What Next?

[Rickybulldog]

I know this has entered everyone's mind or has been talked about much by inner circles of glovers, but I see more people are posting so I'll throw it out there: What concerns do you have for glove collecting? Or better yet, what would you like to see in the future of glove collecting?

I must say that I'm very appreciative of all the efforts that everyone has made throughout: Joe with his newsletter/guides/booklets, Rob, Jim, Jerry, Brett with their sites, Dave with his book, and Brett(again) for this wonderful forum. I applaud you all for your hard work and passion for our hobby. (If I forgot you I'm sorry in advance)

Now I know we don't have crystal balls and this economic situation has got us right now, but like everything it will pass. What do you guys see?

From the looks of things it appears that we are all across the board on ages , so I know we'll have some different perspectives which will be great.
I think the biggest thing for me is getting more blood into the hobby. I think the vets have a great shot of making money off their collections for the years to come if they decide to do so. Younger guys who ride it out 40-50 years from now I really don't know. To say don't worry about it is foolish I think. One thing I'm trying to do, especially with my friends who like baseball is get them going with gloves. It's kind of like what Rob Mucha did for me. He took me under his wing (a tear) and helped me along the way. Many times, I may do a lopsided trade with one of those guys just to get them started or sell them a non keeper (for me) for next to nothing. I think one trade I gave the guy all my glove books because he seemed so entrigued with it all. My only thing is how to get those guys to the next level? Where we all are. By the way Rob, I know those early deals were in my favor and I thank you for it.
Another thing I hope will help get more people energized, especially in my area, is the opening of the LA Sports Museum. If that doesn't get you pumped I don't know what will. I told Rob we should sell outside or across the street to get people into gloves/equipment. I know it's hard to predict what's going to happen and I don't know if down the road I'll sell my collection or hand it down to my daughter Alex (she'll be our only one). With my luck she'll probably yard sale it. "Uh, that White glove Daddy kept, 50 cents?" Oh Geez, I better just be entombed with it all! Haha. Thoughts? Or suggestions on how you get more blood into the hobby?

As for what I like to see is more regional get togethers or something to that extent. Now I know gas and schedules are all issues. Also, lugging tubs/totes of gloves as well, but one can hope can one?
I think West coast people were given a blow when the National decided not to include Anaheim in their tours any more. Correct?

Just my 2 cents. I know we'll have a variety of opinions, so I'm strapping on my seat belt and ready to where this one takes us. Cheers...............RBD

[GloveCrazy]

Thanks for the kind words, Ricky, they are truly appreciated. I can assure you, that I've gotten as much out of it as you have. It's been great watching you grow from the early days to the trading maching that you've morphed into. Now, enough of the man-love stuff and lets get back to funny glove terms

Similarly, I'm thankful to the Fred Lowmans, Joe Phillipses, Wayne Curleys, Don Millingtons, and others who helped me get started prior to the ebay days, and to my close glove friends. They sold/traded me stuff that I'm sure they loved and the gloves mean a lot more to me today than their actual value.

Now for my respectful two cents. I admit in advance, that I certainly don't think I know it all and value other perspectives a lot. There is a common big business phrase that if you aren't growing then you are dieing. The same can be said about niche collectibles. We certainly aren't dieing but I think we all need to help it grow more, for our own best interests.

The good news is that with as addictive as gloves are, it just takes a match to start the fire, but we can't just sit back and wait for Joe, Brett, and Jim to do it on their own. We need to get out in our own geographic areas to light the matches, and then they'll help do the rest.

Yes, I probably gave Ricky some good deals early on. As karma suggests, though, over time he has tracked down many items that fit into my collection that I wouldn't have found on my own. It's also fun to have him and others come over to show their new stuff and to oggle over mine. It keeps it fresh.

Take a cheaper glove to your next ballgame or little league game and sell it cheap or give it away to someone if they show strong interest. Give them a card with your email ID on it if they have any questions. I had a little league coach buy gloves for their entiire team as a reward for their team's hard work through the year. Remember, kids don't mind some of the flaws that drive us nuts and a $10 trapper goes a long way.

Visit someone. There is not much cooler than visiting other glove collectors. I'm lucky that I've got Ricky and Jim in the area, but I really enjoyed going to some of the get-togethers, visiting Jack Marden, Mark Walters, Liam, O'Bannion, and others. When going on vacation check with Joe or use the forum to see who is in the area.

Public libraries love historical displays ... they eat them up! They'll supply the locked glass cabinets, but leave a couple cheapies out for the kids to touch. Leave your card in the cabinet and you may even get offered some others as well. Go there and tell stories for a couple hours if that sort of thing sounds like fun. Dave had some really good feedback regarding his library display.

