A New Auction House

I consider this post my first step in rewarding good behavior. After all, SCD recently stopped accepting advertisements from Coach's Corner and this step deserves some recognition. Now, I'm not advocating that you should be less weary in your search for Baseball memorabilia through them, but you can feel a little bit better about SCD. In turn, you can also feel a little better about its parents other recently launched ventures like collect.com and its brand new auction house run by Krause Publications.

So, I bring to you some choice items from Collect.com's soon to be closing auction.

The Brooklyn faithful really loved their Dodgers. So much so, it was not unusual for the fans to bring cakes and presents to Dodger players and staff on their birthdays. Below, coach Charlie Dressen is enjoying his birthday cake with the help of Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Billy Cox and Bob Milliken. This is a press wire photo that dates to 9/20/1953.

Auction Link: Birthday Photo:

Here is another press photo featuring a dapper Roy Campanella welcoming Pee Wee Reese and his family to Spring Training. It is date stamped at April 5, 1954 and is a International News Photo.

Auction Link: Spring Training Greetings Photo:

There is nothing like peering through a vintage autograph book to see who you might find. In this auction lot we see a well used autograph book, circa 1955, with many autographs of New York and its surrounding boroughs greatest players. Below is Don Newcombe.
Al Dark of the NY Giants has signed a pic of him playing some night Baseball as a deep thinking and reflective Billy Cox sits on the bench.

Auction Link: Autograph Book:

This framed 1974 TCMA Brooklyn Dodgers Greats set is nice. Having almost the entire set autographed is nicer. There are 22 total signatures that feature everyone from Pee Wee Reese, Snider and Erskine to Cal Abrams and Jim Hughes. Unfortunately, the Campanella is a stamped auto, but I wouldn't fret. This would look great in any one's collection room.

Auction Link: 1974 TCMA Autographed Set:

Lelands: Drawings and Paintings

The Lelands Auction recently closed so I though I would highlight some additional items that I found really exceptional. In this post I show various paintings and drawing worth a good long look.

Below is a painting by Arthur K. Miller of Jackie Robinson.

Auction Link: Jackie Robinson Painting:

Here a painting of a reflective Hank Greenberg by Arthur K. Miller.

Auction Link: Greenberg Painting:

Arthur K. Miller captures Willie Mays swinging.

Auction Link: Willie Mays:

A mysterious Joe Jackson done by Arthur K. Miller. It is titled "Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy."

Auction Link: Joe Jackson Painting:

Yogi Berra reaching for the tag at home was wonderfully done in a giclee on canvas print by Steve Holland.

Auction Link: Yaogi Berra Painting:

This Gauche on board painting done by Mike Schacht.

Auction Link: Ted Williams Painting:

Here a couple of original Virgil Ross drawings done in the 1990's of Bugs Bunny.

Auction Link: Virgil Ross Painting:

Auction Link: Bugs Virgil Ross Drawing:

Doing The Right Thing

SCD, or Sports Collectors Digest, has finally decided to listen to the hobby community and dump their biggest advertiser- Coach's Corner.

Here's one sign that the scandal-stained sports memorabilia biz is getting serious about cleaning up its act: Sports Collector's Digest, the hobby Bible, will stop accepting advertising from Coaches Corner, one of its biggest advertisers.

Collectors and memorabilia industry leaders have complained about Coaches Corner for years, saying the autographed balls, game-used bats and other memorabilia offered by the Souderton, Pa., auction house appears fraudulent and doesn't pass the sniff test.

This is a move in the right direction. Many senior collectors have been harping at SCD to do something about their affiliation with Coach's Corner. After all, anybody in the hobby who knows a thing about autographs and memorabilia will tell you to stay away from that auction house and the authenticators affiliated with them.

What's weird, though, is that 2 days before this press announcement I had a email exchange with a marketing guy at Krause Publications (parent firm of SCD) openly questioning why they are still allowing Coach's Corner to advertise there. I would like to think I was the main voice of the collecting community that caused their ejection, but I know that hobbyist more respected than myself have been complaining about Coach's Corner for a very long time.

I am glad to see that Sports Collectors Digest is doing the right thing.

(Hat Tip: Net54Baseball.com)

Welcome to the Show

Mitch Jones, who showed good power during Spring Training this past March, has been called up to the Dodgers. (per I Love This Game) This is his first real trip to the show.

He was called up by the Yankees on May 20, 2006, but was sent back to Columbus the next day without playing in a game.

He is 31 years old, played at ASU and started professional Baseball as a member of the Yankee organization. This year he is hitting .292 with 21 home runs and 50 RBI's with the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Hopefully he can get into a few games.

Card of the Week: Viva Fernando

For this weeks installment of the "Card of the Week" I bring us back to our Dodger roots. Above we have Fernando Valenzuela's 1991 Upper Deck card.

Upper Deck had been masterful in its inclusion of multiple exposures on cards. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that this card is perfect. After all, it shows us the windup that so many of us grew up on. Valenzuela goes from raising his arms and taking his eye off the plate to stare into the sky. He comes back down and winds his arm back ready to deliver the pitch. Ferdie has the look of determination as he unwinds and heaves a screwball that easily fools the batter. Man, I loved it when Valenzuela pitched.

Another nice thing about this card is the reverse as it shows Fernando signing some autographs for the Dodger faithful. In fact, I remember reading that issue of Sport Illustrated as a kid.

Blog Kiosk: 6/14/2009

Beckett, please stop harassing bloggers. It's unbecoming.

• Hey! That Haiku ain't funny Gaslamp Ball.
• Night Owl Cards apologizes to former Dodger Bruce Ellingsen.
  
• Remember! Free parking for this coming Interleague Series match-up between the Dodgers and A's. On June 16, 17 & 18 parking is free at Dodgertown. Save $15.00.

  “This gesture is our latest initiative to help ensure that all of our fans can enjoy our National Pastime at Dodger Stadium,” said Dodger CEO Jamie McCourt , who helped create the Commissioner’s Fan Initiative at the beginning of this season. “With the conclusion of the school year, we want to make it even easier for families to spend their summer evenings with us.”

• This man deserves a card. Topps gives us a look at an insert card in their upcoming American Heritage American Heroes Set of subway life-saver Wesley Autrey. If you don't recall his heroics read about it here. (Hat Tip: Beckett Blog)
• Check out this new Dodger blog called "It's time for Dodgers Baseblog."
  
• I find myself eagerly awaiting GCRL's completion of the 1978 Topps Dodger autograph project. He just recently received a signed card from Vic Davalillo and Lee Lacy.
  
• Roberto at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy has the music for the Dodgers while coming up to the plate or coming in to pitch.
  
• Angels release Nick Adenhart Commemorative Patch. Proceeds will be distributed by the Angels Baseball Foundation to local charities. (Hat Tip: 6-4-2)
  
• "Season of the 'stache" Titans success this season sits under their noses.

  Then we had our infamous team meeting and straightened everything out and realized that Kanye is right, "N-n-now that that don't kill me, can only make me stronger". Oddly enough the USC game ended our April showers and turned the page into Mustache May where we came out and started playing like the Titans can, laying the smacketh down on anyone who stepped into our path.

• Interested in bidding on the wrecking ball that tore down Shea Stadium? Yhea, me neither. (Hat Tip: Deadspin)
  
• I'm loving KingsCast.
  

Video Link: KingsCast:

• Here is a song by Todd Snider about Doc Ellis's LSD fueled no-hitter in San Diego.

Hat Tip: Big League Stew: