While we, like so many other young American boys and girls, collected baseball cards as a kid ( from ages 5-12), we became a serious collector of rare baseball memorabilia two years after graduating from college in 1975. We were attracted to baseball memorabilia because our best friend’s dad had a world class collection. We enjoyed viewing that collection. Secondly our primary source of income was advertising and baseball and advertising have a history together that dates back to 1868.



Our collection has always been about quality and not quantity. Our collection includes advertising signs, pennants, player-endorsed sheet music, rare tickets, early programs and scorecards, a few games, and, of course baseball cards. In total we have less than 1000 items in our collection. We have about 400 baseball cards- almost everyone of which is a very high grade, often rare, type card.

Negro League- an important area of interest. We have studied the history of black baseball extensively. It is both a sad and interesting story. We have an extensive collection of tickets, programs, original Negro League baseball and photographs and a few real player post cards. We have donated several items to the Negro League Museum in Kansas City (http://www.nlbm.com,) It is our intent to leave our entire Negro League collection to the Museum. Our prized piece, which is on display at this site, is one of three surviving programs to the first Negro League World Series between Hillsdale and Kansas City.

The oldest piece in our collection is a n 1870 baseball team card. We have a plethora of 19th century baseball cards, programs, tickets and advertising items.

The most unusual item is a 1912 uncut sheet of Boston Garter baseball cards. Men wore garters before they wore socks. Boston Garter made a few cards and only distributed them to retailers. This sheet contains four cards and is, in our view, among the 50 most valuable baseball memorabilia items.

In fact, we are life-long Yankee Fans. Our dad is a life long Dodger fan. We have a special part of our collection called The Boys of Summer which is dedicated to Brooklyn Dodger memorabilia between 1947-1957. We have many special Dodger items including the ticket to Jackie Robinson’s first major league game, many one of kind post cards, player and team endorsed sheet music, high grade rare baseball cards and, of course the tickets to the last game at Ebbetts Field along with the ticket to the first game the Dodgers played in LA and the first game at beautiful Chavez Ravine. We also have an invitation to the ground-breaking ceremony for Chavez Ravine.

Whilst we have been collecting actively for 33 years, our tastes have not changed much. We focus on collecting the best available pieces in the best possible condition. Condition matters- in terms of maintaining value and in terms of the joy of viewing an item. Our collection focuses is limited to ten areas : 19th century baseball;
Pre-World War I Baseball;
Defunct Leagues- Union Association, Players Association, Federal League; Negro League; Early baseball books; Advertising Posters; Player endorsed sheet music; Boys of Summer Baseball; High Grade Baseball Type cards; Baseball books