Player Memorabilia and Auto's I really want Part 1.

Most of you know that I collect memorabilia. I have bobble heads, seats from Old Busch, scoreboard cards from Old Busch, certified autographs, autographed insert cards, and memorabilia cards. I have a pretty good collection, almost exclusively Cardinals stuff. I used to have a ton of stuff from other Hall of Famers, but I liquidated a good bit of it to pay for this and that. My collection ranges from Mike Gallego, to Johnny Hopp, but there have always been a few guys that I have always wanted that I have just never been able to obtain. Of course the prized crown jewel of my collection is an autographed photo containing the signature or Willie Mays, Stan Musial, and Ted Williams. Of course the names on this list are a list of signatures that I consider obtainable. Some signatures truly aren't obtainable such as Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, or the like. The true legends from the early period of baseball are really hard to even find, much less pay for when you do, autographs just weren't as prevalent back then. So I am putting no signature on my list that would cost more than 1,000 dollars to buy. That excludes Rogers Hornsby, even though he could be found, and bought, but he barely misses the cut with his signature going in the 1000-1500 dollar range for an average sample.

1. Branch Rickey - The GM who put together the Gas House Gang. He is a legend, and few people realize just how big an effect he had on the game. Mr. Rickey (as Diz called him when he really wanted something) was the sole inventer of the modern Minor League Baseball system. Before him and his vision, all minor league teams were indenpendenly owned, with all of their players being independently contracted. Not only that he was the GM responsible for bring Jackie Robinson to the big show. He barely makes my criteria as his signatures at the bottom end are just below the 1000 dollar mark.

2. Dizzy Dean - An absolute legend. Not just for his playing, more so for his antics and personality. He won 30 games in 1934 and maybe might have been the most confident player to play the game. Its amazing that I don't have one of these auto's yet, since they are easily obtained, and always available on ebay in PSA certified variety. They are actually fairly affordable for a player of his stature due to his staying in baseball as a broadcaster until his death. He had a good look period of fan exposure and he signed a ton, so you can find this one in a good example for around 300 dollars.

3. Peyton Manning - Probably my favorite football player, and I have just recently decided that I would pursue non-baseball auto's for some of my favorite players. He isn't hard to obtain, although his can be pricey.

4. Tim Duncan - See above.

5. Tony LaRussa and Whitey Herzog - Career managers are hard auto's to get especially if you are looking for a released baseball card with a certified auto. These are two very different but very important managers in Cardinals history. The price isn't an issue so much here, as just finding a good one on a medium that you like.

There will be a part 2 to this.