Participate in the forum and write articles. Just because we are the most vocal doesn't mean we know it all, and wouldn't benefit from other perspectives/questions. It's nice that we talk to each other a lot, but we also need to get some articles in the SCD, local newspapers, etc.

I'm sure there are lots of other great ways to promote the hobby as well. Thanks again Ricky, and thanks to some of the newer guys who are helping to grab the reins ... keep pushing us forward!

[mjkm90]

Rick, Are you under the impression the glove collecting hobby isn't healthy? I think it is stronger than we know. Consider how few gloves you see at the National, consider how seldom to find a gem at an antique show or mall. These things are being purchased quickly. Don't mistake lack of noise for a lack of interest. As you know, more and more niches are growing. Namely pennants, advertising, bats, balls in the box and figural pieces. I am biiiig into pinbacks. and can tell you that niche is esctremely strong. There are also a lot of football collectors among US.

I agree the days of listing any split finger on ebay and getting $50 are gone. Thank God I sold 95 of my gloves in the late 90s when a bronze dog turd would sell for $25...ha ha. I believe we are seeing the hobby being diluted by a high volume of generalist collectors. I used to have a list of about 20 buyer id's that accounted for 95% of the purchases in ebay. Now that list would be 300+.

Gloves are sound as a pound from an "investment" perspective. They aren't ultra hot, but there will always be a buyer for quality. There is no way you will lose money on your collection, just don't ask for the world when you sell.

[Rickybulldog]

Rob no problem on that and sorry if it came off as man love or bro mance. No way was that the goal. I just grew up with the whole concept that you give credit where it's due and you don't forget where you came from. Anyway, I got one more funny glove story that I'll post later. Hopefully others will follow. BTW, those ideas for getting new blood were gold Rob! Gold!

Now Mike,
I'm glad you posted. As of right now I don't think the glove hobby is dying at all. I feel it's very strong and quality items still are commanding nice prices. When I was posting this thread I wasn't taking a look at the hobby through glasses and seeing what was around me, I was looking through binoculars (as one would say) and see what lays ahead before me. All strong armies still need recruits and fresh bodies to stay strong and I was just asking on how we can get more people involved. Especially the 18-35 ish range (this is open to change). The up and comers so to speak. Totally agree with you on other niches growing and you have taught me a wealth of info on LS bats and pennants. By the way, I have to send you a picture of a huge won I won on ebay a while back. I probably won't go hardcore into them so I won't step on your toes buddy.

I read in a SCD article where there was a guy who gave out baseball card packs during Halloween to get the kiddos to get an interest. Even though they're cards, how cool is that?

I know for the kids in my class, I give the hardcore baseball fanatics a glove or two and they seem to appreciate them. Even saw one put it on Ebay! Haha just kidding about the ebay thing.


Any other thoughts? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

[mjkm90]

I saw your pennant Rick. It's a real honey! Way to go. Probably the best way to start a grass roots effort would be through articles in publications like Becketts and SI.

I would rather have acid poured in my eyes than read a baseball card price guide, but the kids read them to find out what a double inverted reverse sumo duck squat refractor card is worth for the brief time between when they purchase them and when the next years model comes out and they convert to toilet tissue.

Leave pennants to losers like me Ricky

[Rickybulldog]

Thanks Mike for the nice words on the pennant. It kind of worked out at the end on that one. Lost out on a Washington Huskey one prior to that which hit 350! Actually picked it up with you in mind later on down the road whenever you want to loosen your grips on that fielder figural trophy (Rob scroll down or look away ) I know it will take more than the pennant, but it's always good to want. Haha! Very nice item and I'm glad you picked it up.

The whole beckett/SI idea is a neat idea. I think I still have the Beckett that featured Ron Carlson a long while back. Talked about glove collecting and that's when I started to get the itch. I think it had Frank Thomas on the cover. I'll have to dig that up!

[okdoak]

Great topic! I agree on the importance of bringing in new collectors and think that by talking about all the different enjoyments that the hobby gives us (aside from just acquiring the glove) that they will see that there may just be some fun to be had. For me it used to be the "thrill of the hunt" and reading about some lucky collectors' finds in TGC kept me going for quite awhile. Unfortunately I vastly overrated my glove tracking skills, but it was still alot of fun. Now, oddly enough, the prospect of cleaning a grimey one and finding nice leather and stampings (sometimes) does it for me. So whether it's playing catch with an old glove, hanging out with another glover, etc, etc, I think it's good to show that we know its alot more than just the rarest, the best, or the most. Hope this didn't get too "Field of Dreams"ish!

[vintagebrett]

How about a Skype get together for glove collectors? We could agree on a day/time to be online and have a conference call. For those of you unaware, the Skype software is free and allows you to either talk or video conference with people all over the world. All you need is web cam to do the the video portion. For us mac users, it's built in and we're ready to roll. Let me know if anybody would be interested in this - we could do a glove show and tell or something.