Archive for Collector of the Month
Collector of the Month: Gabriel D’Arthenay
Posted by: | CommentsEvery month, Upper Deck will spotlight one of our valued collectors to showcase their collection. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect items and what they do once they have them. This month we spend some time with a Rocky Mountain Super Collector named Gabriel D’Arthenay.
I have been an avid sports fan all of my life growing up in Denver, CO and rooting for all of the home teams. My passion became Denver Broncos football. I started collecting at a young age, but my collection has really taken off over the last five years in particular.
I started purchasing memorabilia for my sports room that included autographed items and game-used items from all sports. While I am very loyal to my Colorado teams, I also have a passion for Oklahoma Sooners football collectibles. I have been able to acquire a nice assortment of game-used jerseys and equipment from all of my favorite teams. Most of the cards shops in my area are pretty good about bringing in guest athletes, so by attending those events, I’ve been able to amass quite a collection of autographs.
I attended a local signing at a card shop and that visit brought back memories of collecting cards as a kid. My passion for collecting memorabilia soon turned to trading cards. Trading cards today seem to have a lot of elements of the memorabilia I collect and the best part is they don’t take up as much room. The trading card industry has evolved tremendously over the last 15 years and it’s a lot more exciting than it used to be. With autographed cards, game-used memorabilia cards and so many other exciting innovations, I never would have thought trading cards would come so far when I was a young boy. For the last few years, I’ve been collecting the SP Authentic Rookie Patch Autograph sets. Check out some of them here:
SP Authentic Rookie Patch Autograph Pictures, Part 1
SP Authentic Rookie Patch Autograph Pictures, Part 2
SP Authentic Rookie Patch Autograph Pictures, Part 3
I became a Jay Cutler collector when the Broncos selected him in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Bronco fans had been waiting for the next coming of John Elway and I was certain Jay was that guy. I focused mainly on all of his rookie cards which were mostly autographed. My prized possessions include the higher-end rookie autograph cards released by Upper Deck. I found the holy grail of my collection last year at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. I purchased a 2006 Exquisite Collection 3-color patch autographed rookie card #d to 20. This card is by far Jay’s best and most valuable rookie card. Currently I own over 80 Jay Cutler autographed items.
I was disappointed when Cutler was traded to Chicago, but I still believe he will become one of the better quarterbacks in the league. I decided to hold on to my collection in hopes that it will continue to gain value over time.
Besides Cutler, some of my favorite pieces include items signed by John Elway, Brett Favre , Champ Bailey, Adrian Peterson, Joe Sakic, Wayne Gretzky, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan to name a few.
I started to exclusively purchase Upper Deck Authenticated items which include pieces signed by Adrian Peterson, Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods. UDA is a trusted source of memorabilia and has a selection of the best athletes from the major sports. The best part is you know that you’re getting the real thing.
I am excited about sharing my hobby with my children as they get older. This will all belong to them someday so I hope they will enjoy it as much as I do. Collecting is a passion and it takes a special drive and commitment to create a truly valuable collection that can be enjoyed across many generations. Sharing my passion with my family, friends and now all of you through the Upper Deck Blog is really special. I hope you enjoyed taking a look, especially my fellow Broncos fans!
Popularity: unranked [?]
Collector of the Month: A Family Hockey Collection
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck will spotlight one of our valued collectors to showcase their collection. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect items and what they do once they have them. This month we spend some time with a family that set out to do what many would perceive as the impossible. Meet Steph Felx, Regent Felx and Maryse Grignon from Montreal, Quebec.
“My family and I have been investing in a master collection hockey cards project of which could be described as somewhat unique and probably statistically almost impossible to complete,” said Maryse.
“My father-in-law Regent has been a die-hard hockey card collector all his life. He initiated his son Steph when he was 8 years old to collect hockey cards. Anyone who has ever been to Montreal knows that the Canadiens are almost a religion here because of the team’s lengthy history and significance in Quebec. The sweaters have even been referred to as ‘La Sainte-Flanelle’ (the holy flannel sweaters). Collecting hockey cards has always been a great way to own something from our hometown players that we treasure.”
“The Felx family lived only a few doors away from the great Penguins’ principal owner Mario Lemieux’s family house in Ville-Émard. Being almost the same age as Mario growing up, Steph and his friends had the chance to play hockey in the backstreets with him and watch hockey games in the basement of the Lemieux’s house. Mario’s mother would set this up for the kids when certain games were not on the local channels!”
