воскресенье, 30 сентября 2012 г.

Hamilton Island sell-off on the cards. - Australasian Business Intelligence

Jun 18, 2002 (The Advertiser

ABIX via COMTEX) -- A major tourism resort in Australia's Whitsunday islands, the Hamilton Island resort, may be sold. Hamilton Island Limited has appointed JP Morgan Australia to search out options for the future of the company. One proposal is for the sale and a return of profits to shareholders. The resort has had a troubled financial history. The review has been welcomed by BT Funds Management, which owns 63.53 per cent of the company. On 18 June 2002, the stock rose to $A2.12. This gives the company a market capitalisation of some $A95 million. The resort was recently harmed by global turbulence and the collapse of airline Ansett. The company believes that the current year's profit will be between $A7 million and $A8 million.

Publication Date: 19 June 2002

HAMILTON ISLAND LIMITED - ASX HAM: JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED: BT FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED: PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP

INCORPORATED:

ANSETT AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED

By Matthew Hart

суббота, 29 сентября 2012 г.

EMBRACE OF SOCCER NOT IN THE CARDS.(Sports) - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Byline: LEONARD KOPPETT Columnist

WILL THE SUCCESS of the U.S. team in World Cup soccer make that sport as popular here as it is in the rest of the world?

I don't think so, but my reasons are somewhat different from the conventional wisdom.

Soccer's limited popularity on the U.S. sports scene is attributed to 1) too little scoring; 2) unsuitability for television commercial breaks and close-ups; 3) widespread ignorance of and indifference to the game's finer points; 4) obstacles presented by the entrenchment of baseball, football and basketball; and 5) the absence of overt violence provided by American football, hockey and boxing.

All that may be true enough, but I believe two much deeper and stronger forces are involved.

One is the enormous difference between watching and playing.

The other is a view of sport that differs from European and other cultural attitudes.

The first explains why millions of children and young people who play soccer with such pleasure and enthusiasm do not grow into a huge audience for professional soccer. For participants, it is a wonderful game, as satisfying as basketball and safer than football at the amateur level. But watching is entirely different.

How many people like to play cards? Just about everyone. How many people would pay to watch somebody else play cards? Very few. So the amount of participation does not automatically translate into paying customers.

Now consider the more than 100 million tickets bought at high prices for major league sports each year. How many of those purchasers have played those sports at that level, or even as high as major college? The spectator's pleasure is not a simple projection of lower-level experience, but seeing people do what we know is exceptional.

Our major spectator sports have been refined to appeal to watchers. With television, those tastes have been narrowed to what works best on the screen.

U.S. soccer has a substantial and growing following. But like tennis, golf, track and field and many other sports, it doesn't rise to the level of commercial exploitation of the four major team sports.

Events such as the World Cup and the Olympics capture universal attention at four-year intervals. Our regular majors dominate the day-to-day sports interest that sells newspapers and fills TV time.

Europeans see an aesthetic element in sports. They respond to form as well as result, and appreciate an artistic aspect to which we're largely indifferent. High-level soccer, to those who understand it, provides this sort of 'beauty' as well as strategic intricacy when one can see the whole field.

The U.S. response is less concerned with form. We focus on tangible results: the ball goes through the basket, over the fence or across the goal line. We love the spectacular slam dunk or diving catch, but our main concern is the routine play and score that decides the game or pennant race.

A knowledgeable soccer fan can honestly say, 'I saw marvelous things done today,' even after a scoreless tie, and come away satisfied. But a baseball fan, rooting for his team, is no less pleased with a three-run homer that just clears a fence as with a 450-foot blast in the same circumstance.

Finally, there is national pride. It's fundamental to the Olympic, World Cup and other international competitions. In most countries, a national team's victory or defeat matters to the whole nation, not just fans of that sport. We don't have such traditions. All our sports loyalties have been local or sectional, tied to club or school. We simply don't feel our national honor is at stake. We root for our city or school, not for international glory.

Soccer has its place in our scheme of things. But it won't get the hold on us that a World Series, a Super Bowl, or even an NBA championship or the Stanley Cup have. The kids who play soccer today will still buy Mariners, Seahawks and Sonics season tickets when they grow up, and tune their TV sets to them.

пятница, 28 сентября 2012 г.

Soccer: City sell out allocation.(Sport) - South Wales Echo (Cardiff, Wales)

CARDIFF City's away ticket allocation of 2,400 for their encounter with Nottingham Forest tomorrow has been sold out.

Those who do not have the club membership card or season ticket will not be allowed into the City Ground - even with a match ticket.

Bluebirds stewards will be carrying out checks on supporters and anyone not matching their records will be refused entry.

четверг, 27 сентября 2012 г.

It's time to sell Bayer; EUROFOCUS.(Sport) - Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland)

BETTING on the Bundesliga cost Mark McGuinness a pretty penny last week but that hasn't put him off German football.

The Goalslive MD kicks off his 7-2 treble with champions Bayern Munich who are home to Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern have been in cracking form all season and although coach Felix Magath may have one eye on the Champions League a home win is on the cards.Take 4-11 with Premierbet.

The next selection is from tomorrow's Dutch Eredivisie match between Feyenoord and Ajax.

The Amsterdam giants lie in seventh spot and have fallen from grace and as there is no love lost between the teams you'd expect Feyenoord to go for the throat.The Rotterdam side are a best 10-11 (Skybet).

Finally, support Sevilla to beat Osasuna who have faded after a bright start in Spain. Sevilla have won three out of four and look good at 4-5 with Hill against a side who are mediocre at best.

Check out the latest scores and results on Mark's treble at www.goalslive.com.

среда, 26 сентября 2012 г.

Pitch sell-off gets red card.(News) - The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland)

CASTLEREAGH council has scored an own goal with its plans to sell off Hydebank playing fields in south Belfast, an Alliance councillor has said.

Geraldine Rice was speaking after a protest at the playing field when footballers voiced their anger over the sell-off designed to make way for a supermarket.

Mrs Rice said: ''Footballers who use Hydebank have turned out in force to give Castlereagh council the red card over the sell-off of their playing fields.'

Former Sports Minister Michael McGimpsey

The UUP MLA said, on behalf of residents, he was protesting loudly over the proposed sale and lobbying the DoE to discourage planning permission for another hypermarket.

CAPTION(S):

вторник, 25 сентября 2012 г.

Honus Wagner baseball card sells for $2.35 million - Charleston Daily Mail

LOS ANGELES - The 'Holy Grail of baseball cards,' the famous 1909Honus Wagner tobacco card once owned by hockey great Wayne Gretzky,has sold for a record-setting $2,350,000, the seller of the cardsaid.

The anonymous buyer has only been identified as a SouthernCalifornia collector. SCP Auctions Inc., a company that holds sportsmemorabilia auctions, said it bought a small share of the card. It isscheduled to be shown at a news conference at Dodger Stadium today.

There are about 60 of the tobacco cards in existence featuring thePittsburgh Pirates shortstop, one of the first five players to beinducted in Baseball's Hall of Fame.

The seller, Brian Seigel, paid a then-record $1,265,000 in 2000for the prize card, which is in much better shape than the others.

'This particular one was preserved in spectacular condition,' saidJoe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator ofNewport Beach - the company that certified the authenticity of thecard. 'It's the Holy Grail of baseball cards.'

Still, the Wagner cards are so rare that even tattered ones willsell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, Seigel said.

The others 'you could stick in the middle of the street and letcars drive over it through the day, take it in your hand and crumpleit up, and it still would be a $100,000 card,' said Seigel, CEO ofEmerald Capital LLC, an asset management company, who lives in LasVegas.

понедельник, 24 сентября 2012 г.

INDIANA NATIVE'S CARDS SELL FAST - The Columbian (Vancouver, WA)

JASPER, Ind. (AP) -- Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio. Allare big names in the world of baseball and trading cards. But ScottRolen?

In this southern Indiana city, Rolen, the newest infielder on thePhiladelphia Phillies, is the hottest card around.

'Everyone is talking about Scott Rolen,' said Sheila Pierce ofFido's Sports Cards & Collectibles. 'People are just tickled todeath that he's doing so well.'

Rolen, a native of Jasper, has been in the big leagues for just afew days, yet sales of his baseball cards in his hometown areoutpacing those of established superstars, including Frank Thomas andKen Griffey Jr.

So far, Rolen's statistics had been documented only on minorleague cards -- more than 20 of them. But that may have ended forgood when the Phillies called up the infielder last week.

In his major league debut Thursday, Rolen went 1-for-4 with adouble in a 2-1 Philadelphia victory over the Cardinals. Playingthird base on Monday night in a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates,Rolen had a single in three at-bats.

Overall, he's batting .316 (6 of 19) with three doubles and threeruns batted in during his brief major league career.

At Sports Cards and More, owner David Stenftenagel said he's soldhundreds of Rolen cards since the rookie was called up.

'I'm calling all over the country to get more,' Stenftenagel said.'It seems like everyone in Jasper either has a Scott Rolen card orwants one.'

Rolen's cards sell for $3 to $20 locally, with the rarest cardfetching $75.

'It's very flattering,' Rolen said. 'I'm grateful for all thesupport I've gotten, but I still haven't quite grasped why people indifferent parts of the country would pay so much for a baseball cardof some 21-year-old kid from Jasper.'

Rolen remembers when collecting the cards was a hobby, not abusiness.

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE THE UW ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT WEB SITE OFFERS A SECURE PLACE FOR DONORS TO SELL TICKETS.(SPORTS) - The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)

Byline: ANDY BAGGOT abaggot@madison.com 608-252-6175

An online market place is being established for University of Wisconsin season ticket-holders who want to sell or purchase game tickets.

Corbin Hunt, the UW assistant athletic director for ticket sales, said Wednesday a system that allows Badger Fund members to exchange tickets and forward them electronically to another party, will be up and running today.

'We're using this as a donor benefit,' he said. 'We've often heard from donors that this sort of an exchange process would be a great benefit to them. We know it happens all the time on other Web sites and obviously in other ways. It's very important to us that we be able to offer that to our donors in a secure way.'

Access to the service is available at the UW Athletic Department Web site (www.uwbadgers.com). Locate the link entitled 'ticket information' on the left side of the screen and follow it to the appropriate site.

Only Badger Fund members are eligible for the service, which requires a UW patron number as well as a pin number. Hunt said a goal of the service is to attract more fans to the Badger Fund, which has approximately 15,000 participants.

