Why Your Company Needs to Consider a Holiday Auction

Derek Dye

The weather is getting colder, the days shorter, and the holidays are right around the corner. Over the next few weeks, your donors will spend countless hours shopping online for the PERFECT gift for their loved ones. Every year, these gift givers spend days or often weeks surfing the web with so many options, all of which seem to be generic or not just right and by the time they find a gift they believe the recipient will like, are forced to pay a fortune in express shipping as they anxiously await to see if the items will arrive before the holiday. Help your donors give a hassle-free, one-of-a-kind gift that the recipients will LOVE this holiday… all while benefiting your cause!

This holiday season raise funds for your organization through a NO COST Holiday Auction. When looking for a gift for the holidays, gift givers want something that the recipient is going to be able to enjoy for a long time to come. Autographed memorabilia are the perfect gifts because they can be enjoyed time and time again and not to mention, there’s all kinds of memorabilia for every person out there! Whether you’re a fan of sports, movies, TV, politics or history, Sports Collectibles has unique items that will blow away your donors and their loved ones this holiday.
So how exactly do these holiday auctions work?

NO RISK, NO COST, ALL REWARDS
Sports Collectibles offers the auctions at no cost to the non-profit. We take care of everything including preparing the items, framing the products, and shipping the items securely to the winning bidders. This makes it purely a no risk, all reward auction!

Each piece of memorabilia provided for the auction comes on consignment. There are no consignment or set up fees to the non-profit for Sports Collectibles online auctions. If the items sell, your organization makes money. If the items do not sell, we simply put them back into stock to sell at a later date.

WHAT GOES INTO EACH HOLIDAY AUCTION?
Sports Collectibles hand picks items in high demand this holiday season, as well as top selling items that are location specific to where your donors are located.

WE HANDLE THE SETUP:
Sports Collectibles takes care of getting these items framed, professionally photographed and preparing all the data ready for upload into the BidPal platform. You simply enable the auction to go live through your OneCause account and share the auction with your supporters.

WHEN SOMEONE PLACES A BID, HOW DO THEY GET THEIR ITEM?
These items are set aside in our warehouse prior to the start of each auction, ready to be securely packed and shipped within 1 business day of the close of auction. Your organization provides us with the shipping information of the winning bidders or to your organization, for bidders that would like to pick up. All items are then shipped to each winner and arrive within 5 business days of the auction end, safely and securely. Tracking information is provided to your organization and each winning bidder for them to eagerly track their soon-to-be best gift they will give this year!

MAKE IT AN ALL-AROUND AUCTION!
Non-profits are encouraged to add gift cards, vacations, or other items from their local communities (i.e. gym memberships & couple massages) to the auction to make it a one-stop-shop for multiple gifts this holiday season.

Invest In Trae Young Memorabilia Now

Derek Dye

Even at 180 pounds soaking wet, Trae Young is destined to be a giant in the memorabilia industry. Despite playing on a rebuilding Hawks, Young is putting the league on notice. Trae Young burst onto the scene in 2017 when he was breaking scoring records at Oklahoma. In his one season in his hometown of Norman, OK, Young posted an unthinkable 27 points, 4 rebound and 8.7 assists line earning him 1st Team All-American Honors. As we have seen with undersized guards coming out of college, the skeptics were unsure if Young’s flashy game would translate to the pro level. Trae Young quieted his critics with a 1st Team All-Rookie team in 2018. The Hawks guard known as “Ice Trae” was efficient as a first year player and the momentum has shown early in 2019-2020.

Trae Young dazzled in his 2019 season opener with nearly posted a triple double in Detroit. Young’s unqiue style on the court has novice fans noticing his talents. The Hawks are one of the lesser followed teams in the sport but Trae Young will certainly be on network television often as his game has become must-see TV. Many experts have likened his game to that of a young Stephen Curry. The three point shooting, flashy passing and exceptional handles are on par with Curry. The sky is the limit for Trae Young at 21-years old. His Rookie card market has taken off with many collectors bidding his prices up. Keep an eye on where to get a Trae Young autograph for under $50. His signed cards are often posted to eBay with affordable starting bids.

