Consignments Wanted. Immediate need for Game Worn Jerseys, Game Used Bats, Autographs, Memorabilia of all categories. Collections big and small. Please contact Troy R. Kinunen at (414) 828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com 

Consignments Wanted. Immediate need for Game Worn Jerseys, Game Used Bats, Autographs, Memorabilia of all categories. Collections big and small. Please contact Troy R. Kinunen at (414) 828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com 

October 15th, 2014

There is a new BUZZZZZZZZZZ at MEARS. We recently completed a very special private signing with 20th Century Fox Legend David Hedison, the lead actor in the sci-fi movie, “The Fly”.

The movie tells the story of a scientist Andre Deambre (David Hedison) that is found dead with his head and arm crushed in a hydraulic press. His wife confessed to murdering the beast, but when the police investigate, the crushed monster had the head of a house fly. Later, during the climatic ending, the transformed fly is found with the scientists head, yelling “Help Me!”.

On October 15th, 2014, we contracted with actor David Hedison for a private autograph signing. The 87 year old actor agreed to sign a very special limited edition 16×20 of his character from the movie. In addition, (100) trading card sized photos were signed. The photos will be verified via an official David Hedison hologram that verifies the date of the signing. The expert staff of JSA will also authenticate the items and include their company’s hologram, further documenting the signing. The cards were signed in near mint blue sharpie and turned out wonderfully. Mr. Hedison nailed the signing, changing pens after several signatures, and the custom 16×20 images are like miniature works of sci-fi art. We are glad to add this image to our portfolio.

Regards,

Troy R. Kinunen

troy@mearsonline.com

October 15th, 2014

There is a new BUZZZZZZZZZZ at MEARS. We recently completed a very special private signing with 20th Century Fox Legend David Hedison, the lead actor in the sci-fi movie, “The Fly”.

The movie tells the story of a scientist Andre Deambre (David Hedison) that is found dead with his head and arm crushed in a hydraulic press. His wife confessed to murdering the beast, but when the police investigate, the crushed monster had the head of a house fly. Later, during the climatic ending, the transformed fly is found with the scientists head, yelling “Help Me!”.

On October 15th, 2014, we contracted with actor David Hedison for a private autograph signing. The 87 year old actor agreed to sign a very special limited edition 16×20 of his character from the movie. In addition, (100) trading card sized photos were signed. The photos will be verified via an official David Hedison hologram that verifies the date of the signing. The expert staff of JSA will also authenticate the items and include their company’s hologram, further documenting the signing. The cards were signed in near mint blue sharpie and turned out wonderfully. Mr. Hedison nailed the signing, changing pens after several signatures, and the custom 16×20 images are like miniature works of sci-fi art. We are glad to add this image to our portfolio.

Regards,

Troy R. Kinunen

troy@mearsonline.com

Chicago, IL (August 17th, 2014): MEARS Sports & Entertainment division conducting a private autograph signing with legendary voice actor, Peter Robbins. “AAUGGGHH” and “Good Grief” were first uttered by Peter Robbins for the very first Charlie Brown movies. One of the most recognized character voices of all time, Robbins gave life to the Charlie Brown character in the hit movies, “A Boy Name Charlie Brown”, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, and “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”.

During the signing Robbins was a joy to work with. He had a great understanding for the character and the effect it had on his legion of fans. When asked to add special inscriptions to the items, he stopped, thought about what he was doing, and then, ran all of the scripts featuring his lines through his head. Then, he carefully pulled out dialog that would make the perfect inscription for each piece.

His autograph was neat, strong, and consistent. He worked diligently to perfectly sign each piece that was put before him. At the end of the signing, I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to work with “Charlie Brown”. None of the items from the signing are currently available for sale.

Autographs Wanted for Consignment to MEARS Auctions. Please contact Troy R. Kinunen at (414) 828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com 

Chicago, IL (August 17th, 2014): MEARS Sports & Entertainment division conducting a private autograph signing with legendary voice actor, Peter Robbins. “AAUGGGHH” and “Good Grief” were first uttered by Peter Robbins for the very first Charlie Brown movies. One of the most recognized character voices of all time, Robbins gave life to the Charlie Brown character in the hit movies, “A Boy Name Charlie Brown”, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, and “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”.

During the signing Robbins was a joy to work with. He had a great understanding for the character and the effect it had on his legion of fans. When asked to add special inscriptions to the items, he stopped, thought about what he was doing, and then, ran all of the scripts featuring his lines through his head. Then, he carefully pulled out dialog that would make the perfect inscription for each piece.

His autograph was neat, strong, and consistent. He worked diligently to perfectly sign each piece that was put before him. At the end of the signing, I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to work with “Charlie Brown”. None of the items from the signing are currently available for sale.

Autographs Wanted for Consignment to MEARS Auctions. Please contact Troy R. Kinunen at (414) 828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com 

Chantilly, VA – On April 6th, 2014 MEARS Auctions in conjunction with Waukesha Sports completed a very special private signing with Joe Namath. The New York Jets legend signed (10) 1965 Topps rookie cards. Each card was signed perfectly in near mint blue sharpie marker. Namath is become increasingly rare on the autograph show circuit.

Consignments Wanted. Immediate need for Game Worn Jerseys, Game Used Bats, Autographs, Memorabilia of all categories. Collections big and small. Please contact Troy R. Kinunen at (414) 828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com

Chantilly, VA – On April 6th, 2014 MEARS Auctions in conjunction with Waukesha Sports completed a very special private signing with Joe Namath. The New York Jets legend signed (10) 1965 Topps rookie cards. Each card was signed perfectly in near mint blue sharpie marker. Namath is become increasingly rare on the autograph show circuit.

Consignments Wanted. Immediate need for Game Worn Jerseys, Game Used Bats, Autographs, Memorabilia of all categories. Collections big and small. Please contact Troy R. Kinunen at (414) 828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com

Fan, Family Man, Friend, Husband, Historian, Clubhouse Man, Food Connoisseur, Patriot, and Collector. Bill Topitzes was not defined by any one facet of his life’s passions, if you knew him; you realized that all of the above interests combined made him the man he was. Although we spoke of his many hobbies, his family was the most important thing in his life. Not one discussion went by without him mentioning his wife, daughter, son, grandkids or extended family.

Because of the love for his collection, I had the privilege to meet and get to know Bill Topitzes on a professional level. Because of his passion for life, I was able to make a friend. His personal collection was an assemblage of mementos that were directly related to Bill’s experiences in professional baseball. The programs, tickets, and letters were a reflection and time capsule of the players and the era and offered a very personal insight to the men that built the game we love today.

Bill was very proud of his Greek heritage and was a lifetime supporter of the local Orthodox Church. Not everybody knew his real name, as he was commonly referred to as “The Greek”. It was a nickname he was quite proud of. He told me stories about his ethnic family and growing up in Milwaukee.

As much as he loved baseball, he felt it was his duty to serve in the Army during the Korean War. After a 13 year career as a clubhouse attendant, Bill joined the Army in 1954, leaving his prestigious job after the inaugural season of the Milwaukee Braves (1953). His sense of duty was greater than his love of baseball. He also found that when he returned from the Army, his position with the club was filled and he never worked in professional baseball again.

He never dwelled on that, but instead, entered college on the G.I. Bill and earned his degree. Many of his baseball friends extolled the virtue of a college education in the letters they sent Bill. Out of respect, he took their advice. With the security of a new career, he married his sweetheart Maggie and soon started the family he adored.

When not working, Bill was a voracious reader and subscribed to numerous magazines, publications, and built a very large personal library of reference books that dealt with the hobby and many other subjects.

No matter the discussion- politics, cuisine, world history, local news, sports, or family, Bill was well versed and enjoyed a good conversation. Bill also loved to eat. He could not have been any taller than 5’6”, but he ate as much as a giant, and loved his food.

It has been an ongoing tradition for several local collectors to meet at the MEARS Museum on the night of the auction close. MEARS supplied beverages, appetizers, and lunch to those in attendance. At nearly 80 years old, Bill would show up 11:00 PM and stay until the 2:00 AM auction close. Over a three year period, he may have only missed 3 auction night closes.

His main job was to keep me company, but he would scour every lot and bid on items that had a local Milwaukee flavor or be associated with a player that he befriended. During those final hours of the auction, it was almost traditional to watch Bill help himself to 3 full plates of food. He was an eating machine. His stories about the items and the players were truly educational, and I learned much from Bill’s experience.

On August 28th, 2013, Milwaukee Collector extraordinaire, Bill Topitzes passed away at the age of 80.

Bill’s collection started in 1940, while he was a clubhouse attendant for the AAA Milwaukee Brewers who played at Borchert Field. In a trend that continued for the next 70 years, Bill saved dugout cards, bats, programs, scorecards, autographs, and cards.

Bill’s card collection was compiled the old fashioned way – card by card, one at a time. The collection was neatly organized numerically, each set housed in a binder, many with the early 8-9 pocket sheets that were first sold in the 1970s. The overall condition was nice, averaging EX in most cases. Many of the sets were completed, but others still had holes to fill. Since Bill never stopped collecting, he continued to work on his collection to the very end. The missing cards also showed that the hobby he loved was not an obsession, and while enjoying other facets of life, his collection could wait.

His team signed baseball collection serves as a time stamp of his life in baseball. Minor league teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Paul Saints, and Toledo Mudhens were all obtained during his clubhouse career during the 1940s. It was interesting to note that each ball was signed on the official minor league baseball of the league, carefully collected by Bill as tips for a clubhouse job well done.

A fan of statistics, Bill personally wrote to most major league clubs and requested the recent program or media guide. A subscription of team newsletters kept him connected to the big leagues. Yearbooks were gathered from the 1940s to present day.

While working for the Milwaukee Brewers during the 1948 season, Bill began building relationships that would help develop his growing collection. One example was the letter on Cleveland Indians Official team stationary which read,

“Dear Bill:

I have received your letter of June 21, and I was indeed happy to hear from you again. Your fine comments about the team are appreciated and what you say about Feller is so true—everybody has a slump once in a while. Many thanks, and with all good wishes to you and luck to your Legion team, I am,

Very truly yours,

(signed)

Bill Veeck”

As part of the collection, a series of letters between the two Bills (Veeck and Topitzes) are included. One from Veeck was thanking Bill for the purchase of the team photos that are part of the upcoming MEARS Auction and feature Hank Greenberg, Satchel Paige, and Bob Feller.

With a 12 year minor league career as a clubhouse employee, often working with the visiting team, Bill Topitzes nurtured many lasting relationships. One special player that touched Bill’s life was Babe Martin. Born Boris Michael Martinovich, the Serbian immigrant bonded with the Greek clubhouse kid while Martin played in the AAA with the Toledo Mudhens. With Greek and Serbian cuisine being quite similar, it was most likely food that created this lifelong bond.

In 1944 with the Toledo Mud Hens, Babe Martin batted .350 in 114 games. The following season, he joined the major league Browns. He hit poorly and was sent back down to the minors. Martin retired in 1954. In 69 major league games, he had 2 home runs, 18 RBI, and a .214 batting average.

In later years, Martin still held a grudge against one-armed outfielder Pete Gray, who was a teammate in 1945. “The worst thing that happened to our ballclub in 1945, which we should have won the pennant, was Pete Gray,” he said. “And honestly I think if we hadn’t had Pete … we could have won the pennant in 1945.” Although Martin’s batting average that season was actually 18 points lower than Gray’s, Martin was referring to Pete Gray’s fielding ability. Because Gray only had one arm, his throws back into the infield were slowed because he had to remove his glove from his one hand, get the ball, and throw into the infield. This slowed him down and allowed runners to advance more easily than they otherwise would have.

