Rich Mueller
Articles by Rich Mueller
November 08, 2009
The only known surviving Jim Brown game-worn helmet is one of the premier items up for bid as Game Used Universe launches its fall auction of fine sports memorabilia. Game-used bats from Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson and other Hall of Famers are also among the hundreds of items being sold next week.
September 21, 2009
The Minnesota Vikings and the NFL are seeing a boost in pro sports jersey sales with the early success of veteran quarterback Brett Favre. Favre Vikings jerseys have become to be big sellers online.
September 21, 2009
Topps is once again baseball's exclusive provider of licensed baseball cards, but the company's roots are in its first set, issued in 1952.
September 04, 2009
eTopps is releasing a new set of baseball cards featuring the iconic T206 set.
August 28, 2009
Hockey cards will result from the recent NHL/Upper Deck photo shoot featuring 2009-10 NHL rookies and prospects.
August 20, 2009
Shoe boxes used to be the primary method of storing baseball and other sports cards before there was a 'market'. Now that there is value associated with them, it's best to invest in not only storing your collection but displaying it properly too.
Let's look at some of the best ways to keep your ...
August 16, 2009
Sports Collectors Daily is offering the latest in a series of stories aimed at helping those who want to get the best bang for their buck when buying vintage sports cards and sports memorabilia.
August 15, 2009
Wrestling Autograph puts fans in touch with their favorite grapplers--past and present.
August 08, 2009
Some recommendations for collectors of vintage sports cards and sports memorabilia from one of the industry's top auction houses.
August 08, 2009
The season may still be more than two months away, but Upper Deck Draft Edition Basketball trading card set has hit the market.
August 09, 2009
Collectors still line up to get autographed baseballs. Now, one website is bringing some knowledge to the popular pursuit.
August 08, 2009
A Nevada company has signed agreements with several NFL teams to purchase and distribute game-worn jerseys and uniforms to sports collectors.
August 08, 2009
A recent auction of rare sports memorabilia included one of the oldest baseball cards ever produced, plus a number of game-used bats and other vintage sports memorabilia items.
November 15, 2008
If you think the T206 Honus Wagner baseball card is the most rare, you're wrong. It's not even the most rare in the set. The toughest card of all involves a printing error.
October 11, 2008
The new Ballpark Art calendar includes the work of noted baseball artist Andy Jurinko.
October 11, 2008
Topps has joined forces with Ultimate Fighting Championship to produce trading cards as part of an agreement between the two companies.
October 08, 2008
As the nation´s market continues to slump, the Upper Deck Company´s recent Obama/McCain card is proving to be an interesting read.
September 21, 2008
Upper Deck's "Own the Legacy" set pays tribute to Yankee Stadium, with cards being released through several Upper Deck brands. Over 6600 cards are in the monster set.
September 18, 2008
A new football season means football fans searching for official NFL jerseys. One site has just about everything you can imagine--from NFL apparel to a jersey buying guide and even tips on what to wear to your first NFL game.
September 18, 2008
Memory Lane's Summer Rarities auction of vintage sports cards and collectibles showed antique baseball pieces are still worthy of being a great sports memorabilia investment.
August 08, 2008
Next season's crop of NBA rookies gathered in New York to be photographed for their 2008-2009 Upper Deck basketball cards.
September 03, 2008
Sports Collectors Daily has launched a social networking website for the sports memorabilia industry.
September 03, 2008
Texas Stadium's final season is here and the home of the Dallas Cowboys will move to a new stadium in 2009. The club is selling off the seats from the old facility with reservations now being accepted and a company hired to remove and distribute the stadium seats.
August 08, 2008
Topps has agreed to terms with the Babe Ruth estate to produce exclusive Babe Ruth baseball cards.
August 08, 2008
Review of a major live sports memorabilia auction conducted in Chicago.
July 14, 2008
Dick Bartell's 1933 All-Star game uniform sold for over $28,000 in a recent sports memorabilia auction.
May 22, 2008
Some record setting prices for top grade vintage baseball cards and autographs highlighted a major sports card and memorabilia auction.
May 22, 2008
Baseball memorabilia from the late Yankees' catcher, Thurman Munson, has been consigned for auction later this summer.
May 22, 2008
Classic Collectibles has a dizzying array of vintage hockey memorabilia in its current auction.
May 09, 2008
A collection of legal papers chronicling a signature moment in the struggle for civil rights is being offered for sale.
