CFBA meeting
February 9, 2011
Pennsbury open space preserved despite farm bankruptcy
The open space funds
Pennsbury Township gave to the Mendenhall family did not go down the drain.
Supervisors, in 2007, voted
to give $900,000 to the Mendenhall family in exchange for development rights on
the family farm. The family has since filed for bankruptcy, but the township
still retains the rights even if the property is sold.
“The township has the easement in perpetuity,” said MaryAnna Ralph, the supervisors’ chairman in 2007.
The 88-acre Mendenhall
property, Springdale Farm, is near Hillendale Elementary School. The township
bought development rights for 58 acres to prevent a housing or other type of development
from going in while allowing the family to keep the property and build a horse
farm.
Part of the debt, as
reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, stems from the construction, also in 2007,
of an indoor riding rink and a stable for 24 horses. The total obligation is
$1.76 million.
That amount comes fromborrowing $710,500 from
Stonebridge in June 2007, $660,000 from Aston-based CFP Associates L.L.C. in
May 2008, and an additional $50,000 from Stonebridge in October 2008, plus
delinquent payments of principal and interest and fees.
Springdale Farm has been the oldest continuously
operating farm in Pennsylvania.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Pennsbury open space preserved despite farm bankruptcy Read More »
Plein air draws artists to Chadds Ford
A steady mist fell continuously
through chilly air Saturday, but the spirits of 29 painters were not dampened.
They had each paid $60 a piece to take part in the Chadds Ford Historical
Society’s third annual plein air event. And paint they did.
Some painted from their cars,
others from building overhangs and still others braved the elements outright,
standing and painting in the rain.
En plein air is French for in open air and that’s where they
paint—outside, regardless of the weather. In 2010 they painted in a falling
snow and artists had to keep wiping the snow from their canvases.
The event is another
fund-raiser for the society whose main fund-raising events are Chadds Ford Days
in September and The Great Pumpkin Carve in October.
In addition to the artists’
entry fees, the Historical Society takes 20 percent of the proceeds from
paintings sold at the “wet paint sale” held Saturday evening after the artists
bring in their freshly painted works of art.
This year, artists were given
and additional day to paint, Friday. While their canvases had to have the
official stamp from the society, artists were not required to turn in their
work on Friday and there was no way to know whether all of Friday’s work was
done outside.
Works from Friday could be in
the sale, but every artist had to have for sale at least one piece done on
Saturday.
Regardless of why the event is
held—and regardless of how extra wet the paintings might have been—artists love
dong what they do.
Jane Ramsey, from Macungie,
said, “I have a new word for plein air,
a new interpretation, it’s called improvising. You improvise, you find shelter,
sit in your car, go under a porch.”
Ramsey said she painted from
her car with the window rolled down and a towel handy to keep wiping herself
off.
The steady mist didn’t bother
her at all: “It was really beautiful,” she said. “It’s all part of it. I love
the idea that it’s different every time, that it’s not always sunny and 75. It
creates different lights, different effects [and] a different mood. So it was
just really challenging.”
She added she would definitely
be back next year.
Mary Pritchard, from
Chestertown, Md. said that she likes painting in the Chadds Ford area. Barns
are one of her favorite subject matters, and she said there’s a different
architecture between the Eastern Shore and the Chadds Ford region.
“The challenge for painting up
here is to paint something that doesn’t look like buckets, barns and daisies.
When I paint barns I’m trying to paint them my way, not Andrew Wyeth’s or
somebody else’s,” Pritchard said.
She’s been coming to the CFHS plein air event since they started two
years ago, and said, during an interview Friday morning, she’d be painting from
her car on Saturday because of the weather. Her medium is pastels.
Another artist, Kenn Backhaus,
from Robesonia, said plein air is
“almost like performance art.”
He explained that most art is
usually done in a studio, or otherwise inside, then brought to a gallery. Plein air is different because, “We’re
out there, performing where people can stop and watch…That’s really a unique
thing. People really enjoy being able to watch the process of how these things
are done,” he said.
Gary Pendleton, from North
Beach, Md., and president of the Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters’ Association,
said the event is a gathering of friends and colleagues.
“It’s a great opportunity to
socialize and catch up,” Pendleton said.
Coordinating the event for the
Historical Society was Jacalyn Beam, also a plein air artist. She said it was a
great event despite the weather.
