Header - Baseball by the Letters

Year: 2011

Harvey Meiselman Finds Forgotten Men: Coach Addresses Coming for 2012!

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Coaches like Jim Walton
eluded collectors for years,
simply because they never
played in the bigs.

Harvey Meiselman has heeded the (hobby) will of the people.

His 2012 Baseball Address List will add another tool for collectors to use. In a separate listing, addresses for “Coaches With No MLB Playing Experience” will appear.

Topps has included these unsung heroes in a few card sets. Cards or not, these coaches have storied minor league careers. Many of them have inspired today’s top players. I saluted one of these coaches in a Sept. 1 blog post.

Thanks to Harvey, a whole new team of baseball storytellers will be accessible by mail next season!

Coming Friday: Baseball’s toughest signers thank America’s military.

Twins Collectors Near Baltimore? Be On TV!

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Strange, but true.

Minutes ago, an e-mail arrived. Is there a Twins collector in the Baltimore area who wants to be on TV?

To start at the beginning, here’s the background on the TV show pilot…

“My name is Danielle Gervais. I’m a Casting Producer with a production company called Leftfield Pictures in New York City. They’re the producers of History Channel’s hit new series, Pawn Stars and American Restoration! They’re currently casting an exciting new series based in and around Baltimore, MD that will be 100% dedicated to sports fans, sports memorabilia and the people who collect it! We’re currently looking for true Minnesota Twins fans living in the area for a special segment we’re doing about the team –
CALLING ALL TWINS FANS AND SPORTS COLLECTORS LIVING IN AND AROUND BALTIMORE/DC!

FROM THE PRODUCERS OF HISTORY CHANNEL’S PAWN STARS COMES A BRAND NEW NETWORK SERIES DEDICATED TO SPORTS FANS AND SPORTS MEMORABILIA!

New network sports memorabilia series is currently looking for TRUE Twins fans living in or around Baltimore, MD for a special segment we’re doing for the team!!! In addition, we’re also looking for sports-related items that have historic significance and a great back story. If you or someone you know is a dedicated Twins fan OR owns a unique piece of sports history, we want to hear from you!

Here’s a brief synopsis of the show….

Whether you’re looking for a Babe Ruth autographed baseball or an autographed Sidney Crosby worn-jersey, there’s no better place to find it than ROBBIE’S FIRST BASE in Baltimore, Maryland. A family-run shop, Robbie’s has built itself into a booming business and collectors, professional athletes and sports nuts can’t seem to get (or buy) enough of it.  At Robbie’s, sports drives more than the family business; it instills a passion that brings  out the best and worst in everyone. The atmosphere is akin to a sports barbershop, because when it comes to sports, everyone has an opinion. Every incredible item bought and sold at Robbie’s tells a story and prompts a sports debate, where both buyers and sellers spit stats and opinions like a sports radio show. When the item is right for the customer, all of the big arguments can add up to big dollars!
Here is our casting notice….

“Do you have an amazing piece of sports history – a rare autographed baseball, signed stadium seats, or even a championship ring that you are looking to sell?? Are you a collector with tons of sports memorabilia or just dedicated fan with a gem?

The Producers of History Channel’s Pawn Stars and American Restoration are bringing you the best sports memorabilia show out there!!

If you have a unique, rare, or awesome piece of sports memorabilia that you’d like to sell of just show off, please e-mail us with a picture of the item, a brief description of what it is and why it is special, and tell us how you got it!!!”

Danielle GervaisCasting Director,
Left Field Pictures
Danielle.Gervais@leftfieldpictures.com
212.564.2607 x 2365

The producer, who noted that the segment films next week, adds: “We’re open to just about everything else. That being said, the back-story that accompanies an item is JUST as important as the item itself. We definitely want folks who have a connection to their items. Bottom line – back-story is VERY important.”

I’d love to see an autograph collector on the segment, someone who could tell about making personal contact with former Twins. Someone who could tell the world that autographs aren’t just quantity, but QUALITY. 

Let us know how it turns out. We’ll be able to collect YOUR autograph!

Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Ted Wieand Rewarded By Topps, Stiffed By Sport Magazine!

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He never forgot Topps.

Reds pitcher Ted Wieand may have mixed emotions about his 1960 Topps card.

Back in the 1960s, Topps had a prize redemption catalog for players to use. Much like S&H Green Stamps, Topps offered merchandise as payment for appearance in a set.

Wieand remembered:

“I got a living room suite. I was grateful for that honor.”

His 1960 card designated him as a “Sport Magazine Rookie Star.” Surely, honorees got a ceremony, right? A trophy? Or, a gold watch?

“No. Nothing.”

Even S&H Green Stamps beat nothing.

Coming Thursday: Address king Harvey Mieselman prepares for 2012 directory.

Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams Will Grace Envelopes For 2012 All-Star Break

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Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams are “forever” All-Stars. They’ll have their own “forever” stamps starting in July, 2012.

Co-starring will be commemorative stamps of Larry Doby and Willie Stargell.

Artist Kadir Nelson, who painted the elegant 2010 Negro Leagues stamps, is creator of these four portraits.

I hope collectors stockpile these beauties. There’s nothing better for baseball correspondence!

Coming Wednesday: Ted Wieand shares good and bad news.

Happy Labor(less) Day, Autograph Collectors!

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If it seems like “work,” make it fun.
Construction workers can become
“players” at the website
http://www.mlb-hardhats.4ursafety.com/

Happy Labor Day!

I wish you, on what seems the last guaranteed day of summer, more “happy” and less “labor.”

In case you missed it, please take another look at the words from U.S. Marine Tony Moore. Autograph collecting through the mail could be a whole lot harder.

I’ll never forget the thrill of being an elementary schooler who realized that past and present major leaguers might care who I am and what I thought. Knowing that I could be as good as any fan through the U.S. Mail, and that I could get an autograph as proof that I mattered? Wow!

The chance, the hope, of communicating with baseball history-makers with each letter I send? I can’t imagine any better hobby. I’m grateful to the men and women of our military for their courageous labors, the Tonys of our nation who deserve a family picnic today and an overflowing mailbox tomorrow. Thank you for helping me better appreciate my hobby, and my country.

If your hobby is a labor, make sure it’s a labor of LOVE.