xml:lang=”en” lang=”en” xmlns=”http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml”>
Where Forth Art Thou, Steve Bartman? 29th National Sports Collectors Convention Offers Chicago Cubs Fan Record $ 25,000 to Sign One Autograph
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) July 24, 2008
The most money ever offered for one autograph is on the table, literally, at the 29th Annual National Sports Collectors Convention, scheduled for July 30 – August 3 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.
Show organizers and SportsBuy.com (formerly NAXCOM.com), a Sports Online Sales & Auction firm, announced today that a briefcase filled with $ 25,000 – that’s 250 $ 100 bills – is being offered to Steve Bartman on “Redemption-Reward Thursday” (July 31, 2008) at the annual sports collectibles convention.
The Bartman signing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, July 31, in the Tristar Autograph Pavilion inside the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
“No one in sports memorabilia history has ever been paid $ 25,000 to sign one autograph – not Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, or any other athlete,” said Mike Berkus, co-Executive Director of The National.
“All Steve has to do is show up, prove he is in fact the real Steve Bartman – not some earphone-wearing imposter – and he’ll move to the top of the autograph value list,” said Wesley Hein, CEO of SportsBuy.com.
The photograph that The National organizers want Bartman to sign is, of course, the infamous image from Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins. Once the picture is signed, it will be auctioned on SportsBuy.com to the general public with net proceeds being donated to a Chicago-based charity. This photo, signed by Steve Bartman, would be, arguably, the most sought-after collectible in the history of sports memorabilia.
“Steve Bartman has been a recluse for years, but we’re hopeful that he will accept our invitation and generous offer to appear at The National,” Berkus said. “We have personal security to provide to Steve at The National and to a destination of his choosing.”
If Bartman accepts the offer, he immediately will vault into an autograph stratosphere of his own. Just consider the past prices and values of former athletes for one autograph:
Babe Ruth: $ 10,000
Shoeless Joe Jackson: $ 7,500
Lou Gehrig: $ 5,000
Michael Jordan: $ 2,500
Joe DiMaggio: $ 2,000
Mickey Mantle: $ 1,000
About The National
The National Sports Collectors Convention was first held in 1980 at the Los Angeles International Airport Marriott. The National has since been held in locations across America, including St Louis, Cleveland, Atlantic City, Atlanta, Houston and Detroit, among other places. The National is the largest annual sports memorabilia convention in the world, highlighted by 100,000+ attendees at a past National. This is the only sports collectibles show in the world that has full support from all of the major card manufacturers, card grading services, auction houses as well as from the licensees of these groups. The National has attracted some of the biggest names in sports to sign autographs, including Wayne Gretzky, Joe DiMaggio, Muhammad Ali, Cal Ripken Jr., Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, Joe Namath and others. The National’s Autograph Pavilion also has expanded to include entertainment celebrities including the rock group KISS, renowned director Penny Marshall and TV personalities, such as Cindy Williams, Ruth Buzzi, Jon Provost and others.
About SportsBuy.com
SportsBuy.com (formerly NAXCOM.com) is the market leading online exchange for sports collectibles featuring over 10 million listings of sports collectibles. SportsBuy.com has been promoting the West Coast’s largest sports collectible show since 1991 and expanded onto the Internet in 2001 providing the safest online marketplace for the Sports Collectibles Industry. In 2006, SportsBuy.com acquired ThePit.com from The Topps Company and in 2007, SportsBuy.com launched auctions [http://www.sportsbuy.com
SportsBuy.com contact:
Shelli Andranigian, (818) 507-0221
To schedule interviews with officials from the 29th National Sports Collectors Convention, or autograph experts, contact Ross Forman at: (847) 542-9350
###
©Copyright 1997-, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