“I think things went
beautifully. The artists were so excited. They came into town with a great
attitude. They love to come to Chadds Ford. Testimony to that is that we had 29
artists come, they’re painting in the rain—and they knew it was going to sleet
or snow—but they came anyway,” Beam said.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Plein air draws artists to Chadds Ford Read More »
Adopt-a-Pet
Daisy is an
adult spayed female lab mix that is currently available for adoption at the
Chester County SPCA. She came to the shelter on Dec. 31 as a stray. Before
coming to the shelter we believe that Daisy use to be used for breeding. She is
a very sweet dog who loves attention and would be very happy to hang out on
your lap or just be by your side. She is full of energy and seems to know basic
commands. Daisy is looking for
someone to love, will you be her valentine? We also believe she would get along
with cats and children. Daisy is
now looking for a responsible care giver who will give her the love and
attention she deserves. If you are able to provide Daisy a home,
visit the Chester County SPCA at 1212 Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen or call 610-692-6113.
Daisy’s registration number is 96802563. To meet some of the other animals
available for adoption, visit the shelter or log onto www.ccspca.org.
Birmingham passes alternative energy ordinance
Birmingham Township became the
second local municipality in two weeks to consider an ordinance regarding
alternative energy generation.
While Concord Township
continued its hearing to March, Birmingham supervisors passed an ordinance
allowing for solar panels and wind turbines during a hearing just prior to
their Feb. 7 meeting.
Ordinance 1101 also amends the
township sign laws with regard to temporary signs.
The alternative energy system
regulation allows residents to use geothermal systems by right, but requires
special exception from the Zoning Hearing Board for solar or wind energy
systems. Such facilities are classified as accessory structures designed to
produce electrical energy for on-site use only.
“… [I]n no event shall an
energy system generate more energy for sale than the amount which is otherwise
necessary to satisfy the need for electricity for the principal use of the
property to which the facility is accessory,” the ordinance reads.
As with the ordinance
considered in Concord, commercial energy generation is prohibited.
“Wind or solar energy systems
as principal uses are not permitted,” the ordinance says because such uses “are
incompatible with the status of the township as predominantly residential and
agricultural.”
The measure passed 2-0.
Supervisor Bill Kirkpatrick was absent.
Supervisors’ Chairman John
Conklin said after the hearing that he and other supervisors had heard that
other municipalities were dealing with gaps in ordinances regarding new
technology.
“Solar panels were popping up
and wind turbines and people had all kinds of concerns about how it affects the
neighbors, but there wasn’t any ordinance,” Conklin said. “There were some
fears spreading around. Various people were imagining or interpreting that
what’s happening in some other places could happen here.”
He said specific concerns
centered on potential noise and on the appearance of the systems.
Other business
During the regular meeting,
supervisors voted to withdraw Birmingham from the Brandywine Valley Scenic
Byway Commission for this year.
Close to a dozen commission
members from several Southern Chester County townships, including current
members from Birmingham, spoke to the supervisors asking them to continue
participation by the township.
They had addressed the board in
January and also made their plea to the Recreation, Parks and Open Space
Committee and the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission recommended 5-1
to withdraw, Conklin said.
Conklin, who had previously
served on the byway commission, said the group has good intentions, but has
shown no value to Birmingham Township.
Fellow Supervisor Al Bush
agreed saying, “Nothing has happened during the time Birmingham has been
involved.”
Conklin said the board would
reconsider next year.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Birmingham passes alternative energy ordinance Read More »
Blogging Along the Brandywine: A memory of carousel horses
My father never let me have a
pony.
But when I rode the carousel
at the old Lenape Park located along the Brandywine where Creek Road meets Rte
52, I was transported away on some of the most exquisite horses
in the world – with lush waving manes, flared nostrils, dreamy eyes and
bodies adorned with jeweled breastplates.
Whether I rode an outside row
stander, gripping the pole with my left hand as I reached out for the
golden ring, or sat like the proper little equestrienne on an inside row
jumper as it moved up and down in a make-believe steeplechase, I was
in a world all my own.
All this was accompanied by the
carousel’s Wurlitzer band organ blaring out Sousa marches, punctuated by the
thud-thud-thud of the mechanical bass drum and the rhythmic tssh –tssh- tssh of
cymbals. The music added to the heady feeling that all 48 horses were
engaged in a free for all gallop around the track.
