Saying Goodbye to the GU Hobby...It has been a Great Ride

[Moustache Gang]

Members,

After 20+ years of collecting mostly Oakland A's McAuliffe Jerseys, I have decided to sell my collection. The choice was an easy one. I believe the Lord has a greater calling for me and it is past due time to part with the collection. I need to focus more on those who have less than my family and we have clearly been blessed a thousand times over.

As I look back at acquiring the collection and the people and players I met in this hobby, I can reflect on many great times. Going to about 7 or 8 Nationals, meeting Reggie, Rollie, Campy and Fosse, and the GUF board has been one of the top five things to ever grace our hobby. Chris and the other mods have built a strong educational tool that has assisted hundreds of collectors make informed decisions.

As for the collection I have some guys calling me about filling their want lists. There are some fantastic jerseys. The green Joe Rudi in which he makes the fabulous catch up against the wall in the '72 series. I also have the beautiful gold Bert Campaneris jersey where he is photographed by a famed SI photographer hitting a foul ball and Johnny Bench ripping off his mask. This jersey sat in an old A's ballboy's footlocker for over 34 years!! Many of the jerseys in my collection have never seen the inside of an auction house. Many of the jerseys come from some of the greatest A's collectors to ever strap and A's jersey on a hanger or mannequin including Dick Dobbins, Frank Fleizach and Stan Marks. If you are looking for a certain player I have just about every A's player except for a couple like McLain, Mudcat, Trillo, etc.

If you are looking for a certain player send me an email and I will try to work out a deal. Those jerseys that do not sell to friends and other collectors will be going to a major auction house. I will be talking to Chris about putting some in GUF's next auction. There are almost 80 jerseys, plus hats, helmets, jackets, photos, postcards, etc.

Once my collection is sold I am going to spend time assisting those who are less fortunate. Back in October I was asked to give the keynote address on Crisis Planning for the Caribbean Shipping Association in Paramaribo Suriname (Dutch Guyana if you were in school in the 70s and 80s) Suriname is teh 7th poorest company in the world, 2nd in this half of the earth. While I was there I spent three days at an orphanage where up to 150 children call home. The only "toy" they had was an old tire. They played with it, jumped over it, rolled it and sat in it. What amazed me most is that every kid in that orphanage had a smile on their face. Even the ones who were confined to a wheelchair. When I took them dum dum suckers from Defiance Ohio and Herseys chocolate they had never had candy in their lives. The look in there eyes and the chocolate on their shirts said it all. I took the headmistress and her two kids to lunch one day at the Marriott where I was staying. While I went to the restroom I came back and noticed not only were they reading the menus upside down, the head mistress, Ingrid was crying. I asked her what was wrong and she staed it was the first time in 54 years that she had ever eaten in a restaurant!!! If that is not a tearjerker I do not know what is. We are now getting a team back together and sending 12 guys back to Suriname to finish off a 9 room school and library for the children. If any forum member is interested in going please let me know.

Take care, enjoy your collection, have a very Merry Christmas and remember that we have it so much better than so many others. If you can throw and extra buck into a United Way bucket or make an extra donation this holiday season it will go a long way.

God Bless each and every one of you.

Your friend

Mark (Moustache Gang)

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

[Kid4hof03]

Mark,
Good luck to you! It sounds as if you have found the right time and the right reason to exit the hobby. Your stories are so incredibly meaningful. The church I pastor currently supports an orphanage in Jamaica. We have the privilege of helping with the monthly needs of the home directors as well as 6 of the children, all from the same family.

I was in Kenya several years ago. On our trip back to the airport the sponsor pastor asked if we would allow his children to ride with us. Although they had lived within 60 miles, they had never seen Lake Victoria. Of course we loved having them ride with us and seeing their faces as they viewed the Lake was just priceless. At the airport our team gathered all our leftover schillings and gave them to the pastor and asked him to take his wife and children to a restaurant. He and his wife wept together as they had never all gone to a restaurant together. It is truly amazing the things that we are able to do each day and how much those blessings mean to those that are without means.

I applaud you on building a fantastic collection, but even more in being willing to release it for the good of those less fortunate than you.

Be blessed,
Abe

[notxpensv4u]

When it all comes down to it our collections are only pieces of wood and cloth another "man" has held. To be able to touch someone else in your lifetime and change the world is priceless. If everyone felt this way the world would be a better place. I will give some thought to any items I will purchase from you and even though I don't collect the A's. God Bless

[earlywynnfan]

I can't get Chris to reply to phone calls or emails, so perhaps someone can reach him for me:

Chris, would it be possible for members to put something in the next auction (or the auction that has moustache's items), with all proceeds going to this cause?

Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

[trsent]

Members,

After 20+ years of collecting mostly Oakland A's McAuliffe Jerseys, I have decided to sell my collection. The choice was an easy one. I believe the Lord has a greater calling for me and it is past due time to part with the collection. I need to focus more on those who have less than my family and we have clearly been blessed a thousand times over.

As I look back at acquiring the collection and the people and players I met in this hobby, I can reflect on many great times. Going to about 7 or 8 Nationals, meeting Reggie, Rollie, Campy and Fosse, and the GUF board has been one of the top five things to ever grace our hobby. Chris and the other mods have built a strong educational tool that has assisted hundreds of collectors make informed decisions.

As for the collection I have some guys calling me about filling their want lists. There are some fantastic jerseys. The green Joe Rudi in which he makes the fabulous catch up against the wall in the '72 series. I also have the beautiful gold Bert Campaneris jersey where he is photographed by a famed SI photographer hitting a foul ball and Johnny Bench ripping off his mask. This jersey sat in an old A's ballboy's footlocker for over 34 years!! Many of the jerseys in my collection have never seen the inside of an auction house. Many of the jerseys come from some of the greatest A's collectors to ever strap and A's jersey on a hanger or mannequin including Dick Dobbins, Frank Fleizach and Stan Marks. If you are looking for a certain player I have just about every A's player except for a couple like McLain, Mudcat, Trillo, etc.

If you are looking for a certain player send me an email and I will try to work out a deal. Those jerseys that do not sell to friends and other collectors will be going to a major auction house. I will be talking to Chris about putting some in GUF's next auction. There are almost 80 jerseys, plus hats, helmets, jackets, photos, postcards, etc.

Once my collection is sold I am going to spend time assisting those who are less fortunate. Back in October I was asked to give the keynote address on Crisis Planning for the Caribbean Shipping Association in Paramaribo Suriname (Dutch Guyana if you were in school in the 70s and 80s) Suriname is teh 7th poorest company in the world, 2nd in this half of the earth. While I was there I spent three days at an orphanage where up to 150 children call home. The only "toy" they had was an old tire. They played with it, jumped over it, rolled it and sat in it. What amazed me most is that every kid in that orphanage had a smile on their face. Even the ones who were confined to a wheelchair. When I took them dum dum suckers from Defiance Ohio and Herseys chocolate they had never had candy in their lives. The look in there eyes and the chocolate on their shirts said it all. I took the headmistress and her two kids to lunch one day at the Marriott where I was staying. While I went to the restroom I came back and noticed not only were they reading the menus upside down, the head mistress, Ingrid was crying. I asked her what was wrong and she staed it was the first time in 54 years that she had ever eaten in a restaurant!!! If that is not a tearjerker I do not know what is. We are now getting a team back together and sending 12 guys back to Suriname to finish off a 9 room school and library for the children. If any forum member is interested in going please let me know.

Take care, enjoy your collection, have a very Merry Christmas and remember that we have it so much better than so many others. If you can throw and extra buck into a United Way bucket or make an extra donation this holiday season it will go a long way.

God Bless each and every one of you.

Your friend

Mark (Moustache Gang)

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Mark, best to you in your new life adventures. I would clearly state that I am jealous of your ability to offer so much to those that do not have simple necessities in life that are offered. I wish you the best and remember everyday people like myself are praising you for your work with others as many of us cannot make such changes in our lives.

I praise you. The athletes we worship in the world are not worthy. You should be on a level above those in society for your work to help those in need who don't even know of the luxuries we all take for granted every day in our daily lives.

If you set up a blog for your journey, please post it here or email it to me as I would love to see your work as it progresses.

[skyking26]

It was a pleasure meeting you this summer in Cleveland. You post is a testimony to all that is good. Please email me so I may have you in my contacts. Merry Christmas to you and your family my friend...

RK

[Moustache Gang]

Members,

I cannot believe the overwhelming support of those who have posted here and those who have sent me emails. I know my decision is the correct one, but hearing from you guys really solidifies my decision and helps build the foundation for the next chapter(s) in my life. Your kind words mean the world to me and boy what great ideas you have.

Early Wynn Fans idea of an auction with all proceeds going to the Orphanage is a tremendous idea. I would put up some great A's jerseys, Ohio State Jerseys, A Clemson jersey or two and some Toledo Mudhens jerseys as well. If anyone could put in a minor league jersey or a pair of batting gloves or something just lying around collecting dust that would be great. Some item that brings in $15.00 would be great!!! I will talk Chris about setting this up and possibly having no hammer fee on all pieces for this special auction.

SkyKing it was great meeting you in Cleveland and I hope you health continues to get better, JoelSabi, notexpnsv4u, Kid 4 and Don from Ohio thanks for you great posts and other emails sent from others as well.

