The future of collecting...

[Larry Pelliccioni]

....seems to rest in those companies that are binding themselves to individuals and teams for the transferring of many of the items that we on this board would love to have.
Dealing with those that are out there lends itself to credibility on one hand and greed on the other.
As a long time collector, the ease with which one can obtain game worns has grown increasingly easier over time hence robbing me of some of the joy that went into past hunts.
While it has limited the disappointment of being told no, I find my inner voice saying no to many of the offerings based on lifestyle changes and a pricing structure well beyond a point that I feel supports such a charge.
I love this hobby. I have been a part of it for 37 years.
What I miss most is not the items I have transacted away but the fine people who were associated with it that no longer are. In a time where building relationships was the key to accumulating game worns, it is now only a case of a computer, a phone call and a credit card.
I respect today's collector who wants and demands the very best in all aspects however often overlooked and diminishing in value is the concept of trust that all of us once had.
Larry Pelliccioni

[WadeInBmore]

Larry...

I'm glad to see you make this post. I have been thinking along simialar lines as I look at and evaluate my collection...and while I don't have nearly the years in the hobby as you, I have managed to hear many stories about how it used to be.

I only started collecting GU items 4-5 years ago (roughly when I joined the GUU). My quest for tracking down Frank Thomas items has lead me along a path that has introduced me to many other Thomas fans and collectors. When I hear stories about availability and cost I can only WISH that I had been collecting back then. The hobby was young and still very "qwerky" to say the least. Items were made available to be sold...and enjoyed and not just to make a ton of money.

Due inpart to the competition that is forming in the hobby, I, at times, fear that I will not be able to "complete" my collection as I see fit. I can't compete with the deep pockets of some of the card companies and, for my situation, Thomas GU items are no longer being introduced into the hobby every year since he retired. What exists out in the collecting/hobby world is what exists for collectors to fight over. Period. Kind of grim IMO.

I will continue to be patient and wait for that NEXT item to show up on the open market that I can add to the collection. I just hope that I have $ in the bank at that time to spend on it 2014 is right around the corner and I suspect a lot of items to become available (given his strong HOF potential and '14 being his first opportunity), as people will undoubtedly be looking to strike while the iron is hot.

...I will continue my quest, no matter how frustrating because it will be rewarding when I do suceed in my goals!

wade

[pacman2680]

Excellent post Larry,

I too have not been around the hobby near as long as yourself, but can recall several years ago a fellow who I am sure you have all dealt with and known, he had a website called Jim's Jersey's and was able to provide me with some crucial knowledge that I needed back then getting started. He seemed glad to share insight and have a conversation about the hobby without any pressure to buy, or for that matter with no fees or strings attached. His info was invaluable to me at the time and I am happy to have crossed his path. There have been several others that helped me in the same way, and were forthcoming and honest. As you said for many dealers these days it is a bottom line business, and contacts do not matter as much. At least this site still allows us to connect with long time collectors who are still willing to share info and insight.

Cheers.

[commando]

I remember scanning the weekly Sports Collectors Digests to see if any game used items would be advertised. Several steady dealers would usually have ads of various sizes, and I'd look to see if anything new popped up. I was (and still am) a New Orleans Saints fan, and clearly remember how you simply could not find a GU Saints jersey before the internet became popular. My first GU purchase happened in 1995, when I picked up Rickey Jackson's first 1994 49ers jersey (a great player for the Saints, so this was the closest I could get to a "Saints" jersey at the time). I later traded the jersey away to another dealer I saw in SCD. Shortly thereafter, I picked up a nice Marquis Grissom Expos jersey (also in 1995) to display on my wall, as he was one of the best outfielders in baseball at the time.

As I did, you would often buy items that were cool and you liked, but would have to wait forever to find certain things. With that being said, I do kinda miss the old days of getting the big typewritten lists from Smoking Pistols and Sports Warehouse.

[beavisrules]

Good thread. I still have the thrill of the search Larry described for Notre Dame jerseys, as jerseys from pre-1990s and game worn ND bowl jerseys are incredibly hard to find. Also, finding quality ND alums jerseys that pre-date 2000 are still not easily obtainable either (our moderator Greg can vouch for that as well). Prior to the 1990s jerseys, the only way to get Notre Dame gamers was if the university donated the jersey for charitable auction or the players themselves sold them; otherwise, my understanding is the university donated them to local high schools and other organizations for use, which then disposed of them when they were worn out (imagine being in high school and being given Tim Brown's gamer to wear). For bowl game jerseys, the players always keep them - hence, typically you can only get them secondhand from the senior players selling them to pawn shops or ebay or such, or if the player turned the jersey back in to the athletic department for some reason. Also, the number of fake ND bowl game jerseys is roughly 50% of what you see for sale, so you absolutely have to do your homework. To put it in perspective, I think it has been two years now since I have seen a truly legit ND bowl game jersey for sale (2003 Gator Bowl jersey) - I have not seen a single one available since then other than fakes. The thrill of the search continues!

[solarlottry]

"My first GU purchase happened in 1995, when I picked up Rickey Jackson's first 1994 49ers jersey (a great player for the Saints, so this was the closest I could get to a "Saints" jersey at the time). I later traded the jersey away to another dealer I saw in SCD." quote from Commando.

