What Recession...

What does one do with $36,148.75 in their possession collecting dust??? The first obvious answer would be send it to me and I'll find something good to buy with it. Someone however had other plans, as in spend it on a baseball hat!!! Nostalgia auction house Lelands recently brought another amazing piece of baseball history to the auction block. The fitted cap above belonged to some guy named Babe Ruth....ever heard of him? This Red and Navy Boston Braves cap was worn by Ruth during his final season as a professional ball player. Best known as a New York Yankee, Ruth was sold in 1934 to the Massachusetts franchise, finishing his days in uniform there. In a historic 20+ year career, Babe Ruth racked up 714 Home Runs, 2,873 hits, sent 2,217 players to home base, and maintained a .342 career batting average. Source

Auction description:
“Marred only by a slight separation of the felt near the corners of its brim, this hat is in jaw-dropping shape. With “G.Ruth” sewn into the leather band around the inside of the hat, there is little question as to whom this cap belonged. The classic Boston Braves “B” is embroidered on its front, while the Spalding logo has been stamped into the interior leather. This cap could be his last ever worn as a player, the very one worn during Ruth’s final two home runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It comes with an LOA from the Ray Mueller family, stating that the hat was in their private collection until being sold just a few years ago.”

What Recession...

Game worn collectors dont believe in the recession!! The 1974 game worn John Roche jersey above just sold on auction for a whopping $2,225.00. Roche attended high school at La Salle Academy and college at the University of South Carolina and was a three-time All-American and two-time MVP of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (14th pick) of the 1971 NBA Draft and also selected by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1971 ABA Draft. Roche signed with the New York Nets of the ABA, who had obtained the rights to him from the Colonels. He was selected to the 1972 ABA All-Rookie team, and played with the Nets during his first three seasons. During the 1973-1974 season, he was traded back to Colonels for Mike Gale and Wendell Ladner. Anytime you can find a game worn ABA jersey you got yourself a gem!

What Recession...

From one extreme to the next, you think a recession will slow down collectors???? Above is a pair of OG Jordan I's that just sold for $2,325.00 !!! Unlike the pair below these were Deadstock w/box and sz 11.5 which can be a very sought after size. Not much else needed to say about these just look at the pics.......So Cripsy!

What Recession...

I was watching these on eBay this week and was pretty suprised they went for as much as they did...... $543.00!! I think the hype of the retros that dropped this weekend might've bumped up the price a bit because I've seen them sell for $300-$400 in the past. The shoes are Deadstock but they are B -Grades with an unmarked box and the seller also has the original receipt which I always think is cool because you get to see what he actually paid for them 20 years ago (retail was $49.99). The air bubbles are very cloudy and I'd put money on it that they would crack failry quickly but they would make a great collectors item for show and tell :-) Source

What Recession...

Word on the streets is there's a recession going on but when it comes to Ed Hardy money isn't a issue!!! There's nothing worse than getting outbid on something you really want and this is a prime example of that for me. I've wanted a custom rhinestone Ed Hardy by Christian Aufiger mesh snapback flaming tiger inferno hat for as long as I can remember. This amazing hat just sold for $5,750.00 and it's worth every penny in my book!!! I mean seriously look at the workmanship on this hat, it must've taken years to bedazzle that tiger!!!! I guess I'll just have to wait for the next one to come around.........hahahahaha

What Recession...

Above is one of the rarest vintage skateboard t-shirts in existence, the infamous Powell Peralta multi print tee. From the late 80s this shirt features several of the classic Powell prints like the Underhill, the vato rat, the crossbones, bomber, 89 tour logo etc. This tee usually hits the $400-$500 range with ease and Ive seen them go for more than that in the past. The one above sold on eBay last week for $420 Buy it Now and its in the best condition I've ever seen. I think my cousin actually had this shirt back in the day, I might have to give him a call tomorrow and see if he still has it laying around :-)

What Recession...

There's one thing you can always count on in a recession.....vintage Polo will still go for big money. This weekend the highly sought after Polo suicide crewneck sold for $2,025.00 !!!! Thats a pretty hefty price for that piece and I havent seen any Polo hit the 2K+ mark since a Snow Beach jacket awhile back.

What Recession...

Ive been waiting for this Polo Alpine Rugby to pop up on ebay in my size for awhile now. Well too make a long story short I didnt win the auction so its back to the waiting game unless I find one at the thrift store which I always hope to do. I was watching the auction since it got listed hoping I would get it for a decent price but boy was I wrong. It was a 7 day auction and was at like $100 for nearly the whole time until the last minute. Seriously with 20 seconds left it was at $256 and I thought I was in like Flynn and then BAM (insert Emeril voice) it jumped almost $1,000 and here I am blogging about it. The final bid was $1,225 and the thing about it is the winning bidder has 0 feeback which is always suspicious. However the 2nd bidder bid $1,200 and they had 153 feedback and 100% positive rating so Im assuming they wouldve paid if they won but who knows.

What Recession....

Spaking of Harley tees, this bad boy sold a couple weeks back on eBay for $485.00!!!!! Ive always loved the "Ride to Live, Live to Ride" Harley designs and this one might be the best of them all. Ive actually had this exact shirt in stock and it didnt sell for half as much as this one sold for. The reason this one sold for so much is the condition, THIN IS IN!!!!!! A LOT of people prefer the super soft, paper thin, destroyed vintage tee because they have so much character. The back also has a print hailing from Ohio which usually makes the shirt more sought after and valuable.

What Recession....