Bill saved a letter from Babe Martin. On plain white paper meticulously hand written, Babe Martin wrote:

“2/5/48

Dear Bill,

So very sorry for my delay in writing to you but have been quite busy prepping for the coming season. As you probably know Bill this is a big year for me one way or another & I must be on my toes from here on out.

I sincerely believe that this is the finest break I have gotten since I entered professional baseball and I fully intend to make the best of it.

As you know from your knowledge of baseball Bill the Boston Red Sox are a very fine team and I myself believe they are the greatest and finest in either league. I signed my contract in Boston, four weeks ago this past Monday and Mr. Joe Cronin treated me as though I were a member of the Red Sox for the last 10 years instead of just a member first coming up. It made me feel as though I were one of the fellows on the team & Bill believe me that was the warmest welcome I have ever received & I will never forget it. Well little Bill so much for myself.

Awfully sorry to hear about your broken hand Bill but I’m sure that it isn’t going to discourage your interest in sports. You are a wonderful little athlete and I’m looking forward to see you as a big man in the world of sports. One more thing I would like to point out to you Bill & that is your education. Education is about the biggest thing in a person’s life & I want you to study & be a good student & whether you choose sports as a career or choose the career of a professional man or whatever you undertake I’m sure you will be a success. Never be backward always have a bright outlook on things and be a good boy. You will have a few rainy days in your life some day Bill but just remember what I have said always look ahead.

Well Bill I believe I had better get myself ready to go down town to the YMCA for my workout so take good care of yourself and give my regards to your family. Best Wishes, Babe.”

Bill’s mentor Babe Martin just recently passed away on August 1st, 2013 at the age of 100.

Bill Topitzes also maintained many friendships with many other professional baseball players and would routinely correspond via hand written letters. One that was dear to Bill and remained in his collection was from Norwood Ozark. The hand written letter was postmarked from Pawtucket, RI dated May 28, 1949 read,

(On The New Windsor Hotel, Oneonta, New York stationary)

“Dear Bill,

Gee I’m glad to hear that you are going to Greece with your folks. It certainly is a wonderful opportunity for you and I’m happy to hear that you took the opportunity when it presented itself. I also want to congratulate you on graduating from high school. You had better go to college or else I’ll be very disappointed with you for not doing so. Our team has been losing a lot of 1 run games and it seems like we can’t win the close games. But, I imagine our luck will have to change pretty soon because we can’t be getting such breaks all year. I have been doing pretty good and am hitting around .300 and have 4 homeruns so far. Well I’ll keep batting and see what happens. Have a good time for yourself and don’t forget college. As ever, Norwood Ozark. “

Norwood wrote Bill again, in an undated letter, it read,

“Dear Bill,

I received your letter and was surprised to hear from you. Dan told me that he met you and that you talked a long time. He also told me you gave him some cigarettes and that he liked you a lot. 

I’m glad to hear that you are visiting team batboy at the ballpark. I’ll bet you know all the players in the league by now. Well it is a lot better than sitting in the bull pen all night. Rained out for the past two days so we are getting a little wet. At the present time I am batting .330 and hope to stay up their. I have been hitting the ball good and haven’t been striking out so I do get some base hits.

The weather here has been unpredictable. It gets warm for a day and then gets cold the rest of the week. I sure hope that it gets warmer pretty soon. 

I seen the Boston Braves play one game when I was up. I wee when the Brewers are really doing good. The should be up in first place before long if they keep up this pace and if nothing unforeseen happens.

Our club is in second place and two games out of first place. I think that we will be up their in a week or so. It seems we go all out and then have a letdown for a couple games which hurts us. Our team is pretty well balanced in the field and we have a pretty good pitching staff. We were in Boston and they beat Brooklyn. When we play there we stay in Boston so we can see the day game, either the Red Sox or Braves.

Well haven’t anything else to write for now so I’ll close. As Ever, Norm.

P.S., Say hello to Nick and the boys for me. “

The collections of letters are very insightful and chronicle Bill’s relationships and the day to day life of major league ball players.

Bill saved many items relating to his baseball career. One item of interest was his 1951 Withholding Statement. Housed in the original cellophane windowed National Baseball Club of Boston envelope, his W-2 form documented his salary for the season.

Typed per protocol was,

“William F. Topitzes

525 N. 34th Street

Milwaukee, WI ,

Total FICA WAGES: $662.50 for year

Employer: Milwaukee American Association, 32 Gaffney Street, Boston, MASS.”

Based on his love of the game and the stories he told me, I think Bill would have worked for the Milwaukee Brewers for free. His reputation as a first class clubhouse man made him the obvious choice to represent the Milwaukee Braves in the dugout during their 1953 Inaugural season in the major leagues. Being promoted from the Milwaukee Brewers and his responsibilities at Borchert Field, Bill Topitzes immediately made the Milwaukee Braves visiting clubhouse his own.

The Milwaukee Sentinel, August 9th, 1953, published a page 2 article about Bill’s time while working with the Milwaukee Braves during their first season. The headlines reads,”Bill the Greek, Roots for Braves While Dishing Out Help to Foes”. The article by Lou Chapman went on to state,

“He’s not exactly a fifth columnist, but Bill “The Greek” Topitzes feels at times like an enemy alien in his role as clubhouse attendant for rival teams of the Braves. It’s Bill’s job to hang up rival players’ clothing in their lockers, see that their shoes are shined, whip up their favorite sandwiches and keep their clubhouse looking spic and span. 

Bill, 23, has been connected with baseball clubs for 13 years. He started out as a bat boy with the old Brewers, later handling clubhouse duties and working the scoreboard at ancient Borchert Field.

“But you can’t beat this big league life,” Topitzes exclaims. “This is really living. Not only do you get to meet your idols face to face, but the financial benefits are tremendous.”

“You can’t compare the tipping in the American Association, with the major leagues. This is really plush. Why only recently, Monte Kennedy of the Giants gave me a $10 tip.”

Who are the best tippers among the visiting club?

“Why the Dodgers, of course” is Bill’s answer. “They really live up to their championship rating and travel deluxe. From manager Charlie Dressen down, they’re the biggest tippers”.

Bill was asked, What about Superstitions? “There isn’t too much of that. When the Cubs were losing, each player kept a rabbits foot in their pockets. A few of the others carry some kind of charm or lucky coin.”

While attending to the big leaguers, Bill also attended Marquette University and was studying liberal arts.

With 14 years of exemplary clubhouse experience, Bill’s reputation quickly grew throughout the professional ranks. His hard work caught eye of New York Giant’s manager Leo Durocher. In a letter of recommendation typed on official Giants stationary, the Giants skipper wrote,

“To Whom It May Concern:

William Topitzes has been known to me personally as an honest, reliable and very capable clubhouse custodian while serving as the visiting team’s clubhouse custodian at the Milwaukee Braves baseball park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His duties consisted of taking care of each player’s equipment, supplying them with baseball equipment whenever they are in need of it, keeping their money and jewelry in a safe place during the time they are at the ball park for the game, and many other chores that go with being a clubhouse custodian. In all my years in baseball I have found very few men who could do the job as efficiently as William Topitzes.

I would not hesitate to recommend his to any organization.

Very Truly Yours,

Leo Durocher, Manager, New York Giants Baseball Ball Club”.

Bill also was friends with long time Chicago Cubs clubhouse legend Yosh Kawano. A typed letter dated December 7, 1954 was saved by Bill, it read in part,

“Dear Bill,

How is it going Greek? Sure surprised to get your letter of 24 which was forwarded to me here at my folks. Well so you finally made the big city huh, expensive! Well you’ll make out as long as you can speak the mother tung, hell that’s the way them Greeks operated in my outfit.

I must say you have had some great assignments in the Army and to think there I was over there in the jungles of New Guinea. “jap infested jungles defending them F ball player to keep up the moral at home. Imagine me, little me, hell I couldn’t lick anybody.

Happy that you have found some place maybe we can take advantage of your quarters come next Spring by then I am assuming you can make a connection for me when we come to town. No I don’t know anyone in that town, don’t ask Logan he doesn’t know anything but I do .

…Well let me hear from you again, give my best to Logan, George there, Campy, Gordon or any others I may know. Wish you consider going to school after your discharge believe me you’ll not regret it, look at me, there is your windup. With your connections plus your education there is no end to your limitations, maybe in the front office. Take care of the Colonel. Sincerely, Yosh.”

This letter was a perfect example of the respect of Bill’s intellect and how others saw his future success.

Bill Topitzes was known for his stash of Johnston cookie cards. The remainder of the collection will be offered as one lot in the October auction. Once these are gone, that is it, the stock will be depleted.

A memo was found in his collection, on stationary from Herbert Ross, a hand written note read,

12-2-77

“Dear Bill,

As per our telephone conversation a short while ago enclosed please find check of $550.00 to cover cost of 10 sets 1953 Johnston Cookie @ $55 per set. Best Herb”

It not known how many sets Bill had, but he was certainly the Johnston Cookies card king.

The following items were selected for no other reason than to highlight the diversity of the Bill Topitez Collection. If it dealt with baseball, Bill loved it. Thank you Greek, I enjoyed sharing the hobby with you.

Tickets & Passes

1952 Milwaukee Brewers AAA Working Pass Borchert Field

1975 Baseball All Star Game County Stadium Ticket Stubs (2)

1977 NBA All Star Game Ticket Stubs (2)

1960 World Series Phantom Full (5)

1972 World Series Phantom Full (5)

1964 Cincinnati Reds Phantom Full

1955 New York Yankees World Series Stub

1958 Milwaukee Braves World Series Stub

1982 ALCS Full Ticket Collection (9)

Autographed

High Grade 1930s Babe Ruth New York Yankees Album Page

1977 NBA All Star Game Banquet program signed by almost the entire team

Complete run of 1953 National League Team Signed Baseballs

Collection of single signed baseballs including Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and many more HOFers

Original 1950s photo with vintage Gil Hodges and Duke Snider autographs

1953 Milwaukee Braves Inaugural Team Autographed Photo with vintage signatures

1947 Ted Williams in Civilian Clothes original snapshot with period signature

1953 Milwaukee Braves Program signed by entire team

1954 Johnston Cookies Signed with Aaron (4)

Mickey Mantle Autographed Baseball

3,000 Hit Club Signed Baseball

500 HR Club Signed Baseball

Mickey Mantle New York Yankees signed 5×7 photo

Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider Signed photo

Ted Williams Boston Red Sox signed 16×20

Minor League Collection

1944 All-Stars vs. Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Program

1948 Milwaukee Brewers Minor League AAA Borchert Field Pocket Schedules (6)

1950 Milwaukee Brewers Minor League AAA Borchert Field Pocket Schedules (7)

1951 NR MT Milwaukee Brewers Minor League AAA Borchert Field Pocket Schedule Collection (12)

1947 Milwaukee Brewers Minor League AAA Sketchbook

1940s PCL Program, many teams and years

1946 Utica Program

1947 Junior World Series Program

1948 Milwaukee Brewers AAA Borchert Field Program

1948 Seattle Rainers PCL Program

Memorabilia

1951 Major League Baseball Jersey Patch

Rare 1970 Kareem Abdul Jabbar Village Inn Premium Photo with facsimile “Kareem”

1950s Marshall Merrell Milwaukee Braves Premium Photo Lot (17)

1934 circa Babe Ruth Quaker Puffed Wheat, 8×10

1936 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees “In Action” sequence Original Wire Photos, NR MT with paper caption tag