May 09, 2008
Two tobacco cards from the famous T206 set produced by the American tobacco company helped push sales for a recent sports card and memorabilia auction.
April 26, 2008
Finding basic information about the NFL Draft can force fans to wade through a lot of excess information they don't really need. Sports Collectors Daily puts the draft updates live on the front of its home page this weekend.
April 16, 2008
Fans and collectors have a new resource courtesy of the man who's chronicled the careers of thousands of players on still photos. The NHL has purchased the collection of 25,000 images dating back to 1973.
April 03, 2008
You'll hear a number of references to "Amen Corner" during the Masters golf tournament this week in Augusta, Georgia. What is Amen Corner and where did the name come from? The story starts 50 years ago with Arnold Palmer.
April 03, 2008
A new website offers sports card collectors the opportunity to buy unopened boxes and cases in a safe fashion.
March 29, 2008
Coming off a record-setting $2.4 million event in October of 2007, sports memorabilia auctioneer Huggins and Scott has a new major sports memorabilia catalog auction underway.
January 05, 2008
As Tiger Woods prepares for another chase of golf’s major championships in 2008, fans have a new resource available in their quest to find golf collectibles.
...
January 02, 2008
Sports Collectors Daily has released its lists of the Strangest Sports Memorabilia and Best Sports Memorabilia Finds of 2007.
The web site covers the sports memorabilia industry, providing original content and links to stories appearing in the mainstream media, updated Monday through Friday.
C...
December 10, 2007
Sports memorabilia collectors have a new resource for tracking down game worn jerseys. ...
November 27, 2007
With kickoff approaching for the biggest game of the regular season, ...
November 21, 2007
With the team sailing along toward a playoff berth and Brett Favre playing at an MVP-type level, it’s likely to be a “Green and Gold Christmas” for many Green Bay Packers fans.
It’s usually a safe bet to buy a Packer-related item for that fan on the gift list, but finding something unique on-line...
October 30, 2007
Game Used Universe closed its first-ever auction in the wee hours of last Friday, with a John Elway game-worn road jersey and some vintage bats leading the way.
It began as a forum for collectors to exchange information. In just a few years, GameUsedUniverse has evolved into something a little m...
October 30, 2007
Canadian-based Classic Auctions is a powerhouse when it comes to hockey memorabilia.
Founded in 1995, the company is aggressive in acquiring items and well-known for bringing big money to its sales of vintage jerseys and other NHL goods.
This week, Classic's sale was highlighted by a circa 194...
September 19, 2007
Ben Padnos, an "internet entrepreneur" based in Southern California is the leader of a group which bid $186,750 for the ball that tied Hank Aaron's record. Now, he's letting baseball fans decide what to do with it.
Like Marc Ecko, who spent $752,467 on #756, Padnos says he and his group of inve...
September 06, 2007
The highest graded Honus Wagner baseball card from the famous T206 tobacco series has found another new home a little more than six months after selling for a then-record shattering price of $2.35 million.
SCP Auctions of Mission Viejo, CA reports the card was sold to an anonymous private colle...
August 29, 2007
The Terry Fox Foundation has announced plans for a celebrity auction in which 12 pairs of 25th Anniversary Terry Fox Limited Edition Replica Shoes, signed by 12 world-class athletes, will be auctioned on eBay starting on August 31. All proceeds from the sales of the shoes will be donated directly to...
August 22, 2007
On Tuesday afternoon, Murphy appeared at a San Francisco news conference with Southern California-based SCP Auctions in revealing plans to sell the ball through the company's upcoming sports memorabilia catalog sale sale.
"It wasn't hard,'' Murphy said of his conclusion to sell the historic ball....
August 22, 2007
New York college student Matt Murphy has returned from the Australian vacation he took right after snaring Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball. The 21 year-old Queens native used the time away to decide what to do with the piece of sports memorabilia some say could be worth at least a half million dol...
August 10, 2007
Michael Cunningham saw something quite ordinary when he visited a ballpark back in 2004. Fans wanting autographs. He also saw it wasn't exactly a smooth process.
"One autograph seeker didn't have a pen," he remembered. "Another player was awkwardly signing a ball against his thigh." Sometimes th...
July 28, 2007
Calling the federal dogfighting charges "very upsetting", Upper Deck Company has removed Michael Vick from its upcoming trading card products and taken all autographed Vick memorabilia off its website.
The Carlsbad, CA-based firm stated it had been working with the NFL regarding a decision on Vic...
