Obtaining Game Used Items Directly From the Player

[nick1980]

I was wondering how many of you have purchased your items directly from the athlete? and if you have did you take their word 100% on either what game they used the item or that they actually did use it?

I'm a alumni of University of Oregon and have always collected items of the guys who go pro. This year my sports partner and I where able to get in contact with Dennis Dixon, Johnathan Stewart, Cameron Colvin and a couple other guys and we purchased their game used jersey's, cleats and got tons of auto's. I also got Dennis Dixon's minor league baseball bat from his stint with the Braves. Of course it had someone else's name engraved but he signed it "game used Braves" and it shows tons of use. I can't imagine him keeping someone else's bat.... I thought it was fun asking what games they used these jersey's in most they knew but some they didn't the ones they knew we had them inscribe "game used ______ " for the particular game. We also got tons of pictures of them signing the items it was completely new for me as I get almost all my items from auction and have never received something from a athlete. We did pay for everything so nothing was free. If someone needs some Dixon or Stewart auto's let me know

[B1SON]

Joe Mays pictured below was just drafted by the Eagles. He is like a son to me. I have bought all his equipment (jerseys, helmet, etc.) directly from the NDSU athletic department, but from now on, he will be getting me his pro stuff.

[godwulf]

A few years ago, I saw a couple of nice, big MLB player's equipment bags, one from the Mariners and one from the Diamondbacks, on eBay. The Seller turned out to be Bob Wolcott, who pitched in the Majors for several teams in the mid to late '90s, and is now retired in a small town up in Oregon. He told me the bags were just gathering dust in his garage, so he decided to get rid of them.

I bought the DBacks bag, which is really nice, even though I have no idea how I'm ever going to display it and it's still sitting in a box in my bedroom closet.

Since he and I were emailing back and forth anyway, I asked Bob whether he'd mind signing a few cards for me, and he said Sure. I sent him three or four cards, and got those back signed, along with a couple of others that he had that I didn't - I thought that was pretty cool.

[Spiezio23]

I am the one that got the Mariners bag from him. I am in the same situation, how to display it. It's in a plastic storage tub right now since I'm moving later this year but I still have no idea how/where I'll display it. I really wish I had bid on his fielding glove at the time, but oh well. I do recall he kept his jerseys for his kids but the rest was gathering dust.

-Jeremy

[godwulf]

I must have missed seeing the glove...although somebody else had one of his gloves up on eBay at about the same time, and I emailed a link to him and he took a look and confirmed it had been one of his, before I bid and eventually got it.

I could probably figure out a way to display the bag here in the master bedroom if I got off my butt and just did it. Probably some variation of hanging it from the ceiling, I'm thinking. I already put up a special shelf about 8 feet up that holds and displays my three Matt Williams golf bags (the ceiing is about 12 feet high at that end of the room) so the equipment bag shouldn't be all that much of a challenge.

Heck, if I quit my job and worked at it full-time, I could probably have my collection organized and displayed...in a matter of years.

[Spiezio23]

For some reason I thought he was the one that sold it.. I guess I "Missremembered". That's still cool, and I've yet to see any of his jerseys anywhere.

-Jeremy

[godwulf]

I've managed to track down a number of those black, mesh BP jerseys from the '98 DBacks - I bought eleven in one deal alone - but nothing of Wolcott's; I haven't seen any of his jerseys for sale, either.

[ahuff]

I have a question. I regularly attend minor league games. This year I have made it a priority to talk to players and attempt to get game used/worn gear, directly from them. Mind you, I am only asking those players that I enjoy watching, and it isn't necessarily the "star" player in everyone else's mind. I've been moderately successful in obtaining a few bats. Does anyone have some suggestions on how to approach players so that I might have a bit more success? I guess I don't know how to show them that I'm not a "dealer" but rather just a true fan. Not to mention, what is the best way to break the ice with such a conversation?

[camarokids]

Spring Training 1997 at the Cardinals Training Camp . A female shows Mark Sweeney a picture , next thing I know he gives her a bat .

The girl showed him a picture of her collection of bats and asked Mark for a bat to add to her collection .

It worked .

I got like 20 bats in a two week period at the Camp that year . I just asked for a bat .

I bet it helped that 1997 was the last year the Cardinals were in St. Petersburg ......

[Chris78]

I am actually wanted to ask this same type of question. I personally have asked two players with no success each time. One was on my last day at the Arizona Fall League and once at the Reading Phillies this year.

I would think that some of the influence would also be how large of a crowd is on hand, how many cracked bats happened during the game, type of player it is, etc.

I also wanted to know if the player's that you have asked actually have the name of the player on the bat. The higher you go (AA-AAA) they probably do, but lower levels seem less likely to have bats with names on them.