It didn’t get any better than
this—and I still miss it.
In the first quarter of the
20th century the term “trolley park” identified an amusement
park owned and operated by a trolley line. The West Chester Street Railway
Company established Lenape Park as a destination accessible by their
trolley around 1891.
The favorite entertainment on
the grounds was the Gustav and William Dentzel carousel purchased in 1926.
Most carousel carvers
immigrated to the United States from Europe in the late 19th
century. They were highly skilled carpenters, many of whom had produced
religious carvings for church interiors.
This art of carousel carving
was dominated by the Philadelphia style and the Coney Island style.
The Coney Island style was more ornate and based in fantasy
with the heads-up “stargazers” sporting flying golden manes, gilded wings,
coats of armor or lush blankets of flowers.
The Philadelphia style of
Dentzel and the competing Philadelphia Toboggan Company was ultra realistic,
from the perfectly proportioned legs and heads to the veins on their faces. The
style was perfected by Dentzel’s head carver Salvatore Cernigliaro.
The 48 hand-carved figures of
the Lenape Park carousel were meticulously cared for by John V. Gibney, who owned
the park for over fifty years.
Lenape Park survived the demise of the trolley line in 1929 and
continued as a popular attraction until 1976, when Gibney, then 92 years
old, sold it.
My husband’s late uncle, John A.
Smith, managed Lenape Park for Mr Gibney from the mid 1940s to the mid
1960s. Smith loved the carousel and at one point offered to buy the park from
Gibney, but Gibney wasn’t ready to sell.
Smith died before he
saw the park sold and his beloved carousel broken up…the 48 horses and
chariot seats dispersed to collectors.
Today, anyone wanting a Dentzel
horse to grace their living room should be prepared to lay out a minimum of
$10-$15,000 and up. A rare Dentzel goat recently sold for $59,000.
Nearby Dentzel carousels still
in operation today include the 1921 Dentzel in Dorney Park near Allentown, the
1924 Dentzel in the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia and the 1921
Dentzel in Glen Echo Park,
Maryland- the only carousel owned by the National Park Service, just outside
Washington, DC.
Chadds Ford lost a work of art
in 1976, but the memories will remain in our hearts forever.
About Sally Denk Hoey
Sally Denk Hoey, is a Gemini - one part music and one part history. She holds a masters degree cum laude from the School of Music at West Chester University. She taught 14 years in both public and private school. Her CD "Bard of the Brandywine" was critically received during her almost 30 years as a folk singer. She currently cantors masses at St Agnes Church in West Chester where she also performs with the select Motet Choir. A recognized historian, Sally serves as a judge-captain for the south-east Pennsylvania regionals of the National History Day Competition. She has served as president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates as well as the Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford where she now curates the violin collection. Sally re-enacted with the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment for 19 years where she interpreted the role of a campfollower at encampments in Valley Forge, Williamsburg, Va., Monmouth, N.J. and Lexington and Concord, Mass. Sally is married to her college classmate, Thomas Hoey, otherwise known as "Mr. Sousa.”
Blogging Along the Brandywine: A memory of carousel horses Read More »
Bits & Pieces Feb. 10
• The Chadds Ford
Township Lyme Task Force is beginning a full implementation of its program.
Part of this implementation is a survey to determine Lyme history, landowner
willingness to allow hunting on their property and residents who are interested
in hunting, etc. An Internet embedded form can be found at https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dGR5SlZodGtybzhUUnVqcV9YbDRQRnc6MQ#gid=0
• Jeweler Dan Doubet
will host a Valentine’s Day breakfast a day early at his Olde Ridge Village
store in Chadds Ford Township. The breakfast runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
Sunday, Feb 13. Pastries, bagels, mimosas, Bloody Marys and coffee will be served.
• The Unionville High School
Music Department presents a winter pops concert, an evening of music from
movies, TV, classics and pop music to help warm-up from the winter blues. The
evening features the UHS Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band and
Chorale on Thursday Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. in the UHS auditorium. Admission is
free.
• The Concord Township
Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 22 is cancelled,
according to an e-mail from Township Manager Robert Willert. The next
meeting will be Monday, March 21.