Hunt said the service is currently limited to UW men's basketball and men's hockey season ticket-holders because the Kohl Center has electronic ticket scanners. He said he hopes to have a similar scanning system at Camp Randall Stadium next season in order to accommodate UW football season ticket-holders.

'If you have season tickets and you're a donor, you have the opportunity to take either all (your tickets) or a portion and if you're not going to use (them), you could put it on our Web site and actually sell it to somebody,' Hunt said.

The benefit to selling UW tickets in this way is that they will not be sold above face value and the authenticity of the ticket is assured.

'We're not allowing an auction-style or any kind of a higher price (for tickets),' Hunt said.

Those who sell their tickets through UW will receive an 85 percent credit of the ticket's resale value. Hunt said credit card and delivery fees account for most of the remaining 15 percent.

'It's becoming more common,' Hunt said of the service, which can be found at schools such as Oklahoma and Virginia. 'It's another opportunity to provide some benefit to your donors.

'There's a lot of this going on. People are not always out there looking to make a lot of extra money on their seats. They want to get them in the hands of other fans -- our fans, real fans -- so that provides this opportunity.'

When there is an exchange of tickets, they can be forwarded online from one party to the other even in another city. Once a party receives the tickets, they can be printed out at home and used at the prescribed event.

воскресенье, 23 сентября 2012 г.

JENNI MURRAY: Sex sells men's sport for me and other women like me.(Features) - Daily Post (Liverpool, England)

Byline: JENNI MURRAY

I CONFESS I had to pause for a moment and reflect on my angry reaction to the UEFA President, Lennart Johansson's, claim that women's football would attract more sponsorship if the players were prepared to 'sex it up' a bit. Why do I watch rugby? Is it for the devastating accuracy of Wilkinson's kicks or all that heaving and sweating of young male bodies at the peak of physical perfection?

If I'm lured into football, is it for Wayne Rooney's undoubted skill on the field or do I long for the return of up-turned collar, sex on fast legs, Eric Cantona? Yes, frankly, I have to concede that sex sells men's sport for me and a lot of other women like me who couldn't care two hoots for the offside rule, but, I'm afraid, it's different for girls. They have struggled consistently to be accepted as athletes at all. We used to be told we should never run or jump or ride a bike because our internal organs would be damaged and we'd never be able to breed. Nonsense, obviously, but a powerful block for many years to thousands of ambitious females.

When they are permitted to take part, they're expected not to sweat, but gently glow. When they play tennis, it's often their frilly knickers that are the focus of attention and when, at last, their football is taken seriously enough to be televised they're told it's not feminine and they should look to the way they look. No wonder so many school girls are put off toning their bodies to athletic perfection in their chosen sport - a pleasure a boy claims as his right.

The French tennis star Natalie Dechy wore trousers, sensibly, in what was a very cold early June, at Eastbourne. No frills, no cute little behind to flash at the crowds, just damn good tennis. Good for her. NEVER has the North-South divide been so blatantly exploited as in the media coverage of Royal Ascot being held at York. Two Stockport lads allegedly interpreted the 'hats obligatory' rule by wearing flat caps - a clear indication to the Southern media that the north is still full of bumpkins who spend their entire time trotting between the pub and the pigeon loft and wouldn't recognise a dress code if it flew out and bit them on thenose. Clearly it never occurred to these soft snobs, who've never before needed to travel north of Watford Gap, that this might simply have been what the north really most famous for - an acute sense of humour.

And they have certainly never been to a wedding in posh Ripon or Harrogate or parts of rural Cheshire where toppers, tails and impeccable manners are an absolute requirement. Not that these Southern Jocks had much in the way of sense of humour or savoir faire. One middle aged and married upper class twit bemoaned the absence of 'a decent filly' at the meeting, referring not to the horse flesh, but to daughters fit for a fling. Says it all, really. YES, I did remember to send a flattering card, a tactic not shared by the boys who sent one to 'him indoors' saying when they grew up they wanted to be just like him, only thinner, richer and with more hair - not sure he was best pleased. I was struck by a book of quotations brought out to celebrate the day which has this from David Beckham: 'I remember so clearly us going into hospital so Victoria could have Brooklyn. I was eating a Lion Bar at the time.' Does the guy never miss a chance for promotional activities? Then there's the Queen who, on first seeing Prince William, is alleged to have said: 'Thank goodness he hasn't got ears like his father!' No wonder Charles has been such an insecure wreck when even his mother hasn't a good word to say about him. SO, THE latest health scare designed to put us off our food says bacon and eggs for breakfast, a ham sandwich for lunch and a steak for dinner every day will increase your chances of getting bowel cancer - too much red meat. Personally, I'm heartily sick of the fitness fascists poking their noses into every aspect of our waking life.

суббота, 22 сентября 2012 г.

BANKRUPT CONSECO TO SELL PRIVATE-LABEL CARD ISSUER.(Conseco Finance Corp. )(Brief Article) - Cardline

Conseco Inc.'s Conseco Finance Corp. will be sold under a preliminary agreement to CFN Investment Holdings LLC, a joint venture of $1.2 billion Fortress Investment Group LLC, Cerberus Capital Management L.P., and J.C. Flowers & Co., for an undisclosed price, Conseco Inc. announced today in its bankruptcy filing. Conseco Finance is a St. Paul, MN-based private-label card issuer with $2.8 billion in receivables and three million accounts. Clients include the home- improvement chains Menard Inc. Sutherlands Lumber and Home Improvement Centers, 84 Lumber Co., McCoy's Building and Supply Centers, and the motor sports division of Honda Motor Co. On Aug. 30, Salt Lake City, UT-based Conseco Bank, Conseco's card-issuing bank, changed its name to Mill Creek Bank. With $52.3 billion in assets, Conseco Inc.'s bankruptcy is the third-largest ever.

пятница, 21 сентября 2012 г.

Hybrid series rules as Croker clash sells out.(SPORT) - Irish Independent (Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

Byline: Colm Keys

THE GAA are now guaranteed a sell-out Croke Park for the second International Rules test, a record for the annual series.

An announcement yesterday confirmed that no more stand tickets were on sale at headquarters with only tickets for Hill 16 remaining.

The capacity for Croke Park has been restricted to 78,000 because of work being carried on Hill 16. Despite those restrictions, the 2002 second test record of 71,571 will be easily surpassed.

The phenomenal interest has ensured that tickets will now be at a premium next week, particularly if the first test tomorrow night is a close affair. The Irish players gathered in Galway yesterday ahead of tomorrow's test and have reported no major injury worries.

Vice captain Tadhg Kennelly feels the rule changes and introduction of a card system will ensure that the violent scenes that marred last year's series won't be repeated. Kennelly explained how the Australians believe so strongly in the team ethos and if a player is now sent off and can't be replaced it will be tantamount to letting the team down.

'That's the way they are,' said the Kerryman. 'If they feel the team will be let down by their actions, then they won't let it happen. They really believe in that team ethos.'

Kennelly has hinted that despite signing a contract with Sydney Swans that extends to 2009, he may still come home at the end of next season. 'I've signed until 2009 but that doesn't mean that I'll be seeing it out. If I wanted to move on I don't think the club would stand in my way on it,' he said.

Meanwhile, Irish boss Sean Boylan has admitted he is finished with inter-county management. The Meath legend, 62, is also scheduled to lead Ireland for the 2007 series Down Under.

четверг, 20 сентября 2012 г.

Catholic nuns sell Honus Wagner card for $262,000 - AP Online

BALTIMORE (AP) — As soon as collector Doug Walton heard about a rare Honus Wagner baseball card that had been bequeathed to an order of Roman Catholic nuns, he told himself he had to have it.

So Walton put in a bid that far exceeded the amount offered by other potential buyers.

Walton, of Knoxville, Tenn., will pay $262,000 for the card, which was auctioned off this week by the Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the order's ministries for the poor in 35 countries.

The price exceeded the expectations of auctioneers at Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, who had predicted it would fetch between $150,000 and $200,000.

Walton, 35, who owns seven sports card stores in the Southeast, said the story behind the card motivated him to make a generous offer.

'To be honest with you, we probably paid a little bit more than we should have,' he said Friday. 'But with the back story, and the fact that it's going to a really good charity, to us it just seemed worth it.'

The Wagner card, produced as part of the T206 series between 1909 and 1911, is the most sought-after baseball card in history. About 60 are known to exist, and one in near-perfect condition sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card.

A shortstop nicknamed 'The Flying Dutchman,' Wagner played for 21 seasons, 18 of them with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He compiled a .328 career batting average and was one of the five original inductees into baseball's Hall of Fame.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame inherited their card from the brother of a deceased nun after he died earlier this year. The card had been in the man's possession since 1936 and was unknown to the sports memorabilia marketplace.

Although the card is in poor condition, that didn't deter Walton. He said the high bid was $180,000 when he put in his first and only bid Thursday afternoon — for $225,000. The final sale price ended up at $220,000, plus a $42,000 buyer's premium.

Walton said he bought it to honor his uncle, from whom he inherited the chain of card stores. Christopher Walton, who died in 2004, claimed to have owned a T206 Wagner card in the 1930s.

'He doesn't know what happened to it, and it was his dream to get another one of those cards back — in any condition,' Walton said. 'I feel like me acquiring this card is continuing his legacy. ... He referred to it as the Mona Lisa. He was so sad about it.'

Sister Virginia Muller, the former treasurer of the order who was entrusted with the card, said in a statement that she was thankful for the support she has received since word spread that the order was selling it.

Nuns sell Honus Wagner card for $262,000 - The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV)

BALTIMORE - As soon as collector Doug Walton heard about a rareHonus Wagner baseball card that had been bequeathed to an order ofRoman Catholic nuns, he told himself he had to have it.

So Walton put in a bid that far exceeded the amount offered byother potential buyers.

Walton, of Knoxville, Tenn., will pay $262,000 for the card,which was auctioned off this week by the Baltimore-based SchoolSisters of Notre Dame. Proceeds from the sale will benefit theorder's ministries for the poor in 35 countries.

The price exceeded the expectations of auctioneers at Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, who had predicted it would fetchbetween $150,000 and $200,000.

Walton, 35, who owns seven sports card stores in the Southeast,said the story behind the card motivated him to make a generousoffer.

'To be honest with you, we probably paid a little bit more thanwe should have,' he said Friday. 'But with the back story, and thefact that it's going to a really good charity, to us it just seemedworth it.'

The Wagner card, produced as part of the T206 series between 1909and 1911, is the most sought-after baseball card in history. About60 are known to exist, and one in near-perfect condition sold in2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card.

