For Immediate Release:  September 1st, 2010
Contact:  Michael Osacky
Email:  Info@baseballintheattic.com
Website:  www.baseballintheattic.com

Treat Your Customer Like a King

How many times have you been to a retail store or a restaurant and the first person employee you see is not smiling?  What if you had a problem/complaint and needed a solution to this problem/complaint?  I am not sure if it is the current recession, but people are less friendly.  People should be happy to have a job, even if they do not like it.  Putting on a smile for eight hours a day might seem like a job all in itself, but without customers, the company you are working for would not be in business and you would not have a job.  I am not a doctor, but I can’t imagine walking around all day with a sourpuss on your face is healthy.  In fact, it probably leads to more stress.  The more smiling that goes on, the better the chance of the consumer purchasing something from you (people do business with people who they like) and the greater the chance of them passing along your name to friends, associates, etc.

Being truthful is becoming more of a scarcity.  Many people are looking to make the quick buck, but consumers’ are smarter than they have ever been.  The internet makes them smarter because they can do research on the product, competition, and the company itself.  People are getting better at spotting a liar.  They can usually see right through a liar and quickly hang up the phone or leave the store.  Everybody has competition and the consumer has choices.  I recently received a phone call from a person who had a feeling the person he was about to sell his card collection to wasn’t being honest.  He called me and his gut instinct was correct.  It is always a good idea to get two or three opinions when doing business.  You become better educated and start to develop a feel for whom you feel comfortable doing business with. 

Many small business owners’ operate exclusively on the internet.  They each have their own policies. (Refund, Shipping, etc.)  If you advertise on your website that product will be shipped within twenty four hours, SHIP THE PRODUCT IN 24 HOURS.  If you are like me, you eagerly check the mail everyday to see if they package arrived.  When you find out that after a week, the product still has yet to be shipped, that person will never buy from you ever again and will most likely spread the word.

Treating the customer like a King is a great way to make more money.  The simple things that are listed above are so easy to implement, yet so few people are using them.  Do yourself a favor and for one week, really focus on your customer and making them happy.  Then email me after one week and let me know how it goes. 

Interview with HOF pitcher Mr. Bob Feller

 

Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller will be ninety-two years old in a few months, but he is extremely sharp and remembers everything.  We spent four hours together and we talked about everything from his service in the Navy, to his museum in Iowa, and his playing days growing up in Iowa and then with the Cleveland Indians.

 

Mr. Feller still lives in Ohio and attends every home game that the Indians play; unless he is on the road which is virtually every week.  He loves to travel with his wife and has seen the world.  During the Summer, he is very busy with public signings, the All-Star game, and the HOF inductions at Cooperstown. 

 

Q:  I asked “Bob” what he thinks about the trading deadline and if it helps teams or not?  A:  Mr. Feller thinks the trade deadline is “like swapping gum”.  I won’t elaborate.  You get the picture.

 

Q:  What are some of your most memorable strikeouts?

A:  I remember striking out Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Lou Gehrig.  Dimaggio was a recluse, but also a great player.  People always ask me to sign with that inscription, but I will only sign that inscription for my museum in Van Meter, Iowa.  www.bobfellermuseum.org  I visit the museum as much as possible and the people that run the museum are terrific.  We have special guests that come to the museum and sign for the fans.

 

Q:  Do you think that Joe Dimaggio’s consecutive game hit streak record at 56 games will ever be broken?

A:  No I do not think it will be broken.  Here is another record that will not be broken.  Bob Feller is the only pitcher in MLB history to pitch an opening day no hitter.

 

Q:  Did you ever strike out Babe Ruth?

A:  No, but I saw him pitch.  My wife and I would go on double dates with “Babe” and his wife Claire.  We would go to the theatre and had a great time with the Ruth’s over the years. 

 

Q: You missed four years of baseball to the U.S. Navy.  Did you ever get the itch to come back and play ball?

A:  We had no choice, but to fight for the country.  If we lost, I wouldn’t be here today talking to you and you certainly would not be here.  I was the “gunner” on the ship, USS Alabama.  I was recently in Mobile, Alabama to visit the memorial battleship park.  They have the bunk that I used when I was on the ship.  If somebody today gets injured or killed in the line of duty, they get flown back to the U.S.  When I was the gun captain, we didn’t have the technology or the airplanes to fly people back and give them a proper burial.  We just buried them at sea.  I remember seeing massive battleships sink to the bottom of the ocean.  It takes just a few hours and the thing is gone.

 

Q:  How old were you when you threw seventeen strikeouts against the Philadelphia A’s?

A:  I was seventeen years old (1936) and I threw seventeen strikeouts.  I was not the youngest player to appear in a major league baseball game, but I WAS the youngest to win and lose a game.

 

Q:  You threw a baseball at 107.9 MPH.  Was this in a baseball game?

A:  No, it was not in a baseball game.  This was 1946 at Griffith Stadium with a radar gun. 