Pocket Schedules from the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Braves

Programs & Publications

1965 Milwaukee Braves Yearbook signed by Hank Aaron

First Three issues of Sports Illustrated, 1954

1961 World Series Yearbook

1982 World Series Programs (4)

Rare 1948 Boston Braves Bulletin

1955 World Series Program

1950’s Yearbook Collection, multi teams

1949-50 Cleveland Indians News Team Publications (12)

1949 Chicago Cubs News Team Publication

Rare 1980s Mickey Mantle New York Yankees Grand Avenue Mall Appearance Promotional Photo

1955 New York Yankees Sketchbook

1959 Chicago White Sox World Series Program

1957 Milwaukee Braves World Series Program w/ stub

1949 Babe Ruth As I Knew Him by Waite Hoyt Magazine

1950 New York Yankees Program

1947-50 Brooklyn Dodgers Program Collection

1948 Boston Braves Program

Rare Collection of the Trading Post Baseball Magazine

1953-65 Milwaukee Braves Assorted Programs

Baseball Card Collection

1953 Topps Baseball Complete Set (274/274)

1953 Topps Baseball Card Lot

1953 Bowman Color Baseball Complete Set (160/160)

1953 Bowman B&W Baseball Lot

1954 Topps Baseball Near Set (180/250) Most key cards including Aaron (rc), Banks (rc)

1954 Topps Baseball Lot

1954 Bowman Baseball Complete Set (224/224)

1954 Bowman Baseball Lot including Mantle

1955 Bowman Complete Set (320/320)

1956 Topps Baseball Complete Set (340/340)

1957 Topps Baseball Complete Set (572/572)

1959 Ted Williams Fleer Baseball Complete Card Set (80/80)

1964 Topps Baseball Complete Set (587/587)

1965 Topps Baseball Partial Set

1966 Topps Baseball Partial Set

1968 Topps Baseball Partial Set

1971 Topps Baseball Complete Set (752/752)

1973 Topps Baseball Complete Set

1975 Topps Mini Baseball Complete Set (660/660)

1976 Topps Baseball Complete Set

1977 Topps Baseball Complete Set

Basketball Sets

1971-72 Topps Basketball Set

1972-73 Topps Basketball Set

1973-74 Topps Basketball Set

1974-75 Topps Basketball Set

1977-78 Topps Basketball Set NR-MT

Football Sets

1971 Topps Football Set (262/263) Missing one common

1974 Topps Football Set (528/528)

1976 Topps Football Set (528/528)

1977 Topps Football Set (528/528)

Additionally, there are 400+ lots containing more standard issue cards, regional issue cards, autographs, signed team baseballs, publications, tickets, pocket schedules, programs, yearbooks, and much more.

400+ lots will be offered during the MEARS Online Auctions October 25th-November 2nd, 2013 sale.

The collection was assembled much in the same manner as Bill lived his life. He had access to everyone.

He met Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, Hank Aaron, etc. He knew who the Super Star, Stars, and common players were. Bill was never star struck. He did not create friendships with the great players because they were super stars. He collected mementos of players that were good and decent human beings. How you lived your life was more important to Bill than your batting average.

Although I learned a lot about baseball cards from Bill, I learned even more about life and friendships. Those memories and friendships were what Bill cherished. Thank you for all you have given Milwaukee baseball, you will be missed. I am proud to call you a friend.

www.mearsonlineauctions.com

Questions can be directed to Troy R. Kinunen at (414)-828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com

Fan, Family Man, Friend, Husband, Historian, Clubhouse Man, Food Connoisseur, Patriot, and Collector. Bill Topitzes was not defined by any one facet of his life’s passions, if you knew him; you realized that all of the above interests combined made him the man he was. Although we spoke of his many hobbies, his family was the most important thing in his life. Not one discussion went by without him mentioning his wife, daughter, son, grandkids or extended family.

Because of the love for his collection, I had the privilege to meet and get to know Bill Topitzes on a professional level. Because of his passion for life, I was able to make a friend. His personal collection was an assemblage of mementos that were directly related to Bill’s experiences in professional baseball. The programs, tickets, and letters were a reflection and time capsule of the players and the era and offered a very personal insight to the men that built the game we love today.

Bill was very proud of his Greek heritage and was a lifetime supporter of the local Orthodox Church. Not everybody knew his real name, as he was commonly referred to as “The Greek”. It was a nickname he was quite proud of. He told me stories about his ethnic family and growing up in Milwaukee.

As much as he loved baseball, he felt it was his duty to serve in the Army during the Korean War. After a 13 year career as a clubhouse attendant, Bill joined the Army in 1954, leaving his prestigious job after the inaugural season of the Milwaukee Braves (1953). His sense of duty was greater than his love of baseball. He also found that when he returned from the Army, his position with the club was filled and he never worked in professional baseball again.

He never dwelled on that, but instead, entered college on the G.I. Bill and earned his degree. Many of his baseball friends extolled the virtue of a college education in the letters they sent Bill. Out of respect, he took their advice. With the security of a new career, he married his sweetheart Maggie and soon started the family he adored.

When not working, Bill was a voracious reader and subscribed to numerous magazines, publications, and built a very large personal library of reference books that dealt with the hobby and many other subjects.

No matter the discussion- politics, cuisine, world history, local news, sports, or family, Bill was well versed and enjoyed a good conversation. Bill also loved to eat. He could not have been any taller than 5’6”, but he ate as much as a giant, and loved his food.

It has been an ongoing tradition for several local collectors to meet at the MEARS Museum on the night of the auction close. MEARS supplied beverages, appetizers, and lunch to those in attendance. At nearly 80 years old, Bill would show up 11:00 PM and stay until the 2:00 AM auction close. Over a three year period, he may have only missed 3 auction night closes.

His main job was to keep me company, but he would scour every lot and bid on items that had a local Milwaukee flavor or be associated with a player that he befriended. During those final hours of the auction, it was almost traditional to watch Bill help himself to 3 full plates of food. He was an eating machine. His stories about the items and the players were truly educational, and I learned much from Bill’s experience.

On August 28th, 2013, Milwaukee Collector extraordinaire, Bill Topitzes passed away at the age of 80.

Bill’s collection started in 1940, while he was a clubhouse attendant for the AAA Milwaukee Brewers who played at Borchert Field. In a trend that continued for the next 70 years, Bill saved dugout cards, bats, programs, scorecards, autographs, and cards.

Bill’s card collection was compiled the old fashioned way – card by card, one at a time. The collection was neatly organized numerically, each set housed in a binder, many with the early 8-9 pocket sheets that were first sold in the 1970s. The overall condition was nice, averaging EX in most cases. Many of the sets were completed, but others still had holes to fill. Since Bill never stopped collecting, he continued to work on his collection to the very end. The missing cards also showed that the hobby he loved was not an obsession, and while enjoying other facets of life, his collection could wait.

His team signed baseball collection serves as a time stamp of his life in baseball. Minor league teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Paul Saints, and Toledo Mudhens were all obtained during his clubhouse career during the 1940s. It was interesting to note that each ball was signed on the official minor league baseball of the league, carefully collected by Bill as tips for a clubhouse job well done.

A fan of statistics, Bill personally wrote to most major league clubs and requested the recent program or media guide. A subscription of team newsletters kept him connected to the big leagues. Yearbooks were gathered from the 1940s to present day.

While working for the Milwaukee Brewers during the 1948 season, Bill began building relationships that would help develop his growing collection. One example was the letter on Cleveland Indians Official team stationary which read,

“Dear Bill:

I have received your letter of June 21, and I was indeed happy to hear from you again. Your fine comments about the team are appreciated and what you say about Feller is so true—everybody has a slump once in a while. Many thanks, and with all good wishes to you and luck to your Legion team, I am,

Very truly yours,

(signed)

Bill Veeck”

As part of the collection, a series of letters between the two Bills (Veeck and Topitzes) are included. One from Veeck was thanking Bill for the purchase of the team photos that are part of the upcoming MEARS Auction and feature Hank Greenberg, Satchel Paige, and Bob Feller.

With a 12 year minor league career as a clubhouse employee, often working with the visiting team, Bill Topitzes nurtured many lasting relationships. One special player that touched Bill’s life was Babe Martin. Born Boris Michael Martinovich, the Serbian immigrant bonded with the Greek clubhouse kid while Martin played in the AAA with the Toledo Mudhens. With Greek and Serbian cuisine being quite similar, it was most likely food that created this lifelong bond.

In 1944 with the Toledo Mud Hens, Babe Martin batted .350 in 114 games. The following season, he joined the major league Browns. He hit poorly and was sent back down to the minors. Martin retired in 1954. In 69 major league games, he had 2 home runs, 18 RBI, and a .214 batting average.

In later years, Martin still held a grudge against one-armed outfielder Pete Gray, who was a teammate in 1945. “The worst thing that happened to our ballclub in 1945, which we should have won the pennant, was Pete Gray,” he said. “And honestly I think if we hadn’t had Pete … we could have won the pennant in 1945.” Although Martin’s batting average that season was actually 18 points lower than Gray’s, Martin was referring to Pete Gray’s fielding ability. Because Gray only had one arm, his throws back into the infield were slowed because he had to remove his glove from his one hand, get the ball, and throw into the infield. This slowed him down and allowed runners to advance more easily than they otherwise would have.

Bill saved a letter from Babe Martin. On plain white paper meticulously hand written, Babe Martin wrote:

“2/5/48

Dear Bill,

So very sorry for my delay in writing to you but have been quite busy prepping for the coming season. As you probably know Bill this is a big year for me one way or another & I must be on my toes from here on out.

I sincerely believe that this is the finest break I have gotten since I entered professional baseball and I fully intend to make the best of it.

As you know from your knowledge of baseball Bill the Boston Red Sox are a very fine team and I myself believe they are the greatest and finest in either league. I signed my contract in Boston, four weeks ago this past Monday and Mr. Joe Cronin treated me as though I were a member of the Red Sox for the last 10 years instead of just a member first coming up. It made me feel as though I were one of the fellows on the team & Bill believe me that was the warmest welcome I have ever received & I will never forget it. Well little Bill so much for myself.

Awfully sorry to hear about your broken hand Bill but I’m sure that it isn’t going to discourage your interest in sports. You are a wonderful little athlete and I’m looking forward to see you as a big man in the world of sports. One more thing I would like to point out to you Bill & that is your education. Education is about the biggest thing in a person’s life & I want you to study & be a good student & whether you choose sports as a career or choose the career of a professional man or whatever you undertake I’m sure you will be a success. Never be backward always have a bright outlook on things and be a good boy. You will have a few rainy days in your life some day Bill but just remember what I have said always look ahead.

Well Bill I believe I had better get myself ready to go down town to the YMCA for my workout so take good care of yourself and give my regards to your family. Best Wishes, Babe.”

Bill’s mentor Babe Martin just recently passed away on August 1st, 2013 at the age of 100.

Bill Topitzes also maintained many friendships with many other professional baseball players and would routinely correspond via hand written letters. One that was dear to Bill and remained in his collection was from Norwood Ozark. The hand written letter was postmarked from Pawtucket, RI dated May 28, 1949 read,

(On The New Windsor Hotel, Oneonta, New York stationary)

“Dear Bill,

Gee I’m glad to hear that you are going to Greece with your folks. It certainly is a wonderful opportunity for you and I’m happy to hear that you took the opportunity when it presented itself. I also want to congratulate you on graduating from high school. You had better go to college or else I’ll be very disappointed with you for not doing so. Our team has been losing a lot of 1 run games and it seems like we can’t win the close games. But, I imagine our luck will have to change pretty soon because we can’t be getting such breaks all year. I have been doing pretty good and am hitting around .300 and have 4 homeruns so far. Well I’ll keep batting and see what happens. Have a good time for yourself and don’t forget college. As ever, Norwood Ozark. “

Norwood wrote Bill again, in an undated letter, it read,

“Dear Bill,

I received your letter and was surprised to hear from you. Dan told me that he met you and that you talked a long time. He also told me you gave him some cigarettes and that he liked you a lot. 