A shortstop nicknamed 'The Flying Dutchman,' Wagner played for 21seasons, 18 of them with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He compiled a .328career batting average and was one of the five original inducteesinto baseball's Hall of Fame.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame inherited their card from thebrother of a deceased nun after he died earlier this year. The cardhad been in the man's possession since 1936 and was unknown to thesports memorabilia marketplace.

Although the card is in poor condition, that didn't deter Walton.He said the high bid was $180,000 when he put in his first and onlybid Thursday afternoon - for $225,000. The final sale price ended upat $220,000, plus a $42,000 buyer's premium.

Walton said he bought it to honor his uncle, from whom heinherited the chain of card stores. Christopher Walton, who died in2004, claimed to have owned a T206 Wagner card in the 1930s.

'He doesn't know what happened to it, and it was his dream to getanother one of those cards back - in any condition,' Walton said. 'Ifeel like me acquiring this card is continuing his legacy. ... Hereferred to it as the Mona Lisa. He was so sad about it.'

Sister Virginia Muller, the former treasurer of the order who wasentrusted with the card, said in a statement that she was thankfulfor the support she has received since word spread that the orderwas selling it.

среда, 19 сентября 2012 г.

WALKER AS MVP BECOMING TOUGHER SELL.(Sports)(Column) - Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)

Byline: Bob Kravitz Rocky Mountain News Sports Columnist

Two years ago, Dante Bichette was denied the National League Most Valuable Player Award because of the Coors Field Factor. And it was, to a great degree, a justified snub given the mammoth disparity between his home and road numbers.

Last year, Ellis Burks was denied the NL MVP because his Rockies faded down the stretch while Ken Caminiti was leading the Padres to a division title.

And this year?

Larry Walker, MVP.

Can it be anybody else?

If Walker continues to flirt with an average in the neighborhood of .400, continues to hit for power, continues to be one of the game's best right fielders, continues to put up numbers home and away - continues, most important, to stay healthy - it doesn't matter how far out of contention the Rockies finish.

He is your NL MVP.

Period.

``Clearly,'' Don Baylor said before Thursday's game with the Cubs. ``If the vote was right this minute, it would have to be Larry Walker. If you took a poll of players around the league, you'd get the same answer. Maybe Jeff Bagwell would be second. Maybe Tony Gwynn third. But it has to be Walker.''

Ah, but here's the rub:

The Rockies are a losing team, and given the state of the pitching staff and other injuries, there's every reason to believe they will continue to be a losing team. And history is not at all kind to the MVP candidacies of players who toil for bad ballclubs.

Since 1960, just one player - Andre Dawson of the 1987 Chicago Cubs - has won the league MVP while playing for a losing team. During that span, the MVP played on a division winner 23 times, a second-place club 10 times and a third-place team three times. (Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell and St. Louis' Keith Hernandez shared MVP honors in 1979).

The question, then, is what is an MVP?

The criteria are not etched anywhere on stone tablets. Basically, the baseball writers are asked to vote for the player they believe did the most for his team. It's a bit like the Supreme Court justice who said he could not define pornography, but knew it when he saw it. The same seems to hold true with the voters' view of an MVP: They can't define what it is that makes an MVP, but they know one when they see one.

So what is an MVP?

Is it the best player that season?

Or is it the best player on a winning team?

The writers' voting history suggests it is the latter - which doesn't bode particularly well for Walker.

One year ago, Burks had the best numbers on the planet and rendered the Coors Field argument obsolete by doing it on the road and at home - but his team finished third in the division. Meanwhile, Caminiti was having a heroic final two months, including his phoenix-like resurrection in Mexico City, when he battled through food poisoning and hit a couple of home runs.

``That's when Caminiti won it,'' Baylor said. ``After that Mexico trip, that's what everybody focused on.''

The MVP criteria are further muddled by other issues:

Should it necessarily be a position player, as it usually is, or should pitchers, who have the Cy Young Award, be considered?

And how about character issues? Cincinnati's Barry Larkin won it two years ago with very pedestrian numbers. Kirk Gibson of the 1988 Dodgers won it with average numbers. But both got the nod because they were viewed as guys who brought some intangibles to bear in leading their teams to the playoffs. On the flip side, Albert Belle was properly snubbed because he's a creep and an embarrassment to baseball.

The question with Walker, ultimately, is should he be penalized for being on a team whose pitching staff has fallen apart? At some point, the voters have to turn a blind eye to his teammates' shortcomings and fully consider the scope of this guy's accomplishments this season. We're not talking about a great season here. We're talking about a transcendant one - at the plate, in the field, on the basepaths, everywhere.

``In theory, he could be a 30-homer, 30-stolen base guy by mid-August,'' Baylor said, shaking his head.

The Coors Field prejudice? It shouldn't adversely affect Walker when the voters look at the numbers. He went into Thursday's game batting .422 with 10 homers and 43 RBI at Coors Field. He is batting .361 with 19 homers and 40 RBI on the road.

The wild card in all of this might be the Randy Johnson fiasco. Some voters might be moved to ask, ``How can I vote for a guy who didn't step up for his team on a night they were facing baseball's best pitcher?'' Some of us think Walker's decision was fully defensible and blown far out of proportion. Still, it's fair to wonder whether some voters won't hold that decision against him, especially when they view him against the backdrop of a team seemingly headed for last place.

No matter. Here's one vote - right here, right now.

Sports cards nothing but a waste.(SPORTS) - The Washington Times (Washington, DC)

Byline: Dick Heller, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The inexplicable baseball card business has gotten loonier than ever this week thanks to two shortstops a century removed from each other Honus Wagner and Derek Jeter.

Of course, their participation was entirely involuntary in Wagner's case because he has been deceased since 1955, and in Jeter's because he presumably has better things to do.

First, a 1909 card bearing Wagner's likeness sold for a record $2.3 million, most of it shelled out by a Southern California collector who obviously has money to burn.

The 'almost mint condition' pasteboard and isn't that like being a little bit pregnant? has been described as the Mona Lisa of baseball cards, which is an oxymoron if I ever heard one. In fact, it probably would make the painting's artist revolve in his grave if 'The DaVinci Code' hadn't already done so.

On top of this idiocy, somebody with the Topps bubblegum company got the not so bright idea of putting out a Jeter card that shows President Bush in the stands and Mickey Mantle in the dugout.

Needless to say, their images were digitally superimposed on the photo. Mantle, like Wagner, is unable to attend games these days (at least bodily) because he no longer resides on this mortal coil.

And although Bush is very much alive and hopefully will throw out the first ball at the Washington Nationals' first season opener at RFK Stadium next month he was nowhere near Yankee Stadium when the picture was snapped.

'We could have axed [the card] when we saw the proof, [but] we thought it was hilarious,' said a misguided Topps spokesman.

Yeah right. Talk about gumming up things.

Sadly, the bogus Jeter card, which will be available until Topps issues a new 2007 set at midseason, probably will become a classic. Collectors seem to love wacky cards, such as a 1969 Aurelio Rodriguez that showed a batboy pretending to be the Senators infielder and a 1989 Billy Ripken that featured an obscenity on the knob of his bat.

It's all enough to make you pitch your pristine 2007 cards against a wall. Oh wait, people don't do that anymore.

I know collecting baseball cards is, or used to be, a Grand Old American Tradition, but it always has seemed pretty pointless to me. I mean, the dadgum things simply aren't that interesting particularly in an era when kids learn to surf the Internet for stats and stuff almost as soon as they learn the alphabet.

OK, so it can be fun to get your hands on an Albert Pujols or Ryan Howard after you've accumulated, say, 25 Robert Ficks, but then what do you do?

I'll tell you what you do: You stick the cards in plastic sheets in an album or toss 'em into a closet. (And, of course, somebody maybe even you eventually throws them out, thereby ruining your chance to sell a 2006 Ryan Zimmerman rookie card for $50,000 in a decade or two.)

My two sons and I went through childhoods (their first, my second) collecting Orioles cards in the mid-1980s before we decided it was all a waste of time. So far, though, I've resisted the temptation to put them out for the trashmen. Who knows maybe a 1985 Lenn Sakata will be in big demand someday.

With apologies to Babe Waxpak, our syndicated Sunday collectibles guru, the whole memorabilia bit leaves me colder than Anna Nicole Smith. All over the globe, idiots are paying mammoth sums to acquire cards, autographs and apparel related to Jockdom.

The signing scene is particularly obnoxious. Who cares if an athlete (even the saintly Cal Ripken) scrawls his name on a piece of paper? Bill Russell, the old Boston Celtics star, had the right idea. He refused to do autographs because he felt it was demeaning to both parties.

I don't mean to sound like a curmudgeon, but a pox on those who seek to get rich (or at least richer) at the expense of poor souls who worship every morsel of memorabilia. Let's remember, folks: It's the game that counts, not the dribs and drabs.

CAPTION(S):

The 'Holy Grail of baseball cards,' the 1909 Honus Wagner tobacco card has sold for a record-setting $2,350,000. [Photo by Associated Press]

Online Retailers Join eBillme to Sell Gift Cards. - Entertainment Close-up

eBillme, a secure way to pay with cash online using online banking and walk-in locations, announced that it welcomes new retailers to the list of gift cards now being sold with eBillme.

'We are excited to have our Tiger Direct and Circuit City branded Gift Cards available for purchase in time for the holidays,' says Gilbert Fiorentino, Chief Executive of Systemax Inc.'s Technology Products Group, which includes TigerDirect and Circuit City. 'We wanted to give our customers more options when it comes to purchasing this popular item. eBillme is helping us deliver an easy and secure checkout experience for those shoppers who prefer to pay with cash. It's an opportunity for us to reach new customers and give more shoppers access to our gift cards.'

According to a release, all gift cards processed by eBillme can be paid for with cash, allowing retailers to attract the number of shoppers who prefer cash over credit. The latest retailers now selling gift cards with eBillme include:

Bass Pro Shops

Cabela's

Champs Sports

Circuit City

Dell

Endless.com

Foot Locker

JCPenney

Omaha Steaks

The Home Depot

Tiger Direct

'As the popularity of gift cards increases year over year, we saw an opportunity to give retailers an outlet to reach the growing number of consumers who pay with cash,' says Marwan Forzley, President and CEO of eBillme. 'The eBillme Debt-Free Mall has truly become a one-stop shop for holiday shopping without credit cards. Now with the addition of these gift cards, shoppers can find great products and deals from premier online retail brands without the interest and debt of credit cards.'

eBillme noted that when shoppers choose the option at checkout, their order is confirmed with a bill sent to their e-mail address. Consumers simply pay the bill the same way they pay utilities, loans, insurance, and other bills, either through their online bank account or at one of over 75,000 walk-in locations.

