Olympians Love Autographs, Too

Hey there, Collectors. 

The Mantel team had a blast interacting with some of you at the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention!

If you missed out on the action, our users’ favorite moments can be found on our NSCC24 Feed. The Mantel team also highlighted some of their top finds, which you can check out here, here, and here.

Being in Cleveland reminded us of what Mantel is all about. So thank you for an unforgettable few days of stories, laughs, trades, and buys. We’re so excited to continue growing this community with you all.

Now, let’s get into it.

Josh Luber Joins Mantel Quality Stories

On this week’s Mantel Quality Stories, Buster Scher spoke with entrepreneur Josh Luber about his unique journey toward building an acclaimed collection. Always at the forefront of industry trends, the founder of StockX and new toy company ghostwrite managed to work with Eminem and “win” an NBA championship ring along the way.

Before They Were LeBron’s Teammates, They Were LeBron Collectors

When LeBron James played in his first Olympic games, in Athens in 2004, Jayson Tatum was just 6 years old. Anthony Davis was 11. So it’s no surprise that though they’re now James’ Team USA teammates, they were once autograph-hungry James fans. (Olympians, they’re just like us!)

This story from The Athletic touches on Tatum’s and Davis’ experiences as LeBron collectors, long before the three were Olympic teammates.

Star Wars Costume Nets Six Figures

The iconic golden bikini worn by Carrie Fisher in “Return of the Jedi” sold for $175,000 with Heritage. Although the costume is frequently noted in pop culture references, it has come under scrutiny in recent years, with Fisher even saying the outfit made her “very nervous” and that she “thought (George Lucas) was kidding” when he presented it to her. While the bikini stole the auction’s headlines, it wasn’t the biggest sale — that crown belongs to a screen-used Y-Wing prop from “A New Hope,” which sold for $1.55 million.

CNN covered the full auction.

Don’t Sell Those CDs

We hate to say “we told you so,” but we might have called this trend back in March. An op-ed in The Guardian documents the recent resurgence in physical media sales, notably with CDs. Writer Tom Lamont notes that a lack of CD players adds value to the items as distinct collectibles.

Lamont’s column is sure to make you feel nostalgic for the 1990s.

Mysterious Champagne Bottles Discovered In Wreck – How Much Could They Be Worth?

A Polish diving team discovered about 100 intact bottles of champagne at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, along with baskets of mineral water in clay containers. The divers estimate the shipment of water and champagne dates back to the 1850s or 1860s. The champagne bottles’ German labels might hold the key to further answers.

The Independent covered the full story, including the wreck’s possible connection to a Russian Tsar.

Business Insider Names Mantel a Sports Startup To Watch (We Agree!)

Thanks to Business Insider for including Mantel on its list of 13 sports startups to watch. As the story mentions, here at Mantel we’re creating a fun and safe platform for collectors of all types to learn from one another and build community. We’re thankful you’re part of it.

Make sure to check out the other startups on the list, too.