I’m glad to hear that you are visiting team batboy at the ballpark. I’ll bet you know all the players in the league by now. Well it is a lot better than sitting in the bull pen all night. Rained out for the past two days so we are getting a little wet. At the present time I am batting .330 and hope to stay up their. I have been hitting the ball good and haven’t been striking out so I do get some base hits.

The weather here has been unpredictable. It gets warm for a day and then gets cold the rest of the week. I sure hope that it gets warmer pretty soon. 

I seen the Boston Braves play one game when I was up. I wee when the Brewers are really doing good. The should be up in first place before long if they keep up this pace and if nothing unforeseen happens.

Our club is in second place and two games out of first place. I think that we will be up their in a week or so. It seems we go all out and then have a letdown for a couple games which hurts us. Our team is pretty well balanced in the field and we have a pretty good pitching staff. We were in Boston and they beat Brooklyn. When we play there we stay in Boston so we can see the day game, either the Red Sox or Braves.

Well haven’t anything else to write for now so I’ll close. As Ever, Norm.

P.S., Say hello to Nick and the boys for me. “

The collections of letters are very insightful and chronicle Bill’s relationships and the day to day life of major league ball players.

Bill saved many items relating to his baseball career. One item of interest was his 1951 Withholding Statement. Housed in the original cellophane windowed National Baseball Club of Boston envelope, his W-2 form documented his salary for the season.

Typed per protocol was,

“William F. Topitzes

525 N. 34th Street

Milwaukee, WI ,

Total FICA WAGES: $662.50 for year

Employer: Milwaukee American Association, 32 Gaffney Street, Boston, MASS.”

Based on his love of the game and the stories he told me, I think Bill would have worked for the Milwaukee Brewers for free. His reputation as a first class clubhouse man made him the obvious choice to represent the Milwaukee Braves in the dugout during their 1953 Inaugural season in the major leagues. Being promoted from the Milwaukee Brewers and his responsibilities at Borchert Field, Bill Topitzes immediately made the Milwaukee Braves visiting clubhouse his own.

The Milwaukee Sentinel, August 9th, 1953, published a page 2 article about Bill’s time while working with the Milwaukee Braves during their first season. The headlines reads,”Bill the Greek, Roots for Braves While Dishing Out Help to Foes”. The article by Lou Chapman went on to state,

“He’s not exactly a fifth columnist, but Bill “The Greek” Topitzes feels at times like an enemy alien in his role as clubhouse attendant for rival teams of the Braves. It’s Bill’s job to hang up rival players’ clothing in their lockers, see that their shoes are shined, whip up their favorite sandwiches and keep their clubhouse looking spic and span. 

Bill, 23, has been connected with baseball clubs for 13 years. He started out as a bat boy with the old Brewers, later handling clubhouse duties and working the scoreboard at ancient Borchert Field.

“But you can’t beat this big league life,” Topitzes exclaims. “This is really living. Not only do you get to meet your idols face to face, but the financial benefits are tremendous.”

“You can’t compare the tipping in the American Association, with the major leagues. This is really plush. Why only recently, Monte Kennedy of the Giants gave me a $10 tip.”

Who are the best tippers among the visiting club?

“Why the Dodgers, of course” is Bill’s answer. “They really live up to their championship rating and travel deluxe. From manager Charlie Dressen down, they’re the biggest tippers”.

Bill was asked, What about Superstitions? “There isn’t too much of that. When the Cubs were losing, each player kept a rabbits foot in their pockets. A few of the others carry some kind of charm or lucky coin.”

While attending to the big leaguers, Bill also attended Marquette University and was studying liberal arts.

With 14 years of exemplary clubhouse experience, Bill’s reputation quickly grew throughout the professional ranks. His hard work caught eye of New York Giant’s manager Leo Durocher. In a letter of recommendation typed on official Giants stationary, the Giants skipper wrote,

“To Whom It May Concern:

William Topitzes has been known to me personally as an honest, reliable and very capable clubhouse custodian while serving as the visiting team’s clubhouse custodian at the Milwaukee Braves baseball park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His duties consisted of taking care of each player’s equipment, supplying them with baseball equipment whenever they are in need of it, keeping their money and jewelry in a safe place during the time they are at the ball park for the game, and many other chores that go with being a clubhouse custodian. In all my years in baseball I have found very few men who could do the job as efficiently as William Topitzes.

I would not hesitate to recommend his to any organization.

Very Truly Yours,

Leo Durocher, Manager, New York Giants Baseball Ball Club”.

Bill also was friends with long time Chicago Cubs clubhouse legend Yosh Kawano. A typed letter dated December 7, 1954 was saved by Bill, it read in part,

“Dear Bill,

How is it going Greek? Sure surprised to get your letter of 24 which was forwarded to me here at my folks. Well so you finally made the big city huh, expensive! Well you’ll make out as long as you can speak the mother tung, hell that’s the way them Greeks operated in my outfit.

I must say you have had some great assignments in the Army and to think there I was over there in the jungles of New Guinea. “jap infested jungles defending them F ball player to keep up the moral at home. Imagine me, little me, hell I couldn’t lick anybody.

Happy that you have found some place maybe we can take advantage of your quarters come next Spring by then I am assuming you can make a connection for me when we come to town. No I don’t know anyone in that town, don’t ask Logan he doesn’t know anything but I do .

…Well let me hear from you again, give my best to Logan, George there, Campy, Gordon or any others I may know. Wish you consider going to school after your discharge believe me you’ll not regret it, look at me, there is your windup. With your connections plus your education there is no end to your limitations, maybe in the front office. Take care of the Colonel. Sincerely, Yosh.”

This letter was a perfect example of the respect of Bill’s intellect and how others saw his future success.

Bill Topitzes was known for his stash of Johnston cookie cards. The remainder of the collection will be offered as one lot in the October auction. Once these are gone, that is it, the stock will be depleted.

A memo was found in his collection, on stationary from Herbert Ross, a hand written note read,

12-2-77

“Dear Bill,

As per our telephone conversation a short while ago enclosed please find check of $550.00 to cover cost of 10 sets 1953 Johnston Cookie @ $55 per set. Best Herb”

It not known how many sets Bill had, but he was certainly the Johnston Cookies card king.

The following items were selected for no other reason than to highlight the diversity of the Bill Topitez Collection. If it dealt with baseball, Bill loved it. Thank you Greek, I enjoyed sharing the hobby with you.

Tickets & Passes

1952 Milwaukee Brewers AAA Working Pass Borchert Field

1975 Baseball All Star Game County Stadium Ticket Stubs (2)

1977 NBA All Star Game Ticket Stubs (2)

1960 World Series Phantom Full (5)

1972 World Series Phantom Full (5)

1964 Cincinnati Reds Phantom Full

1955 New York Yankees World Series Stub

1958 Milwaukee Braves World Series Stub

1982 ALCS Full Ticket Collection (9)

Autographed

High Grade 1930s Babe Ruth New York Yankees Album Page

1977 NBA All Star Game Banquet program signed by almost the entire team

Complete run of 1953 National League Team Signed Baseballs

Collection of single signed baseballs including Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and many more HOFers

Original 1950s photo with vintage Gil Hodges and Duke Snider autographs

1953 Milwaukee Braves Inaugural Team Autographed Photo with vintage signatures

1947 Ted Williams in Civilian Clothes original snapshot with period signature

1953 Milwaukee Braves Program signed by entire team

1954 Johnston Cookies Signed with Aaron (4)

Mickey Mantle Autographed Baseball

3,000 Hit Club Signed Baseball

500 HR Club Signed Baseball

Mickey Mantle New York Yankees signed 5×7 photo

Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider Signed photo

Ted Williams Boston Red Sox signed 16×20

Minor League Collection

1944 All-Stars vs. Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Program

1948 Milwaukee Brewers Minor League AAA Borchert Field Pocket Schedules (6)

1950 Milwaukee Brewers Minor League AAA Borchert Field Pocket Schedules (7)

1951 NR MT Milwaukee Brewers Minor League AAA Borchert Field Pocket Schedule Collection (12)

1947 Milwaukee Brewers Minor League AAA Sketchbook

1940s PCL Program, many teams and years

1946 Utica Program

1947 Junior World Series Program

1948 Milwaukee Brewers AAA Borchert Field Program

1948 Seattle Rainers PCL Program

Memorabilia

1951 Major League Baseball Jersey Patch

Rare 1970 Kareem Abdul Jabbar Village Inn Premium Photo with facsimile “Kareem”

1950s Marshall Merrell Milwaukee Braves Premium Photo Lot (17)

1934 circa Babe Ruth Quaker Puffed Wheat, 8×10

1936 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees “In Action” sequence Original Wire Photos, NR MT with paper caption tag

Pocket Schedules from the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Braves

Programs & Publications

1965 Milwaukee Braves Yearbook signed by Hank Aaron

First Three issues of Sports Illustrated, 1954

1961 World Series Yearbook

1982 World Series Programs (4)

Rare 1948 Boston Braves Bulletin

1955 World Series Program

1950’s Yearbook Collection, multi teams

1949-50 Cleveland Indians News Team Publications (12)

1949 Chicago Cubs News Team Publication

Rare 1980s Mickey Mantle New York Yankees Grand Avenue Mall Appearance Promotional Photo

1955 New York Yankees Sketchbook

1959 Chicago White Sox World Series Program

1957 Milwaukee Braves World Series Program w/ stub

1949 Babe Ruth As I Knew Him by Waite Hoyt Magazine

1950 New York Yankees Program

1947-50 Brooklyn Dodgers Program Collection

1948 Boston Braves Program

Rare Collection of the Trading Post Baseball Magazine

1953-65 Milwaukee Braves Assorted Programs

Baseball Card Collection

1953 Topps Baseball Complete Set (274/274)

1953 Topps Baseball Card Lot

1953 Bowman Color Baseball Complete Set (160/160)

1953 Bowman B&W Baseball Lot

1954 Topps Baseball Near Set (180/250) Most key cards including Aaron (rc), Banks (rc)

1954 Topps Baseball Lot

1954 Bowman Baseball Complete Set (224/224)

1954 Bowman Baseball Lot including Mantle

1955 Bowman Complete Set (320/320)

1956 Topps Baseball Complete Set (340/340)

1957 Topps Baseball Complete Set (572/572)

1959 Ted Williams Fleer Baseball Complete Card Set (80/80)

1964 Topps Baseball Complete Set (587/587)

1965 Topps Baseball Partial Set

1966 Topps Baseball Partial Set

1968 Topps Baseball Partial Set

1971 Topps Baseball Complete Set (752/752)

1973 Topps Baseball Complete Set

1975 Topps Mini Baseball Complete Set (660/660)

1976 Topps Baseball Complete Set

1977 Topps Baseball Complete Set

Basketball Sets

1971-72 Topps Basketball Set

1972-73 Topps Basketball Set

1973-74 Topps Basketball Set

1974-75 Topps Basketball Set

1977-78 Topps Basketball Set NR-MT

Football Sets

1971 Topps Football Set (262/263) Missing one common

1974 Topps Football Set (528/528)

1976 Topps Football Set (528/528)

1977 Topps Football Set (528/528)

Additionally, there are 400+ lots containing more standard issue cards, regional issue cards, autographs, signed team baseballs, publications, tickets, pocket schedules, programs, yearbooks, and much more.

