Poll #3: What Phestival Booth Did You Pull?

I received my tickets to the 2012 Phillies Phestival in the mail today and am happy to say that none of the  eight autograph booths were duplicates (which has happened before).  There were a good mix of high and low numbers, whatever that means.

The Phillies will not disclose the list of players who will appear in any specific booth number - so, thought it might be fun to see if we could make any best guesses of which booths are "premier players" based on the number of tickets distributed.  For example, we might assume that the number of tickets available for Roy Halladay will be limited, while the booth with Greg Gross and Mick Billmeyer will be more widely distributed.  (Note: I have no knowledge that these assumptions are true, and this poll is certainly not scientific)

Next time you visit the site, make sure to log your booth numbers in the poll and we'll put my theory to the test.  Thanks for participating!

Auction Watch: Reviewing My eBay Watch List

Thought I would take a few minutes to review some of the Phillies collectibles I recently followed on my eBay Watch List...


1971 Opening Day at Veterans Stadium Program




Auction End Date: 6/13/12
Ending Bid Amount: $17.50
Number of Bids: 7

Comments: Must have program for any paper collectors.  This edition was unscored and in good condition.  Based on other lots I have seen sell online over the past few years, I would estimate the value for the program at $20, so at $17.50 this auction was a deal.

2004 Sportsclix Phillies Team Set 

Auction End Date: 5/30/12

Ending Bid Amount: Did Not Sell

Number of Bids: 0

Comments:  Created as part of a game, this set has the classic names of the early-2000's Phillies: Lieberthal, Thome, Abreu and Bell.  There are nine Phillies in the base set, with "B" set inclusions of Thome and Kevin Millwood.  I have a couple of these, but do not have the full set.  I was interested to see if anyone bit, but at $6.99 (+$3 s/h) this one went unsold.

1967 Phillies Safe Driving Team Set

Auction End Date: 6/8/12

Ending Bid Amount: $33.55

Number of Bids: 3

Comments:  This is a great odd-ball set from the '60s.  It contains 13, 2 3/4" x 4 1/2"cards.  I actually bid on this up to $31 - wish I would have gone a little higher.  A true sign of the times that the set sold for less than $50 - oh well. 

Collectible of the Week: Schmidt, Carlton 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers

Carlton - '77 Topps Cloth Sticker

Schmidt - '77 Topps Cloth Sticker 

A couple of weeks ago I bought a Steve Carlton 1977 Topps cloth sticker on eBay.  I collected Carlton cards pretty heavily during the late 1980's, and early 1990's - but, as work, college, girls and other things crept into my life, card collecting got pushed to the side.  At the time (pre-internet), finding either of the Phillies cards in the set for a price I could afford was few and far between.  Not surprisingly, these were two gaps in my collection for some time.

As I try to give my son some of the experiences I had growing up, I have recently come back to collecting Phillies cards more regularly.  While I will never keep up with every variation in every set, it has been fun to add both the Schmidt and Carlton cloth stickers to my collection over the last couple years.  The 1977 sticker set is a must-have for vintage card collectors, and has justifiably been revisited in the 2012 Topps Archive set.  I am looking forward buying them soon, too.


The 1977 Topps Cloth Sticker set details:

• 55 nylon fronted stickers featuring notable players from 1977 (18 additional checklist cards were included - they could be used to create two, nine-piece puzzles of both NL/AL All-Star teams).
• Two Phillies are included: Mike Schmidt (#41) and Steve Carlton (#11).
• Both can usually be found for less than $10.
• As with anything else, condition is key!  Stickers from the original 1977 set tend to pull away from the backing if not kept in the "ideal" environment.  There are enough of these two cards on the current market to be picky.
• Full checklist (via KeyMan Collectibles)
• More on the Phillies stickers in the 2012 Topps Archive set (via 14k Phillies cards)

Poll #2: Who do you want to 'Graph?

Last week I posted a poll asking the question, "What current Phillies player's autograph do you want most?"  The question was open for 10 days, and 29 total votes were cast:

Final Poll Results: What current Phillies player's autograph do you want the most?

Roy Halladay          58%  (17 votes)

Hunter Pence           10%  (3 votes)

Ryan Howard            6%  (2 votes)

Cliff Lee                   17%  (5 votes)

Shane Victorino        3%   (1 votes)

Jonathan Papelbon    3% (1 votes)

Slam-dunks - 

• Roy Halladay's near non-existent signing habits since coming to town make him a top target.  He is my top guy, and am glad to see it appears he will be in a signing booth during this summer's Phillies Phestival.  
• Cliff Lee is a similar case.  He has not done many appearances in the area, and as a key member of the 2009 World Series team, there are several "team" items that he HAS to be part of...