“Years later after Steph and I had married, during the 2006 holiday season, Steph and his father decided to start collecting the 2005-06 Upper Deck Ice collection together. They picked this particular master collection because it features eye catching signature acetate patch cards and because they felt it included some of the best looking cards that year. The acetate autographs marked a milestone in the hockey card industry, being that no other set has ever featured patch card versions of acetate autographs.”
“The 2005-06 Upper Deck Ice Hockey is particularly interesting because it is the year after the NHL Lockout and so the set is jam packed with two years of top rookies like Crosby, Ovechkin, Ward, Vanek, Phaneuf, Brule, Lundqvist, Carter, Richards, Getzlaf and many more. There are also a variety of rare cards signed by Gretzky, Roy and more.”
“We have invested tons of money and more than 3 years to develop this master set puzzle of 1028 cards when almost 70% of the cards have serial numbers out of /10, 15/, 35, 50, and so on. We experienced challenges when some of the single cards value skyrocketed up to $7000 on auction sites like eBay. It has been an intense treasure hunt to locate each precious card that has mixed frustration and great thrills together and through it all, most of the time people were telling us that we were crazy and would never finish it.”
“With Steph and Regent not being very computer savvy, I was recruited as the eBay agent! At the time we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into (financially, time-wise etc.), but this hobby became a fun part of our cold winter nights where we were hunting down cards on the internet. We tried different strategies like buying boxes and going to sports cards shows, but we needed eBay in order to find cards from sellers all over the world.”
“We knew there was a possibility that we would never finish the collection, but we would motivate each other not to give up and to keep the faith. Once we had only ten cards missing, the excitement grew. I don’t think you can fully understand the thrill we felt when we received the last card missing from Canada Post! It has truly been a great family hobby that has brought us all closer.”
I inquired with Maryse if they would ever consider selling such a rare collection and she indicated that they would really have to think about it. It’s obvious they formed a great bond over that set, but maybe they are looking to take on another challenge of compiling another master collection in 2009/10. Contact information should you have any questions for Maryse and more images of their set are available below:
Maryse Grignon – magrignon@videotron.ca
http://www.pixelopiadesign.com/udice/index.htm
Popularity: unranked [?]
Collector of the Month: Jeff Silverman
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck will spotlight one of our valued collectors to showcase their collection. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect items and what they do once they have them. However, one thing they all share is a passion that is seldom found in any other group. This month, we spend some time with Jeff Silverman.
Jeff Silverman bidding on an Upper Deck Authenticated item.
Jeff Silverman has been a passionate collector of Upper Deck trading cards and memorabilia for the last twenty years. In the early 90’s he decided to give his collection some focus and targeted Eric Lindros. This was before tracking down cards of a specific player was made easier with eBay, so Silverman traveled to shows frequently in order to find the latest cards he needed for his collection.
Jeff Silverman with Bo Jackson at last year’s National show.
After Lindros repeatedly broke down, Silverman decided to balance his portfolio by collecting stars of all four core sports and golf. His passion has been trading cards and over the years he has amassed thousands of cards that he keeps locked up or stored away.
Boxes of thousands of Upper Deck cards Jeff Silverman keeps stored.
“I’ve assembled some pretty impressive cardboard in my time,” said Jeff Silverman. “While looking through my numerous boxes of cards, it dawned on me that showcasing my cards would only provide a glimpse of my passion. Some of the pieces I enjoy the most that are really amazing are the memorabilia items I have acquired over the years.”
Silverman began collecting Upper Deck Authenticated memorabilia shortly after the FBI concluded the Operation Bullpen program with the cooperation of Upper Deck. After hearing about how much fraudulent memorabilia there was in the market, he wanted to go with a name he could trust when investing in collectibles of his favorite sports legends.
“When Upper Deck provided the safe mechanism to acquire autographed memorabilia, I expanded my collecting habits beyond trading cards,” said Silverman. “The piece of mind you get from investing in Upper Deck Authenticated memorabilia is worth its weight in gold as you know you are getting the real deal.”
UDA Tiger Woods items in Silverman’s collection.
UDA Michael Jordan items in Silverman’s collection.
