Visions in Leisure and Business Volume 21 Number 1 Article 5 2003 Collecting Celebrity: The Meanings and Process of Collecting Sports Memorabilia Nancy E. Spencer Bowling Green State University Jacquelyn Cuneen Bowling Green State University Raymond Schneider Bowling Green State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions Recommended Citation Spencer, Nancy E.; Cuneen, Jacquelyn; and Schneider, Raymond (2003) "Collecting Celebrity: The Meanings and Process of Collecting Sports Memorabilia," Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 21 : No. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol21/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visions in Leisure and Business by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. COLLECTING CELEBRITY: THE MEANINGS AND PROCESS OF COLLECTING SPORTS MEMORABILIA BY DR. NANCY E. SPENCER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DR.JACQUELYN CUNEEN, PROFESSOR AND DR. RAYMOND SCHNEIDER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR SPORT MANAGEMENT, RECREATION, AND TOURISM DIVISION SCHOOL OF HUMAN MOVEMENT, SPORT, AND LEISURE STUDIES BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY BOWLING GREEN, OHIO 43403 ABSTRACT model known as the Sports Collectibles Commodity Continuum. This model draws The sports memorabilia marketplace has ex­ upon concepts from previous literature: perienced exponential growth since the ad­ "singularization" (items may be set aside for vent of Internet auction sites such as eBay. special purposes) and "commoditization" While collectors were once constrained by (intersection of time, culture, and society) local encounters with personal collectors, (e.g., see 4, 12, 20, 33). The model also in­ the Internet now facilitates buying and sell­ troduces previously unarticulated notions of ing on an international scale. This study ex­ "culturalization" ( consumer identities and plores the phenomenon of collecting sports norms set by social, cultural, economic, memorabilia as it has been transformed his­ and/or political forces) and "marketization" torically as well as more recently. Scholarly (singularized needs drive market prices). literature suggests that fascination with the After assessing prices of sport collectibles famous may have begun in ancient Greece, offered on eBay, the authors conclude that although contemporary studies of celebrity the escalating use of online sport auctions examine a broader scope of subjects in addi­ will likely continue to impact the sports col­ tion to an odd array of items collected. lectibles marketplace in ways that merit fur­ ther study. This study specifically addresses the follow­ ing: first, what are historical and contempo­ rary meanings ef fame and/or celebrity; sec­ INTRODUCTION ond, how do sports collectibles accrue value; and third, how do Internet auctions impact LeBron James, the "heir apparent" to "His the sports collectibles marketplace? To ex­ Airness," is a 17-year old high school bas­ plain the phenomenon of collecting sports ketball player who has yet to lace up his memorabilia, one author offers a four-stage sneakers for his first_ NBA game. In fact, he 8 has yet to select the sneakers he will wear to auctions, the advent of the Internet has try to fill the shoes of Michael Jordan. Adi­ clearly contributed to conditions of possibil­ das, Nike, and Reebok are considered to be ity for a burgeoning sports memorabilia the front runners. The hype surrounding this marketplace. high school senior is reflected by cover sto­ ries about him in ESPN: The Magazine, In an attempt to ascertain what this process Sports Illustrated, and USA Today. Per­ means culturally and economically, this haps, then, it should come as no surprise that study explores a phenomenon that we refer there .is a LeBron James bobble head doll on to as "collecting celebrity." To assess this eBay (17). phenomenon, we begin with a review of the literature that examines historical meanings Media hype surrounding the "next" great of collecting and the processes that contrib­ celebrity icon reflects the cultural obsession ute to the creation of celebrity. Based upon with fame that accompanies sport figures in our review of the literature we offer a four­ the early 21st century. While Internet sport stage model to explain the procedure sites like ESPN.com provide more outlets whereby collectibles accrue tangible value. fortouting the "next" great hopeful, Internet in the marketplace. In our discussion, we auctions have also transformed the way include examples to illustrate how value sports memorabilia is marketed and ex­ may be enhanced in the process of collecting changed. For example, in 2000, a T206 sports memorabilia. Finally, we examine Honus Wagner 1909 baseball card was sold how the emergence of Internet sites (most on eBay for $1.265 million (a price that in­ notably eBay) impacts the value of items cludes a bid of $1.1 million and a