Systemax Inc., a Fortune 1000 company, sells personal computers, computer supplies, consumer electronics and industrial products through a system of branded ecommerce web sites, direct mail catalogs, relationship marketers and retail stores in North America and Europe.

More information:

www.systemax.com

www.eBillme.com

Petro-Canada Distributes Vancouver 2010 Olympic Curling Coin Sport Cards - CCNMatthews Newswire

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(CCNMatthews - Feb. 22, 2007) - Starting onFebruary 23, 2007, participating Petro-Canada retail locations willsell exclusive Vancouver 2010 coin sport cards in support of Canadianathletes and coaches. The program is part of a partnership with theRoyal Canadian Mint and RBC to circulate a 25-cent coin that profilesan Olympic or Paralympic winter sport leading up to Vancouver 2010.The first 25-cent circulation coin and collector card depicts thepopular sport of curling.

Each card will feature a special colour version of the circulationcoin embedded in laminated cards and sold for $7.95. A portion of theproceeds will be distributed to the Fuelling the Dream Fund, acorporate initiative aimed at helping develop Olympic and Paralympicathletes and coaches.

'Petro-Canada has a long history in supporting Canadian athletesand coaches,' said Phil Churton, Vice-President of Marketing forPetro-Canada. 'The Vancouver 2010 coin sport cards are another wayfor us to do our part for the upcoming 2010 Olympic Winter Games.'

Fears over Sri Lanka no-shows hits Glam's hopes of first Test sell-out.(Sport) - Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales)

GLAMORGAN are hoping ticket sales for the England and Sri Lanka Test match will pick up over the next month after chairman Paul Russell admitted demand has been slower than the county had hoped.

Cardiff welcomes Andrew Strauss and his Asheswinning side for the five-day match which starts on May 26 at the Swalec Stadium, with Sri Lanka threatening not to bring their full complement.

Release dates for a number of Sri Lankans from the Indian Premier League, including new captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, have yet to be agreed.

The tourists will definitely be without two draw cards in Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, who have both retired from Test cricket. This is making the first Test on May 26 a tricky sell.

'We are enormously disappointed that the full Sri Lankan side might not be with us and ticket sales could be better,' said Russell.

ARUM HAS TOUGH SELL.(Sports) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Staff Writer

Promoter Bob Arum, who loves a challenge, has a doozie in front of him at the moment: trying to sell the Roy Jones Jr.-Julio Gonzalez fight Saturday at Staples Center as a competitive matchup.

And he's at full stride.

He explained how the balance of power in boxing has shifted from the East Coast to the West Coast. He contends the West now produces the majority of championship-caliber fighters and has the best instruction and facilities.

Arum pointed out that Gonzalez, who learned to fight in Huntington Beach, is a product of that superior system.

``Julio Gonzalez is the best light heavyweight out there, with the possible exception of Jones,'' Arum said emphatically.

So why haven't we heard of him?

Arum blames the L.A.-area media, which he said doesn't cover the sport properly: Few boxing writers cover small cards and as a result miss the evolution of talented young fighters. Arum is incensed that Gonzalez is written off by writers he contends haven't seen him fight even once.

``It's one thing to have seen him fight and say he can't win,'' Arum said. ``It's another to say that when you haven't seen him fight.

``... The people who don't give Gonzalez a shot haven't seen him fight. That's very telling to me.''

Gonzalez is a 20-1 underdog to Jones, who fights out of Florida. Obviously, the oddsmakers haven't seen Gonzalez fight.

--Crowded house: Tickets for Saturday's card are selling well, according to a Staples Center official. As of Monday afternoon, 12,580 were sold.

Tickets are available in all price categories, from $25 to $500.

--Staples watch: Staples Center officials would like to stage one more card before the end of the year and have been in contact with the handlers of several fighters, including Mike Tyson and Oscar De La Hoya.

Tyson appears to be out of the picture because he's nearing a deal to fight Brian Nielsen on Sept. 8 in Denmark.

However, De La Hoya is a possibility. He and Shane Mosley would be the mostly likely matchup because both want to fight before the end of the year and would make huge paydays. Fernando Vargas, another possible opponent for De La Hoya, won't be available until next year because he fights Shibata Flores in September and would need more time to prepare.

JONES vs. GONZALEZ

Who: Roy Jones Jr. defends his undisputed light heavyweight championship against Julio Gonzalez.

When: Saturday

Where: Staples Center

TV: Pay-per-view (begins 5:30 p.m.)

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

Upper Deck sports cards says it supports Woods - AP Worldstream

Sports card and memorabilia maker Upper Deck Co. will continue its relationship with Tiger Woods.

The company, and its Upper Deck Authenticated collectibles division, said on Tuesday the two "look forward to his eventual return to the PGA Tour."

Upper Deck CEO Richard McWilliam said in a statement the athlete and his family have the company's full support.

Woods announced late last week he was taking an indefinite leave from public life and golf while he works to fix his marriage after multiple allegations of infidelity.

Since then, Woods' sponsors have been weighing their options as the media firestorm surrounding Woods continues.

He has been Upper Deck's exclusive golf spokesman and autograph signer since 2001. The company declined to comment on the length or value of the contract.

The company, which is based in Carlsbad, California, sells everything from thousand-dollar autographed pictures of Woods to original artwork and autographed shoes.

It has not had a golf trading card set since 2005, but spokesman Terry Melia said sometimes Upper Deck includes single cards of Woods, along with other celebrities and stars, in baseball card launches.

Major sponsor Accenture dropped Woods on Sunday, saying he no longer fits with the company's image. The consulting firm had banked heavily on the golfer to push its attributes of perfection and integrity.

According to figures from TNS Media Intelligence released on Tuesday, Accenture included Woods' name or image in 83 percent of its advertising spending from January through October, for a total of $31 million. That marked the biggest percentage of a company's ad budget, out of Woods' main sponsors.

Other sponsors including Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer and AT&T have said they're examining their relationship with Woods. According to TNS, Tag Heuer spent 23 percent of its advertising money on ads with Woods, for a total of $953,000. Figures for AT&T weren't available.

Gillette, a unit of Procter & Gamble, announced on Saturday it would not air ads featuring Woods. The grooming products brand did not say when and under what conditions it would resume airing them. According to TNS, 9 percent of the brand's advertising through October this year included Woods, for a total value of $14.3 million.

$30 TICKETS ARE A HARD SELL.(SPORTS) - The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH)

Byline: Todd Jones Post staff reporter

The University of Cincinnati and Xavier University have the basketball credentials to make a strong ticket sales pitch for their first doubleheader in 40 years at the Atlantic 10-Conference USA Challenge.

UC is 11-2, is ranked No. 4 in the nation by the Associated Press and has sold out all 13,176 seats at its Shoemaker Center home games for the entire season. XU is 11-1, ranked No. 14 and averaging school-record home crowds of 9,043 (with two sellouts) at the Cincinnati Gardens.

But organizers of the Atlantic 10-Conference USA Challenge, created and televised by ESPN, say about 4,000 tickets remain for Thursday's doubleheader at Riverfront Coliseum, featuring XU against Tulane at 7 p.m. followed by UC vs. Temple at 9.

''That's mind-boggling,'' said UC coach Bob Huggins. ''Xavier's in the top 15. We're in the top 15. We're playing quality opponents. And we can't sell out the Coliseum? That's hard to understand.''

About 12,000 tickets have been sold for the doubleheader, but the expected sellout has not materialized.

''The schools botched the whole thing up,'' said Jeff McDonald, public relations director for Riverfront Choice Tickets, a ticket brokerage that has sold fewer than 100 tickets for the event. ''They held onto their ticket allotments until the last possible moment without making them available to the general public.''

Tickets in the 16,000-plus seat Coliseum cost $30.50. Dave Brown, ESPN manager of programming for college basketball, said the cable network set the ticket price after consulting with the schools and the Greater Cincinnati Sports and Events Commission.

Don Schumacher, executive director of the sports and events commission, said the $30.50 ticket price ''is not at all out of line'' for two games.

Riverfront Coliseum manager Bill Barrett said the ticket price didn't cause slow sales. ''I don't think anything steered anybody away other than (ticket sales) not being in front of the general public,'' Barrett said.

UC and XU were each allotted about 7,000 tickets last fall. Schumacher recalls both schools saying at the time that they expected to easily exhaust their ticket supply.

ESPN's Brown said schools were not given as many tickets in the previous two years for the Atlantic 10-Conference USA Challenge. He said those events, held in St. Louis and Wooster, Mass., both sold out.

''We thought it would be possible that the two season-ticket bases (at XU and UC) could buy enough tickets to sell out the arena,'' said Mike Hermann, XU's associate athletic director for marketing.

Far from it. Hermann said XU sold about 3,500 tickets. Paul Klaczak, UC director of ticket operations, said UC sold more than 4,000 tickets.

''Some of our people looked at it as it's on TV and we play Temple three days later (at the Gardens), so if you're a season-ticket holder you're going to pay $30.50 for our game,'' said XU ticket manager Andy Barry. ''Some people just don't like the Coliseum. I've had people specifically say, 'If I'm not in the lower level I don't want them.' ''

Thursday's games are not considered home games for UC or XU. Neither school included the event as part of its season-ticket packages.

''The only thing I think where we missed the boat was in the early season-ticket mailings,'' said the Coliseum's Barrett. ''When season-ticket holders for UC and Xavier were filling out their checkbooks or charging on their credit cards (for season tickets), if there was an option then to purchase (Thursday's game), they would have gobbled them up. That's something we all learned.''

Both UC and XU returned their unsold tickets to Riverfront Coliseum, which put them on sale to the public beginning Dec. 27.

Man gets jail for scam on eBay involving sports cards.(Knight Ridder Newspapers) - Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service

AKRON, Ohio _ 'Take me out to the ball game'' became 'take me to the cleaners'' after a onetime Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, man was done scamming three sports card collectors.

Brian D. Wildman, 31, sent out a flier on eBay, the Internet auction service, offering to sell a complete set of 1952 Topps and 1949 Leaf baseball cards and assorted basketball cards.

