Having the All-Star Game in St. Louis presents a golden opportunity to fans looking for autographs and baseball memorabilia.
There's the All-Star FanFest running Friday through Tuesday, the prospects-laden Futures Game on Sunday, Monday's Home Run Derby and of course, the 80th annual All-Star game on Tuesday.
"Major League Baseball has a lot of free signings at the FanFest and this is a good place for that," said Bill Goodwin, a longtime baseball memorabilia dealer from St. Louis who runs the Goodwin and Co. auction house (www.goodwinandco.com). "It's a great place for a collector and I would recommend it highly. Collectors and baseball fans will enjoy it, it's a great family place."
One of Goodwin's favorite items in his collecting career was a rare silk Stan Musial jersey from 1948. It seems the Cardinals and three other National League teams playing night baseball felt silk might offer fans more of a "glow in the dark" look to players under the lights.
"Of course, they didn't last long at all," Goodwin said. "They're pretty rare."
Sign here
Columbia resident Dave Jackson, president of the St. Louis Sports Collectors, said autographs on regulation baseballs, bats and 8x10 photos remain among the most popular items in the baseball memorabilia industry.
"Each dealer seems to have their own niche," Jackson said. "Baseballs are by far and away the most popular. Bats are more expensive, but they hold their value better and appreciate at a little higher rate."
Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Harmon Killebrew, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry and Goose Gossage and numerous former Cardinals are among those scheduled to appear during the free signing sessions at FanFest.
The St. Louis Sports Collectors are hosting 12 Hall of Famers --including Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Tony Gwynn, Robin Roberts and Johnny Bench -- at an autograph signing event Saturday through Monday at the Cardinals Museum/Bowling Hall of Fame facility, 111 Stadium Plaza, near Busch Stadium.
"We've had 30 people here signing before, but this is probably the largest number of Hall of Famers we've had," Jackson said. "The overall quality of the guests is the best we've ever done."
Prices range from $15 for a signed baseball from former Cardinal John Mabry to $99 for balls signed by Gwynn and Musial and $200 for a bat signed by Jackson.
Fans can bring their own items to be signed, or purchase items available at the show to be autographed. For more information, visit www.stlsportscollectors.com.
"With the All-Star game being here and St. Louis being such a strong baseball city, a lot of players are coming in that would normally not be here," Jackson said. "Reggie Jackson always played in the American League so he didn't come through here. I did have him at a show a few years ago but it's pretty tough to get him to come into St. Louis."
Goodwin said older All-Star game programs and related items have retained their value, but much of the current material isn't worth as much because of mass production.
"They used to issue a couple bats to major league players and at one time we had a Hank Aaron All-Star bat," Goodwin said. "All-Star game programs from the past, when you get back to the 40s and 50s, are certainly of value and very valuable."
The business of paying for autographs is a hot-button topic.
"I understand it's an income for (the players) and I don't blame them at all," Goodwin said. "I think the prices have really soared and I'm amazed the prices that they get. If you're an autograph collector -- and that's your hobby and you don't mind paying for it -- I don't have any problem with that."
Is that really Babe Ruth's signature?
Many fans that grew up collecting baseball cards may still have a few of them around. Some have autographed baseballs that have been passed down through the family, or were obtained at a local charity auction or a Cardinals game.
A recent trend in the hobby can help guarantee you that your Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams or Nolan Ryan autographed baseball was indeed signed by the player -- and not some clubhouse boy or a specialist in forgery.
Getting items certified as authentic helps raise the value in most cases and assures collectors what they have is the real thing.
"But if you feel you're never going to sell your collection, you don't need to go to that expense," said Goodwin, who gets all of the high-end autographs certified for the five auctions his company runs per year that generate more than $1 million per event.
Goodwin said two of best certification companies are PSA/DNA based in Newport Beach, Calif. (www.psadna.com) and James Spence Authentication (www.spenceloa.com).
Collectors submit their signed items to the company. A team of autograph experts examines each item closely and determine its authenticity, usually affixing it with a special mark or encasing it in protective material.
Jackson said his company offers a certificate of authenticity that will include a picture of the athlete signing the fan's item.
What does it all mean to the guy with the Stan Musial-signed baseball sitting on the mantel above his fireplace?
"If you're going to keep it, I wouldn't worry about it," Jackson said. "I think (authentication) is only for things you might be selling in the long term."
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