400+ lots will be offered during the MEARS Online Auctions October 25th-November 2nd, 2013 sale.

The collection was assembled much in the same manner as Bill lived his life. He had access to everyone.

He met Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, Hank Aaron, etc. He knew who the Super Star, Stars, and common players were. Bill was never star struck. He did not create friendships with the great players because they were super stars. He collected mementos of players that were good and decent human beings. How you lived your life was more important to Bill than your batting average.

Although I learned a lot about baseball cards from Bill, I learned even more about life and friendships. Those memories and friendships were what Bill cherished. Thank you for all you have given Milwaukee baseball, you will be missed. I am proud to call you a friend.

www.mearsonlineauctions.com

Questions can be directed to Troy R. Kinunen at (414)-828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com

Highlights include:

Milwaukee Card Find: Fresh to the hobby collection card collection featuring 1935 Goudey 4-in-1 near set, 30/36, 1948 Bowman Lot (26/250) with Jackie Robinson rookie PSA 6, 1934-36 National Chicle Batter Up 64/192, 1939 Playball Lot 76/108, 1934-36 Diamond Stars 76/108, 1925 Schutter-Johnson including Ruth & Gehrig, 1939 Play Ball Partial Set (79/161) including Ted Williams Rookie, Joe DiMaggio, and many more. All PSA Graded. Hundreds of more lots and singles from this fresh to the hobby discovery. All cards have been PSA graded.

1920-2000 MASSIVE Collection of rare and hard to find 3×5 card collection including many hard to find signatures.

1986 Larry Bird Boston Celtics MVP / Finals Game Worn Autographed Shoes- Finest Pair Ever Offered!

2001 Ichiro Suzuki Seattle Mariners Game Worn Jersey with Provenance (MEARS A10).

1957 Tony Kubek New York Yankees Game Used Bat (MEARS A8).

1958 Carmen Basilio Fight Worn Robe vs. Sugar Ray Robinson in Chicago.

1927 New York Yankees autograph book collected by public school student.

1962-64 Near mint Green Bay Packers team signed football.

1972 Carlton Fisk Boston Red Sox Road Game Worn Jersey (MEARS A10)- Fresh to the hobby.

Historic 3×5 autograph collection including high grade examples of American Notables Calvin Coolidge, Will Rogers, Carl Sandburg, Edgar A. Guest, and Hellen Keller.

Consignments wanted for our next auction. Especially seeking game used bats, game worn uniforms, autographs, memorabilia, etc. Highest prices realized.

If you have any of the following items, please contact us:

Game Worn Caps: Player caps with names embroidered. Paying TOP DOLLAR.

Pants Wanted: 1970s Phillies Home, 1950s Milwaukee Braves Road, 1967 Pittsburgh Pirates home, 1960s Cubs home, 1961 Cincinnati Reds home, 1968 Detroit Tigers Home, 1960s New York Yankees home, and 1958-64 Cleveland Indians

Jerseys Wanted: 1960s Cubs Home (& pants), 1960s New York Yankees Home, 1960s Baltimore Orioles, 1954-68 Cleveland Indians

Cap: 1950’s Milwaukee Braves, 1948 New York Giants, 1961 Cincinnati Reds, 1968 Detroit Tigers, 1960s Baltimore Orioles

Store Model Gloves/bats: Al Lopez, Gino Cemoli, Roy Sievers, Donn Clendenon, Eddie Stanky

Team Signed Baseballs: High Grade 1977 New York Yankees, 1978 New York Yankees, 1940s New York Yankees Team Signed Baseball. Immediate need as we have aggressive collectors seeking these items.

Highlights include:

Milwaukee Card Find: Fresh to the hobby collection card collection featuring 1935 Goudey 4-in-1 near set, 30/36, 1948 Bowman Lot (26/250) with Jackie Robinson rookie PSA 6, 1934-36 National Chicle Batter Up 64/192, 1939 Playball Lot 76/108, 1934-36 Diamond Stars 76/108, 1925 Schutter-Johnson including Ruth & Gehrig, 1939 Play Ball Partial Set (79/161) including Ted Williams Rookie, Joe DiMaggio, and many more. All PSA Graded. Hundreds of more lots and singles from this fresh to the hobby discovery. All cards have been PSA graded.

1920-2000 MASSIVE Collection of rare and hard to find 3×5 card collection including many hard to find signatures.

1986 Larry Bird Boston Celtics MVP / Finals Game Worn Autographed Shoes- Finest Pair Ever Offered!

2001 Ichiro Suzuki Seattle Mariners Game Worn Jersey with Provenance (MEARS A10).

1957 Tony Kubek New York Yankees Game Used Bat (MEARS A8).

1958 Carmen Basilio Fight Worn Robe vs. Sugar Ray Robinson in Chicago.

1927 New York Yankees autograph book collected by public school student.

1962-64 Near mint Green Bay Packers team signed football.

1972 Carlton Fisk Boston Red Sox Road Game Worn Jersey (MEARS A10)- Fresh to the hobby.

Historic 3×5 autograph collection including high grade examples of American Notables Calvin Coolidge, Will Rogers, Carl Sandburg, Edgar A. Guest, and Hellen Keller.

Consignments wanted for our next auction. Especially seeking game used bats, game worn uniforms, autographs, memorabilia, etc. Highest prices realized.

If you have any of the following items, please contact us:

Game Worn Caps: Player caps with names embroidered. Paying TOP DOLLAR.

Pants Wanted: 1970s Phillies Home, 1950s Milwaukee Braves Road, 1967 Pittsburgh Pirates home, 1960s Cubs home, 1961 Cincinnati Reds home, 1968 Detroit Tigers Home, 1960s New York Yankees home, and 1958-64 Cleveland Indians

Jerseys Wanted: 1960s Cubs Home (& pants), 1960s New York Yankees Home, 1960s Baltimore Orioles, 1954-68 Cleveland Indians

Cap: 1950’s Milwaukee Braves, 1948 New York Giants, 1961 Cincinnati Reds, 1968 Detroit Tigers, 1960s Baltimore Orioles

Store Model Gloves/bats: Al Lopez, Gino Cemoli, Roy Sievers, Donn Clendenon, Eddie Stanky

Team Signed Baseballs: High Grade 1977 New York Yankees, 1978 New York Yankees, 1940s New York Yankees Team Signed Baseball. Immediate need as we have aggressive collectors seeking these items.

MEARS Auctions is going vintage.

After analysis of the current market, it is the author’s opinion that vintage sports memorabilia (pre war
football, basketball, and baseball) is severely undervalued at its current price point. In recent months
I have became re-acquainted with vintage memorabilia which includes flannel baseball uniforms and
gloves, leather football helmets (harness, 4-spoke, 8-spoke, rain cap), and early basketball uniforms with
quilted pants. When handling these items which often are often more than 100 years old, the quality
of construction of the items and history of the user always leave a strong impression on my collecting
memory.

With respects to early sports memorabilia, the stuff is really neat, and quite affordable. Vintage
photography, early pennants, equipment, jerseys, balls, gloves, shoes, pinback buttons, and postcards
can all be found with a little hard work and serve as fantastic tributes to the early days of American
sports history. Additionally, they make great display items.

As I have been building collections for the MEARS museum, I assembled a small grouping of vintage
football artifacts containing a leather helmet, leather shoulder pads, cleats, period CDV and a melon
football. When I was done, it really made for an impressive display which truly captures the essence of
the game during that specific era.

Vintage sports memorabilia is defined in this article as non professional sports teams. This encompasses
town teams, high school, college, semi professional and industrial leagues. With its inception during the
late 19th century, football and baseball continued to explode during the early 20 th century. Many fans
were first introduced to the sport while playing locally. Access to major league (professional) sports was
limited in the early years by newspaper accounts only, with radio soon to follow, and then TV becoming
prevalent. The surviving relics of this early era memorialize the pioneering men that helped build
modern day sports and should be considered with the same collecting importance as our professional
brethren.

Just as reflected in the modern memorabilia market, baseball is still king. With its earliest roots as a
sport, the game of baseball was first played in the early 1800s. This head start gave baseball a huge lead
among future athletes, and also introduced future collectors to the hobby first. Baseball card collecting
was the first formalized hobby with organization developed from the National pastime.

In today’s market, much promotion and organization has been geared towards baseball cards,
autographs, and game used collecting of professional baseball teams. Much of the nation’s true baseball
history which was born from the tavern leagues, independent leagues, and local ball diamonds is
overlooked as we search for members of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Grandpa Fronsee,
Great Uncle Kinnunen, and members of the local Elks lodge contributed to the love of the game at
a very personal level. While doing so, they were photographed, wore jerseys, gloves, mitts, and had
broadside posters made to notify the locals of the next big game. Their memorabilia exists, and it should
be collected and appreciated.

Although not easy to find, with a little hard work CDV’s and cabinet photos can be found with crystal
clear depictions of early equipment. Many team photos will show players holding Spiderman catchers
masks, workman’s gloves, and lace up jerseys with quilted baseball pants. The details of the image help
document the evolution of the game.

Baseball glove collecting has been around in an organized manner for almost 25 years now. Much
research has been done on the study of manufactures (Reach, Spalding, D&M) and the types of gloves
they supplied – fingerless, workman’s, 1” web, tunnel web, Bill Doak Model, etc. This hobby again
captured the evolution of the sport and helped document the history of the game. During the 1920s
when player’s names first appeared stamped on the glove, collectors can now associate an artifact with
a big league player. Gloves bearing the names of O.L. Bluege, Joe Cronin, Howard Emke, Babe Ruth, and
Bill Sweeney serve as reminders to all of the players that contributed to the nation’s love affair with
our national pastime. Although bearing a facsimile signature, but not worn by the players represented,
these store model gloves offer an affordable way to collect items that capture the individuality of the
player and the companies they represented.

Moving onto football, Walter Camp is credited with inventing football in 1876. Within a couple of
decades, his version of the game was adopted by colleges along the east coast. In order to support
football’s growing popularity, sporting goods company like the A.G. Spalding Company began supplying
teams with helmets, uniforms, shoes, nose guards, and shoulder pads. Sporting goods catalogs offered
pages of beautifully illustrated merchandise which helped document the styles of early football gear,
and also served as a checklist for future collectors of early football memorabilia.

Football also was photographed as early as the 1880s. These vintage images capture the men that
played the game and the early gear they adorned. Early examination of cabinet photos capture images
of players wearing lace up union suits, Chicago style head harnesses, Morrell nose guards, wood cleated
shoes, and shoulder pads sewn on the outside of their protective uniforms.

Football was certainly a sport which epitomized student school spirit. My research has uncovered
images of young adults playing football in college, high school, and even kindergarten. The six year old
were outfitted in youth sized union suits, miniature melon footballs, and 4 spoke helmets. Memorabilia
from all of these stages exist.

As the popularity of football grew, the sport moved to the Midwest. Football teams were found in
Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, and eventually, west of the Mississippi. My research has captured
images of players in college, high school, semi-pro, and industrial leagues all playing football.

For collectors, each era of football creates a new collecting challenge. For example, football pants
changed. The 1880s found players wear quilted pants, very similar to what was worn in baseball, with
the exception of internal pockets which allowed for the addition of extra padding. By 1900, reeds had
been inserted and created the earliest version of football body armor. By the 1920s, hip pads were
added and noted in images as he design reached high above the belt line.

