Vintage Hall of Fame Gloves

[softball66]

Noted with interest that a fairly nice Cy Young Hutch glove evidently didn't make the seller's reserve at $306 on ebay
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It seems like several nicer vintage hall of fame gloves haven't been doing that lately on eBay. Is this a trend of saturation or the economy or both?
Curious as to thoughts and opinions?

[Centerfield]

My opinion, for what it's worth, tends to lean more toward market saturation. Sure, there is belt tightening going on for some, but I believe that the combination of a greater supply of gloves that were once thought to be rarer and fewer new collectors entering our niche hobby are the cause. Over the past five to ten years, a whole lot of gloves have entered the hobby via eBay, thousands upon thousands more than we had access to back in the late 1980's when I began scrounging. Additionally, based on the activity of the modern board and inactivity of the vintage board, new blood cares more about Brooks Robinson models than unearthing a Crawford.

I've observed what Joe's saying, but what's baffling me more is the lack of great gloves being offered for sale or auction. If times are tough, where are the liquidators? Quality stuff is being held on to while the afterbirths are being auctioned. This is why prices have stagnated. I know of some great gloves out there and have been patiently waiting to pick some of them up (I know who owns a few of them, but for most, I have no clue who the owners are). No, I wouldn't categorize myself as a vulture, and I don't want tough times to befall anyone for the benefit of my own collection, but nothing of interest is available. Granted, I've narrowed my focus tremendously, but still, this inactivity is killing me! Desirable examples will always bring a premium. We're not seeing this right now simply because nothing of interest is available.

Like most of you, I "watch" gloves on eBay even if I never intend to bid on them. Let me ask you, has your watch list shrunken over the past year or two? I used to be upset that more than 25 watched items carried over to a second page. Now, I can't remember the last time I had more than a handful of gloves on this list. Yes, I was watching the Young model, but after owning four different Young gloves through the years and seeing dozens more come to the market, I've simply lost interest in them. I'm sure that's the case for most of you too.

That said, I'd like to once again express my interests with the hope of adding a few gloves to my collection. I have a perpetually running advertisement in the newsletter, threads in the wanted section of this forum and sent out soliciting emails to friends in hobby... all to no avail. Sure, there were a few gloves that were offered to me, but they looked more like chew toys for the family pooch! Furthermore, I'm not looking to screw anyone over. If I want it, I will pay for it. More often than not, I 'll even pay a sizable premium for it.

So, once again, with the hopes of adding a glove or two, I'm interested in Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle models. Their accompanying boxes would have me bouncing off the walls. Picture boxes would have me jumping out the window. As for DiMaggio and Mantle, as close to mint as possible. I say this because they are available in that condition, tucked away in collections, but they do exist. There are several Reach Ruth boxes out there. Years ago, they were passed around like hot potatoes. They've simply dried up because they're stashed away. I'd just like to liberate one of them!

If quality merchandise were being offered, Joe would have begun a thread about how glove prices were bucking the recession, not one about interest being down.

[vintagebrett]

The Cy Young glove is pretty common and even though it was in very nice shape, I think the price was about right. Because it's a post-career glove, it probably doesn't hold the same luster.

As for the other gloves, yeah it's been pretty dry. The Wagner glove that was up was nice - I remember seeing it when it sold in Stormville, NY to the guy who sold it on eBay - that was 10 - 12 years ago. I thought it might do a little better in price.

I don't think we will see a lot of gloves for sale because of the economy - the people who have the ultra rare, ultra nice, ultra desirable gloves can afford to keep them - that's why they have them in the first place. For the rest of us collectors who are affected by the economy, we don't have anything worth selling and the prices have been low on eBay so it's probably not worth it to sell them now.

[Rickybulldog]

I agree with both of you guys about the Cy Young. In the beginning I would have definitely watched a glove like that, but now the Young gloves seem to come up on Ebay pretty regularly so I stopped paying attention to them.

I also believe that quality items are still comanding nice prices, but rarely are showing up nowadays. I think that many collectors are holding on to their high end stuff because they can (like Brett said) or either selling them in private sales to their friends. My biggest thing is: What goes into the minds of buyers/collectors when they see other collectors selling their stuff? Are people less likely or more likely to buy/bid on their items? Do buyers see it as the collector is selling off his scraps? Or does the buyer ask themselves why would I want to buy/bid on a glove that this guy doesn't even want? This has always made me curious.