Trae Young’s memorabilia market is growing rapidly with each big game. Signed Spalding Basketballs are the most common collectible selling on a daily basis. The Hawks unique black jersey with highlighter yellow are big sellers in the NBA shops, too. Young’s signature is relatively full compared to many other rookies. You will see a full “T”, followed with some wavy “rae”. The last name has a big, loopy “Y” with a decent “oung” behind it. It today’s signature climate, anything more than a first and last initial can be considered a small victory. We have not seen very many signatures with the #11 involved which is good and bad in case he ever changes numbers or teams. The best item to get signed to protect your long-term value is an official NBA basketball.

Players like Trae Young do not come around very often and when they do, it is a mad dash to get early signatures from the star. His market is growing rapidly as he makes his case for the Eastern Conference All Star team. Oklahoma basketball fans have had the privilege of seeing Blake Griffin and Buddy Hield but Trae Young was the most sensational of all of them. Young is now the face of the Hawks and soon could be the face of Atlanta sports who desperately need some positive news. The Hawks are a team on the rise and need to be taken seriously in 2019-2020.

If Myles Garrett Isn’t On Your Radar … He Should Be.

Derek Dye

Watch out Tom, Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns defense are coming for you! After a week 7 bye, the Cleveland Browns, will travel to Gillette Stadium to take on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The Browns defense have been showing that they are the real deal with Myles Garrett being tied for #1 in the league with 9 sacks and Joe Schobert being tied for #1 in the league with 62 tackles. Brady has been sacked 7 times in the last 2 games but has sneaked away with the win. The Patriots will play the New York Jets week 7 and if they win, they’ll be 7-0 facing the Browns. Can the Browns be the team to knock off the undefeated Patriots? Baker Mayfield will need to be perfect. Nick Chubb should be strong, as well as Jarvis Landry and OBJ.

This batch of Browns jerseys were signed in 2019 and were witnessed by JSA.

What makes Myles Garrett so unique is his personality. Myles off the field is a tranquil, thoughtful soul but on the field he is an absolute menace. Quarterbacks fear seeing, or not seeing #95 in brown coming on the edge. At only age 23, Myles Garrett has 29.5 career sacks. One pace for over a dozen per season. Garrett’s mantle will be full of trophies and accolades if he can continue that torrid pace. Cleveland who has been a laughing stock of the league during the 2010’s, nailed their 2017 1st Round pick with the kid out of Texas A&M, Myles “Flash” Garrett. Garrett should be considered for a long-term contract extension very soon.

In the sports memorabilia industry, Myles Garrett is a unicorn. Garrett has yet to conduct a public autograph signing and has only signed with us in 2019. From our signing in Cleveland, we have accumulated a great stock and variety of items: Trading Cards, Jerseys, Helmets, Football and Photos. Garrett gives a strong autograph.

For other Browns signed memorabilia and collectibles, check out our authentic Browns store.

Grandfathered In, Cubs’ Ross Changes Roles

Derek Dye

The Chicago Cubs made a big change in the organization hiring fan-favorite David Ross. Some refer to the 2-time World Champ as “Grandpa Rossy” after he had a tour with Dancing with the Stars in 2017 after winning the World Series in his final year as a pro with the Cubs. The Last game being one of the biggest highlights of any career. He was pinch hitting in Game 7 of the World Series and in his only at bat hit a go-ahead Home Run to help lift the Cubs to their first World Series Championship in 108 years.

Will Cubs regret replacing their best Manager is club history?

Now the former Gator will face an even bigger challenge which is to help manage the Cubs team he was on only a few seasons ago to replicate the magic he helped create in 2016. After letting Joe Maddon depart for the job in Los Angles with the Angels and Mike Trout the Cubs decided to go with a guy that they already knew was a huge figure in the clubhouse before. He should be familiar with the pitching staff he caught back in 2016 with Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Pedro Strop. He will also be familiar with many of the position players that he will now be coaching daily. Guys like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora, Javy Baez, Wilson Contreras and Addison Russell. Upper management has hinted personnel changes may be on the horizon with two subpar season for the high standard in Chicago.

This is the continuity that the front office of the Cubs wanted to keep together to help the Cubs get back to the World Series in 2020 and beyond. The other challenge for David Ross will be this upcoming offseason with the Cubs to help get players he and Theo believe can help the Cubs become a World Series contender. A poll on our Twitter page showed mixed reviews of both hirings. Which team got the better skipper?

Never Finished – Hockey Continues to Boom in Finland

Nina Haaskivi

You probably haven’t thought that much of Finland. Don’t worry, most people haven’t. As a first generation American with two Finnish parents, I think of Finland every day. More specifically Finnish hockey. It’s not the only thing we’re good at, but even if you don’t know anything about Finland, you know we’re a cold weather climate perfect for skating ponds and pick up games. For a country so small, to have such success on the international hockey stage is astounding. As the reigning World Champions; Finnish players, specifically goalies, are commonplace around the NHL. But it wasn’t always the case.

Depending on who you ask, the first Finnish player in the NHL was Matti Hagman or Pentti Lund. Lund is credited as being the first Finnish born player in the NHL. If you ask the NHL history books, he’s Finnish-Canadian. Matti Hagman is highlighted as the first Finnish born and trained player to play in the NHL, having played for the Boston Bruins, Quebec Nordiques and the Edmonton Oilers. Finnish names used to be few and far between in the NHL, we don’t blame you for not being able to pronounce them. In the 80’s we had Jarri Kurri, playing on the legendary Oilers teams. In the 90’s and into the 2000’s we had Teemu Selanne, the Finnish Flash who paved the way for the explosion of Finnish players we have today. Since 2013, there have been seven Finnish top 10 NHL Draft picks. At any point in the last 20 years, many of the top goalies of the NHL have been Finnish. The Boston Bruins hot 2019 start cannot be separated from the outstanding play of Finnish netminder Tuuka Rask. Internationally, Finland is the reigning World Champion, winning under the radar in a tournament dominated by NHL stars from Canada and the United States. It shouldn’t make sense to be so successful but somehow Finland makes it happen.

Personally, I can’t point to any one specific trait that all Finnish players have that could have lead to such a disproportionate amount of success but I’ll make an attempt here. In Finland, we have a term called Sisu. It’s a word that has no literal English translation but it defines what it means to be Finnish. It’s frequently defined as “the Finnish spirit,” but that’s not an accurate description in my mind. Sisu is the will to win after others would have given up. Sisu is the ability to press through pain, defeat all the odds, and find a way to succeed when no one thinks it’s possible. Through the long Finnish winter, 24 hours of darkness and tons of snow, you develop something inside of you that helps you push though the tough times.
If I could put together an All-Time Finnish roaster, you would all be bored. However, in order to narrow it down to an All-Time Finnish Line, I need to suspend reality for a moment. The two best Finnish players in the history of the NHL play the same position. Teemu Selanne and Jarri Kurri are both NHL Hall of Fame inductees and still hold NHL records. If one of them could switch to Left Wing, my life would be a lot easier. I can’t pick just one. My starting Finnish Line (and their goalie) would have to be a combo of Selanne, Kurri, and the phenomenal Saku Koivu. Not only did he spend 18 seasons in the NHL, about 10 of them as captain of the Montreal Canadiens, but he did it all after beating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma early in his NHL career. If that’s not Sisu, I don’t know what is. When selecting a Finnish goalie, I have a lot of greats to choose from. My personal choice would be Miikka Kiprusoff. His awards and statistics speak for themselves. With scores of talented goalies, it’s a huge statement to say that he may be the greatest Finnish goalie of all time. One day we may be saying that about Tuuka Rask but let’s focus on one goalie at a time here.

To be honest with you all, this has taken far longer than I thought it would if only because there are so many talented Finnish players in the NHL today. The future of Finnish hockey looks bright and for once, it’s not only because we have goalies that can stop the other team from scoring. The next time you see a last name on the ice with too many vowels to make sense, stop and think of the small but strong country that’s proud to see one of its own suit up in the NHL.