Review of images of the evolution of football helmets also help chronicle the changes of football gear.
The early 1880s found players wearing simple head harness that only protected the ears. The 1890s
introduced the 4-spoke helmet design, which boasted padded ear muffs and a criss cross head support.
Technology moved slowly, and the next major style innovation was the 8-spoke helmet, which only
double the number of straps, but offered no other major advancement.

By 1910, full head covering helmets were created, which were similar to rain caps. Other styles such
as the Princeton model became popular. The 1920s found hard leather shell “Red Grange” styles
supplied by Reach and Spalding to be quite popular among grid iron participants. By the 1930s, technical
advancements continue to improve the safety of football equipment. It is an obtainable goal to try
to collect one each of each early football helmet. All of these styles are available, and I encourage
collectors to consider adding these homegrown artifacts to their collections.

Last but certainly not least is James Naismith, the man credited with inventing basketball in 1891.
Touted for its physical fitness attributes, basketball could be played indoors and soon became a
staple exercise regiment for high schools through the United States, and both boys and girls could
play. Typically consisting of teams made of 12 or less, organized team basketball equipment offers
the greatest challenge for collectors, as the small number of spots on the team created the shortest
supply of inventory. Although rare, early 1900-20s basketball jerseys were quite colorful and often multi
colored in design. Again, early cabinet photos capture and document the transformation of the game
and the equipment worn by the participants.

In sum, early baseball, football, and basketball equipment offers collectors many potential areas of
interest of which to collect. With the soaring prices of major league memorabilia and the relatively low
market pricing on vintage sports memorabilia, today’s market place can still afford many opportunities
for the collector willing to venture from the center of established collecting paradigms.

Watch in upcoming month as MEARS Auction will begin to feature quality, rare, and vintage sports
memorabilia.

Sincerely,

Troy R. Kinunen / MEARS

troy@mearsonline.com

MEARS Auctions is going vintage.

After analysis of the current market, it is the author’s opinion that vintage sports memorabilia (pre war
football, basketball, and baseball) is severely undervalued at its current price point. In recent months
I have became re-acquainted with vintage memorabilia which includes flannel baseball uniforms and
gloves, leather football helmets (harness, 4-spoke, 8-spoke, rain cap), and early basketball uniforms with
quilted pants. When handling these items which often are often more than 100 years old, the quality
of construction of the items and history of the user always leave a strong impression on my collecting
memory.

With respects to early sports memorabilia, the stuff is really neat, and quite affordable. Vintage
photography, early pennants, equipment, jerseys, balls, gloves, shoes, pinback buttons, and postcards
can all be found with a little hard work and serve as fantastic tributes to the early days of American
sports history. Additionally, they make great display items.

As I have been building collections for the MEARS museum, I assembled a small grouping of vintage
football artifacts containing a leather helmet, leather shoulder pads, cleats, period CDV and a melon
football. When I was done, it really made for an impressive display which truly captures the essence of
the game during that specific era.

Vintage sports memorabilia is defined in this article as non professional sports teams. This encompasses
town teams, high school, college, semi professional and industrial leagues. With its inception during the
late 19th century, football and baseball continued to explode during the early 20 th century. Many fans
were first introduced to the sport while playing locally. Access to major league (professional) sports was
limited in the early years by newspaper accounts only, with radio soon to follow, and then TV becoming
prevalent. The surviving relics of this early era memorialize the pioneering men that helped build
modern day sports and should be considered with the same collecting importance as our professional
brethren.

Just as reflected in the modern memorabilia market, baseball is still king. With its earliest roots as a
sport, the game of baseball was first played in the early 1800s. This head start gave baseball a huge lead
among future athletes, and also introduced future collectors to the hobby first. Baseball card collecting
was the first formalized hobby with organization developed from the National pastime.

In today’s market, much promotion and organization has been geared towards baseball cards,
autographs, and game used collecting of professional baseball teams. Much of the nation’s true baseball
history which was born from the tavern leagues, independent leagues, and local ball diamonds is
overlooked as we search for members of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Grandpa Fronsee,
Great Uncle Kinnunen, and members of the local Elks lodge contributed to the love of the game at
a very personal level. While doing so, they were photographed, wore jerseys, gloves, mitts, and had
broadside posters made to notify the locals of the next big game. Their memorabilia exists, and it should
be collected and appreciated.

Although not easy to find, with a little hard work CDV’s and cabinet photos can be found with crystal
clear depictions of early equipment. Many team photos will show players holding Spiderman catchers
masks, workman’s gloves, and lace up jerseys with quilted baseball pants. The details of the image help
document the evolution of the game.

Baseball glove collecting has been around in an organized manner for almost 25 years now. Much
research has been done on the study of manufactures (Reach, Spalding, D&M) and the types of gloves
they supplied – fingerless, workman’s, 1” web, tunnel web, Bill Doak Model, etc. This hobby again
captured the evolution of the sport and helped document the history of the game. During the 1920s
when player’s names first appeared stamped on the glove, collectors can now associate an artifact with
a big league player. Gloves bearing the names of O.L. Bluege, Joe Cronin, Howard Emke, Babe Ruth, and
Bill Sweeney serve as reminders to all of the players that contributed to the nation’s love affair with
our national pastime. Although bearing a facsimile signature, but not worn by the players represented,
these store model gloves offer an affordable way to collect items that capture the individuality of the
player and the companies they represented.

Moving onto football, Walter Camp is credited with inventing football in 1876. Within a couple of
decades, his version of the game was adopted by colleges along the east coast. In order to support
football’s growing popularity, sporting goods company like the A.G. Spalding Company began supplying
teams with helmets, uniforms, shoes, nose guards, and shoulder pads. Sporting goods catalogs offered
pages of beautifully illustrated merchandise which helped document the styles of early football gear,
and also served as a checklist for future collectors of early football memorabilia.

Football also was photographed as early as the 1880s. These vintage images capture the men that
played the game and the early gear they adorned. Early examination of cabinet photos capture images
of players wearing lace up union suits, Chicago style head harnesses, Morrell nose guards, wood cleated
shoes, and shoulder pads sewn on the outside of their protective uniforms.

Football was certainly a sport which epitomized student school spirit. My research has uncovered
images of young adults playing football in college, high school, and even kindergarten. The six year old
were outfitted in youth sized union suits, miniature melon footballs, and 4 spoke helmets. Memorabilia
from all of these stages exist.

As the popularity of football grew, the sport moved to the Midwest. Football teams were found in
Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, and eventually, west of the Mississippi. My research has captured
images of players in college, high school, semi-pro, and industrial leagues all playing football.

For collectors, each era of football creates a new collecting challenge. For example, football pants
changed. The 1880s found players wear quilted pants, very similar to what was worn in baseball, with
the exception of internal pockets which allowed for the addition of extra padding. By 1900, reeds had
been inserted and created the earliest version of football body armor. By the 1920s, hip pads were
added and noted in images as he design reached high above the belt line.

Review of images of the evolution of football helmets also help chronicle the changes of football gear.
The early 1880s found players wearing simple head harness that only protected the ears. The 1890s
introduced the 4-spoke helmet design, which boasted padded ear muffs and a criss cross head support.
Technology moved slowly, and the next major style innovation was the 8-spoke helmet, which only
double the number of straps, but offered no other major advancement.

By 1910, full head covering helmets were created, which were similar to rain caps. Other styles such
as the Princeton model became popular. The 1920s found hard leather shell “Red Grange” styles
supplied by Reach and Spalding to be quite popular among grid iron participants. By the 1930s, technical
advancements continue to improve the safety of football equipment. It is an obtainable goal to try
to collect one each of each early football helmet. All of these styles are available, and I encourage
collectors to consider adding these homegrown artifacts to their collections.

Last but certainly not least is James Naismith, the man credited with inventing basketball in 1891.
Touted for its physical fitness attributes, basketball could be played indoors and soon became a
staple exercise regiment for high schools through the United States, and both boys and girls could
play. Typically consisting of teams made of 12 or less, organized team basketball equipment offers
the greatest challenge for collectors, as the small number of spots on the team created the shortest
supply of inventory. Although rare, early 1900-20s basketball jerseys were quite colorful and often multi
colored in design. Again, early cabinet photos capture and document the transformation of the game
and the equipment worn by the participants.

In sum, early baseball, football, and basketball equipment offers collectors many potential areas of
interest of which to collect. With the soaring prices of major league memorabilia and the relatively low
market pricing on vintage sports memorabilia, today’s market place can still afford many opportunities
for the collector willing to venture from the center of established collecting paradigms.

Watch in upcoming month as MEARS Auction will begin to feature quality, rare, and vintage sports
memorabilia.

Sincerely,

Troy R. Kinunen / MEARS

troy@mearsonline.com

I thought I would take some time this week to cover some updates related to my role as the Policy Director at MEARS. While MEARS Auctions is a separate entity from the evaluations division, I do provide support to both and work to ensure each stays nested to core principles under which MEARS was founded and continues to grow and evolve. These topics are important to address publicly now well before our next auction and grand opening in concert with Reggie Jackson next month.

The issues I would like to cover involve the audit of MEARS Auctions for 2009 and the way ahead for 2010. MEARS Auctions remains the only auction that has made an internal audit of its business practices a self-imposed requirement. Last year, MEARS Auctions requested that the independent accounting firm of Komisar Brady & Company (LLP) conduct an audit to ensure two key things were not taking place at MEARS Auctions. Those being “In-House” or Shill Bidding and that every sale seen on the auction site was in fact a legitimate sale. In our minds, these two things are deceptive business practices and we wanted to make sure the collecting public knew MEARS Auctions would have no interest in condoning or subsidizing them. Other Auction venues can simply continue to offer excuses about costs and “this is the way things have always been done.” That’s their choice, but not one we are going to make.

With the audit complete, the finding on both of these issues was just as you should have expected. No employees or their family members bid on any items during their time of employment and all legitimate sales were consummated with an actual payment.
The audit did help us refine some of our internal record keeping for those collectors who paid for high end items with bank/wire transfers. This was something that delayed the final audit report. MEARS will voluntarily this same process in 2010, with one notable addition. That 2010 report, like the one for 2009, will be on hand at MEARS Auction’s to examine should they wish.

Since its inception, MEARS Auctions has operated under a No Hidden Reserve policy. We have always felt and still feel that collectors should not be left to labor under the illusion that their bid of $2500 will bring them a $75,000.00 Babe Ruth bat. While this has worked well for auction houses and consigners that allow for undisclosed reserves, MEARS Auctions has always felt this is a deceptive practice and one that provides a false read on market value for items. Be that as it may, MEARS has also been listening to collectors who wish to consign items to MEARS and we also want to address their issues and concerns about placing reserves their items. In order to accommodate as many facets of the auction industry as possible and still stay nested to our core beliefs, MEARS Auctions is modifying its policy on reserves for select items. These exceptions to policy will be at the sole discretion of Troy Kinunen.

Here is how this reserve pricing will work. All lots subject to this policy will have a minimum opening bid and clear language included in the lot description identifying it as such. For example:

“This item has a reserve price that is within the estimated value of the lot. This lot has an estimated value of $58,000 to $65,000.” In some cases, we expect the language to read that the reserve is below the estimated value. In any event, if a reserve has been placed on an item, the collector will know two things up front:

1. There is a reserve in play.

2. What is the approximate level of action it will take to garner the winning bid.

This policy and language will accomplish a couple of things. For the bidder, it will give them some idea of what it will take to win the item. For the consigner, it will offer them the security they seek while still allowing them to gage and assess market demand for their item. Please know this IN NO WAY changes the MEARS Auctions policy prohibiting consigners from bidding on their own items or MEARS employees from bidding on ANY lot in a MEARS Auction.

