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Collectors,
Later today we’re launching a fresh newsletter, Mail Day, penned by reclusive friend of Mantel and passionate collector (to a borderline worrying degree), J.R. Fickle. So what can readers of Mail Day expect? Let’s let Fickle tell us:
I love reading about record-breaking sales, mega auctions and impossible-to-get cards that most of us can never afford, which is why Above the Mantel is my favorite email every week (It is! I swear!!). But if you’re like me and your bank account is ‘comma deficient’, don’t you also want to dig into the smaller-time stuff we can actually play along with? Everything from the best women’s college hoops cards to buy cheap, to odd Star Wars collectibles to the best Happy Meal toys to grab? Well, that’s Mail Day, sports & pop-culture collectibles for the common collector, and it's all written by a bit of a madman (me!). If one thing can be guaranteed, it’s that you’ll be amused (and perhaps confounded) each and every week. Join me, won’t you?
The first Mail Day will hit inboxes later today, before finding a permanent home Tuesday mornings. We suggest you subscribe via the link below.
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via Sothebys
The 🐐 Hosting Garage Sale for Fans with💰
The most infamous NFL combine jersey is heading to auction, along with seven other items from Tom Brady’s personal collection. Sotheby’s and the NFL Legend-turned-improving NFL broadcaster have teamed up for The GOAT Collection: Watches & Treasures from Tom Brady. Aside from the shirt Brady wore running a 5.17 40-yard-dash, the sale will feature the jersey he wore in his final collegiate game, the QB wristband worn during Super Bowl LI, and a Richard Mille RM35-03 FQ “Baby Nadal”, estimated to hammer for between $300,000-$500,000.
The 50/50 Home Run, 2/2 Lawsuit Ball
From the second Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run landed in Miami’s bleachers on September 19th, it was clear we’d be in for some drama around its rightful owner (we dug into the scrum that very night). Last week the man who ended up with the ball put it up for auction with Goldin, and within hours a lawsuit was filed by a fan who claimed the “lottery ticket” was illegally pried from his hands. This week, a second lawsuit has been filed, this time by another fan who says the ball should be his. For now, the auction roles on, with a current top bid hovering around $1.5M.
H/T AmericanMemorabilia.com
4,256 Hits & Incalculable Autographs
This week we said farewell to Pete Rose, MLB legend known for his hard-nosed play and his knack for getting on base, as well as his lifetime ban from from baseball due to betting on the game he loved. But to collectors, Rose was also known for being a fixture at sports card and memorabilia shows, sitting for hours as fans cycled through the queue to get an autograph from baseball’s all-time hits leader. Rose, who was as prolific a signer as he was a hitter, often included clever inscriptions with his signature, including crowd favorite, “I’m Sorry I Bet On Baseball.