• PennDOT is offering
a new course for riders of three-wheeled motorcycles. Although Pennsylvania is
still within winter’s grip, now is the time for motorcyclists to plan to
enhance their driving skills through the 2011 Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety
Program, said a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation press release. The
program offers courses for new and experienced riders at approximately 70
locations across the state. Courses are offered March through October. A full
schedule is available online at www.pamsp.com.
• The John Chads House will be
open Monday, Feb. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in honor of Presidents’ Day.
Costumed guides will lead tours and tell the history of the little stone
mansion that survived the Battle of Brandywine. There will be bread baking in
the beehive oven in the cellar kitchen and visitors can walk along the scenic
one-mile River Trail from the Chads House to the Brandywine River Museum. The
John Chads House is one of the Delaware County Historical Society’s Passport to
History sites. Admission to the John Chads House is $5 for adults; members of
the Chadds Ford Historical Society and children 12 and under are free. For
information, call 610-388-7376 or visit http://www.chaddsfordhistory.org/www.chaddsfordhistory.org.
• Prom season is just around
the corner and The Growing Tree, 114 State Street, Kennett Square, is in high
gear getting set for its second annual Prom Dress Consignment Sale. It’s a
win-win-win situation for all.
Win #1: Young ladies looking for high-fashion prom attire can find it at a
reasonable price with most dresses in the $40 to $70 range.
Win #2: Consignees can earn some extra spending money (and make room in their
closets for new fabulous clothing) by selling their gently used prom attire.
Win #3: A portion of the proceeds will be donated to area Kennett, Unionville,
and Avon Grove After-Prom events. Consignees may choose which school to donate
a portion of the sale to if their dress is sold.
Those interested in selling prom dresses must bring them to The Growing Tree no
later than April 15. Getting prom attire to The Growing Tree prior to the March
4 kick-off event will give garments the most opportunity to be seen by
shoppers. Appointments are suggested; call 610-444-8484 for details.
Bits & Pieces Feb. 10 Read More »
Police log Feb. 10
• Two Delaware residents were in custody at the
George W. Hill Correctional Facility after being charged with a series of
thefts in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
A state police report said Deborah Reilly, of Hartley, and John Reilly, of
Wilmington, stole purses from two women in November and January incidents as
the victims were loading groceries into their cars in the Concordville Town
Center parking lot. In both cases, the suspects were seen fleeing in a tan
Chrysler Town and Country. Also, in both cases, the victims’ credit cards were
later used at grocery stores and gas stations.
The suspects were identified through store surveillance. Police said the two
are also suspected in similar thefts in Chester County and the state of
Delaware. Deborah Reilly was arrested when she appeared for a hearing in
Delaware County court. Media police arrested John Reilly after he was stopped
for a traffic violation.
• Pennsylvania State Police
filed DUI charges against a West Chester woman after a one-car accident on
Route 1 at State Farm Drive in Concord Township. The woman was not injured,
police said. According to the report, Nicole Wagner, 39, was driving south on
Route 1 when she lost control of her car due to high speed. The car struck a
median, careened into a snow bank on the right shoulder and overturned, the
report said. Wagner was charged with DUI in district court and released. The
accident happened Feb. 2, shortly after 10 p.m.
• Police reported that a Trane
air conditioning unit was stolen from the property at 1414 West Baltimore Pike
in Chadds Ford Township sometime between Dec. 15 and Jan. 31. The unit was
valued at $5,000. No other information was provided.
• The Ski Bum shop on Route 1
in Concord Township was ripped off to the tune of $90 about 3:15 p.m. on Feb.
2. Police are looking for two men in connection with the robbery. One is a
white male, about 6-feet 1-inch and 250 pounds. A police report said the man
had a shaved head and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and
black and white sneakers. He reportedly entered the store, placed a sweater
under his clothing, then left the store and got into a black Dodge Nitro.
Police believe the registration number of the car is 2769034, but are uncertain
in what state the car is registered.
The report also said the car was driven to the corner of the parking lot and a
black male, about 5-feet 8-inches, 150 pounds and wearing glasses left the
vehicle, walked to the Ski Bum with two brown shopping bags and tried to return
merchandise. The manager told the man to leave, police said. He complied,
returned to the car and fled. Anyone with information is asked to phone the
state police at 484-840-1000.
