We have to stay in our lane, right? I’ve admittedly strayed outside of mine over the years when creatively hooked by broader hockey-related topics and/or off-beat musings (the kind that keep you out of the good schools), and appreciate the leeway provided by Eklund and others to muck about when the urge hits. But at the end of the day, my lane is that of the collectibles realm. Gathering and serving up steaming heaps of scuttlebutt in the realm of what has become the memorabilia business of hockey. So that’s where I leap off with today, and hope to make it a little fun for us all along the way!
As a start point, I want to pull the curtain back a bit on the assumptions I make walking into this work. Mainly, I understand that in writing about these things on a site like this, which is not a hobby-centric one, that readers are oftentimes blown away by some of the things I throw out here. Not only that, but you are not shy about letting me know how insane some of it sounds! Triggers in this respect can revolve around a boatload of things, but really tend to boil down to the cost factor, whether it’s the idea of paying for autographs or cards not costing $1 or less a pack (nevermind the actual existence of packs at a $500+ price point). I get it too! I want nothing more than to be able to go back to the days of the 80’s where there were two options a year (OPC cards or Panini stickers), and you could land a pack and a crappy stick of gum by returning an empty Coke bottle or two at the corner store. I also have to balance that with the reality, which is that the hobby has become an industry, and as much as it bastardizes my childhood memories to a great degree I can also find a way to evolve my enjoyment along with it.
I’m never going to ask anyone to embrace the craziness of what this memorabilia business can be at times, as justifying it can involve some pretty complex mental gymnastics. My hope though, is that if anything else this time together can be informative, show how things have evolved, and allow us to also appreciate the jumps we’ll take back into the simpler times. Nevermind the fact that no one said we needed to be serious about it as we go!
Now one of the areas that has seen a crazy amount of growth over the past few decades is the aftermarket dealings related to higher end collectibles. The days of a basic card holding tons of value are long gone, as unless they are either very old, short-printed (limited production), autographed or have some type of memorabilia embedded in them (e.g., jersey/equipment pieces). What really drives things now is the idea of rarity and/or player connection. This can include the more obvious game-worn jerseys and equipment, to game tickets, score sheets, contracts or whatever else someone seems will to pay for. The growth in this area of the business undoubtedly has the rise of the internet and ecommerce in the 90’s to thank, while the impact of Covid-19 has taken numbers to a new level given people having money to spend but nowhere to spend it.
The idea around the current exercise is not to focus on the buys we see Joe and Jane Q Public making. Rather, this is about a look at the high-end, big bucks ones that really show how much of a business this has become. We’ll look across sports as we do so, of course with an effort to always have a hockey piece included, and progressively accumulate a list of head-shaking, shame inducing transactions along the way!
Paul Henderson’s Team Canada Jersey from the 1972 Canada – Russia Series As a wise man once sang “If there’s a goal that everyone remembers, it was back in ol’ ‘72…. That goal? Henderson scoring on a down and out Tretiak in Moscow with only 34 seconds remaining in game eight to win the series for Canada. Called “The Goal Of The Century…, Canada needed the win for the series victory, as Russia would win with a tie being ahead on goals. The gravity of this series cannot be understated, as rather than a simple exhibition series, this was, without embellishing, a proxy war. East versus West. Capitalism versus Communism. The Cold War playing out on the frozen ice. That goal was about more than a game, and so Henderson, who was clutch throughout the games played in Russia, solidified his place in hockey history with that puck crossing the line.
Given the significance of that series and game in Canadian history, it should come as no shock that the price on that jersey when it went up for auction was going to be high. Whether the eventual $1.275 million dollar bid was expected is debatable, but that’s moot point anyways as that’s what she got!
Autographed Ticket from Kobe Bryant’s Final Game Let’s give this the layer treatment. Take the ticket itself. No denying that you could easily find interest purely on that front (final game AND scored 60 points) in the range of a few hundred. Add the autograph? Uh, yeah! Let’s just throw a few more Benjamin’s in there. Now getting it PSA graded, only one of five autographed stubs from that game to have been submitted? Takes it up to another level and now we’re talking thousands, not hundreds. The unfortunate and darker aspect of all this, albeit just a matter of basic supply-demand, is that with Bryant’s untimely and horrific passing last January, the rarity aspect becomes a factor given that no new autographs of Bryant’s would be entering the market, which played a role in the final price. The final price tag? That would be a cool $31,700 US.
The interesting angle on this, however, is that anyone could get in on this! The item was offered as an investment opportunity, with individuals being able to purchase $10 shares of the item through a marketplace that functions in much the same way as a stock market. In this sense, one could hang on to or sell their holdings as they wished, making potential earnings off an item that, while not owning fully, they were a ground floor investor in purchasing. Kind of cool!
Real World Point of Reference What the hell is this part? In short, I have zero real-world point of reference or comparable in my life that I can hold up in relation to purchases like this. I have never dropped more than $250 in a single purchase in my 40 years collecting, and even those times I could count on a single hand missing two fingers. So anything in the $30,000 to $1.275 million range is something I cannot compute! What can I compute though? Walmart. Wally is my financial reference point as if I’m purchasing something it’s mainly a quick grocery shop or picking up something we need for the house. Given this, I have a box store driven understanding of my buying power. So why the hell not run with it?
Today’s point of reference is this 12-24 month old sleeper, perfect for the infant with eyes on making it behind enemy lines without alerting the enemy to their presence. Or if they’re along with you in the deer stand during hunting season perhaps? Honestly, what infant needs camo? Said sleeper runs a decent $6, especially considering you feel like you’re buying new clothes monthly at that age. So how many of these bad boys do Kobe and Henderson land me?
Paul Henderson = 212,500 sleepers
Kobe Bryant = 5,283 sleepers
That’s enough to outfit an infant militia of 217,783. All for a jersey and a ticket. Random? Yes. Useful? Minimally at best …
Positive vibes to you all, and lets look out for each other…
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Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past... ______________________________________________________________________
Shawn Gates
shawn.gates@hockeybuzz.com
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Previous Random Hockey Musings
Previous …The Display Case… Posts #1: The “Frankenstick!… #2: Your desk has the right to remain collectable! #3: Have Pads, Will Travel #4: Pick a Pekka (Rinne) Autographed Mask #5: Ted Lindsay Gets Kronwalled? #6: The Only Thing We Have To Fehr Is Fehr Himself #7: “Hungary… For Team Canada Swag #8: The Soldiers Kid and “The Kid… #9: Fan Appreciation & Player Humility Via The '72 Series #10: Bobby Orr and....Birth Control?!?!?! #11: Johnny Bower The “Portrait… Of Health At 88!!! #12: Scotty Bowman – Stick Detective!!! #13: Touch 'Em All Joe!!! #14: Joey and Sergei's European (Lockout) Adventure!!! #15: I’d Give The Jersey Off My Back For You… #16: The Case Of The 1940’s Era Leafs #17: Scrapping The History Of The Isles... #18: Gretzky “Re-Signs… in Edmonton #19: Gilmour Is Such A Caricature!!! #20: Toys In The Attic #21: The Right King Place At The Right King Time #22: Momma Bear Takes On A “Killer…!!! #23: Leafs Lunch Stool #24: The 50 Goal Stub
Previous “Top Shelf Cards… Articles
Previous “Who Am I?… Articles
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