Advice Appreciated
leftysgirl
Posts: 7
I am the daughter of Gene Bearden, the Cleveland Indians left hander that pitched them into the 1948 World Series against Boston.
My Father died in March and has left all of his memorabilia to me to ponder over!
Would you think that my dealing directly with true collectors would be better than a public auction site, as I value the items and want them to go to people that appreciate vintage baseball.
Thanks for any pointers you may share!
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Comments
Interesting!
I would think that dealing with an auction house like Mastro's would be the way to go.
You need that level authentication and assurance that they provide a collector.
However if you feel the items may be of less monetary value and more value to a die hard Indians collecotr for example,
then you might find those folks here.
Loves me some shiny!
Thanks!
It is an interesting project to undertake and one I guess I must do my homework on so that I best honor my Dad.
Once I let a jersey go to Lelands, but they weren't so nice to deal with. (As often the Big Dog's aren't!)
Welcome! I am very curious. What kind of items are we talking about? Signed baseballs - individual v. team? Uniforms? Trophy items?
There are so many good auction houses out there like Lelands, Rotmans, EAC, Hunt, Heritage etc.
Good luck and don't hesitate to ask questions here also.
your friend
Mike
I am speaking about autographed baseballs (individual and some team)/cards, photos, comic books, old timers game memorabilia, comic books, autographed copies of my Dad's movie (s) and so on. I even have a personal note in a frame sent to him and signed by Mantle and Brooks Robinson! Now, what do you think!
He never autographed much for the public and only in the last 2 years autographed most of his things for me as sort of a legacy, I suppose.
I dealt once with Leland's... so impersonal.
I really appreciate your imput and all tips are valuable to me.
My personal e-mail address is genemb@bellsouth.net and contact from true collectors is welcome, as this is a new venue for me.
Gene
My condolences on the passing of your father. I am touched that you wanted to seek expert advice on how best to distribute his memorabilia. You have taken on a poignant task.
As unsavory as some of the large auction houses may seem to be, you need to keep in mind that they are only a temporary evil and that they won't be the final resting place of your father's memories. In some ways, the larger the auction house, and the more money the items bring, the more dedicated and appreciative the buyer might be. That said, if Leland's or anybody else, has been at all difficult to deal with and treated you poorly, simply move on to the next one.
Gene Bearden
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
Unless you really need the money I would keep the memorabilia if I were you since it is sentimental. In my opinion, years from now its bound to increase in value even more.
As a collector, I agree with Winpitcher and Thurman - especially with the more personalized items. If you could see your way to keeping the items, you may be extremely thankful in the future.
I wish you the best
Mike
You might want to try Fusco Auctions. They are a Cleveland area auction house that deals with alot of items of former Indians. They also hold local live auctions here in Cleveland.
It is worth at least a phone call or email.
Here is the link to their site: Fusco Auctions
I am sure we all appreciate your thoughts for wanting to get your dads items that held sentimental value to him and to you into collectors hands. a idea i have is a idea you might want to pursue.
since i am a former major league baseball front office person i have been a member of the major league baseball players alumni association. this is a group of former front office people, players and anyone else that was affiliated with baseball that helps former players as well as their families who have fallen on hard times. here is a web address..( sorry i am linking impaired)
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/features/alumni/index.html
the president of this group is none other than brooks robinson and if you look at the board of directors i can guarantee you will recognize the names.
to get to my point...it might be possible for you to donate items to them so they can auction them off to raise funds to help continue what they have done in the past. to read some of the stories i have read in the newsletter its almost criminal that these players of today have millions of dollars but the men who paved their way cannot even pay burial expenses.
it would be great to have your fathers legacy be know that even though he is no longer with us, he is still giving back to the group i am sure he so dearly loved. you might want to contact them and see if this is a idea that is feasable. that way you can get these items to collectors hands as well as helping out some of your dads pals.
like i said it was just a thought and i am not sure what your financial situation is ....and its none of our business. but it is a thought and the alumni i am sure will definitley help you in your quest to find out the best way to maximize the return for these items.
if you have any questions about the alumni people email me...whitehse@warpnet.net or questions in general i would love to talk to you about your dad!!! i love old ballplayer stories!!!i am sure you have many of them
andrew