July 06, 2007
Baseball collectors trying to grab an official All Star game program will have their choice of covers this year.
Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) will, for the first time, make available a limited edition All-Star Game Program that features team-specific covers. This year, in addition to t...
June 22, 2007
The season is over. The Stanley Cup has been hoisted. The pucks have been put away. But for those who still have the hockey jones, Upper Deck is out with another super premium issue of hockey cards--$100 per pack.
Upper Deck's 2007 Ultimate Collection was released this week. The packs carry an ...
June 19, 2007
Robert Edward Auctions shipped 10,000 catalogs to potential bidders for the company's April sale of nineteenth and early twentieth century baseball cards and memorabilia. The result was that each catalog averaged nearly three bids placed and a new record for a one-day auction. Total sales were $8.7 ...
June 18, 2007
For the third year in a row, Hunt Auctions, Inc. will host the 2007 MLB Live Auction in conjunction with Major League Baseball's All-Star Week. Scheduled for Tuesday, July 10th, the auction will feature a variety of historical baseball memorabilia, all of which will be on public display during DHL A...
May 23, 2007
The most famous baseball card of all has earned plenty of attention over the 22 years since it entered the sports memorabilia hobby. Not until now has it been the centerpiece of a book released through a major publisher.
Harper Collins released "The Card" this week, the product of several years ...
May 18, 2007
A 2001 autographed jersey worn by Barry Bonds when he hit career home run #531 sold for $22,275 in Grey Flannel's Summer Games sports memorabilia auction which closed early Thursday morning.
Grey Flannel offered over 1,000 items with several premier lots reaching bids of $20,000 or more with th...
May 18, 2007
OK, it's only May but the season never ends in the minds of some.
Football season arrives early with the release of the Playoff Prestige trading card set. The issue is the first fully licensed NFL football product to contain rookie cards of the new draft class. Hitting the streets just two weeks ...
May 14, 2007
A Dallas, Texas auction company is offering to pay $1 million to purchase the baseball that Barry Bonds is expected to hit this season to establish a new career home run record of 756.
"We invite the lucky owner who delivers this historic baseball, as verified by Major League Baseball, to redeem...
May 11, 2007
There may not have been a lot of love lost between Frank Robinson and Gaylord Perry when one managed the other in the mid 1970s, but the two Hall of Famers – and Cleveland legends – will reunite at the 28th annual National Sports Collector’s Convention, coming to the I-X Center August 1-5.
The c...
May 11, 2007
World Series rings in the hands of a politician? They've wound up in stranger places.
Frank Crosetti, who was a member of the Yankees during their most dominant era, could have started his own jewelry store with the number of World Series rings he collected.
Crosetti was in 22 World Series a...
May 10, 2007
Kevin Durant's agent apparently got right down to business after the Texas Longhorns rode off into the NCAA sunset. It's taken less than two months for the teenager to land his first major endorsement deal.
Upper Deck will include Kevin Durant in all 2007-08 NBA basketball trading card products, ...
March 30, 2007
Cal Ripken seems to be even more popular in retirement than he was as a player. The new Hall of Famer has just signed a deal to represent Holiday Inn with baseball fans and sports card collectors reaping some benefits as part of the deal.
If you''re on the road and get that "I need a baseball ca...
March 04, 2007
O-Pee-Chee was once the Canadian version of Topps, but the dormant company name is returning immediately under a new corporate identity.
Upper Deck has corraled the brand name and is releasing a huge new, 700-card set of OPC hockey cards.
“The O-Pee-Chee name has always stirred fond memories ...
February 27, 2007
A private California sports collector has paid a record-shattering $2.35 million for the legendary T206 Honus Wagner baseball card, long recognized by collectors and industry experts as the most famous and valuable baseball card in existence, it was announced at a Dodger Stadium news conference Tues...
February 19, 2007
If you're more "Pistol Pete" than "King James", you'll love Sotheby's/SCP Auctions big display this weekend in Las Vegas. The auction company is spearheading the sale of a major collection.
Fans attending this weekend's NBA All Star Jam Fest will be able to see one man's incredible collection o...
February 19, 2007
Retired NFL players in need of financial help will get a boost from phase one of the Gridiron Greats Assistance fund football memorabilia auction. Bidding closed with Mike Ditka's 1975 NFC Championship ring and a play drawn by Vince Lombardi generating the most attention--some of it from new collect...