Above is a vintage Polo 92 racing hat that just sold on eBay for US $1,225.00!!!! This is one of if not the most sought after vintage polo longbill and it still baffles me every time I see one sell for over $1,000. The hat is in great condition and the store behind it being listed is pretty fun if its true. The seller statea "Well, I asked my boyfriend for a handbag, and he told me I could sell this hat and a pair of his sneakers and buy whatever I wanted......I thought he was kidding." I still dream about finding one of these NWT at a thrift store or flea market. As always if you have this hat sitting in your closet feel free to send it my way and I'll make sure its in good hands ;-)

$317,200...

Thats how much the Action Comics No. 1 from 1938 just sold for.......DDDDDDDAAMMNNNN!!! The previous owner had bought it secondhand for less than a buck, Im gonna start digging through old comics at the thrift store ASAP!!! The craziest thing to me is the comic was graded a 6.0 and imagine if you had a 9.0, that would probably be worth a cool Milli. This was one of the highest prices ever paid for a comic book and according to sources the comic was bought by John Dolmayan, drummer for the rock band System of a Down. Source CommicConnect

What Recession....

Just came across this eBay auction for a vintage Chicago White Sox baseball Jacket from 30s-40s. The jacket is classic varsity jacket with wool body/leather sleeves and made by Von Lengerke & Antoine. The seller states the jacket was given to a relative of the owner during his childhood. As a boy, he had the privilege of attending a White Sox practice, and the team manager was so impressed by his enthusiasm that he took the jacket off of a player's back and gave it to him as a memento. The jacket had a buy it now of $2,500 and ended with a best offer of $1,650!!! In a way this jacket is priceless and Im not sure how many if any are floating around, this kind of memorabilia belongs in Cooperstown IMO. I love seeing stuff like this pop up on eBay and hearing the story (if there is one) behind the item!!!

The Mick...

Check out this awesome vintage Mickey Mantle t-shirt that just ended on ebay!!! The shirt is an original from the 1950s and its a kids sz 4 with the Allison tag still attached. The graphic on the tee is amazing and even though I hate retro tees this would be a pretty amazing remake. The shirt is tiny and has some flaws (repair, stains and holes) but most likely was bought just for nostalgia purposes and I think it would look great framed in a game room. The shirt sold this week for $191.38 which I would say is a fair price for a Mantle collector or vintage t-shirt connoisseur.

What Recession....

Above are some vintage Peter Max 1969 sneakers. Recently a pair of these without the box sold on eBay for $688.80 which is one of the highest prices Ive seen a pair go for in awhile. Peter Max is a German-born American artist best known for his iconic art style in the 1960s. At first, his “Cosmic 60s” art, as it came to be known, appeared on posters and were seen on the walls of college dorms all across America. Max then became fascinated with new printing techniques that allowed for four-color reproduction on product merchandise. I believe there were four different Peter Max models were released – two high-tops and two low-tops. So next time you're out and about at a flea market and see a cool psycedelic pair of sneakers they could be some vintage Peter Max's ;-)

What Recession....

This is one of the sweetest vintage tees Ive ever seen!!!! Here is what the seller had to say...rare men’s 1930’s – 1940’s Skull and Crossbones T-shirt. Extremely Rare and old t-shirt from some organization with that incredible ink print emblem of the Skull and Crossbones. Not exactly sure if this is from the Skull and Crossbones secret society or a team shirt or what, but it looks incredible. Shirt still has original tag that simply reads “C-Y it’s Best Large”. The print is so amazing and it looks like an old tattoo that has faded over the years. The tag itself is mind boggling to me, because its still intact and as legible as the day it was made which is very hard to find. I have shirts from the 80s where the tags is completely destroyed and illegible so this shirt was very well preserved over the 70-80s years!!!! The shirt sold for $501.99 which I think is a very fair price for a vintage shirt of this caliber.

What Recession....

A pair of deadstock sz9 Jordan I AJKO's just sold on eBay for $2550.00 !!! The AJKO is one of the most sought after Jordan I's and to find a deadstock pair is like winning the lottery, not really but you get my point!! The AJKO's are made from canvas uppers rather than leather and there's much debate as to what "KO" stands for, some say "knock outs" but nobody really knows....well maybe Phil Knight does. Nike has been retroing Jordan I's lately like they're going out of style and I wonder if they've talked about retroing the AJKO???? I would personally like to see the AJKO's retroed in that black/purple photoshoped colorway that has been seen floating around the internet.

What Recession....

Above is probably the most sought after vintage Nike tee EVER. The infamous Cascade Run-Off Geisha Girl tee featuring the pinwheel tag. Nike tees from the 70s with the Pinwheel tag or logo are super hard to come by and very sought after. Its even harder to find one that has pretty much never been worn and the tag is MINT. This particular tee is the most sought after because the great imagery on the front of the shirt featuring a Japanese Geisha Girl who are traditional, female Japanese entertainers, whose skills include performing various Japanese arts, such as classical music and dance. I have a couple pinwheels in stock now and I had one Geisha Girl pinwheel a couple yrs back but it was nowhere close to the same condition. The above tee recently ended on eBay for $430.00 which is a pretty good price considering the condition!

What Recession....

Above is a vintage POLO hat that recently sold on eBay for $670!!!!!!! I know the whole deal with Polo collecting and what items go for top dollar etc but I always have a hard time understanding $700-$1000 for a hat. Its funny to me because I personally get emails all the time from people asking why I charge $150 for a vintage hat (LA Kings "NWA" new with tags) . Everytime I get one of those emails I should just send them a link like this and they might have a heart attack on the spot!! I mean you can argue that a vintage Polo hat is better than a vintage LA Kings hat but it just depends on who you ask. A lot of people collect vintage snpback hats and to them the LA Kings black wool sports specialties hat is the HOLY GRAIL just like the above Polo hat is the HOLY GRAIL for someone else. Anyways I just wanted to post the Polo auction for people to see and if you have that hat in your closet feel free to send it to me and I'll find a good home for it :-)