Surprises - 

• Hunter Pence's low total.  It was not long ago people were fighting for the chance to hand over $90 for him to sign a baseball.  Something tells me the market is still there for Hunter, even if his star has been a little dimmer during this early part of the season.
• Jonathan Papelbon.  He seems like a forgotten member of this year's team.  He came to town with this reputation as a character, but, so far he hasn't connected with me (or the general fan base it seems).  But, let's face it - this guy is a star.  I definitely expected him to have more than one vote.  

After posting this question, I thought it might have been more interesting to add in a "newer" guy like Freddy Galvis.  I think there is a part of the fan base who might have chosen him over the bigger names I did include.  Maybe for a later poll...

Phillies TTM: Week of 6/4/12

Last week was a shut out (hate those weeks).  Luckily, this week had a few returns, including a couple that added on to nearly forgot projects...

1977 Team Ball - Barry Foote

I have not added to this ball since getting Richie Hebner back in December.  I saw a couple recent successes from Mr. Foote and decided to put this project back in circulation.  He was a member of both the 1977 and 1978 NL Eastern Division Championship teams.  The signature is number four on the ball.  Have it loaded up to send to Larry Bowa on Monday.

Barry Foote - 1977 Phillies Team Ball

Pat Combs, 1991 Team Issue Player Postcard

Pat Combs was one of a several players the Phillies billed as "the next" during my childhood.  As a can't-miss prospect, he was a key member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team and zipped through the entire minor league system, reaching the Major Leagues in 1989 - posting a 4-0 record that fall.  I had an encounter with him down the right-field line at Veterans Stadium that season, when he signed a baseball for me.  That ball was a prized possession (and I still have it).  Unfortunately, the magic faded and he was out of the league by 1992.  With the bad times far behind us, sending the card to Mr. Combs reminded me of his meteoric rise during 1989.  Have to admit it made me smile getting it back.

Pat Combs - Signed Postcard

Mickey Morandini, 1994 Team Issue Player Postcard

I have made an admittedly, half-hearted attempt at getting the 1994 Team Issue set signed.  Over the past 3-4 years I have gotten a few of the easy TTM guys - and started supplementing with the cards from other years that I liked better.  I recently pulled that '94 set back out, and this is the first of a new commitment toward getting all the cards signed. Only time will tell...

Mickey Morandini - Signed Postcard

Phillies Phestival 2012: Update

A couple weeks ago I posted the sale date for the 2012 Phillies Phestival, and this week details were finally announced.  The Phillies posted all admission packages on their site earlier today, and confirmed sales will be by phone-only.

The team took considerable heat from the media last summer because of profits reaped on the online secondary market by industrious fans(?).  Admission tickets fetched two, to three times the face value and opened the debate of whether it is ethical to profit from a charitable event.  It seems like this new, phone-only sales approach may be aimed at eliminating the "dealers".

I am really disappointed in this direction.  As a full-time working man, I will be at the office on Monday morning when phone sales are initiated.  Online sales provided someone like me an opportunity to discreetly purchase tickets - this new policy is convenient only for those who are not teachers, office workers or labors (i.e. - memorabilia dealers).  I would encourage the Phillies to take a hardline on stopping those people who openly scalp tickets on Ashburn Alley during the event instead of punishing  the fans who would like a night out to allow their kids a chance to see and collect autographs from their favorite players.

(Stepping off soapbox) I like most of you will TRY to bust through the busy signals next Monday.  If you succeed, here are your purchasing options:

2012 Phillies Phestival Admission Packages*:

Admission Package $25
Admission Only Ticket (autographs not included) $15
Children's Admission Ticket (ages 3-10, no autographs) $5
Hunter Pence Photo Booth* (4-6 p.m.) $45
Vance Worley Photo Booth* (4-6 p.m.) $45
Shane Victorino Photo Booth* (4-6 p.m.) $45
Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski Photo Booth* (4-6 p.m.) $50
Auction Only Ticket (no autographs) $20
Live Auction Ticket (no autographs; begins at 6:15 p.m.) $10
* All Photo Booths are subject to change without notice.