February 05, 2007
It's been a pretty good last few days for Peyton Manning. Super Bowl XLI championship. Game MVP award. And a new deal with an autograph company to boost his off-the-field income. His new employers are ready to satisfy the rush.
Mounted Memories and Steiner Sports have signed the Indianapolis Colt...
January 25, 2007
Some retired NFL players who came along before the big money need help dealing with the painful after-effects. One of their colleagues has set up a Super Bowl week auction of impressive and personal memorabilia aimed at helping their plight.
Jerry Kramer, a guard for Vince Lombardi's World Champ...
January 25, 2007
Mike Floyd was bored.
When most of us aren’t sure what to do with ourselves, we usually reach for the remote control or the computer keyboard. When artists get bored, they grab a brush or a pen and try doing something a little different.
Sometime during that yawner of a night in 2003, he pic...
January 22, 2007
He's sorry he bet on baseball. At least that's what he wrote on those now-infamous balls. Now, a flip comment made during an appearance on a late night talk show some years back has spurred a new inscription.
Rose is still making appearances in Las Vegas, signing his "confession" baseballs for a...
January 19, 2007
His career ended 4 seasons ago with 32,292 points, 2514 steals, 5633 assists and 6672 rebounds. But next to LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, he's still the most marketable player in basketball cards. 20 years ago, the first Jordan rookie hit the market and one card company is toasting it's kingpin.
...
January 10, 2007
7-8 years ago, no player's rookie card was hotter than the 1985 Topps Mark McGwire. Pictured in his Olympic uniform a full year before his Major League debut, McGwire had collectors paying big money for quality examples--graded and ungraded. The card was so popular that counterfeits popped up--many ...
January 04, 2007
The Topps Company, legendary trading card manufacturer, has announced that 2006 N.L. MVP Ryan Howard is an exclusive for its baseball brands in 2007.
The deal grants New York City-based Topps exclusive rights within the MLB baseball card category for autographed baseball cards, game-used memorabi...
December 19, 2006
Eight years ago, Scott Kent had a freshly-minted MBA and was working as a financial analyst for McDonald’s Corporation. Certainly a respectable job, but his hobby was sports memorabilia and it was calling him.
“I collected baseball cards as a kid and I was always a huge sports fan. That’s what m...
November 04, 2006
The on-line pricing guide that debuted at the National Sports Collectors Convention says it will improve it's current tools, develop enhanced sports card catalog.
CardPricer.com has announced that it has accepted $100,000 in venture capital from private investors.
The site collects actual tra...
November 03, 2006
They look great. A nice big sign of older vintage featuring a Hall of Fame player pitching a product. Perfect for your wall. Great conversation pieces. Great that is if you like stuff that's made to just look old.
eBay is full of fakes. Good ones. Many are being sold in an area of the country th...
October 28, 2006
A near set of Williams Caramel cards from 1910 brought over $21,000 while a group of T-206 white borders netted over $16,000 in the recent Mastro Auctions Classic Collector sale of sports cards and memorabilia.
Among the other highlights from the sale catering to more budget-minded collectors wer...
October 27, 2006
Montreal-based hockey specialist Classic Auctions wrapped up their big fall sports memorabilia auction this week with some high ticket items stretching more than a few budgets.
A recently-uncovered game-worn Bobby Orr jersey from the 1968-69 season sold for $83,544.90 (US Dollars).
Earlier th...
October 17, 2006
A Bobby Orr game-used road jersey from the '68-69 season has entered the sports memorabilia hobby after a man walked into a Canadian show, toting it inside an ordinary bag.
It was a gift for a Manitoba kid who'd broken his leg playing baseball over 25 years ago.
A real Bobby Orr jersey cheer...
October 17, 2006
Topps was in the midst of finalizing the company's 2006 season-ending "Rookies and Highlights" set the day before Yankees' pitcher Cory Lidle was in an airplane accident in New York.
Before the accident, Lidle, who had been traded from the Phillies to the Yankees during the season, was a natural...
October 13, 2006
He was 7 years-old when he wrote a letter to Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Don Carman, asking him to autograph his brand new 1990 Topps card. Doug Ferraro is now 23. Guess what showed up in the mail this week?
Like a ship in a bottle, a long-ago autograph request washed ashore at the home of it'...
October 13, 2006
He's only been around for a few years but the new hero in Detroit Tigers nation, Jeremy Bonderman, already has hundreds of baseball cards featuring his likeness including several rookie cards. No one had more of a rooting interest in his big win over the New York Yankees in game five of the America...
