Bring On The National

Happy National Sports Collectors Convention week, Collectors.

Whether you’ll be in Cleveland or following along from home, our NSCC 2024 feed will have you up-to-date on all the highlights — the big sales, sure, but also the personal stories that brought you to Mantel in the first place. And if you’re still packing your bags for Cleveland, we’ve covered everything you need to know.

What are you most excited to see? Make sure to share on our Event Feed.

The Best Of The Best

In honor of The National, the biggest sports card and memorabilia collectors show in the world, we figured we’d focus this week’s Mantel Quality Stories on, you guessed it, sports. Featuring some of the coolest sports collectibles from some of the most influential collectors out there, this week’s episode is a must watch.

Kobe’s ‘Home’ For Sale

The locker Kobe Bryant used from 2004 - 2016 — his “home at the Staples Center,” as Sotheby’s describes it — is headed under the hammer, and Sotheby’s estimates it’ll garner $1M - $1.5M. Surprisingly, this locker was disposed of during the arena’s 2018 renovations, but an individual working at the arena saved it.

Find more details via Sotheby’s. 

A Successful Collection Of Failures

Yoda once told Luke that failure is the greatest teacher. Silicon Valley venture capitalist Sean Jacobsohn took this advice to heart and started a failure museum. From Blockbuster memberships to Microsoft Zunes, Jacobsohn has curated a collection built upon deep personal reflection. While the collection isn’t public, he uses it as a tool for discussion with other entrepreneurs: “If you only talk about success and never talk about failure, you’re missing half the equation,” a colleague remarked.

For all the details, check out WSJ’s story on the collection. You might even own a few of these items yourself! 

Michael Jackson’s Drawings Go To Auction

We’ve seen Michael Jackson’s handwritten lyrics sell for big numbers, but they might be topped by his drawings, which are heading to market with Kings Auctions. The 76-piece collection, dubbed The Museum Collection, features drawings of icons such as Martin Luther King and Marilyn Monroe. Some drawings are on presidential paper Jackson received when visiting the White House.

Check out all the items that will be available when the auction opens August 3.