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Game Used Baseball Items
About Game Used Baseball Collectibles
For a true baseball fan, there is nothing like a piece of game-used baseball equipment. More than a baseball card or other forms of printed memorabilia, a game-used item offers collectors a direct connection to a favorite player or that famous, one-for-the-ages game. Unlike the card, it was there.
Some objects are collectible categories in their own right, such as game-used gloves, bats, baseballs, and jerseys. But other game-used collectibles are more modest, such as a wrist band from the dugout, with the player’s number scrawled on it with a Sharpie, or a pair of batting gloves, with their residues of dirt, pine tar, and sweat. This stuff has seen serious action—it’s as close to being in the game as a fan can get...
There are several approaches to collecting game-used baseball equipment. You can focus on a team, trying to acquire items for each player in a starting lineup—the Florida Marlins in 1997, the Arizona Diamondback in 2001, the Boston Red Sox in 2007. Or you can collect by type—a display case full of batting gloves makes a nice conversation piece. But most collectors want items used by their favorite slugger, pitcher, or fielder, whether it’s Hall of Famers like Rod Carey or Ryne Sandberg or current stars like Hideki Matsui and Tim Lincecum.
Because game-used items are used, they will not be in pristine shape. In fact, signs of wear can be indications of authenticity. A game-used bat, for example, will often have rack marks on it, indicating the mild wear that comes with a bat’s storage. Cleat marks in a bat—caused when a player knocks a bat against his shoes to dislodge mud or dirt from between his cleats—are another potential sign that a bat’s claimed pedigree is credible.
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Upcoming Events
- Opening Day at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Apr 5. Cooperstown, NY. - Aetna Sports Card & Collectible Show
Mar 28. Newark, DE. - Philly Sports Card Show
Apr 3. Essington, PA.
See all 52 Baseball Memorabilia events
Interviews & Articles
An Interview with Baseball Memorabilia Collector and Appraiser Mike Gutierrez
I played baseball, basketball, and ran track from the time I was eight years old all the way through high school. L… [more]
An Interview With Vintage Baseball Card Collector Ben Henry
I started collecting in 1986. If you’re in Boston and you’re a baseball fan, the Red Sox may take over your life. T… [more]
An Interview With National Baseball Hall of Fame Curator Tom Shieber
The Baseball Hall of Fame officially opened in 1939, so we’re coming up on our 70th anniversary. If you include bas… [more]
An Interview With Baseball Card Collector Dave Campbell
Dave Campbell contacted me after reading a post on The Baseball Card blog. He's been collecting baseball cards non-… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Old Cardboard
Check out this well-organized collection of 500 sets of baseball cards, each over 50 years old. Browsable by type a… [read review or visit site]
The Baseball Card Blog
Ben Henry's lively vintage baseball card blog, started in January 2006, offers hundreds of great posts on (and pict… [read review or visit site]
Cardboard Junkie
Dave Campbell's in-depth blog on old baseball (and some football) cards lives up to it's motto: 'do cards, not drug… [read review or visit site]
Baseball Cards 1887-1914
Roll up your socks for this Library of Congress collection showcasing hundreds of players on colorful early basebal… [read review or visit site]
Baseball Hall of Fame
A home run for baseball collectors, this site features in-depth special exhibits ranging from a baseball uniforms d… [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Clubs & Associations: Baseball
Other Great Reference Sites: Baseball
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