October 03, 2006
Long before he ever started selling insurance policies to collectors, store owners and investors, Tom Finkelmeier was a collector himself.
Back in the late 1970s, he would go to shows to continue adding to his stash of cards and memorabilia. Even then, he knew had things that were of value and...
September 18, 2006
A group of baseballs bearing a written confession from Pete Rose have been turned over to Robert Edward Auctions. SportsCollectorsDaily has pictures.
Mickey Mantle occasionally used a few curse words when signing baseballs. Pete Rose apparently confessed on some.
The bizarre story of why ...
September 15, 2006
Seven years following his retirement, the greatest player in the history of professional hockey is still setting records. MINT State, an Illinois dealer specializing in high-grade sports cards has sold a 1979 O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky rookie card for $80,000.
The company claims it is the most...
September 15, 2006
Like nearly every kid who grew up or spent summers in New England, Jeff Boujoukos developed a strong tie to the team that kept breaking his heart. The Red Sox of the 1970s were often good. Sometimes great. But never champions. While the club chased one elusive goal, Boujoukos eventually began c...
September 15, 2006
The original frenzy had died down by the fall of 1989, but the real story behind the Billy Ripken Fleer error(s) is something one collector is still chasing.
Donovan Ryan was a kid in 1989, hooked by the scandalous controversy over the obscenity on the bottom of Bill Ripken's bat in the now-fa...
September 06, 2006
A group of collectors drooled over a 1975 Topps mini wax case they saw on line. Selling price: $25,000. Not one could afford it, but together they found strength in numbers.
They are from all over the nation. Some are white collar workers who draw nice salaries. Others are on a limited budge...
September 06, 2006
Collecting is a family affair at Dugout Treasures, where a relentless hunt for vintage sports memorabilia has resulted in an impressive collection. Now, they're hoping others can utilize what they've found.
It's been nearly twenty years since 12 year-old Jonathan Popovich and his father John wer...
September 02, 2006
Los Angeles dealer and collector Dave Levin lives for calls like the one he got this spring.
"A man in Indianapolis contacted me and said he had a large collection of Old Judge cards that he was planning on selling. He said he'd get back to me but I didn't hear anything for awhile and I kind o...
September 02, 2006
When Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner died in his suburban Pittsburgh home in 1955, he had no idea that to many he would be more famous a half century later for an obscure tobacco promotion than for his incredible success on the field of play.
Baseball card collectors in the '50s were overwhe...
September 02, 2006
Ted Golden doesn't sleep much these days. "Once every two or three days," he says. He's about to become the father of a bouncing baby web site aimed at revolutionizing how collections are built and kept.
He says he's never taken a computer class but the point man for CardPricer.com is banking o...
September 02, 2006
You will not find any Babe Ruth bats at Gary Keever‘s table. No rare World Series programs or game-worn jerseys. Not even a Nolan Ryan rookie. If you’re a ‘sophisticated collector’ you probably walk past his table with barely a glance. If you’re an arrogant snob --and there are quite a few of th...
September 02, 2006
Leo Bauby has 30,000 Chicago White Sox photos. It's an impressive tribute to his favorite team. Like any good collector, though, he's always looking for more.
"I was looking through some old copies of The Sporting News from the 1960s and 70s and I kept seeing the name 'Ron Mrowick' on a lot o...
September 01, 2006
To fans born in the modern era of $500 tickets and Rolling Stones halftime shows, it seems unfathomable. If you wanted to attend the first Super Bowl, all you had to do was walk up to the ticket window on game day. The Los Angeles Coliseum wasn't even close to sold out. But then, the game was sti...
September 01, 2006
It’s a tale involving world-reknowned artist, an icon of corporate America, the wreck of the Titanic and Babe Ruth. And it’s driving Pat Armstrong crazy.
"I just haven't been able to find out why it was done."
The object of Armstrong's quest for information is what seems to be a one-of...
September 01, 2006
For someone who never played major college sports, Tim Robins owns a lot of championship rings.
"I probably have a little over 200 college and pro rings right now," Robins told www.SportsCollectorsDaily.com recently.
The California-based former TV producer is carving his own niche in the spo...
September 01, 2006
When Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner died in his suburban Pittsburgh home in 1955, he had no idea that to many he would be more famous a half century later for an obscure tobacco promotion than for his incredible success on the field of play.
Baseball card collectors in the '50s were overwhe...