Admission Details*

$25 per person (non-refundable) admission includes:

• one admission ticket
• two pre-selected autograph booth tickets (non-exchangeable)

Additional Information*

• Games - Fun for all ages including Wheel of Chance, Games of Baseball, the Phanatic Phun Zone, Every Roll's a Winner, Grab Bags with a variety of memorabilia
• Event starts at 4 p.m., with fans entering through the Left Field Gate
• Parking is available in Lots R, S and V
• The Phestival takes place rain or shine!

*All details from Phillies.com

Visit the Phillies Community link for more details.

My Collecting Story: Curt Schilling's '93 NL East Clinching Clubhouse Hat

Curt Schilling - '93 NL East Hat

The hat "in action"

Editors Note: This was originally posted on Wednesday, June 7th.  Since then, Mike Lieberthal has been named as the 2012 Phillies Wall of Fame honoree.  Despite lingering resentment over Schilling's departure from Philadelphia, I am happy to say I voted him in the number 1 spot during this season's fan vote period.  Whether you like him personally or not, no one can deny what he meant to the team during the '93 season, or those horrible late-90's seasons.  It is a shame that a personal controversy will postpone his election to the Wall of Fame, but here's to hoping for a successful election next season.

Last July Hunt Auctions featured "The Curt Schilling Collection" for their online auction.  Schilling is famously a baseball historian, and collector - which made me wonder why he would be unloading so much of his personal memorabilia.  Hundreds of items, including his 1993 World Series home jersey were made available to the public.  We can speculate now about why he decided to dump the treasures, but it may not be unreasonable to think it may have something to do with his video game company.  In the end, it was a rare opportunity for Phillies fans like me (and you).

Admittedly, Curt Schilling was never one of my favorite Phillies.  Injuries, fights with team management and a request for a trade ultimately soured my memories of his years in town. Love him or hate him, he was a significant contributor to Phillies history, and a key member of the NL East Championship in 1993. There were several pieces of his collection that I would have liked to own, but I knew I had to stay within a budget and wanted something "personal" with a connection to my favorite season (1993).  I focused attention on the hat Schilling wore during the Phillies National League East clinching celebration in Pittsburgh, and was lucky enough to end the night as the highest bidder.  It wasn't use in game action, but it fit the criteria and looks great on my shelf.

Coming next week: Cliff Lee Bobble Head SGA

Cliff Lee - 2012 SGA bobble head

Next week the National League West leading Los Angeles Dodgers are coming to Citizens Bank Park.  With the Phillies scuffling and MVP-runner up, Matt Kemp out of the lineup for Los Angeles, Monday's Cliff Lee bobble head may be the one reason to go to the game.  June 4th was circled on my calendar early in the winter, and I am looking forward to having this fine piece displayed soon!

Auction Watch: Mears Sports Auction Ending 6/2/12

Every couple months I come across some interesting Phillies-related items in the Mears Sports Auction.  This month's auction, which ends tonight at 10 p.m., had a couple good ones I thought I would share:


Dale Murphy - 1990 Louisville Slugger

Auction Description (from Mears site): Model B310 is stamped on the signature model barrel while Murphy's uniform number 3 is written in black marker on the knob. The Murph has also signed the barrel in black marker with the inscription "Game Used Bat." 


Comments: I remember the night Murphy was traded to the Phillies well.  I stayed up late listening to the radio, waiting for the rumor to become reality.  It was pretty exciting to have someone of his caliber playing for the Phillies.  Dad took me to the Vet the next night for his debut...maybe he used this bat!



Link to auction lot listing for Dale Murphy game-used bat


Wes Covingtion - Single signed baseball

Auction Description (from Mears site): Wes Covington signed this ONL (Giamatti) baseball across the sweet spot in blue ballpoint.


Comments: After his career ended, Covington wanted to get far out of the spotlight and moved to Canada.  A famed member of the 1964 Phillies, he did occasionally honor TTM requests, but overall his signature is one of the more rare from Phillies players of his era.  This is actually one of two up for bid this month.  Definitely worth a look...

Wes Covington single-signed ball

Link to auction lot listing for the Wes Covington signed baseball.

1976 NLCS Program (Cincinnati version)

Auction Description (from Mears site): Offered for auction in this lot is a program from the 1976 National League Championship Series which pitted the Cincinnati Reds against the Philadelphia Phillies. Scorecard remains unscored. 

Comments: No post-season program collection is complete without the "away" version sold during the opposing city's games.  Pre-internet I had no thought that a different, Reds version existed.  $15 seems like a selling bid, not a starting one - but, good example nonetheless.

1976 NLCS Program
(Cincinnati Version)

Link to auction lost listing for the NLCS Program.