Curator, Collector or Hustler?

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

GW -

FUNNY THING... life imitating art... Have you ever been to the Nike Campus in Beaverton, OR? More specifically, the Nolan Ryan building?

The reason I ask is you could see a piece done by this man (whose name escapes me currently!):



Who built THIS Nolan Ryan Statue from items in Nolan's garage and stuff he was going to throw out...





Hope you enjoy it!!!

- Chris

Looks like he built that shirt out of stuff Nolan was throwing away as well.

[xpress34]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

Chris,

That's absolutely sick! The first house I was taken home to as an infant was in Beaverton, OR. Now I go to school at Reed College here in Portland. Do they accept visitors and/or give public tours? I could make the trek there and then report back to you guys at GUU...

Les -

I'm not sure. I haven't worked for Nike since about 2004, so I don't know what their current policy is. I do know they use to have a Visitor Center and such... you could probably find a number for the Nike Campus from information and call them directly.

BTW - I believe the artist's name is Leo Sewell.

All the best -

Chris

[lund6771]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

in some cases, it doesn't even seem like he offers much in return other than some pie-in-the-sky story about a museum that he's been trying to build for the past 35+ years. donate your item, to my personal collection, and one day it'll be in a museum! i think robert hit the nail on the head when he described it as a suspension of morality for the sake of personal collecting. the whole thing has the stench of a late night infomercial complete with bombastic claims.

rudy.

being in construction contracting, I would guess that this is EASILY a 50-100 million dollar project...and in Boca Roton, maybe even more

Hell will be freezing over before this thing is ever built

To me it's pretty obvious he is tricking athletes to donate these items to a museum that is never getting built....I wonder which auction house will get this "collection"

[frikativ54]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

GW -

FUNNY THING... life imitating art... Have you ever been to the Nike Campus in Beaverton, OR? More specifically, the Nolan Ryan building?

The reason I ask is you could see a piece done by this man (whose name escapes me currently!):



Who built THIS Nolan Ryan Statue from items in Nolan's garage and stuff he was going to throw out...





Hope you enjoy it!!!

- Chris

Chris,

That's absolutely sick! The first house I was taken home to as an infant was in Beaverton, OR. Now I go to school at Reed College here in Portland. Do they accept visitors and/or give public tours? I could make the trek there and then report back to you guys at GUU...

[cjw]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

it seems like everyone these days is opening up their own sports museum so it's high time i realize my dream as well. at the tender age of 4, i had a religious experience in which the ghost of tony fernandez appeared before me and told me i must gather 2 of every blue jays jersey in existance and open a museum. behold, the first physical prototype for the "Blue Jays Immortals Megalopolis":



(* does not convey full grandiose stature due to the fact that i had to use graham crackers.)

here is an artist's concept of how it will look when i open it on 165 acres of the finest Bahamian property:

Ownership: 100% me
Funding: 100% you
Source of collection: destitute widows of former players. have just purchased a 1974 el camino expressly for these travels. Have named it the "Carpetbagger Cruiser". have replaced the hood ornament with a silouette of an elderly widow in crosshairs.

for those of you concerned that i may be ripping some folks off here, let me assure you that i'm actually paying for these items via gifts i've made. for example, when i finally procure josh gibson's 1937 homestead grays jersey, i will in turn give his family a picture of josh that i've glued to some plywood (or particle board. whatever's on sale at home depot that week).

rudy.

Rudy..your post is great! Love the cracker-shack! I would like to be the first to pony up the $49.99 admission fee.

[xpress34]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

I agree - better to do something far less odd and intrusive. Wait till they put their trash cans out, take their garbage home, and make collage-type action portraits of the player from his own and his family's refuse. Let's keep this whole being a fan thing on a high plane.

GW -

FUNNY THING... life imitating art... Have you ever been to the Nike Campus in Beaverton, OR? More specifically, the Nolan Ryan building?

The reason I ask is you could see a piece done by this man (whose name escapes me currently!):



Who built THIS Nolan Ryan Statue from items in Nolan's garage and stuff he was going to throw out...





Hope you enjoy it!!!

