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allstarsplus
02-04-2007, 05:00 PM
Maybe we can get Brandon to comment on the Forum!

1/31/07

BRANDON STEINER Q&A
Sports collectibles mogul discusses the exploding industry
By Mark Newman / MLB.com


Brandon Steiner is founder and chairman of Steiner Sports Marketing, one of the largest companies of its kind in America. Its inventory of collectibles includes more than 10,000 items and the company currently maintains relationships with more than 5,000 professional athletes of today and yesteryear. Once a one-man shop, Steiner Sports has grown into a $50-million enterprise that now includes Yankees-Steiner Collectibles (http://yankees.auction.mlb.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/User?id=YankeesSteinerList&wl=33340469&type=L) and Mets-Steiner Collectibles (http://mets.auction.mlb.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/User?id=MetsSteinerList&wl=33339254&type=L), with more on the way. In an interview with MLB.com, Steiner discussed various topics including some pointers for collectors:


MLB.com: How has the game-used area evolved over the last couple of years?

Steiner: Game-used is certainly a cornerstone. Kind of the way I look at the trading card business -- it's a cornerstone. A lot of collecting starts with game-used. At Steiner Sports, we do a lot of replicating of things. In order to do that, you need the game-used. So when you have a bat that hit a famous home run, it always starts as a premium -- but then the hobby steps in and replicates that. Pure and true collecting, you have to have some game-used stuff in it -- something actually worn by a player in that game. Game-worn and game-used is always going to be trendy, because things have a beginning and end. There's always one of those games.

MLB.com: How has your YankeesSteiner deal impacted the industry?

Steiner: It was a big, big message sent to many teams in many sports, that there's a lot of valuable stuff going on inside the stadium and locker room. They're going to wait for two things to happen. One, responsibilities: Teams now realize they have to give their fans the real stuff. There's so much stuff out there, but people didn't know what was real and what wasn't. And then there's the revenue source. More money can be generated with a better manager and player. There was so much said about Yankeescollectibles. There's a game plan out there to make sure the fans and consumers are protected, given all the things that occur with Yankee Stadium and the team. It's going very well, and it just amazes me how big that fan base and Yankeesproducts are. I'm surprised. And I'm amazed at just how big collecting of Yankeesmemorabilia really is.

MLB.com: How did that happen?

Steiner: We were doing so many relations with so many of their players, it was kind of inevitable that we do something with the team. Then we were talking to team president Randy Levine. There was the issue of authentication and protection -- making sure fans get the real thing. And what do you do with all that stuff? That was another question. The Yankees had so much stuff piling up in warehouses. How much can you save? So it was a combination of multiple issues.

MLB.com: Then came Mets-Steiner Collectibles, covering the New York fan base. How is that similar or different?

Steiner: The Mets are such a strong, upcoming team, yet the organization has such a huge identity and history. The Mets deal is a little more integrated, more marketing and promotion. There is room to do a lot more with the Mets and Shea Stadium. The deal ends up being a little different. There's a lot of excitement over in Queens and a willingness to go as far as they can.

MLB.com: How can a collector tell the difference between what is game-used and game-issued?

Steiner: I've not been a big fan of the game-issued. At the end of the day, it comes down to authentication. We have markings, and invisible markings, so people can't take game-issued stuff and try to convert them. A lot has to come down to authentication, and you do need to check on some of the more expensive things. Ten or 20 years ago, it was a lot more complicated. A lot of the tags are very similar. No one was really authenticating. It's a little tricky when you buy things that are older; you've got to be careful -- particularly with jerseys. Those are the crème de la crème. If you're going to buy something like that, go to at least two or three different experts who are out there and who authenticate regularly, and they'll know if there were a lot of game-issued at that particular time. A lot of teams didn't at that time. There were teams that had backups of backups and the ability to recreate and have stuff lying around. Take it to a few authenticators and they'll know, because that's all they've seen for years. Then you make a calculated judgment. To say you can tell 100 percent -- particularly with jerseys -- it's impossible.

MLB.com: How do fake game-used items affect the marketplace? What should collectors look out for and how can fakes be identified?

Steiner: I've always said the run we had of fake stuff in the '90s is probably what helped build up my company. It definitely hurt the overall growth. Whenever you have doubt in the consumer's mind, you're going to have difficulty. The reason we have it better now is that MLB is involved, and you have companies who are helping the authentication process. Let's say you see a supposedly authentic Dan Marino piece from 10 years ago. It would be hard to find that out. If you want a Derek Jeter game-used item, you would know it was worn in '96, because it has the Steiner hologram. Add the MLB authentication, and there's really a lot of comfort.

MLB.com: What is on the horizon for Steiner Sports?

Steiner: We're always trying to figure out how to get into the entertainment part. We're trying to develop more relationships like with Mets and Yankees. We just did that with Notre Dame and Syracuse. We'll be trying more MLB and colleges. We're just always looking to find some more inexpensive but cool things for people to collect. Things have gotten a little pricey over the last 10 years as well, and we're trying to find things that are priced responsibly so more people can get into the game. We've really been attacking the kids' market and getting kids involved in collecting through our "Last Licks" ice cream stores, with autograph signings at those stores -- whether you're 7, 8 or 9 years old. We have kids' starter kits on our site. More people are collecting when they're young. We've seen a difference already in the last five years. Kids are giving their opinion about what kids should be collecting. We also want to start trying to do our signings online, so people can actually watch these happen.

Mark Newman (Mark.Newman@mlb.com) is enterprise editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.