 

Q:  Minimum wage salary for MLB players is $400,000.  How has money affected the way the game is played?

A:  Actually, minimum wage is close to $700,000 in 2010.  There are so many athletes that have big egos.  Everything was different when I played.  I stopped and signed an autograph for everybody.  I have literally signed millions of autographs over my lifetime.  Now guys make ten million dollars per year and want $150 for their autograph.  You will never see a brinks truck follow a hearse.  You can’t leave with all the money. 

 

Q:  What words of encouragement/advice for young people who want to play baseball?

A:  Have common sense.  So many people do not have common sense.  Common sense takes you far in life.

 

Q:  Thank you for your time today Mr. Feller.  Do you have a joke you can share?

A:  What do you call a politician that never lies?  A loser.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOF pitcher Bob Feller was in Chicago on Saturday for an autograph signing.  He is 91 years old and he is as sharp as a tack.  He understands everything and he has a quick wit with a sarcastic/dry sense of humor.   This is the second time in the last six months that I have spent time wth the Hall of Fame'er.    I spent four hours with Mr. Feller on saturday and it was alot of fun.  He has some great jokes and we spent nearly an hour talking about WWII.  Mr. Feller was the gun captain, or "gunner" as he frequently stated.  He shared some private moments with me about the war and some were horrific.  You can only imagine what it must have been like to be the "gunner" on the USS Alabama.  Mr. Feller and his wife are avid travelers' and they frequent Alabama and the commemorative museums in the area.

Mr. Feller has his own museum in Van Meter, Iowa which has been open for about fifteen years.  He is a frequent guest at his museum and talked alot about the significance of the museum and his father.

I will have a more in depth column on August 1st, when I write the monthly BaseballAttic report. 

This question reminds of what happened with St.Louis HOF'er Whitey Herzog.  Autographed items of Mr. Herzog came out of the woodwork when he was finally inducted.  What happened?  Firstly, many were stockpiling his memorabilia in anticipation of him being a Hall of Famer one day.  Secondly, this gave the opportunity for casual collectors' to sell into the "spike".  Herzog memorabilia is now flat or even lower than when he was a non-Hall of Famer.  The supply of autographed items skyrocketed after the induction as many card shows and dealers' paid Mr. Herzog to sign more items.  The demand never kept up with the supply.

I think a similar thing will happen with Andre Dawson.  Mr. Dawson has been signing for decades and will probably get a few more bucks for his autograph from dealers' and card shows.  The wholesalers will jack up the price a few bucks, but if you wait one year, you can get an Andre Dawson ball cheaper than you would today.  Don't forget the induction of just a culmination.  The annoucement was made six months ago.

A big reason why I created the blog was to educate the public about vintage baseball cards.  Here is an education on reprints.

Fake or real?  I use the term fake loosely.  This is a 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie card printed in the 1980's.  So technicaly it isn't a 1933 card.  Have I confused you yet?  This is a reprint card of the famous 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie card.  The reverse of the card (shown above) talks about value, $7500, and the history behind the card.  Somebody emailed me this photo and wanted to sell it to me for $5,000.  This person thought I was getting a deal.  Unfortunately, I told this person it was a fake.  I then get emailed back saying it is a real card.  Technically, it is a real baseball card.  However, it was printed in the 1980's and I use the term fake because it is not  the actual 1933 card. 

There are also several "reprint" sets out there, especially of the 1950's.  Most of the time it says on the reverse, this is a reprint.  However, I still get emails saying they have a  1952 Mantle Rookie card.  I wish they did as I would pay them a hefty sum of money.  Unfortunately, these are reprints, or fakes. 

 Q: Why do I only purchase Pre-1975 baseball cards & Sports Memorabilia? 
A:  Most baseball cards manufactured after 1975 are worthless. There have been billions of cards manufactured after 1975. Too much supply and most of these cards are owned by people who think they have a valuable collection.  Some rookie cards of of post1975 cards are valuable. However, these are few and far between.

Q:  What items do you appraise?
A:   I am able to appraise virtually anything Pre-1975 across baseball, football,and basketball.  The older the better.

Q:  Can I suggest a topic or inteview subject for the monthly baseballattic reports?
A  Yes, feel free at anytime to email me your topic/interview ideas.

Q:  Will you travel to see my collection?  It is rather large and can not be sent in the mail.
A:  Yes, I travel near and far. 

Q:  What are your office hours?
A:  I am always working.  You can reach me by phone, email for fastest service.  I still do receive snail mail and I absolutely love it.  I currently do not accept telegrams by the pony express. 

The Art of Collecting Sports Ephemera. What kind of collector are you?

Collecting Sports Memorabilia is something that most of us love to do.  Whether it is that impulse buy at the local card shop or winning an ebay item at the last second, we all love to show off our collection. 

One must realize that there is not a bottomless pit of money, especially in this economy.  The world of sports collecting includes many different categories.  Sports cards, autographs, bats, (game used and non game used) autographed baseballs, pins, rings/trophies, and the list goes on and on. 

