Collecting sports memorabilia has been a hobby of mine for many years and recently I acquired a couple of pieces that I’m thrilled to add to my collection.

I don’t know when I first started collecting memorabilia, but I’m sure I was very young and it all began with a pack of baseball cards my uncle gave me in 1972. The first piece of memorabilia was probably a Jamestown Expos program or baseball that I had the team autograph. Or maybe it was the Harlem Globetrotters program I had the team autograph in 1978.

Regardless of when it began, it’s a hobby I still enjoy today, however, my collection pales in comparison to that of some of my friends.

Guys like the late Wayne McCombs, my buddy Robert Taylor, who has been on the radio show, or my friend Doug Eaton, practically own a museum worth of memorabilia. What I have, wouldn’t fill a museum, but it would make a cool exhibit. Frankly, most of what I have means a lot to me but may not be worth a whole if I tried to sell any of it.

I have a lot of programs and media guides from various sports teams. I’m particularly fond of my autograph collection, which again isn’t huge, but it means a lot to mean because most of the autographs were obtained in person, which means I actually got to meet many of these sports stars. I sure have met a lot of professional athletes over the years, but for some when I was younger, I would send a letter to a player and often include a baseball card or photo for them to autograph and return.

It’s funny how a collection can grow over the years. You begin modestly with a couple autographs or signed programs and the next thing you know is you’re near retirement age and your wife is asking you to sell some of this stuff or give it away.  Hold on, I’m not quite there yet, but I know some of my friends have arrived at that point ahead of me.

Recently, my friend Doug, mentioned above, told me that he was at the point where he wanted to downsize his collection. He had a couple of Montreal Expos game used uniforms he would like to sell and knowing that I’m a huge Expos fan (and former employee of the team) he offered to sell me a couple jerseys for less than what he paid for them.

Well, who can turn down such a great deal? Not me, and regardless of what my wife may think, I’m not ready to downsize my collection just yet. Besides, I don’t have very many uniforms in my collection, and the only other Expos uniform I have is one of the home sets worn by Wilfredo Cordero. The jersey happens to be autographed, and although I knew him when he played for the Jamestown Expos, I purchased this uniform online many years ago.

The new jerseys are a home white jersey that was worn by former Expos pitcher Steve Frey, and the road powder blue jersey worn by infielder Tom Foley. Both uniforms are from the 1991 season. I had met both players way back in the 1980s but didn’t know either of them very well. However, I’m like a kid again, being able to add these to my collection.

For now, I will continue to add to my collection, but not nearly at the pace I did when I was younger. If something happens to fall in my lap that is free or very inexpensive, I might go for it, but I don’t intend to invest a whole lot at this point. Afterall, there will come a day when I’ll have to downsize and just hope that day isn’t any time soon.

TULSA BEACON RADIO

Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week, my guests will be Brannon Hollingsworth, COO & Chief Creative Officer of Brainy Pixel Productions, and concert pianist Barron Ryan. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.