• State police from the
Avondale barracks charged Kelly Ann Jordon, 29, of Kennett Square with DUI
following a one-car crash in Pennsbury Township, according to a police press
release. The release said the accident happened in the northbound lane of Route
1 south of Independence Way on Feb. 2 about 5:15 p.m. No other information was
provided.
• Troopers from the Avondale
barracks have accused David Martinez, 27, from West Grove, in connection with a
series of retail thefts involving grocery stores. A police report said Martinez
and another person stole food items from the Giant Store in Penn Township and
from Superfresh and Genuardi‘s in East Marlborough.
• At least four Concord
Township residents had items stolen from their cars between 6 p.m. on Feb. 3
and 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 4, according to a state police report. Stolen from the
vehicles were computer equipment, portable GPS devices, power tools and “a
large sum of cash,” the report said. One of the cars was locked and was broken
into, the others had been left unlocked. The incidents happened on Concord Road
and Heritage Drive.
• DUI charges were filed
against a Wilmington woman following a 2:30 a.m. traffic stop on Route 202 at
Applied Card Way on Feb. 6. State police reported that Anna Pandelakis, 22, was
stopped for traffic violations when it was determined she was DUI.
• Two people were apprehended
for stealing baby formula from the Walgreens Pharmacy on Route 202, state
police said. According to a report, John Kevin Carey, 30, of Ridley Township
and Karen Marie Lare, 26, of Glenolden were arrested a few hours a few hours
after the Feb. 4 incident.
• State police charged Edmond
DeVincentis, 37, of Wilmington, with DUI shortly after 10 p.m. on Feb. 4, a
police report said. He was stopped on southbound Route 202 at Route 1,
according to the report.
• On Feb. 5, state police
stopped David Kelly, 27, of West Chester at routes 1 and 202. The report said
he was arrested for DUI, but various other charges were also filed.
• A West Chester woman had a
purse stolen from her unlocked car that was parked at the Wawa on Route 202 at
Dilworthtown Road in Chadds Ford Township. Police said the incident happened
between 8:15 and 8:20 p.m. on Feb. 2. Anyone with information is asked to call
PSPO at 484-840-1000.
• Ryan Peter Gades, 26, of West Chester, was
charged with DUI after a traffic stop in Chadds Ford Township, a police report
said. He was stopped, according to the report, after he was seen committing a
traffic violation at Creek Road and Master’s Way at 2:12 a.m. on Feb 8. Police
said Gades was determined to be under the influence of alcohol and that he admitted
to using marijuana.
Police log Feb. 10 Read More »
Keep the event pure
It’s not a financial scandal
with millions of dollars being funneled illegally. It’s not a matter of abuse
of power by an over-reaching government. It was nothing more than an innocent
oversight, but it should have been avoided.
The third annual plein air fund-raising event for the
Chadds Ford Historical Society was last weekend. Plein air painting is done outside, all of it, from initial sketch
to final brush stroke.
Jacalyn Beam, a plein air artist and the chairman of the
historical society event said in an interview for a preview story:
“Our show remains one of the
purist [plein air events] because you
paint that day and there’s no opportunity for people to go home and fix it two
days later in the studio. The paintings are still wet. That’s the charm. It’s
the beauty. There ‘s a look to that kind of painting that’s very different.”
Artists get an officially
stamped canvas that must be used to enter a painting in the “wet paint sale”
held Saturday evening.
Unlike the previous two years,
though, this year’s event was held over two days with artists getting
officially stamped canvases on Friday as well as Saturday. Ms. Beam said the
society decided to do that because of a threat of inclement weather, despite
the fact that a snow date had been scheduled.
Along with that change, though,
came another. Artists who picked up canvases for use Friday were not required
to turn them in at the end of that day. Without turning in a canvas on Friday,
there’s no way of knowing whether an artist did all the work in the field as
required.
No one is accusing any of the
29 artists of starting a painting in the field Friday, then going inside to
finish it that night or early the next morning. It could have happened, though.
Ms. Beam said she knows of artists from other plein air events who don’t always play by the rules.
Again, this is not an
accusation of cheating and, even if an artist did fudge, it’s not the worst
thing that could happen. Yet, the integrity of plein air purity, as the chairman referred to in the first
interview, does come under question.