I have seen collections that include all of the above.  I have also viewed collections that focus on one particular area of interest.  Zeroing in on what excites you, makes the art of collecting more enjoyable not just for the viewing public, but for yourself.

The collectors who focus on one area, such as baseball cards, are more passionate and usually have the scarcest or rarest item for that category.  For example, a baseball card collector might have all the error cards from the 1909-1911 tobacco set.  The Plank, Ty cobb with a Cobb reverse, Sherry Magee (Magie),etc.  If I asked this collector to name his favorite card in the collection, he would rattle it off at the top of his tongue without blinking an eye.  The collectors' who focus on just one area of collecting become "experts" and will go the extra mile to find the true rarity.  The "one trick" pony also tends to take a bigger pride in his collection.  These people tend to set goals and attain them.  They know what they want, and how to get it. 

Somebody who collects cards, bats, baseballs, and pins, would be unsure how to answer that question.  Everything is his favorite.  This person usually has a big ego and usually just buys for the quantity and not the quality.  The big collections are great to view, but the owners' are generally less interesting. 

It doesn't matter what type of collector you are, sports memorabilia collections are fun to view and be around. 

Minor League Baseball Card sells for $16,400

Multi-billion dollar hotels and casinos are built in Vegas to take your money. 
Even though Las Vegas remains a large tourist attraction, they do not exist for you to make money.  Slot machines brag about their huge 98% payouts.  This number is very close to 100, but when you are dealing with billions of dollars, two percent is a large amount of money the casino profits.

Several people last week took a large gamble on a minor league baseball pitcher that has yet to throw a single pitch in a Major League Baseball game.  The number one draft pick by the Washington Nationals is Steven Strasburg.  He is currently dominating batters’ in the minor leagues and he is scheduled to make his MLB debut on June 8th.  An auction on Ebay just ended with his 2010 bowman non autographed card selling for $16,400 and 84 bids.  Somebody with deep pockets and a passion for rolling the dice purchased this card.  There are currently too many unknowns to pay sixteen thousand dollars for a minor league baseball card.  It is hard to believe that a Minor League Baseball card can sell for more money than a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card in excellent condition.   

Growing up in Chicago, I remember Mark Prior and Kerry Wood were the “phenom” stars that were going to take baseball by force.  I still remember the day in 1998 when Kerry Wood had a twenty strikeout game.  The worldwide audience was amazed and said he was a freak of nature.  After the game, Kerry Wood talked to the media and he was shaking uncontrollably.  He had just pitched the game of his career.  The price of his baseball cards skyrocketed immediately and several dealers began to hoard his rookie cards.  Unfortunately, 1998 was the highlight of his career and it began to go downhill from there.  He was frequently injured and moved from the starting rotation to a closer role.  He did have some success as a closer, but injuries again sidelined him.  Former Chicago Cub Mark Prior was also the toast of the town and his baseball cards were selling for astronomical prices when he was first brought up from the minors.  His career path was similar to Kerry Wood’s.  He was always injured.  He spent more time on the injured list than on the playing field. 

In 2012, I will follow up this posting and see what the verdict is for Steven Strasburg.  I wish the young man the best of luck.  If he is the best pitcher in the league next year, the gambling man who spent $16,400 on the card will be able to make a profit on the card.  In order to make a profit, you need to sell when he is on the top of his game.  Once the velocity and his numbers start to tail off, the bidders are no longer interested in the card and you are sitting with a large loss.  You are probably better off in Vegas than investing in the Strasburg baseball card.

 

In recent months, my expertise has been used to appraise vintage sports collections.  I am easily fascinated when I view items' I have never seen before.  This is nothing new.  When appraising a collection, I provide honest and current retail values of the item(s).  If I appraise a collection for $5,000, that is what it should sell for in today's current retail environment.  That is NOT what a dealer or a private collector will pay for the collection.  A dealer will want to quickly flip that collection.  He/she will not offer $5,000.  Similarly, a private collector also will not pay $5,000 for the collection.  This individual will buy the collection to add to his wantlist or purchase something because he/she likes it.  This capital is a "sunk" cost because this person will not be selling anytime soon.  When it comes time to sell in five or ten years, it is anybody's guess where the sports memorabilia market will be.

One more thing.  The buyer of your collection has no emotional or sentimental attachments to the collection.  That Ted Williams signed bat might be worth more money to YOU because he signed it in person at a fundraising dinner.  However, the buyer could care less. 

I received an emal regarding my previous post a few days ago.  The question was...how does scarcity/rarity affect value/price of an item?  Unfortunately, I have no quick and dirty answer.  Every item is different and comes with its own merits & demerits.  One thing I will say; Just because an item is a one of kind or there are limited quantities availalble, doesn't necessarily mean the item is valuable.  You need to factor in the demand part of the equation.  If there is no demand, your item is essentially worthless.