Three people, two from New York and one from Texas, took a swing at Wildman's curve ball last spring, paying $12,000 for the Topps set, $10,011 for the Leaf set and $1,175 for the basketball cards.

According to price indexes, the Topps set alone, which includes the likes of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Ted Williams, retails for $65,000.

The Leaf set, which included players such as Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio, sells for more than $30,000.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kern, the buyers sent their money to Wildman, but struck out when it came time to see their purchase.

'Of course, since there were no cards, there was nothing to send,'' Kern said.

The frustrated collectors contacted eBay and the FBI. Wildman was identified through computer records and a post office box he used in Cuyahoga Falls to receive the payments. Since then, Wildman moved to Miami, Fla.

On Monday, Wildman was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of house arrest by U.S. District Court Judge Dan A. Polster. He pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud.

Polster ordered Wildman to make restitution to his victims.

Wildman's public defender, Dennis Terez, did not return a phone call for comment. Officials from eBay in San Jose, Calif., also failed to return a call seeking comment.

Kern said Internet sales fraud cases are growing along with the industry and cautioned buyers to beware.

EBay does provide some information its users give about the reliability of buyers and sellers on its Web site under the heading of Feedback Forum.

The FBI has also established an Internet fraud complaint center at www.ifccfbi.gov.

___

Visit Akron Beacon Journal Online at http://www.ohio.com/.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

(c) 2002, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).

Visit Akron Beacon Journal Online at http://www.ohio.com/.

вторник, 18 сентября 2012 г.

[0] AT COMIC KINGS, THE ART OF THE COMIC IS SERIOUS BUSINESS AT KEMPSVILLE SHOP, COMICS, SPORTS CARDS AREN'T JUST FOR FUN.(VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

Byline: JOE TURNER, Correspondent

For some people, collecting comic books or sports cards is just a hobby. But not for Joey Boyack. He turned his love of collecting comics and sports cards into a full-time business.

The 35-year-old Norfolk resident owns and operates Comic Kings in the Fairfield Shopping Center, where it has been since 1996.

For Boyack, the hobby of collecting started long before he opened his store.

``I used to collect comics and sports cards as a kid,'' Boyack said. ``I used to buy and sell them to kids while in school. I wasn't much into reading, but I did like the wheeling and dealing with other kids.''

Prior to 1993, Boyack was a construction worker and screen printer. He and his then partner got started in the comic business by attending collectible shows.

``We were making money and it didn't take much money for us to get started,'' he said. ``When we started, it cost us less than $10,000. We just got in at the right time. We had some good deals buying and selling. We didn't get rich, but we made enough to pay the bills.''

The days of attending shows lead to the opening of their first store in the London Bridge Shopping Center off Great Neck Road. Since 1993, Boyack has been wheeling and dealing with Virginia Beach children.

``When we opened our Kempsville store, it became the strongest location,'' he said. ``After I bought out my partner, it just became too difficult to run two stores. Kempsville is a great place, full of nice people and lots of kids.''

Business has been good for Comic Kings. While Boyack tries to turn merchandise as quickly as possible, he estimates he carries an in-store and storage inventory of nearly $100,000.

Contributing to the success is the Pokemon craze and the still hot Beanie Babies. Still the bread and butter of the business are the comics and sports cards.

``Comic books and sports cards are what pay the bills. Pokemon and Beanie Babies are the side money,'' Boyack said.

Despite all the collectible items in his store, Boyack still has his own personal collection.

``I really like art, and that's what got me into the comics. The cool, neat art,'' he said. ``I collect original art and memorabilia like jerseys and autographs, kind of one-of-a-kind items. It used to be when I collect comics, I'd get a comic that I always wanted. Now that I've been in the business, all these comics that I've always wanted, they come through a lot more so it's not a trophy anymore. So I go for the more one-of-a-kind thing that you might not see again.''

Owning a comic and collectible store, like any business, means you have to stay on top of what's hot now and could possible be a hot seller in the future, Boyack said.

He said it's hard to tell, but he stays in tune with what's hot by listening to the customers who frequent the store.

Owning a comic and card store has its perks, like being able to get comic artists to come in periodically to sign autographs and talk to customers.

For information about the store, call 467-2254.

CAPTION(S):

STAFF PHOTO BY LANDON NORDEMAN

10 Sports Cards of past, present Dupage legends.(Neighbor) - Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)

Byline: Mike Burke

Here's a small collection of current and former DuPage County residents who made it to the pros, and on to a sports card. And as you'll see, you don't have to spend a fortune to get some of these cards.

Red Grange, 1989 Swell, Philadelphia Chewing Gum Corp., No. 5, $1

Harold 'Red' Grange, the 'Wheaton Iceman,' was so popular in the 1920s he had three nicknames. He also was known as the 'Galloping Ghost.' He was the Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth of his time - the most famous athlete in the country. Grange played for the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears after leaving Wheaton. This card is from the Hall of Fame sets and packs sold by Swell in the late 1980s. Pro Set also made an inexpensive card of Grange in 1991, which sells for 75 cents. For the 'investor,' a 1955 Topps All-American Grange card, No. 27, is valued at $375.

Frank Thomas, 1990 Score, No. 663, $5

'The Big Hurt' is one of today's best and most well-known players. The Chicago White Sox first baseman also lives in Oak Brook, where he recently built a $7 million home. This is one of his 'Rookie' cards. Rookie cards cost a little more because they are the first card of a particular player produced by one of the major card companies.

Randy Pfund, 1992 NBA Hoops, No. 251, 5 cents

There are no professional basketball players from DuPage. But the county did produce an NBA coach. Randy Pfund went to Wheaton North High School and played at Wheaton College, where his father, Lee, was the head basketball coach for many years. He later coached in California and became an assistant under Pat Riley with the Los Angeles Lakers. He succeeded Riley and was head coach of the Lakers in 1992 and 1993. Pfund is now back with Riley as an administrator for the Miami Heat.

Billy Williams, 1972 Topps, No. 439, $4

Williams is one of only two Chicago Cubs players whose numbers are raised every day on flags that fly above Wrigley Field. The former outfielder is now a coach for the Cubs. Williams makes his home in Glen Ellyn. The 1972 baseball cards feature the psychedelic colors reminiscent of the bell-bottomed pants and wide-collared shirts of that time.

Chuck Long, 1987 Topps, No. 318, 5 cents

Long quarterbacked the 1979 Wheaton North football team to the state championship. After graduating in 1980, he moved on to the University of Iowa and the Detroit Lions. A first-round draft pick, he later played with the Los Angeles Rams before returning to Detroit to finish his career. Long is now an assistant coach at Iowa, his alma mater.

Jim Juriga, 1990 Topps, No. 40, 5 cents

Juriga was an offensive lineman and Long's teammate on the 1979 Wheaton North championship team. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1986 and was on the team for six years. Juriga started at guard for the Broncos in the 1990 Super Bowl. He played college football at the University of Illinois.

Jerry Hairston, 1987 Topps, No. 685, 5 cents

Hairston was an outfielder and designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox. He spent 14 seasons in the major leagues in the 1970s and '80s. Naperville, where he now lives, is listed as his hometown on the back of this card. Hairston's son, Jerry Jr., is a graduate of Naperville North High School. The younger Jerry is following in his father's footsteps and now plays for Illinois State University.

Don Bollweg, 1954 Bowman, No. 115, $10

Bollweg grew up in Wheaton and was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1940. After serving in World War II, the first baseman was traded to the New York Yankees. In 1953, Bollweg won a World Series ring with teammates Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. He finished his career with the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics. When his career ended, Bollweg returned to Wheaton and worked for years in the real estate and insurance businesses. He died last year at the DuPage County Convalescent Center.

Chris Chelios, 1989 o-Pee-Chee, No. 174, 30 cents

Chelios, the Chicago Blackhawks star, is Frank Thomas' neighbor in Oak Brook. This card is from Chelios' earlier days in the National Hockey League, when he played for the Montreal Canadians. O-Pee-Chee is Topps' Canadian line of cards. It seems appropriate to include a hockey card from north of the border.

Kent Graham, 1993 Upper Deck, No. 507, 5 cents

Here's his brain on sports cards - The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)

About once a year or so, I confess to my latest addiction inthis space.

Last year it was rotisserie baseball. I'm happy to report I'mgetting treatment _ my wife yells at me daily when I try to remotemy way to ESPN's `Baseball Tonight.'

Sadly, I'm not getting any better. I traded Ken Griffey (I wishnow it were Sr.) about three weeks ago. The poor schlock is on paceto hit 742 homers and I simply couldn't stand for that type ofproduction. I was short of my usual collection of 13-homer, 62-RBIguys. Trading Griffey seems to have taken care of that problem.

In my latest fad/addiction, I've become a two-packs-a-dayperson. Not cigarettes. I'm talking two packs of sports tradingcards. Wax packs, they're called, although there isn't any waxsealing the Upper Deck basketball packages I've been opening.

The good news is that I'm actually losing weight. I have fewergreenbacks in my wallet, which means I'm dropping weight, sometimesseemingly 5-10 pounds.

Oh sure, I've hauled in a Chris Webber Power in the Key out ofFleer Ultra. Retails for $50, according to the Bible, uh, excuseme, the latest Beckett price guide.

I've unwrapped about a dozen cards in the $10-$35 range. Butfor every Anfernee Hardaway Skybox rookie, there are a dozen Jo JoEnglish seventh-year NBA Hoops cards. My $18 Michael Jordanretirement card is counter-balanced by the largest stockpile ofVinny Del Negro cards this side of Vinny's mother.

I don't know why I collect these cards. They take up space (Ihouse them in two sizable Tupperwear containers). They take up mymoney. They take up my time (sorting, filing and putting behindhard plastic).

My wife says I'll never sell them and she's right. I'll probablygive them to my kids, who might see fit to check the oil with themug of a $10 Jerome Bettis Action-Packed.

Like most of us 30-something collectors, I began when I wasyounger. In fact, all those shoe boxes of old cards paid off whenmy older brother, Jack, fished through 'em about 10 years ago andput the most valuable ones behind hard plastic. Hello O.J.Simpson, Terry Bradshaw, Dr. J, Ken Griffey Sr., Reggie Jackson,George Brett and Robin Yount rookie cards.

Jack says we have 1969 cards of, among others, Lew Alcindor($550) and Wilt Chamberlain ($200), but most were defaced by smileyfaces and beards authored by me. I suppose that makes my firstwriting experience memorable.