But can you believe the email from Joel Alpert. Here is a guy who I personally have not gotten along well with on this board as we had different points of opinion, yet he has not posted in a while, and comes back to say these great words of encouragement!! It takes a hell of a guy to say these great words. Joel everything you say is the truth. I can tell you Joel that I loved my beloved A's and I really enjoyed my collection, but at the end of the day they were just "jerseys on the wall". If I can take those "jerseys on the wall" and sell them and turn that investment into something that will benefit someone else who has far less than I, then I have made the greatest investment of all time. You cannot add up the Return on Investment (ROI) on the smile on a kids face as he gets to walk into his new school and play on a new piece of playground equipment. We have almost the world at our feet, yet these kids having nothing. Nothing but the love of God which is everything.

Just think if Joel and every member on this message board could donate one item...how much money could we make for this orphanage? If we could bring in $5K or $10K that is halfway to completing a 9-room school and library for these kids who have nothing. I am personally puyting up $10K to get this started and we are working with churches to fund the flights for the volunteer workers. If you can donate one piece to this special auction please let me know by email.

Yes we will start a blog about this amazing adventure. Thanks again to all and as you are truly fantastic people.

God Bless.

Mark
Moustache Gang
www.weimerskirch95@aol.com

[allstarsplus]

Members,


Just think if Joel and every member on this message board could donate one item...how much money could we make for this orphanage? If we could bring in $5K or $10K that is halfway to completing a 9-room school and library for these kids who have nothing. I am personally puyting up $10K to get this started and we are working with churches to fund the flights for the volunteer workers. If you can donate one piece to this special auction please let me know by email.

Yes we will start a blog about this amazing adventure. Thanks again to all and as you are truly fantastic people.

God Bless.

Mark
Moustache Gang
www.weimerskirch95@aol.com

Mark - What a great idea if Chris went for it! I would donate some items! Keep in touch!

[tigerdale]

Peoples goodwill & kind hearts amaze me everyday.....this is a perfect example...I wish you nothing but the best!!! Also, yes, I would donate to that auction.
Dale

[skyking26]

[quote=Moustache Gang;173706]Members,

I cannot believe the overwhelming support of those who have posted here and those who have sent me emails. I know my decision is the correct one, but hearing from you guys really solidifies my decision and helps build the foundation for the next chapter(s) in my life. Your kind words mean the world to me and boy what great ideas you have.

Early Wynn Fans idea of an auction with all proceeds going to the Orphanage is a tremendous idea. I would put up some great A's jerseys, Ohio State Jerseys, A Clemson jersey or two and some Toledo Mudhens jerseys as well. If anyone could put in a minor league jersey or a pair of batting gloves or something just lying around collecting dust that would be great. Some item that brings in $15.00 would be great!!! I will talk Chris about setting this up and possibly having no hammer fee on all pieces for this special auction.

SkyKing it was great meeting you in Cleveland and I hope you health continues to get better, JoelSabi, notexpnsv4u, Kid 4 and Don from Ohio thanks for you great posts and other emails sent from others as well.

But can you believe the email from Joel Alpert. Here is a guy who I personally have not gotten along well with on this board as we had different points of opinion, yet he has not posted in a while, and comes back to say these great words of encouragement!! It takes a hell of a guy to say these great words. Joel everything you say is the truth. I can tell you Joel that I loved my beloved A's and I really enjoyed my collection, but at the end of the day they were just "jerseys on the wall". If I can take those "jerseys on the wall" and sell them and turn that investment into something that will benefit someone else who has far less than I, then I have made the greatest investment of all time. You cannot add up the Return on Investment (ROI) on the smile on a kids face as he gets to walk into his new school and play on a new piece of playground equipment. We have almost the world at our feet, yet these kids having nothing. Nothing but the love of God which is everything.

Just think if Joel and every member on this message board could donate one item...how much money could we make for this orphanage? If we could bring in $5K or $10K that is halfway to completing a 9-room school and library for these kids who have nothing. I am personally puyting up $10K to get this started and we are working with churches to fund the flights for the volunteer workers. If you can donate one piece to this special auction please let me know by email.

Yes we will start a blog about this amazing adventure. Thanks again to all and as you are truly fantastic people.

God Bless.

Mark
Moustache Gang
www.weimerskirch95@aol.com[/quote
Whether donation to this site or just sending items directly to you...consider it done. I know from our brief discussion at the National and these posts that what you are doing is by far more important than the aspect of "collecting."

My take on collecting is what it always has been; a relief from all stresses and a connection to what I love well behind my family. You solidify that. Just email me at any time and lmk which way you would like to go...here or have my just send you some items.

RK