As I said, this is related to the audit we will have conducted in 2010. Besides having an independent source look into the issue of shill bidding, this same source will be requested to audit this practice and the nature of those transactions as well.

We hope that as you look to add to your collections in 2010, you look to a number of things offered by MEARS Auctions and MEARS Auctions alone as a complete package:

-Voluntary independent 3rd party scrutiny of internal business practices

-Industry low buyers premiums and consignment fees

-Reasoned and well communicated lot descriptions and evaluations

-Buyer’s protection

When you do, we think you’ll be happy with what you see. We know we are.

As always, collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.

Dave Grob

For questions and comments on this article, please feel free to contact me at DaveGrob1@aol.com.

I thought I would take some time this week to cover some updates related to my role as the Policy Director at MEARS. While MEARS Auctions is a separate entity from the evaluations division, I do provide support to both and work to ensure each stays nested to core principles under which MEARS was founded and continues to grow and evolve. These topics are important to address publicly now well before our next auction and grand opening in concert with Reggie Jackson next month.

The issues I would like to cover involve the audit of MEARS Auctions for 2009 and the way ahead for 2010. MEARS Auctions remains the only auction that has made an internal audit of its business practices a self-imposed requirement. Last year, MEARS Auctions requested that the independent accounting firm of Komisar Brady & Company (LLP) conduct an audit to ensure two key things were not taking place at MEARS Auctions. Those being “In-House” or Shill Bidding and that every sale seen on the auction site was in fact a legitimate sale. In our minds, these two things are deceptive business practices and we wanted to make sure the collecting public knew MEARS Auctions would have no interest in condoning or subsidizing them. Other Auction venues can simply continue to offer excuses about costs and “this is the way things have always been done.” That’s their choice, but not one we are going to make.

With the audit complete, the finding on both of these issues was just as you should have expected. No employees or their family members bid on any items during their time of employment and all legitimate sales were consummated with an actual payment.
The audit did help us refine some of our internal record keeping for those collectors who paid for high end items with bank/wire transfers. This was something that delayed the final audit report. MEARS will voluntarily this same process in 2010, with one notable addition. That 2010 report, like the one for 2009, will be on hand at MEARS Auction’s to examine should they wish.

Since its inception, MEARS Auctions has operated under a No Hidden Reserve policy. We have always felt and still feel that collectors should not be left to labor under the illusion that their bid of $2500 will bring them a $75,000.00 Babe Ruth bat. While this has worked well for auction houses and consigners that allow for undisclosed reserves, MEARS Auctions has always felt this is a deceptive practice and one that provides a false read on market value for items. Be that as it may, MEARS has also been listening to collectors who wish to consign items to MEARS and we also want to address their issues and concerns about placing reserves their items. In order to accommodate as many facets of the auction industry as possible and still stay nested to our core beliefs, MEARS Auctions is modifying its policy on reserves for select items. These exceptions to policy will be at the sole discretion of Troy Kinunen.

Here is how this reserve pricing will work. All lots subject to this policy will have a minimum opening bid and clear language included in the lot description identifying it as such. For example:

“This item has a reserve price that is within the estimated value of the lot. This lot has an estimated value of $58,000 to $65,000.” In some cases, we expect the language to read that the reserve is below the estimated value. In any event, if a reserve has been placed on an item, the collector will know two things up front:

1. There is a reserve in play.

2. What is the approximate level of action it will take to garner the winning bid.

This policy and language will accomplish a couple of things. For the bidder, it will give them some idea of what it will take to win the item. For the consigner, it will offer them the security they seek while still allowing them to gage and assess market demand for their item. Please know this IN NO WAY changes the MEARS Auctions policy prohibiting consigners from bidding on their own items or MEARS employees from bidding on ANY lot in a MEARS Auction.

As I said, this is related to the audit we will have conducted in 2010. Besides having an independent source look into the issue of shill bidding, this same source will be requested to audit this practice and the nature of those transactions as well.

We hope that as you look to add to your collections in 2010, you look to a number of things offered by MEARS Auctions and MEARS Auctions alone as a complete package:

-Voluntary independent 3rd party scrutiny of internal business practices

-Industry low buyers premiums and consignment fees

-Reasoned and well communicated lot descriptions and evaluations

-Buyer’s protection

When you do, we think you’ll be happy with what you see. We know we are.

As always, collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.

Dave Grob

For questions and comments on this article, please feel free to contact me at DaveGrob1@aol.com.

It doesn’t seem that long ago when MEARS was considered by many to be a “Day Laborer” in the employee of the Auction House segment of this hobby/industry. We wanted to do things a certain way because we felt they were in the best long-term interests of both our organization and the hobby/industry at large. Some auction houses decided to no longer work with us, and we also made a like number of decisions.

Last year Dave and Troy launched, with great success I might add, the Bushing and Kinunen MEARS For Sale Site. This year a 15,000 square foot facility was purchased and renovated to become the MEARS Corporate Research and Conference Center. By all accounts, it will be finished next month. But the MEARS expansion will not end with the brick and mortar, a tangible sign of our long-term commitment to this hobby/industry. The building will also serve as the operational center and home of MEARS Auctions.

That’s right MEARS Auctions. I am sure this will come as no great surprise to some as I have been alluding to this possibility for some time. The auction will be run as its own separate division within a larger MEARS structure. Other divisions are also planned as part of an overall managed growth plan that is likely to encompass the next 3-5 years.

The first auction will be held next month and for those eager to say we have waited to long to get the word out, that’s fine as we have never been opposed to go against the grain to do things the way we felt they should be done. This initial event will be small and will feature a large variety of items, certainly not limited to game-used uniforms and equipment. There will also not be any outside consignments for this auction. Both of these were conscious decisions on our part.

The size and scale of the event are purposely designed to enable us to test and evaluate internal operating procedures. There is no need or desire for consignors for this event based on current inventory and the fact that we did not want to be beholding to outside product to dictate our timetable or consume time in gathering consignments. This was critical given the competing demands for time and attention on the new facility.

The Auction Web Site is in the final stages of construction (www.mearsonlineauctions.com). We anticipate it being operational shortly in order to support registration and an auction running from 1 December through 18 December 2008. We envision an annual auction cycle that will combine small and large auctions, the smaller ones with greater frequency on a monthly basis. Our targets for the larger auctions for 2009 are April and September.

The idea of a MEARS Auction is certainly not a new one nor is it one generated solely by our own interest. For those collectors who have asked us about offering services along these lines, we will let you and the collecting public know when we will look to begin to accepting consignments. Based on what I have been told about the nature of some of these items and collections, I am excited about writing about them and seeing them brought to auction.

On an administrative note, the Auction House Rules and Policies are undergoing final review and approval and will be posted to the auction site homepage. There will no printed catalog for this auction.

There has been a lot of speculation recently as to why Chris Nerat left SCD to come to MEARS. Chris’s decision was shaped in part, and only in part, to come to MEARS with the understanding that he would be afforded the opportunity to help establish and grow this new division and his own hard work and success would have a direct impact on his own growth within the company. In my estimation, Chris Nerat is a multi-talented and hard working individual who has asked only for the chance to demonstrate his “value added” and advance based on his merits. Hard to say no or argue with a person like that.

This announcement is also part of the “restructuring” that Dave Bushing referred to in his Board Post on our website of 18 November . Dave decided earlier this year that he wanted to focus on buying and selling and MEARS Auctions will offer Dave a medium to continue to do just that. Part of Dave’s decision to forego authentication was in fact based on his foreknowledge of this venture. He wanted to ensure that collectors and bidders realized that he would have no part in the evaluation of his items, either owned outright or in part, that came to MEARS Auctions. Dave also felt compelled to sell his shares in MEARS back to company in order ensure he was not seen as being in position to unduly influence how his items or those he may later attract for consignment were treated. Dave Bushing believes in the organization he helped build and wants nothing more than MEARS Auctions to succeed for the benefit of those involved and the hobby/industry at large. No spin, that’s just the way he feels.

Troy Kinunen will initially manage the operational aspects of the auction with the support of Chris Nerat. I will serve as the Policy Director. I am sure this announcement has created more questions than it has answered. Many of those will be addressed as our Auction Rules & Policies are published.

We have enjoyed the growth and shaping of our organization and the hobby/industry at large over the past three years and see this as just another step in a positive direction for both. We are comfortable, but not complacent, about our reputation and position within this hobby/industry, both as individuals and at a corporate level. Our goal is to obtain the same level of recognition with this division as we have through our editorial/educational efforts and those of the authentication division. Our vision for this auction is simple…start small, do it right and grow, all the while never losing site of the fact that we should be expected to seek feedback from collectors to drive internal improvement at every opportunity. This is how MEARS was built and it has worked. We see no reason to change that.

The tone of this announcement has intentionally not been flashy or sexy, but rather factual and serious. This reflects our attitude toward this venture. I expect much will change about the face of the auction house segment of this industry in the months to come, we however remain committed to being a force of positive change and hope you will see this and enjoy this as much as we hope to.

Dave Grob

Policy Director

MEARS

It doesn’t seem that long ago when MEARS was considered by many to be a “Day Laborer” in the employee of the Auction House segment of this hobby/industry. We wanted to do things a certain way because we felt they were in the best long-term interests of both our organization and the hobby/industry at large. Some auction houses decided to no longer work with us, and we also made a like number of decisions.

Last year Dave and Troy launched, with great success I might add, the Bushing and Kinunen MEARS For Sale Site. This year a 15,000 square foot facility was purchased and renovated to become the MEARS Corporate Research and Conference Center. By all accounts, it will be finished next month. But the MEARS expansion will not end with the brick and mortar, a tangible sign of our long-term commitment to this hobby/industry. The building will also serve as the operational center and home of MEARS Auctions.

That’s right MEARS Auctions. I am sure this will come as no great surprise to some as I have been alluding to this possibility for some time. The auction will be run as its own separate division within a larger MEARS structure. Other divisions are also planned as part of an overall managed growth plan that is likely to encompass the next 3-5 years.

The first auction will be held next month and for those eager to say we have waited to long to get the word out, that’s fine as we have never been opposed to go against the grain to do things the way we felt they should be done. This initial event will be small and will feature a large variety of items, certainly not limited to game-used uniforms and equipment. There will also not be any outside consignments for this auction. Both of these were conscious decisions on our part.

The size and scale of the event are purposely designed to enable us to test and evaluate internal operating procedures. There is no need or desire for consignors for this event based on current inventory and the fact that we did not want to be beholding to outside product to dictate our timetable or consume time in gathering consignments. This was critical given the competing demands for time and attention on the new facility.

The Auction Web Site is in the final stages of construction (www.mearsonlineauctions.com). We anticipate it being operational shortly in order to support registration and an auction running from 1 December through 18 December 2008. We envision an annual auction cycle that will combine small and large auctions, the smaller ones with greater frequency on a monthly basis. Our targets for the larger auctions for 2009 are April and September.

The idea of a MEARS Auction is certainly not a new one nor is it one generated solely by our own interest. For those collectors who have asked us about offering services along these lines, we will let you and the collecting public know when we will look to begin to accepting consignments. Based on what I have been told about the nature of some of these items and collections, I am excited about writing about them and seeing them brought to auction.

On an administrative note, the Auction House Rules and Policies are undergoing final review and approval and will be posted to the auction site homepage. There will no printed catalog for this auction.

