November 2007

November 12 , 2007. One of the toughest things to do in this hobby is estimate the value of any game-used item. This has been especially difficult with Mark McGwire bats. Mark's values were strong and established before he went before Congress and said he didn't want to talk about the past. Since then, values have dropped -- but how much has not been clear. People with legit bats were holding onto them because they knew they'd lose money in today's market. However, two nice Mac bats sold at auction during the past couple of weeks. Their results suggest the market value for a signed 1999-2000 Mac bat is in the $1,600-2,000 range. A 1999 bat sold by Mastro for $1,641 and a 2000 bat sold by Heritage for $1,400. With the buyer's premium, the new owners paid $1,969 and $1,673. I wasn't crazy about the Mastro bat (not cracked, very light tar), but the Heritage bat was sweet. I'd think a legit, signed 1998 bat could still fetch $2,500, but it's clear Mac's values have dropped about 35-50 percent from their peak.

November 13 , 2007. There are few names that elicit automatic trust among collectors. For me, one of those names was "Steiner" -- until today. Steiner's deals with the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and other teams ensures they receive items directly from those teams. However, when they step outside those agreements, it apparently can get dicey. Example A, this Albert Pujols 2001 jersey. This puppy isn't even close. The number of the front is laughably huge and the letters on the back are too thick. The Grey Flannel letter than accompanies the shirt is just as funny. After describing the jersey, the authenticators write, "We were told by our client that the jersey came from an impeccable source." Well, gee, that clinches it! Must be real! Grey Flannel has lost any credibility it may ever have had, and Steiner is harming its good name by trusting GFC's worthless LOAs.

November 16 , 2007. I guess Steiner got the message -- the auction for the Pujols jersey was stopped yesterday evening... Here's another example of how hard it can be to estimate a bat's value. A while back, I received a call from a local dealer about a 1965-68 Curt Flood bat; he had a chance to acquire it and wanted to know what it was worth. Even though the MastroNet Price Guide lists it at $500, I said he'd likely be able to sell it in the neighborhood of $1,000. He bought the bat (I don't know what he paid), but after he and the seller learned of two other Flood bats for sale, both questioned my estimate. One is on MEARS' site for $3,000 and the other was offered by J. T. Sports for $3,500 (a 1968 World Series bat). Well, the dealer tried to sell the bat locally, asking $1,200. At least three near-deals fell through, so he listed it on eBay. The auction ended yesterday; the high bid was only $335 (it did not meet reserve). So, what's it worth? $335? $1,000? $3,000? I'll stick with my original estimate. There's a 1965-68 Flood bat in the current Leland's auction; doesn't show much, if any use. Will be interested to see how it fares.