We figure we have about $7,000 in cards from the '70s, so thereis money in this gig. But these days cards are mass produced andthe market's flooded with a zillion brands. Topps no longer rules;in fact, Topps makes some of the weakest cards. Except if you'retalking Topps Finest, which sells for a not-so-fine $13 a wax pack.

I'm not sure how kids can afford to collect. But a local vendortells me he gets a healthy number of rug-rats in his shop and a feware pulling out $20s like sticks of bubble gum.

And that's another thing. You may get a $10 Johnny Kilroy out ofUpper Deck (it's the one of Michael Jordan sporting a wig andglasses), but you can't chew away your disgust of one more GregKite with a slab of gum. There isn't any gum in there.

I'm not alone in my card-hording tendencies. One of my neighborscollects. He told me he was at a card show in Spokane several yearsago and an elderly woman was buying Upper Deck baseball, seekingGriffey's rookie card. She had opened 7-8 packs when my neighborasked if she would mind if he purchased one pack. She hesitantlyagreed. She bought the remaining five packs, which yielded noGriffey, but probably a handful of Orlando Mercados. My neighborluckily unveiled a Griffey and then had to endure a nasty swipefrom the lady's purse. 'She was mad,' he said.

My dealer (makes me sound really sick, doesn't it?) tells meabout a 60-year-old lady who has taken a liking to Webber andHardaway rookies and buys 'em up about once a month. Same guy tellsme about some dude dropping $500 in his shop one day.

Three of my office mates are card-mongers. They come in everyMonday and tell me of their acquisition of Rick Mirer or of somefancy First-Day Issue, Gold Embossed, All-Rookie Subset, ElectricCourt, Randomly Inserted, Signature Series, promo card of SteveScheffler.

This makes me uncontrollably jealous, so I have to whip out myFoil Stamped, Limited Print, Digitally Enhanced, 3-D, Chris BermanAll-Nickname Team card of Felix Fermin.

Charity in the (sports) cards for one Bellevue collector - The Columbian (Vancouver, WA)

BELLEVUE (AP) Jerry Hatfield gives more cards for Christmas thanmost people 1.2 million last year, 1.3 million this year.

And the charities that receive donations from the sports-cardenthusiast are more than happy to get them.

Last year, he donated a chunk of his nearly 5 million sports cardcollection to the Federal Way-based nonprofit WorldVision. Thisyear, he gave the cards to Value Village, a thrift-store chain thatsupports charities. Next year, he plans to give away another 1.5million.

Value Village will start selling the cards at its four SnohomishCounty stores beginning Saturday. Fifty percent of the proceeds willgo to the partner charities for those stores: the Moyer Foundation,the Northwest Center, and Community Services for the Blind andPartially Sighted.

Besides altruism, Hatfield has another good reason for gettingrid of the cards: His wife told him to.

The couple are going to start splitting their time betweenCalifornia and Arizona after Hatfield, 62, retires as chiefexecutive of a Bothell insurance-brokerage firm next year.

'My wife gave me an ultimatum,' he said. 'She said I wasn'ttaking them with me. She gave me three years to get rid of the bulkof the cards.'

Buyers are unlikely to find Mickey Mantle or Johnny Unitas rookiecards, some of which Hatfield owns, but at least 1 million of thecards will please baseball and football fans. The remainder arebasketball and hockey cards as well as nonsports collectionsincluding Coca-Cola, Harley Davidson and Looney Tunes cards.

3 NABBED IN THEFT OF SPORTS CARDS - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

MICHAEL S. JAMES, Record Staff Writer
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
11-19-1992
3 NABBED IN THEFT OF SPORTS CARDS -- STING OPERATION IN MONTVALE
By MICHAEL S. JAMES, Record Staff Writer
Date: 11-19-1992, Thursday
Section: NEWS
Edition: 3 Star, Also in 2 Star B, 1 Star Late, 1 Star Early

MONTVALE -- The undercover agent inspected the cache he had arranged to buy on
Tuesday in the parking lot of the Grand Union Shopping Center on
Chestnut Ridge Road.

When the investigator was convinced that the goods were in the
suspects' car trunk, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his nose and the
trap was sprung.

The Montvale police moved in and arrested three suspects for
allegedly trying to sell thousands of stolen Eric Lindros hockey cards
worth up to tens of thousands of dollars, the police said.

The private investigator in charge of corporate security for the
card company, Dan Brandman of Danbee Investigations Corp. of Midland
Park, said there was almost no way that the suspects legally could have
acquired between 8,000 and 10,000 Lindros cards.

That's partly because Lindros is a highly touted rookie for the
Philadelphia Flyers whose card -- worth more than $6 each to collectors --
was only recently issued by Topps Co. of Brooklyn, and sold in packs
randomly mixed with other cards in the 441-card hockey set.

'You would have to buy $150,000 to $200,000 of these cards [in
their retail packaging] to accumulate a couple of thousand of this
particular card, let alone 10,000,' Brandman said.

The suspects were identified by Detective Sgt. J. J. Frederick, who
headed the Montvale police's operation, as brothers Michael J. Dubrosky,
30, of Naugatuck, Conn., and Peter C. Dubrosky, 22, of Waterbury, Conn.,
and an unidentified juvenile from Connecticut.

The three were charged with possession of stolen property and could
each face a fine of up to $100,000 and between five and 10 years in
prison, Frederick said. Bail was set at $20,000 apiece. The suspects
were scheduled to be arraigned in Municipal Court Wednesday night.

Brandman said he and Ralph Ennis, Danbee's director of operations,
had arranged to buy the cards from the suspects for $8,750. But he added
that the total value of the cards to collectors could be between $56,000
and $80,000.

The private investigator said a dealer who had been approached by
the suspects tipped off a Topps official. Brandman said he arranged to
meet the suspects in Montvale, and contacted the Montvale police about a
sting.

Investigators are still trying to determine how the suspects came
to possess the cards, Brandman said.

Brandman said the high value of sports cards has kept him busy on
behalf of Topps with theft and fraud cases throughout the country.

'We've been beefing up security [because of] the magnitude of
growth of the industry,' Brandman said. 'Now that it's become such big
business, [hobby-card theft] has become more and more prevalent.'

Keywords: MONTVALE. SPORT. COLLECTING. THEFT

Copyright 1992 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.

SPORT CARD CREATES BUZZ\ COLLECTIBLE HAS POPE'S AUTOGRAPH.(Sports) - The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH)

Byline: Jaime Aron Associated Press

The sports trading card generating the most buzz among collectors right now doesn't feature a baseball, basketball or football player. This captivating athlete was a soccer goalie who also liked skiing, swimming, hiking and kayaking.

His name: Pope John Paul II.

A one-of-a-kind card featuring the pontiff's autograph was released earlier this year by Topps, the best known maker of baseball cards. When the pope died last month, collectors wondered whether anyone had found the card and what it might fetch in a marketplace suddenly sizzling for all things John Paul.

A collector in Stockton, Calif., beat 1-in-135,475 odds and plucked the pope rarity out of a $1.50 pack of ordinary baseball cards about two weeks before the pontiff died. The day before the pope's funeral, he sold the card to Jeff Hoekstra, the manager of a collectibles store in nearby Modesto.

How much is it worth? That's what Hoekstra is trying to find out.

He paid into four figures for the card, then immediately took it to eBay seeking a hefty profit. His first auction closed at $8,100 but the sale fell through, so he offered it up again for $6,999 but got no takers. His third try began Sunday and expires next Sunday.

Hoekstra said his first posting drew so much interest within the first hour that 'if someone had offered $15,000, I would not have taken it. ... I thought I could get about $25,000 or $30,000.'

Now, however, 'my thinking is, day by day, this card is getting less and less valuable,' he said.

While the card's value may be dropping, interest in it remains high.

It's on the cover of the upcoming issue of Beckett Baseball, a leading trade publication, and many media outlets reported the $8,100 'sale' last week. Hoekstra's initial eBay posting has drawn 13,400 hits; by comparison, the most hits he'd ever received previously was around 500 for a rare Michael Jordan card.

'The lure of this card is very much his recent death and the fact the pope was an extremely popular world leader,' Beckett Baseball editor Mike Payne said. 'Even if he was still living, I think the card would bring a significant figure.'

Why Topps even made a pope card is a story itself.

About a decade ago, card makers rejuvenated their industry by putting 'inserts' into a limited number of packages. Topps stretched the boundaries last year with cards featuring autographs of every U.S. president.

Since George Washington isn't around to give his John Hancock, Topps used 'cut signatures' -- autographs cut out and embedded into a card. While historians might be horrified, it's an accepted, authenticated practice.

So Topps responded with two sets this year: the 48-card World Treasures collection featuring historical heavy hitters such as the pope, Napoleon Bonaparte and Winston Churchill; and a 51-card Power Brokers series that ranges from John Paul Getty and P.T. Barnum to Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr. and Helen Keller.

'By taking autographs of some of the most famous people who have ever lived, it really attracts new collectors,' Topps spokesman Clay Luraschi said.

The cards actually are pretty bland. There's no picture, just the autograph on the front and a short bio on the back. The pope's autograph looks like 'J P II,' a shortened version of his full signature, 'Joannes Paulus II.'

The pope card was 'pulled,' as traders say, from a box of 36 packs, said Jerry Schoolcraft, owner of Big Valley Collectibles, who unknowingly sold it. He said the lucky buyer was an infrequent customer.

'He said, 'Is this a good card?'' Schoolcraft said. 'I told him if he wanted to sell, now was the time.'

Why would anyone pay so much for it, especially when a pope-signed, official Vatican photo of John Paul and Mother Teresa recently went for $1,750 on eBay?

'Really, it's about bragging rights,' Payne said. 'You can buy a pope autograph cheaper, but Mr. Deep Pockets wants this one.'

CAPTION(S):

Photo (2)

AL GOLUB/Associated Press

The Pope John Paul II Topps card -- the only one made -- features the pontiff's autograph.

AL GOLUB/Associated Press

COLLECTING CUSTOMERS; TRIPLE CROWN SPORTS CARDS APPEALS TO KID IN EVERYONE.(Neighbors East) - The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)

Byline: Jim McKeever Staff writer

For Don Heffernan, opening the Triple Crown Sports Cards store was a logical extension of the hobby he shared with his son, Sean.

It also was a good way to clean out the shed.

'We started (collecting) together in 1978, when he was 8,' Don Heffernan said. 'After he graduated from F-M (in 1987), we opened the store. He had accumulated so many cards.'