There has been a lot of speculation recently as to why Chris Nerat left SCD to come to MEARS. Chris’s decision was shaped in part, and only in part, to come to MEARS with the understanding that he would be afforded the opportunity to help establish and grow this new division and his own hard work and success would have a direct impact on his own growth within the company. In my estimation, Chris Nerat is a multi-talented and hard working individual who has asked only for the chance to demonstrate his “value added” and advance based on his merits. Hard to say no or argue with a person like that.

This announcement is also part of the “restructuring” that Dave Bushing referred to in his Board Post on our website of 18 November . Dave decided earlier this year that he wanted to focus on buying and selling and MEARS Auctions will offer Dave a medium to continue to do just that. Part of Dave’s decision to forego authentication was in fact based on his foreknowledge of this venture. He wanted to ensure that collectors and bidders realized that he would have no part in the evaluation of his items, either owned outright or in part, that came to MEARS Auctions. Dave also felt compelled to sell his shares in MEARS back to company in order ensure he was not seen as being in position to unduly influence how his items or those he may later attract for consignment were treated. Dave Bushing believes in the organization he helped build and wants nothing more than MEARS Auctions to succeed for the benefit of those involved and the hobby/industry at large. No spin, that’s just the way he feels.

Troy Kinunen will initially manage the operational aspects of the auction with the support of Chris Nerat. I will serve as the Policy Director. I am sure this announcement has created more questions than it has answered. Many of those will be addressed as our Auction Rules & Policies are published.

We have enjoyed the growth and shaping of our organization and the hobby/industry at large over the past three years and see this as just another step in a positive direction for both. We are comfortable, but not complacent, about our reputation and position within this hobby/industry, both as individuals and at a corporate level. Our goal is to obtain the same level of recognition with this division as we have through our editorial/educational efforts and those of the authentication division. Our vision for this auction is simple…start small, do it right and grow, all the while never losing site of the fact that we should be expected to seek feedback from collectors to drive internal improvement at every opportunity. This is how MEARS was built and it has worked. We see no reason to change that.

The tone of this announcement has intentionally not been flashy or sexy, but rather factual and serious. This reflects our attitude toward this venture. I expect much will change about the face of the auction house segment of this industry in the months to come, we however remain committed to being a force of positive change and hope you will see this and enjoy this as much as we hope to.

Dave Grob

Policy Director

MEARS

Unlike last week’s Sunday Special News Extra, this piece took very little time to draft. The question is, what auction houses will MEARS provide support to in 2008? The answer is simply Rob Lifson at Robert Edwards Auctions. What this means is for all of 2008, no work from any other auction house will be accepted by MEARS. Our position is and remains that we only care to do business with likeminded organizations when it comes to such issues as:

Disclosure of Ownership.

Open, Accountable, and Verifiable Bidding practices.

Public notification of any and all alterations, changes or modifications to products.

This date was established and the conditions set months ago. Hard copies were sent, received, and decisions made. I would like to think ample time was afforded for an informed decision.

Although not made public at the time of the rest of this information, MEARS had already decided that effective today, no other auction house work will be accepted from any auction house other than those that agreed to the conditions as outlined for the remainder of 2007 as well. Our position is that these organizations that chose not to participate with MEARS in 2008, would still be in a position to send items in for the next 6 weeks that could in fact run in auctions in early 2008. We have no interest in allowing people to “game” a time line. Also, as was stated previously, if auction houses’ attempt to circumvent our policy by having individuals attempt to send the items in prior to consignment and MEARS has reason to believe this is the case, we reserve the right to return the item without offering an opinion. We realize this will difficult to assess and will work with collectors on their retail submissions.

I have not commented on discussions during the period leading up to this point. It has been offered by representatives from at least two auction houses that this about MEARS “taking sides” and choosing Robert Edwards Auctions over Mastro’s. For those individuals as well as others who may want to see what MEARS is doing in that light, I will remind them that we are ones who established the conditions and have asked others to accept them. Secondly, Mastro’s was the largest single account that MEARS had in 2007. Lastly, we made this opportunity available across a wide audience, to include some we had previously severed relationships with. The notable exceptions were Leland’s and Grey Flannel.

Leland’s was not sent a copy of the policy and conditions based on an e-mail exchange I had with Mike Heffner some time back as we made the transition from SCDA to MEARS. Mike rather professionally and politely (as has always been his way in our discussions) informed me that Leland’s was not going to be a candidate for the MEARS services because they were very happy and satisfied with the way they approached this aspect of their operations. At that time I told Mike I respected him and his decision and would not approach Leland’s in the future with any other similar requests. I made this decision based on my personal and professional respect for Mike Heffner. For those who have alleged that MEARS only catered to those we did business with, I would also remind folks that the first person I sought out for an interview on hobby/industry related topics was in fact Mike Heffner. I also I sent this same series of questions to two other auction house representatives, both of whom we have done business with. In both cases, they said they would glad to participate but never returned the interview questions.

In the case of Grey Flannel, just prior to the actual mailing, Troy spoke with Richard Russek and informed him that MEARS was in the process of sending out hard copies of the policy for consideration. At that time, Mr. Russek informed Troy that his organization had already made its decision not to participate with MEARS and the mailing would not be necessary.

For the record, hard copies of the policy statement and a cover letter from Troy Kinunen were sent to these auction houses. The FEDEX Tracking information shows that they were in fact delivered to these organizations:

Vintage Authentics Auctions

Mastro Auctions

Heritage Auctions

Robert Edwards Auctions

American Memorabilia

Sothebys/SCP Auctions

Huggins and Scott Auctions

For those who think that the audits will not happen, I can assure you, they will. The cost for these compliance visits will be paid by me and me alone and will be on a non-reimbursable basis…Not by MEARS and not by Robert Edwards Auctions and here’s why. Troy and Dave have placed their financial livelihoods in my hand for 2 1/2 years. If MEARS went away and I never did anything else in this hobby or industry, the financial impact to me and my family would be next to nothing. If nothing else, I owe them this much. When I sold my shares back to the company last year, I did it at a net loss and set my salary so that it would be the lowest in the organization… tough to get people to follow any leadership without an example being set.

Secondly, I have to avoid even the most remote appearance of undo influence. If Rob Lifson gave me gas money to drive to NJ and $80 bucks a night for the Motel 6, this would somehow turn into a first class plane ticket, 4-star hotel, and an escort service in the back channel gossip of this industry…even this gossip would give some reason to doubt my motives and intentions. On a personal and professional basis, I just can not permit this to ever happen.

Over the next year I am sure collectors will still complain about things they don’t like about the industry and some of that may include MEARS. All I ask is that they honestly and objectively consider what they have been asking for and who has listened and taken action. I am tremendously proud of the position and stance taken by Troy Kinunen, Dave Bushing, and Rob Lifson. Unlike me, these men’s livelihood is tied directly to the policies I have set and they have agreed to adopt and adhere to…Say what you want about any or all of them, but please don’t use the phrase “they are just in it for the money” in connection with their names as they have proven that this is a baseless claim.

Dave Grob

Unlike last week’s Sunday Special News Extra, this piece took very little time to draft. The question is, what auction houses will MEARS provide support to in 2008? The answer is simply Rob Lifson at Robert Edwards Auctions. What this means is for all of 2008, no work from any other auction house will be accepted by MEARS. Our position is and remains that we only care to do business with likeminded organizations when it comes to such issues as:

Disclosure of Ownership.

Open, Accountable, and Verifiable Bidding practices.

Public notification of any and all alterations, changes or modifications to products.

This date was established and the conditions set months ago. Hard copies were sent, received, and decisions made. I would like to think ample time was afforded for an informed decision.

Although not made public at the time of the rest of this information, MEARS had already decided that effective today, no other auction house work will be accepted from any auction house other than those that agreed to the conditions as outlined for the remainder of 2007 as well. Our position is that these organizations that chose not to participate with MEARS in 2008, would still be in a position to send items in for the next 6 weeks that could in fact run in auctions in early 2008. We have no interest in allowing people to “game” a time line. Also, as was stated previously, if auction houses’ attempt to circumvent our policy by having individuals attempt to send the items in prior to consignment and MEARS has reason to believe this is the case, we reserve the right to return the item without offering an opinion. We realize this will difficult to assess and will work with collectors on their retail submissions.

I have not commented on discussions during the period leading up to this point. It has been offered by representatives from at least two auction houses that this about MEARS “taking sides” and choosing Robert Edwards Auctions over Mastro’s. For those individuals as well as others who may want to see what MEARS is doing in that light, I will remind them that we are ones who established the conditions and have asked others to accept them. Secondly, Mastro’s was the largest single account that MEARS had in 2007. Lastly, we made this opportunity available across a wide audience, to include some we had previously severed relationships with. The notable exceptions were Leland’s and Grey Flannel.

Leland’s was not sent a copy of the policy and conditions based on an e-mail exchange I had with Mike Heffner some time back as we made the transition from SCDA to MEARS. Mike rather professionally and politely (as has always been his way in our discussions) informed me that Leland’s was not going to be a candidate for the MEARS services because they were very happy and satisfied with the way they approached this aspect of their operations. At that time I told Mike I respected him and his decision and would not approach Leland’s in the future with any other similar requests. I made this decision based on my personal and professional respect for Mike Heffner. For those who have alleged that MEARS only catered to those we did business with, I would also remind folks that the first person I sought out for an interview on hobby/industry related topics was in fact Mike Heffner. I also I sent this same series of questions to two other auction house representatives, both of whom we have done business with. In both cases, they said they would glad to participate but never returned the interview questions.

In the case of Grey Flannel, just prior to the actual mailing, Troy spoke with Richard Russek and informed him that MEARS was in the process of sending out hard copies of the policy for consideration. At that time, Mr. Russek informed Troy that his organization had already made its decision not to participate with MEARS and the mailing would not be necessary.

For the record, hard copies of the policy statement and a cover letter from Troy Kinunen were sent to these auction houses. The FEDEX Tracking information shows that they were in fact delivered to these organizations:

Vintage Authentics Auctions

Mastro Auctions

Heritage Auctions

Robert Edwards Auctions

American Memorabilia

Sothebys/SCP Auctions

Huggins and Scott Auctions

For those who think that the audits will not happen, I can assure you, they will. The cost for these compliance visits will be paid by me and me alone and will be on a non-reimbursable basis…Not by MEARS and not by Robert Edwards Auctions and here’s why. Troy and Dave have placed their financial livelihoods in my hand for 2 1/2 years. If MEARS went away and I never did anything else in this hobby or industry, the financial impact to me and my family would be next to nothing. If nothing else, I owe them this much. When I sold my shares back to the company last year, I did it at a net loss and set my salary so that it would be the lowest in the organization… tough to get people to follow any leadership without an example being set.

Secondly, I have to avoid even the most remote appearance of undo influence. If Rob Lifson gave me gas money to drive to NJ and $80 bucks a night for the Motel 6, this would somehow turn into a first class plane ticket, 4-star hotel, and an escort service in the back channel gossip of this industry…even this gossip would give some reason to doubt my motives and intentions. On a personal and professional basis, I just can not permit this to ever happen.

Over the next year I am sure collectors will still complain about things they don’t like about the industry and some of that may include MEARS. All I ask is that they honestly and objectively consider what they have been asking for and who has listened and taken action. I am tremendously proud of the position and stance taken by Troy Kinunen, Dave Bushing, and Rob Lifson. Unlike me, these men’s livelihood is tied directly to the policies I have set and they have agreed to adopt and adhere to…Say what you want about any or all of them, but please don’t use the phrase “they are just in it for the money” in connection with their names as they have proven that this is a baseless claim.

Dave Grob