Chicago Sports – Daryle Lambert's Antiques and Collectibles Blog – There is nothing better

 Walter Payton - Thanks to foundmyself.com

When you think of sports, three cities should come to mind: Chicago, New York and Los Angles. For the true collector, there are no better venues for the possibility of finding a sports treasure than these cities. In fact, treasures are so plentiful for the collector in these cities that they can go totally unnoticed there. What else do I need to say?

Since Chicago is a large mid-western city where I live, which may have an even larger following than the other two cities for sports, I will concentrate on it. Both college and professional sports have thrived in Chicago and the record books are filled with the achievements of the exceptional sports figures from Chicago teams.

Who wouldn't wish to see great traditions such as that of Northwestern, DePaul and the University of Chicago, or the Bulls, Bears, Sox or Cubs. Since Vicki and I have lived in Chicago, you have had Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman and now Derrick Rose with the Bulls. They haven't only been great players but they have also delivered championships to the city. But not to be outdone, how about those Bears with Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, Daryle Singletary and Jim McMann? They only had one championship in the last twenty years, but for Chicagoans that was enough. Now baseball is another matter altogether. You cheer for the Cubs, knowing they will falter in the end. The Sox finally won the World Series, but it may be fifty years before they do it again.

So following your favorite sports team is great fun, but making money with sports memorabilia is just as much fun. I could tell you about the $1,000,000 dollar hockey card or Mickey Mantle’s rookie card that sold for $25,000 or more, but that might be hard for you to relate to. But how about a baseball signed by the whole team of the Cubs bringing $5000, or the one I had of the 1951 Yankees that sold for $1,000 when I should have gotten $10,000? Yes, I do make mistakes, but since I only paid $300 for the ball, I can't cry too much.

It's interesting hearing people talk about the sacks of cards their mother threw out, but the sad part is it is true in my case. Yes, my mother did throw my cards in the trash. Here is an even sadder story. I used Mickey's rookie cards on my bicycle to make it sound like an airplane. At $25,000 a pop, if I had my cards back I could be driving a Rolls Royce.

In my book 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques and Collectibles, I suggest that the reader pick something to deal in that has great interest for the collector. Here is a promise. You will not find anything that is more collected than sports memorabilia. Let’s just take a look at the possibilities. People have made a fortune just dealing in baseball cards, even though their value has declined for the common ones in recent years. Here are a few other items that can fatten your wallet: miniature sports figures, jerseys, basketballs, baseballs, footballs, bats, team rings, signed programs, gloves and too many other items for me to list.

Here are a few books and magazines that will help you in your hunt for sport treasures : Collecting Sports Legends by Joe Orlando, A Guide to Golf Collectibles A Guide to Golf Collectibles by Michelle Tason and Sports Collectibles Digest by F & W Publications. There are more books and magazines that can be found on www.amazon.com. Read, read, read and then count your money from the knowledge you accumulate. 

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