wednesday we are going to preview the catalogue. On Thursday we will physically go to Madison's Auction in Abbostford and preview the physical items. I will then give you all the chance to do some research on the items you saw, come up with a maximum bid, and we'll follow the auction to see if we can score a great deal. Depending on everyone's schedule, Madison's has the ability to use Live Bidding online, so we may follow along that way. I will use video to discuss some of the cool things we find and how we do our research. 
We will also run down some of the basic first time auction do's and dont's and some of the essential tools we will need. 

So, I would love to see you there, or follow along. Either way, drop me a line and let me know if you want to come out and play. An education, some fun and maybe a few bucks, Yay!

From the Superman of steroids, the Emperor of EPO, the Head Honcho of Human Growth..you get the idea. 

If there is one iconic and magical record in baseball, it was Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs in 1961. For nearly 50 years the bombers of baseball had been unable to reach the pinnacle. Micky Mantle, Carl Yastremski, no one. Then came the 90's. The bash brothers, Sammy Sosa, Palmero, everyone starting hitting dingers. Long dingers, not barely clearing the fence but monster moon shots to the third deck and out of the stadium. Of course it was revealed that most of the calf crushers were on the juice. 

The leader of the pack was Mark McGwire, who smoked his 70th home run of the season in 1998. Both McGwire and Soso destroyed Maris' record that year. Todd McFarlane. the comic book magnate shelled out an incredible $3,000,000 for the ball. He also owns at least 5 other baseballs from that season from McGwire and Sosa. 
McFarlane admits he overpaid for the ball, but generously includes it in his touring museum that raises money for charities. Hopefully McGwire got some of the money so that he can build up his swelling hat collection for his swelling steroidal melon. 

So, if money and brains are no object you too can collect extremely rare and valuable baseballs. Or, you can build a collection of beanie babies and buy a house to put them in, complete with their own swimming pool and private gym. Your choice. 

Even if you're not a sports fan, the notoriety of this card is such that you have probably heard of it, even in passing.  

Even if you don't agree on how he went about doing it, there's no denying he did it. Amid the controversy of steroids and EPO, Barry Bonds passed "Hammerin Hank" Aaron to become baseballs' all-time home run hitter with his 756th dinger. 

The ball was caught by a 22 year old fan who then sent it to auction. Showing the same respect to the eventual buyer as he did to the integrity of the game, Bonds called the purchaser "stupid" for paying $752,467 for the ball. The purchaser, Mark Ecko set up a website asking fans to let him know what should happen to this famous baseball. Over 10,000,000 fans determined that is should go to the Baseball Hall of Fame...with an asterisk! It is currently in Cooperstown New York

Something about baseball and the hold it has on the imaginations of the American Public. Tomorrow, the most valuable sports card in history and it's Canadian connection.

More than just a candy bar! The Babe. A true bigger than life personality and the first true sports star.

The Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, George Herman Ruth transcended sports. From his outrageous carousing to his extraordinary generosity everything the Babe did was big. Before steroids, the Babe bulked up on beer and hotdogs. Most remember him as being the king of swing and a monster home run masher. What a lot forget is that he was an outstanding pitcher during his first 4 seasons with the Boston Red Sox before converting to right field when he was traded to the Yankees

Most people think that the above picture is his rookie card, but his true first card, seen at the top may be one of the rarest ever. The St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys card where the Babe went before he joined the Sox has only a few samples known. The last one that went to auction in 2008 sold for $517,000. That's a lot of chocolate. 

Tomorrow, what do the 3 most valuable sport's collectables have in common?

Some say it't the most unlikely sports record ever to be broken. Though I personally don't agree; Gretzky's 50 goals in 39 games and Lemieux scoring 5 goals 5 different ways in the same game are tougher. 

Wilt the Stilt, the first of the 7' centres who could score, proved that he was pretty capable on the court as well as off the court (he claims to have bedded 10,000 women) scored an incredible and unmatched 100 points in a March 1962 game with his Philadelphia Warriors eking out a 169-147 win over the hated New York Knicks. 
When Wilt scored the 1ooth point with less than a minute to go, the crowd went wild, flooding the floor with crazed fans. The game never did resume and during the mass hysteria, the 100 point ball disappeared! There were only 4124 fans there to watch the game so one lucky viewer left with an incredible souvenir.  The ball is estimated at $500,000. 

Do you recognize this logo? Looks familiar, doesn't it. No, it's not an old Detroit Red Wings uniform. It's the uniform of the 1883 Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the first Canadian  winner of the  Stanley Cup. 

This cup was originally given out to the best amateur hockey club, but after several mergers between amateur hockey leagues, the cup became the defacto prize for the NHL bragging rights.  

If you recognize this uniform "hey, that's the one sitting in grandma's attic" then phone in sick, because you just retired. These wool jerseys have disappeared. A panel of memorabilia experts last year have said that if one of these jerseys were to show up it would be worth at least $400,000.

Are they out there? Are these treasures stored in someone's attic or basement? If they are, let's hope they are found soon. 130 years of moths, rot, mold and mildew are sure to have taken a hard toll. So if you have an older relative in the Montreal area who has a hockey background, give them a call. You never know what might show up. 

Tomorrow, #5. Wilt the Stilt shows what he's made of. 

Many casual baseball fans have heard of Shoeless Joe Jackson. He was infamous for being part of the 1919 World Series fix of the World Series as a member of the Chicago White Sox. "The Black Sox" scandal haunted him for life. Though other members of the Sox admitted to fixing the games, Shoeless Joe went to his grave denying any part of it, his numbers bear him out. 
Shoeless Joe was given his nickname early in his career. He came from poverty and had little schooling, because of this, he had to go to work early as a youngster. He became a "linthead", a term for mill workers in the town of Greenville, South Carolina.  While playing for the mill club at $2.50 a day, his feet become blistered while wearing a pair of cleats. He took his shoes off while standing in the batters box and when he got a hit and took off towards first, a fan yelled to him "Joe, you shoeless son of a gun". The nickname stuck and forever more he was known as Shoeless Joe. 

Since he could not afford to go to school, he was known to be illiterate, a fact which bothered him deeply. This eventually effected his baseball memorabilia as his sister signed most of his pictures, cards etc. The very few know signatures of his are extremely rare and valuable. A known example was sold at auction in 1990 for $23,500. This makes his signed bat, known as "Black Betsy" extremely rare. The only known signed example was sold to an American collector at a Sotheby's auction for $301,000.

Tomorrow, #6 most valuable sports collectable: the Canadian connection!

Sometimes a collection is about the periphery. Most of us have a love/hate affair with TV. Especially around Saturday nights when the NHL is back on (YES!) Like most of you I like all things TV. As many of you know my beautiful wifey and I live on a float home and space is a major issue. As much as I would like to be able to collect radios and antique televisions, there is just no room. But I can collect the adjuncts that make TV and radio interesting. Many TV lovers collect old TV guides, TV scripts etc just like a Hot Wheels collector will try and collect the track, carrying cases and sometimes the old ads that go with it. It just makes your obsession more complete.

Here is a 1932 Radio and Television Institute training manual, basically a home training course in the new field of electronics. There is a great section in here on the possibility of the new invention TV coming to everyones home in the near future. This is history, this is the kind of thing that is not easy to find but makes makes a wonderful conversation starter when seen by visitors. This particular issue comes with a two page typed letter from the institute to the new student (who lives on a chicken farm) telling them that there is no way that there is no way they can get enough power from their farm light power plant to run a 5 tube  radio receiver. This is what I look for, something that personalizes the experience. Anyone can go out and buy an old TV or radio, but trying to find these types of items is the icing on the cake.