I may have had that shirt at one point! I too used to wait at the mailbox for the SCD! I remember buying my first 49er gamers via an SCD auction where no one else bid and I won John Taylor and Brent Jones gamers for 200$ each.

Times have changed. Back then collecting and connecting was usually via word of mouth, luck, SCD or card shows. I think the internet has opened things up in such a way where collectors of the same player/team can connect and sell/trade way more easily than back then. Prices are different of course but back then gas was 1$ a gallon so everything has gone up. Also remember that their were still companies selling game used like MOS then that are similar to the JOs of today.

One thing that has been a constant is fakes!!! That will never change. I look thru old auction catalogs all the time. I have every GF catalog plus many Mastro and a few others and the same old fake Montana shirts were for sale back then as they are today. The internet has helped the collector avoid buying such fakes though as places such as this forum are on the junk shirts so quickly whereas years ago there was no method to mass distribute such valuable information.

I think game used collecting still can be quite fun albeit expensive. I meet other NFL and 49er collectors all the time and reconnect with people I have not heard from in years. It is also quite satisfying to finally get that shirt you have been looking for! The "HUNT" still is an important part of the hobby it is just done in a different manner than back in the early 90s.

Always buying 49ers gamers and ANY 1994 49er gamer. Always paying a finders fee!
Paul
garciajones@yahoo.com

[frikativ54]

I hardly pine for the "glory days" of collecting. I would not like to go back to the times where friendships determined what I could and couldn't have, where a few people capitalized upon the market and bought items the rest of us didn't have access to, and where you had to trust some mystery clubhouse source.

Now, I consider myself to be lucky. I am email lists that offer items I could have only previously dreamed of; I can have instant access to MLB.com Auctions where I can buy an item I am virtually assured is authentic. I can talk with other collectors halfway across the country and buy, trade, and sell with them.

If only there were the kind of access to game used collectibles back when I was growing up. It seems that the only people who want to go back to the good old days are those who had connections, those who had a good amount of income, and those who were in the know. I'm glad we don't have to return to those times.

[geoff]

I started collecting game used and worn items in late 2005 and have a very nice collection going as some of the members have seen.I have met many nice people on this site that are willing to help me get my collection going and keep it going.Back in 2005 it was hard to find items I thought that I wanted but during those years since you can find almost just about anything but it might cost you a bunch but you can find what you want.I do love it how teams now sell there game used items.And I love the fanfest concept that sells game used and worn for pretty cheap.I guess it depends what team though on the fanfests.I can only hope some of the teams that sell there stuff in the team stores do lower there prices in years to come and relize alot of people collect and really are not rich but just want to be part of the game and the closet most of us will ever get is collecting our favorite players items and love doing it.

[34swtns]

I've actually been having a similar discussion with Matt from the Bears thread lately. While it's nice that it's been much easier to obtain jerseys from our favorite team these last few years one can't help but wonder what it's doing to the market and the implications for the future.
Just a few years ago if you wanted a Lance Briggs jersey you put out feelers to other collectors, team sources and websites like Jim Yakel's in hopes that one might become available and hope you might have a shot at it when it does.
Those days are over.

Now you simply click on whichever Briggs jersey from whichever season you might like and assuming you have the crazy money that's being charged for it, it can be yours. It makes me wonder how this era will be looked upon by future collectors and how the values of the jerseys from the present day will be affected by that perception.

I'm quite sure that 10-20 years down the road Bears jerseys from the present day will be referred to as being from "the JO era" or some such title. I can also imagine that their resale value will be diminished because of that label. After all, how valuable will a 2006-20?? Lance Briggs jersey be in 20 years when it's common knowledge that there are a couple of dozen or more of them out there?

Back in 2004 when I bought my first Urlacher gamer (for $600 no less) it was good to know that I had potentially 1 of just a couple of his jerseys that had hit the market up until that time. With the Bears' agreement with Game Exclusives and then JO Sports, that number has risen substantially. And while Urlacher gear still commands a premium, JO gets top dollar for their new Urlacher items each season but those of us in the secondary market know the true value of his stuff and it's about half of what JO gets for it with the initial sale. That is directly attributable to the number of his gamers that have been and will be on the market. Quite a few, in fact.
When I first started collecting, invariably when I asked about resale value on an item, I would get the standard "buy what you like, not for resale" response from the oldtimers of the hobby. I never understood how anyone could think that way. After all, who wants to pay big money for things that don't acrue in value?
Nowdays that old saying makes more sense than ever.

I believe that the jerseys we're buying now, unless they were worn by superstars like Montana, Elway, Manning, Brady, etc. will not retain much of their original asking price at all due to the sheer numbers of them that are out there. In short, what is now a blessing in the ease with which we can obtain these items will surely be a curse upon their future value.

So, as a wiseman once said, "collect what you like, not for resale".

[mad87man]

It is very hard to tell. Yes it might hurt the market a little bit, it might also help b/c we will know more authenticity on things. Also high priced players will always go up in value and be harder to get. Look at Sanchez for example ( i am using him b.c i like the jets). Currently his stuff is in high demand and pretty high priced. If he won a super bowl his stuff would go threw the roof imo. Also if you want stuff that is harder to get and will be worth a little more go for rookie year things and take a chance on them, really that's what it is all about is chance. there is a chance it will be worth more a chance it will remain the same, and a chance its less.