- Chris

[kingjammy24]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

in all seriousness, i don't think there's anything wrong simply with the idea of approaching a player or their estate and proposing an equitable deal for game-used items, as long as it's done politely and honestly. i've done it and in each instance i've offered market or above-market rates. i've never personally accosted people. i've only used email and/or snail mail and if they indicated they weren't interested then i moved on. i always told them the truth that i was a collector looking for items for my personal collection.

i think the issues here are platt's m.o. he intentionally accosts people unannounced, because, as he puts it, it makes it harder for them to avoid him. he seems to have more in common with a process server than a collector. in some cases, it doesn't even seem like he offers much in return other than some pie-in-the-sky story about a museum that he's been trying to build for the past 35+ years. donate your item, to my personal collection, and one day it'll be in a museum! i think robert hit the nail on the head when he described it as a suspension of morality for the sake of personal collecting. the whole thing has the stench of a late night infomercial complete with bombastic claims.

rudy.

[sylbry]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

He is no fool. He understands that if given the items, the owner can ask for them back at any time and he must give them back. By giving the owner some trinket in return, it has become a completed transaction under contract law and he is now the rightful owner of the items.

However I would imagine he has some tax obligations he never fulfilled.

This guy gives me respect for Alan "Mr. Mint" Rosen. At least Mr. Mint is invited to their house and he pays for the cards or memorabilia in cash.

Bernie Madoff would be proud of Mr. Pratt.

[godwulf]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

I agree with some of you. I think he is a joke, going to players house's and making them give you stuff.

I agree - better to do something far less odd and intrusive. Wait till they put their trash cans out, take their garbage home, and make collage-type action portraits of the player from his own and his family's refuse. Let's keep this whole being a fan thing on a high plane.

[yanks12025]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

I agree with some of you. I think he is a joke, going to players house's and making them give you stuff.

[Rob L]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

Platt sold off some of his memorabilia a couple of years ago. Anyone have some of it? I have a Reggie Jackson jersey that came from Platt's collection.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

here's platt on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFK7exiZJdA

in exchange for these items, platt actually offered the players a picture of themselves on plywood. just what they always wanted. plywood. platt spared no expense.

nolan ryan - "here's my 1966 rookie shirt. it's the only one i have."
platt - "thanks! here's you on some plywood! enjoy!"

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

it seems like everyone these days is opening up their own sports museum so it's high time i realize my dream as well. at the tender age of 4, i had a religious experience in which the ghost of tony fernandez appeared before me and told me i must gather 2 of every blue jays jersey in existance and open a museum. behold, the first physical prototype for the "Blue Jays Immortals Megalopolis":



(* does not convey full grandiose stature due to the fact that i had to use graham crackers.)

here is an artist's concept of how it will look when i open it on 165 acres of the finest Bahamian property:

Ownership: 100% me
Funding: 100% you
Source of collection: destitute widows of former players. have just purchased a 1974 el camino expressly for these travels. Have named it the "Carpetbagger Cruiser". have replaced the hood ornament with a silouette of an elderly widow in crosshairs.

for those of you concerned that i may be ripping some folks off here, let me assure you that i'm actually paying for these items via gifts i've made. for example, when i finally procure josh gibson's 1937 homestead grays jersey, i will in turn give his family a picture of josh that i've glued to some plywood (or particle board. whatever's on sale at home depot that week).

rudy.

[godwulf]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

a man reaches onto the canvas in order to retrieve the bloodied piece of another man's ear in order to put it in his "museum". how's that for "social graces"? too bad ASI wasn't there to slap a hologram on it.

It's since been authenticated by PSA/DNA, no doubt.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Curator, Collector or Hustler?

This is a macabre little item...

i think i may have that one beat.. from an ESPN Magazine article about his collection:

"Just another day at the Sports Immortals Museum in Boca Raton, Fla., home to the greatest private collection of sports memorabilia in the universe. Proprietor Joel Platt has it all: Babe Ruth's hat and Shoeless Joe's bat. Ty Cobb's spikes and Evander Holyfield's ear ("Just a little piece I picked up off the canvas").."

a man reaches onto the canvas in order to retrieve the bloodied piece of another man's ear in order to put it in his "museum". how's that for "social graces"? too bad ASI wasn't there to slap a hologram on it.

rudy.