fee of that are available in the collectibles market­ 15%), a selling price that shattered the re­ place. cord for eBay auctions at the time (14). In 1996, Illinois collector Michael Gidwitz had purchased the card considered to be the THE PHENOMENON OF "Holy Grail of the baseball memorabilia COLLECTING world" for a then record $641,500 (14). Evidence suggests that the phenomenon of Online Internet auctions now feature "trash collecting has existed for centuries since pickings of sports collectors" as well (27, p. people began to value and collect all kinds . lC). One of the most unusual online auc­ of relics even before the Crusades (36) . tions featured two pieces of gum chewed by Post-crucifixion Europeans were so zealous Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Luis about collecting saints' bones and body parts Gonzalez, one of which sold for $10,000 that nearly every church, regardless of size, (27). As strange as it may seem for such claimed to have relics of Christ and/or the throwaways to become objects of desire, Apostles in order to boost their standing in there is a precedent in that Ty Cobb's den­ church and community annals ( 19). Geary tures once sold in a 1999 Sotheby's auction ( 19) notes a variety of reasons that Medieval for $7,475 (27). As Hiestand (27) notes, relics were valued: some local churches "It's not new to find value in throwaways, valued the relics of a "local" saint more than but buying· and selling are easier thanks to those of a non-local saint; some saw the the Internet" (p. 1C). Through a prolifera­ widespread "cult" value of owning relics tion of narratives about celebrity athletes associated with saints from any locale; still coupled with increased availability of online others thought of relics as gifts or commodi- 9 ties with a price or exchange value. Mac­ on-line, few items approach the prices paid Kay (36) says that. modern day reliquism by collectors for rare baseball cards. The relates to love, since people who admire the 1909 Honus Wagner card that sold for "great" and all that pertain to them desire $1.265 million on eBay is "regarded as one relics of them. MacKay further suggests of the rarest and most coveted among collec­ that the urge to own a token of someone fa­ tors" (6). Other cards, though less costly mous or admirable has prompted some peo­ than Wagner's still sell for prices far ex­ ple to confuse fame and infamy. Merely ceeding their original production cost and because they wish to own something distinc­ purchase price. Market value of a mint 1967 tive, people often search for possessions of Mickey Mantle card is $250 (57); yet, it sold "great saints, great sinners, great philoso­ originally for under 50 cents in a pack con­ phers, great quacks, great conquerors, great taining 4 or 5 other cards and some bubble murderers, great ministers, great thieves" gum. A professionally graded mint version (36, p. 696). of the original 1952 Mantle card was report­ edly sold at auction for $121,000 (11) . Regardless of what fascinates and motivates . Sports collectibles are in such demand that people to collect, it remains a popular, even as traditional types of consumer ( e.g., meaningful activity that continues to thrive classic-era baseball bat purchased at a store) in the 21st century. Hake's "Americana and and/or advertising items (e.g., baseball bat collectibles" is regarded as the premier col­ received at a "Bat Day" giveaway) continue lectible auction house and was established n to increase in value, a collateral market 1971 by Ted Hake (54). Known as the "King grows for almost any kind of sport-related of Collectibles," Hake features treasured item. Thus, items even loosely associated items that include Cracker jack prizes, wind­ with a sport contest (e.g., arena parking up toys, comic character dolls, and a variety pass) or sports figure (e.g., Billie Jean of Disney memorabilia (54). Hake (24) con­ King's wrist band), or any unique items siders collectibles to be goods having per­ (e.g., seat from "old" Cleveland Municipal sonal and/or monetary value that are either Stadium) can hold special value to fans, col­ symbols of modern consumption and/or lectors, and museums. have nostalgic meaning. Many capitalists as well as popular culture scholars consider the Many financial analysts consider the col­ collectibles industry to be lucrative because lectibles market to be risky even though people are willing to pay unusually high there are escalating values of collectibles as amounts for all kinds of collectible objects. reported by Entrepreneur Magazine ( 15). Although any item can become a collectible Despite the risk, there appears to be an in­ worthy of market attention, a sports memo­ formal process by which items initially re­ rabilia explosion in the 1980s began to over­ garded as cherished sports collectibles even­ shadow all forms of hobby collecting (25, tually acquire commercial value as com­ 40).