[softball66]

Some astute thoughts established here, mainly around the internet (eBay) effect. One thing is evident is that numbers of interested HOF buyers have not grown with the growth availability of product. It's become a buyer's market. Wonder if this happened in the bats category which I don't watch?
I've watched with interest the rapid growth of the more modern gloves of the last 30 years, no player names but the Heart of Hides and A2000s. And
the more appreciation for the personal model, better made gloves in all categories.
Interesting
Thanks for all the thoughtful input.

[Centerfield]

Along the same lines as Joe's thought that pre-war HoF interest is dwindling, is a question I've pondered and discussed with friends for years. Currently, disposable income is primarily in the hands of baby boomers. As they retire, shift to fixed incomes and ultimately pass on, what becomes of memorabilia from the 1950's and early 1960's? Will there be a glut of Mantle, Mays and Aaron items hitting the market in a relatively short period of time as the boomers cash out? More importantly, is there a fan base enough for this era in the younger collector to step up and show interest?

We all know other sports have been been looting younger fans from baseball for a while. The current situation in NY is shameful and doesn't bode well for the growth of the sport. The largest city in the country is poised to open two new ballparks, magnificent structures to say the least. The cost of tickets, however, is beyond absurd. The Mets are scrambling to package opening day tickets to get rid of them and the Yankees, well, they're in another galaxy. All of the seats in the new Yankee Stadium priced below $250 are sold. Basically, everything upstairs is gone (there may be something available on a Tuesday night against KC for $125, but for the most part, the "cheap" seats have sold). Field level seats, the ones most viewable in the background when watching a game on tv (priced from $525 to $2625) are available. Who the hell is going to pay those prices? What is a family going to do, mortgage the house to bring the kids to the game? That's an option, if you can secure a mortgage nowadays! Basically, this situation does not bode well for the growth of baseball in NY's youth. And need I remind you of the old adage that trends, more often than not, begin in NY. I weep for the future...

[Number9]

Jerry, your observations regarding baseball in NYC are shared by most of the baseball watching public. I was just discussing the same thing last weekend with my father. Seems the only people not hearing, or not listening, are the NYC baseball teams.

[Centerfield]

I've actually done the math on this, it's less expensive for me to fly to another city to watch the Yankees play an away game (plane ticket, ticket to the game and hotel) rather than head to the Bronx.

Boston's not too far behind, from what I understand. I used to love going to Fenway when I lived in Boston years ago. If you're not fortunate enough to secure tickets at face value, and as we all know supply for Fenway is the tightest in the league, secondary market prices are pretty high.

Speculation about the higher priced Yankee seats is that they will be given away. Each November, the team has a food drive before Thanksgiving. Those who donate food are given seats to a game during the upcoming season. As you'd expect, the free seats have always been high in the upper deck to less desirable games. This year, though, those terrible, inexpensive seats are the only ones sold. The team will likely honor those who donated with the best seats in the house. It makes sense. Imagine the marketing nightmare, having a "ghost town" look to the ballpark on tv, especially nationally televised games. Furthermore, if they give them away, they are able to write off full ticket prices as expenses. Not a bad trade, in my opinion... a few cans of creamed corn for a couple of $2625 seats!!! That should put the pricing structure in perspective for management.

[Number9]

When purchased from the Red Sox, tickets are tough to come by and expensive when available. It's gone through the roof since the off season leading into 2003. Like NY, Bostonians have become very familiar with the away game math equation.

The difference between NY and Boston is that even as ticket prices have gone up, way up, demand at those prices is still constant in Boston. The most expensive seat in Fenway (that doesn't require a season ticket package, ie. the suites) is $325 per game. While that price is huge, the number of tickets available is very low. Box seats are still pricey at $90, but still accessible to many. NY went way overboard with the pricing this year and did it across pretty much the entire lower level around the infield. It's a shame, because, as you mentioned, they built a beautiful new park and very few can afford to get into it.

Bring one of your gloves to a game in the stadium. Chances are you'll have a lot less competition for a foul ball.

Back on topic, I'm in the same boat as many other collectors. I've got stuff to sell, but who wants to give it away? It's a hobby and it isn't pulling me under so why take a loss on something if I don't need to get rid of it? I think a lot of people will be parking their collections over the short term until things turn around for the general economy. Most people I've talked to are adding to their collections, not subtracting. There's always competition for the good stuff and it's being looked at with a very discriminating eye.