Heffernan opened up Triple Crown in a tiny storefront in Fayetteville at 404 E. Genesee St. Hundreds of boxes of sports cards went from the family shed to the 9-by-27-foot space just west of what is now Kirby's restaurant.

The shop is no bigger than it was 17 years ago, but the card collection has grown and Don Heffernan has a fancy title: vice president/janitor.

Last fall, when Heffernan retired from CSX after 43 years working with the railroad, he turned the business over to Sean, who is president/treasurer and also works at Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona.

The Heffernans have fun with a business that caters to the kid in everyone. They sell all varieties of sports cards, accessories, some collectible items like Yankees wastebaskets and even non-sports cards like Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh.

The best-sellers are, of course, anything connected to Syracuse University sports (Carmelo Anthony rookie cards and Donovan McNabb cards are popular), the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants and Jets.

And then there's LeBron James, the pro basketball phenom who's just a year out of high school.

'This year with Anthony and LeBron, it just took right off,' Heffernan said. 'It boosted the business.'

It's a business that's cyclical, Heffernan said, with traffic slowing down in the warmer months.

'This is more of a winter hobby,' he said.

Triple Crown is open three days a week now, five days in the winter.

But if there's a stretch of bad weather that cuts into the Heffernans' golf time, the store might be good place to visit on a rainy day. Just call the store first at 637-5541 to see if it's open.

The Heffernans also take part in occasional 'collector fests' at the state fairgrounds and at Great Northern Mall in Clay.

Don Heffernan said he gets calls every day from collectors looking to unload cards, but he and Sean are choosy about what they're willing to buy - the store already has more than a million cards, ranging in price from the common seven-for-$1 variety to the rare cards that run several hundred dollars.

What's the inventory worth?

'I have no idea,' said Don Heffernan, who's not about to try to figure it out. 'It'd take forever, and it's constantly changing. We don't know.'

The biggest-ticket item in the store is a $500 autographed photograph of Thurman Munson, the great Yankees' catcher who died in a plane crash in 1979.

Other high-end merchandise includes a limited edition autographed LeBron James rookie card for $400, and a rookie card for current Yankee Alex Rodriguez ('A-Rod') for $300.

Triple Crown also carries the newest line of 'cloth cards' that include tiny swatches of jerseys worn by the player or a sliver of a 'game-used' baseball bat held by the player on the card.

Some of the more popular cards are in glass display cases that adult customers have to scrunch down to examine. But they're at the right height for young collectors.

'Parents get frustrated because the kids don't want to leave,' Don Heffernan said. 'Sometimes they just leave them here and go shopping for a while.'

Triple Crown Sports Cards

Where: 404 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville.

Phone: 637-5541.

Hours: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Open 1 to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays; the Heffernans occasionally set up at Regional Market in Syracuse 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. Winter hours include Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Web site: None yet, but may get one soon.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Stephen D. Cannerelli/Staff photographer

NFL PROPERTIES SELLS ITS CARD RIGHTS - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

PAUL DOTTINO
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
03-27-1993
NFL PROPERTIES SELLS ITS CARD RIGHTS
By PAUL DOTTINO
Date: 03-27-1993, Saturday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- Two Star B, Two Star P, One Star
Column: COLLECTING

NFL Properties will take a less active role in the card industry
this year now that the cold war between the National Football League and
the NFL Players Association over the players' card rights appears to be
over.

NFL Properties has sold the manufacturing rights for its Pro Line
series to Classic and for its GameDay series to Fleer. The sale allows
Classic, which produces college draft-pick cards, to break into the pro
football market.

'It's not that we are completely out of the card business,' said
NFL Properties senior licensing director Peter Hughes. 'We are going to
work closely with both companies. They have established distribution
avenues for sales. We want to make sure these brands grow and continue
to prosper.'

The league is expected to retain final approval of card content and
design.

Pro Line, created in 1991, has been geared toward revealing the
league's personalities. GameDay, created last year, used oversize action
photos.

Hughes said NFL Properties was satisfied with the sales of both
series but wanted to make a decision regarding 'where we are going to
place our emphasis.'

NFL Properties' step back from the forefront of the card industry
comes in conjunction with the impending settlement over card rights.
Although the collective bargaining agreement has not been finalized, it
appears that licensed card companies will be able to select from a
leaguewide pool of players this season.

A BIG SHAQ ATTACK -- Upper Deck's promotional McDonald's basketball
series has been the source of a stir in Orlando, Fla.

Three restaurant employees recently were arrested (and released on
$2,500 bail) in connection with trying to sell boxes of stolen packs to
a card shop.

Police said the culprits were after Magic center Shaquille O'Neal's
rookie card. The card sells for about $40 at Florida shows. Each
McDonald's pack contains two cards from the 50-card national series and
a regional card from the National Basketball Association's local team.
Upper Deck shipped 250,000 packs to the Orlando area.

THE REAL THING -- Eric Lindros finally has his own Upper Deck hockey
card, courtesy of the company's 1992-93 High Series. The card shows
Lindros raising his arms after scoring a goal. The company superimposed
Lindros' head on the body of Rod Brind'Amour in the Low Series.

CARD TRICK -- Illusionist David Copperfield will 'shred' Wayne
Gretzky's T-206 Honus Wagner card, valued at more than $400,000, and
attempt to put the pieces back together Tuesday night during a CBS
television special.

Show schedule

Today -- Paramus, SportsWorld, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Montclair,
Lackawanna Station, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; West Caldwell, Wilson School,
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Today-Sunday -- Edison, Raritan Center, 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; Lyndhurst, Quality Inn, 9
a.m. to 4 p.m.; Paramus, Paramus Catholic High School (baseball team
benefit), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday -- Parsippany, Quality Inn, 5 to 9:30
p.m. April 3 -- Hasbrouck Heights, VFW Hall, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 4 --
Clifton, Ramada Inn, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 6 -- Montvale, Ramada Inn, 5
to 10 p.m.

Keywords: SPORT. COLLECTING

Copyright 1993 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.

Sports cards take a hit, survey shows. (Trading Card Roundup) - Playthings

Baseball segment suffers sharpest decline, while basketball cards post big gain

The sports card market took another jolt in 1993, as millions of collectors dropped out of the hobby. A recent survey, commissioned by card-maker Action Packed and conducted by the NPD Group, found that 5 billion fewer cards were bought, a 30% decline to 11.7 billion. Because cards are more expensive, sales fell just 6% to $1.7 billion.

Among the four sports, the biggest --baseball-- showed the largest slump with 39% fewer cards sold. Football and hockey recorded smaller drops, while basketball cashed in on the Shaq attack with a 22% gain.

Many of the ex-collectors appear to be investors 'who thought they could make a quick killing in cards during the boom years,' explained Randall Chuck, director of market research at Action Packed. 'They discovered this is not the way to get rich quick.'

One problem caused by the slump is that some retail outlets have stopped stocking cards, making it harder for a parent to pick up the first pack that turns a child into a collector.

On the plus side, Chuck told PLAYTHINGS, half of the collectors are still under 14. Often, their first exposure to cards comes at food or drug stores, as well as toy stores, he noted.

Another market survey, conducted by Skybox Intl., found that total trading card sales topped the $2 billion level in 1993. This research indicates that the overall market for trading cards has held steady since 1992, but individual market segments have changed significantly.

The fastest-growing segment, according to Skybox, was basketball cards from a percentage (plus 45%) and dollar (plus-$125 million) level. Closely behind were trading cards based on comic characters (plus 41.5%) and other entertainment (non-sports) figures (plus 36.5%).

The recent surge in consumer collecting of basketball cards has been attributed to the growing interest in the sport because of the entry into the NBA of exciting, high profile players and personalities.

The growth in market share of comic and entertainment cards coincided with a dramatic rise in comic book sales, and an increase in the number of entertainment properties now featured on cards.

The Skybox research also indicated an overall decline in the 1993 retail sales of both baseball and football cards. Hockey cards experienced a modest sales gain. Skybox said its market survey was based on a combination of public records and surveys of distributors and retailers nationwide throughout 1993.

Skybox has released a trading card series inspired by Disney's latest animated feature film, 'The Lion King.' The cards were timed to hit the market two weeks before the movie release in June. The Lion King cards include story cards with gallery-quality art from the film, character cards highlighting each of the memorable characters, and two subsets. In addition to the 90 regular cards, packs will include three levels of bonus cards.

Skybox has also issued a 90-card series based on 'Home Improvement,' a prime time show on ABC-TV. The company also has released a 100-card set based on the making of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' and a 100-card 'Seaquest DSV' series.

Artist Dave Dorman has been commissioned to provide the artwork for a 90-card series featuring all the heroes and villains from the Ultraverse, due for August release.

In conjunction with the release of the Warner Bros. and Icon Productions' feature film, 'Maverick,' CARDZ Distribution will produce a special trading card set based on the movie and the original TV series. The 60-card set is produced under a license from Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The eight-card packs are made to retail for $1.49 each.

CARDZ has also published 'The Return of the Flintstones,' a 60-card set featuring that 'modern, stoneage family' in their original cartoon form.

Another 60-card set from CARDZ features characters from Tiny Toon Adventures, a popular TV cartoon show.

Pat Summerall's Best of the NFL subset and new Tekchrome II technology highlight the 336-card Playoff NFL cards out this month. Sportscaster Summerall has chosen the best 28 players of the 1993 season. The new printing technology is used on action shots of NFL players.

Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan stars on her own 88-card Topps series called, 'Nancy Kerrigan, My Diary.' The set includes family photos, Nancy skating from age 6, early championships, and highlights of her performances at the 1992 and '94 Winter Olympic Games. Each 10-card pack sells for $1.

Topps has also tipped off its first-ever Basketball's Finest set. The 220-card series includes 180 player cards, plus a 40-card subset featuring 10 of the best players in each of the NBA's four divisions.

Topps' 1994 Baseball's Finest will include two series of 220 cards each with no duplicates. The 440-card set features two 20-card subsets in each series.

Series I will include 20 of the top 1993 rookies and 20 superstars, while Series II will include 20 of the top 1994 rookies and 20 superstars.

In July, Topps will release the 682-card Bowman Baseball set. The set features the hottest prospects, rookies and the game's biggest stars.

Classic Games, in exclusive association with Midway Mfg. Co., has come out with Mortal Kombat trading cards based on the video game.

The 100-card set features playing tips for mastering the Mortal Kombat game, as well as graphic depictions of its characters in action. In addition to the basic set, Classic is randomly inserting preview cards of Mortal Kombat II with player tips for the newly released arcade game.