“To date I estimate that I own more than 500 Upper Deck Authenticated items,” said Silverman. “In the collection I have more than twenty Michael Jordan signed memorabilia items, more than ten Tiger Woods signed memorabilia items and great autograph pieces from other superstars like Wilt Chamberlain, Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Peyton Manning, Wayne Gretzky, LeBron James, Julius Erving, Jack Nicklaus, Derek Jeter and Kobe Bryant.”
Silverman collects Wayne Gretzky items . . .
. . . and LeBron James . . .
. . . not to mention some premium NFL items.
Having a collection this size creates some interesting challenges as Silverman cannot display all the items. In fact, he estimates that at any given time he can only display about 1% of his collection. He refreshes what he displays however and loves to show off new items he recently acquires.
Silverman has two prized pieces in his collection on the memorabilia side. His current favorite is the Upper Deck Authenticated “Legends of Sport” piece which is a lithograph signed by Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. The other piece is a play on the famous Michael Jordan “Wings” poster by Nike. Upper Deck Authenticated created a version that Jordan signed, but also included an element where and actual basketball was incorporated into the piece that broke through the glass. The Michael Jordan “Wings Breaking Through” piece looms over Silverman’s workstation at home.
The Upper Deck Authenticated Michael Jordan "Wings Breaking Through" piece from Silverman’s collection.
Silverman has also dabbled in other collectibles offered by Upper Deck including busts and All-Star Vinyl figurines. He has dedicated full walls of his home dedicated to these unique collectibles. The crown jewel of his collection is the very rare Ben Roethlisberger All-Star Vinyl “Kris Kringle” version.
Various Hockey collectibles from Silverman’s collection.
Silverman’s Upper Deck All-Star Vinyl collection.
Silverman’s Kris Kringle Roethlisberger All-Star Vinyl.
Silverman find it easier to find items of his favorite players online nowadays, but still loves getting out to larger shows like the National and NHL Expo. One of his greatest thrills is sharing his collection with others. He especially loves sharing it with his son who will likely inherit the collection someday, but he has to grow into it first.
A collector in training, Jeff shares his passion with his son.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Collector of the Month: Rich Barone
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to our new feature, Collector of the Month! Every month, we’ll spotlight one of our valued collectors here on the blog, and showcase their collection. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect items and what they do once they have them. So each month should reveal a unique spin on this hobby. One thing they do all have in common, however is a passion that is seldom found in any other group. This month, we’ll spend some time with Rich Barone of Dix Hill, NY.
Rich fell in love with trading cards when he opened his first pack at the age of five. Nobody else in his family collected, but there was a love for sports in the home he grew up in, especially for New York teams.
“I am a huge New York fan,” said Rich Barone. “They say as a New Yorker you are not allowed to root for the Mets and the Yankees, but I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Barone had a special affinity for Yankee Stadium in particular, “You have never been to a game until you have been to the cathedral in the Bronx, Yankee Stadium. I am still upset, as is every Yankee fan, they are tearing down the Stadium.”
One of Barone’s favorite items to collect is game-worn jerseys. Most collectors will have these framed or put them in away in a closet, but Rich prefers to wear them right on his back. Barone says, “Yes, people cannot believe that I would wear a game-worn jersey of Sidney Crosby, Nolan Ryan or Joe Namath, but I feel like they should be worn.”
Say what you want about wearing a game-worn jersey of a premier athlete, you cannot argue it helps get you closer to them. The other way Barone likes to get close to his favorite players is by opening Upper Deck trading cards.
“Next to my family, there is no greater thrill for me than opening boxes of cards to find an autograph or memorabilia card of my favorite players like Nolan Ryan, Derek Jeter, Joe Namath, Mike Bossy and others.”
When Barone’s collection grew to a point where they were running out of room, he added on another room to his house.
“I have been called insane for this hobby by fellow collectors and friends, but I love it,” explained Barone. “This hobby has granted me the pleasure of meeting a lot of people who I now consider good friends. I will trade, but I will not sell. I am a true collector.”
One of Barone’s favorite things to show off is his Nolan Ryan room where he has over 8,000 Nolan Ryan cards. Of these, 82 of the cards are one-of-ones, over 200 are autographed and over 1,000 are memorabilia cards. And don’t forget about all the Nolan Ryan game-used and signed jerseys.
If he’s not at a game with his family or busy working in the entertainment industry, you can usually catch Rich at his favorite shop, Grand Slam Collectibles in West Islip, NY. The owner Frank takes good care of the man who has the smile of a five year-old when he opens a pack to find one of his favorite New York players.
Popularity: unranked [?]