It’s a great event. Artists
love it. Patrons love it The Chadds Ford Historical Society needs the revenue.
We hope the event goes on for generations, but the integrity of the event
should be maintained, and it can, easily.
The society should either go
back to a one-day only event or, if two days, require artists to turn in their
canvases at the end of both days; not just Saturday.
Keep the event pure Read More »
The Appraising Eye: The value of sports memorabilia
An estimated 111 million
people watched the Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the XLV
Super Bowl Championship becoming the most watched program in American TV
history. However the Federation
Internationale de Football Association claims that more international
viewers tune into the World Cup match.
Regardless,
people love to watch a competitive sporting event. Sports fans show support to
a team or sports superstar in a variety of ways including purchasing event
tickets, t-shirts, hats or sports programs of their favorite team or
championship game. Thousands of people also engage in the hobby of collecting
sports memorabilia.
The sports
memorabilia market has become a big industry. Countless pieces of sports attire
and objects have been sold for significant sums particularly if the object is
rare. For example in August 2005 the Babe Ruth World
Tour uniform, the uniform worn by Ruth during an off-season tour to Japan and
other countries, sold at auction for $771,000. Sports memorabilia collectors are passionate and it only
takes two bidders to drive up the price of an object. In 1999, prior to the
steroid scandal, Mark McGuire’s 70th homerun ball sold for $3.5
million at auction.
Collecting sporting objects is not a recent phenomenon.The
sports collectibles hobby came into existence in the 1880s with the
introduction of artistic portrayals of 19th century baseball players on cards. Used
as a marketing strategy these cards were often attached to cords included in
boxes containing tobacco and candy products.
The T-206 Honus Wagner became the most
popular promotional card issued and is still considered today to be the ‘Rolls
Royce’ of all sports cards. From 1909 to 1911, a limited number of T-206 Honus
Wagner cards were insured by the American Tobacco Co. In 1991, the T-206 Honus
Wagner card was sold in a public auction for $451,000 and resold to a private
collector in 2007 for over $2 million.
By the 1950s significant production of sports cards
began when Topps®, Bazooka® bubble gum manufacturer, began producing trading
cards. Topps produced its first baseball set in 1951 but it was the 1952
set that really brought the modern sports trading card to life when cards for
Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were created.However, no sophisticated
secondary market existed until approximately 1970. By that time, sports cards
had been produced for most of the major sports. Significant interest on the
part of collectors resulted in the creation of hobby trade shows. Throughout
the decade these trade shows steadily grew in both frequency and size.
In the early 1980s, the sports collecting hobby had
grown significantly. This decade saw tremendous growth as noteworthy numbers of
people began collecting not only sports cards but a variety of sports
memorabilia. Sports collectibles
was no longer considered as a ‘kid’s hobby’.
The present day finds the industry
rapidly expanding. Estimates suggest that as many as $6 billion is spent
annually on sports collectibles. Sports collectibles have expanded to include
not only sports cards but autographed uniforms and equipment from a variety of
sporting events and individuals. Even event memorabilia such as tournament
programs or tickets to sporting events can become a collectible item.
In summary, due to the vast number
of collectors, the hobby has now become big business. Sports art, while in
existence since the introduction of the first sports card in the 1880’s, has
now become increasingly popular with upscale hobby collectors. There are now
many recognized sports artists who have received national recognition and are
highly sought after by hobby collectors.
How do you find out what your
sports collectibles are worth? To determine the value of your sports memorabilia check pricing on-line
or reference guides created by publishers such as Beckett and Krause which can
be found at your local library or bookstore. Remember that the pricing guides are printed annually and
the prices for sports memorabilia can change weekly. If you have a significant
collection, a formal written appraisal may be more appropriate for insurance or
estate planning purposes.
So what is the value of a Super Bowl
ring? For Aaron Rodgers and his
team mates—Priceless.
* Colleen Boyle is an appraisal consultant for Freeman’s,
America’s oldest auction and appraisal company. She holds advanced degrees in art history and a diploma in
French fine and decorative arts from Christie’s, Paris. She has appraised art and antiques for
private collectors and corporations throughout the U.S. and regularly publishes
articles about art and antiques.
610-470-5340 (phone) cbfineart@gmail.com,www.freemansauction.com
About Colleen Boyle
The Appraising Eye: The value of sports memorabilia Read More »