Classic is also kicking off its 1994 NFL Draft Picks. The 105-card series features the first licensed cards of 93 NFL Rookies, including Cincinnati Bengals #1 draft pick Dan Wilkinson, QBs Heath Shuler of the Washington Redskins and Trent Dilfer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Indianapolis Colts RB Marshall Funk.

Collectors get their chance to 'Trade for Babe' via a special in-pack promotion offered in the Ted Williams Card Company's 1994 Series One baseball release. This 'Trade for Babe' special in-pack offer features 9,999 redeemable sets of a nine-card Babe Ruth collection. It can be secured by obtaining a special 'Trade for Babe' card which will be randomly inserted in foil packs.

The 224-card set, licensed by MLB Properties, includes minor leaguers, former Major League stars, Negro League greats, players from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and two current stars, Tim Salmon and Cliff Floyd.

Donruss has announced that its Leaf 1994 baseball cards will be issued in two series of 220 cards each. Production will be limited to less than 19,000 20-box cases. This is the lowest total production since the Leaf Set's debut in 1990 and represents a 25% decrease of last year's production. Frank Thomas, the Chicago White Sox star, continues as Leaf's spokesman.

Collect-A-Card plans an early June release of the second series of Power Rangers cards. The company reports a sellout of the first series, including the 72-card regular set and a 72-card subset of Power Foil etched cards, plus a 10-cap Power Caps subset.

Spectrum Holdings has introduced 'Thomas the Tank Engine & Friend' cards for children. The cards are available in a blister pack with 27 different cards and an interactive play card kit. The set includes: story cards, question and answer cards, character cards, how-to-count cards, sticker cards, and coloring cards.

Dizzy Dean and his brother Daffy, Lloyd and Paul Waner, and other famous brothers who played in the major leagues are featured in the 1994 edition of The Sporting News Conlon Collection, now available from Megacards. The 12-card subset is part of the fourth edition of The Conlon Collection, which consists of 330 black and white cards.

Bleacher Bums scores home run in sports cards - Central Penn Business Journal

The 1994 baseball strike proved a blessing for Nathan Avery. It gave the lifelong fan the opportunity to purchase a business that lets him indulge in his childhood hobby.

'I've collected cards ever since I was about 4 years old.' said the 27-year-old owner and sole employee of Bleacher Burns Sports Cards and Memorabilia, Willow Street. Avery said he gut into the business after student teaching in college revealed he 'didn't have the temperament' to teach.

After following a friend to trade shows, he became interested in the baseball-card business. When the opportunity arose, he jumped at the chance to buy is own store. 'Right in the middle of the strike, the guy who I bought the business from decided he wanted to sell, because business had just died. So, we were able to come in and get it at a fairly low price.'

Avery opened Bleacher Bums three and a half years ago at its present location, 2908-A Willow Street Pike, in Willow Street. Most of his inventory is baseball and other sports cards. His current stock includes a $700 Ted Williams card, although most of his items sell for much less.

'I get a lot of kids in here, so we sell a lot of quarter cards,' he noted. Adult collectors, who pay more in the $20 range for cards, comprise his other major customer base. Avery also said he encourages customers to bring in items they're looking to exchange. He will also make every effort to fill special orders.

In addition to cards, Bleacher Bums carries a variety of other merchandise, including sports memorabilia, Magic: The Gathering cards and a current trendy item: Beanie Babies. 'Beanie Babies are huge right now,' Avery remarked. 'Over this past weekend, I moved a Beanie Baby for $1,500.'

Bleacher Bums has also recently started drumming up customers on the Internet. Avery said he is in the process of creating his own web site.

Avery attributes the success of his business to several factors. 'I'm on the lower scale for prices, from what I hear from my customers.' He also prides himself on providing a high level of customer service.

The sports-card business is enjoying steady growth at the moment, said Ross Gilbert, owner and sole employee of Gilbert's Sports Cards, Gifts and Collectibles in Lancaster. Like Avery, he opened his business about the time of the baseball strike.

понедельник, 17 сентября 2012 г.

Sports cards gone big time - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

It used to be a hobby practiced by young boys and a fewcollectors, but the trading and collecting of sports cards is now bigbusiness. So much so that in March Sotheby's sold a rare HonusWagner 1910 baseball card to Los Angeles Kings' player Wayne Gretzkyand owner Bruce McNall for $451,000. The sports cards business isnow being followed by adults who can see all the way to the bottomline. Inside Business' Keith R. Yocum recently talked to RonaldMorrow, card industry analyst with Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co.in New York.Q. Is there any logical reason why sports trading cards have explodedin value in recent years, or is it just another example ofprofit-motive speculators driving a business?A. There is some logic to it. You had a huge bulge in thedemographic of the card buyer, the baby boomers who bought all thesethings. As they're entering their prime earning years there'snostalgia, and plus some fancy prices are being offered for sportsmemorabilia in general. . . . {the sports card business} has beenbuilding for awhile. Since 1980 there are more companiesmanufacturing cards . . . The demand has been twofold from kids andcollectors.Q. How large is the business?A. Total sales of sports cards, excluding hockey cards, frommanufacturers last year -- this is not retail sales -- was $625million, that's up from $407 million dollars the previous year . . .I don't know the value of the resale market, but Topps will tell youthe whole thing is a billion-dollar business . . . Topps' 1990pretax margin was in the 25 percent range. Compared to tobaccocompanies, that's not so hot, but compared to an auto company, that'spretty good.

Q. Has the business slowed during the current economic slump?A. Recently the demand for cards at the retail level has slowed . . .Nevertheless, this year the industry will be up 5 to 10 percent . . .This is a renewable collectible. Each manufacturer is merchandisingtheir {card} year in different ways to keep up interest. Fleer had ayellow-bordered card . . . Topps had interspersed old valuable cardswith their 1991 merchandise.Q. With so much money to be made by speculators, have there beenabuses?A. I don't think manufacturers abuse the system. No. When Bushbecame president Topps printed a special card showing Bush in hisYale baseball uniform. There were only supposed to be a few of them.But a few of the cards came out in wax packs. Was that abuse? No .. . From a manufacturer's point of view, they only make money on thenumber of cards they sell.Q. Is there still a place for children in sports cards?A. I think the majority of this business is a child-like love ofsports collecting . . . The periphery of it is the business ofcollecting.

NON-SPORTS CARDS ARE BECOMING MORE POPULAR WITH COLLECTORS - The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY)

Card collecting isn't just for sports fans anymore.

Sure, you can still get a 1953 Jackie Robinson for $450 and pay$1,150 for a 1948-49 Joe DiMaggio. And if your game is played onthe parquet floor, a 1961 Wilt Chamberlain can be had for $1,400.

But how about a promotional 'Demolition Man' card with a photoof actor Sylvester Stallone on the front. That'll run you $3.

A set of 'Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi' cards, with about 100entries to peruse, sells for $25. You name it, people make cardsfor it.

There are Desert Storm cards, Flintstones cards, Playboy cards,Star Trek cards, Beatles cards -- and even distinguished economistscards.

For the truly macabre, one Manhattan dealer offers a CharlesManson card, with a sketch of the cult murderer out front and ashort bio on the back.

'Most of these things, when they're popular is when the item ispopular,' said Mark Magaldino, owner of card seller Collector'sUniverse. 'But if it's dead, it's dead.'

The market for non-sports trading cards, however, is alive andwell. While sports cards still sell better, non-sports offeringshave made strong gains during the past four years, Magaldino said.

Many purchasers of non-sports cards are collectors, thoseinterested enough in a particular topic to buy all the cards theycan find.

Card buyers are often card investors, too.

Leon Lazar, co-owner of card dealer It's 'A' nother Hit, saysit's simple. 'A Michael Jordan rookie -- somebody bought it for $1.Today, it's $1,000. It's an unofficial stock market.'

Buyers of non-sports cards also pay close attention to thefuture value of their investments, though perhaps not as much assports-card collectors.

Theo Chen, a pricing analyst at Beckett Publications Inc., sayshis company, which publishes Beckett Baseball Card Monthly andother sports-card guides, has often been asked to produce priceguides for non-sports cards.

But so far, Beckett has no plans to do so.

Still, the interest in card collecting -- sports and non-sport-- is huge.

Chen says sales of new sports cards total $1 billion to $2billion a year. Trading in previously owned cards is at least thatbig. And the non-sports market is an unknown quantity above that.

In New York, dealers hawk their cards on the street as well asin well-appointed -- and not-so-well-appointed -- shops. Often theysell trading cards along with comics, another increasingly popularcollectible.

Dealers warn those who buy cards on the street to be wary ofcounterfeit cards.

That could become a big issue given the prices some cardsfetch. A 1910 Honus Wagner not long ago sold for $451,000.

Higher-priced cards, those fetching several hundred dollars ormore, are mainly the domain of adult investors.

For those who don't have a knack for picking cards that willappreciate in value, there's another option: Buy the companies thatmake the cards.

Sports card show to deal out fun for kids.(Neighbor) - Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)

Byline: Lynn Akers

The annual Dundee Township Park District Sports Card Show for Kids will be held in the Carpentersville Room of the Recreation and Fitness Center, 665 Barrington Ave., Carpentersville. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., youth under the age of 16 will have an opportunity to buy, sell, browse or trade sports cards and memorabilia.

Table space has been reserved by local youthful vendors for a small rental fee. Browsers are welcome, and a 50-cent admission charge will be collected at the door.

For more information, call the DTPD athletic supervisor, Hank Faulkner at (847) 428-7131.

Bunny hops to mall

The Easter Bunny is back at Spring Hill Mall!

His grand arrival will be tomorrow at 10 a.m. in Center Court where he will greet children daily through Saturday, April 6. Hours for visits will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays.

It will be hard to miss the Easter Bunny. He will be the furry one surrounded by a giant 14-foot pink and gingham checkered display located in Center Court by the Kohl's wing.

Each child who visits with the Easter Bunny can choose a free gift from the Bunny's special basket filled with colorful storybooks, plastic carrot pens, pastel wooden tops and mini-Easter ornaments.

Easter egg hunt

The Kid's Club will sponsor an Easter Egg Hunt on March 19 at Spring Hill Mall.

Kids Club members will search for three colored eggs filled with prizes, such as washable tattoos, stickers and mini-fuzzy baby chicks.

The egg hunt will be offered at two times, 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., in Spring Hill Mall's Center Court. Membership in the 'Kids' Club' is free for children ages 10 and younger.