This has been a very refreshing weekend for me. As a Mets fan living, working and breathing the Yankee brand of baseball can get to you after a while. It's not that I don't have friends on the team and friends that support the team...it's just not who I am. With the above in mind it is awesome to, every now and then, have a few days where my sole focus in both work and leisure is the New York Mets brand of baseball. The past three days have been just that.
Friday evening we had former Mets manager Davey Johnson appearing at Last Licks Scarsdale. I have always been a huge fan of Davey as, I am assuming, all Metropolitan supporters are. The role of manager as it pertains to memorabilia is truly hit or miss though. When doing a team signed piece the manager is arguably the most important person on the baseball. Traditionally the coveted sweetspot is saved for him. Single signed collectibles is a whole other ballgame. Joe Torre has always been the exception to that rule as his line of signed memorabilia has sold extremely well over the years (4 world series rings doesn't hurt obviously...world series wins equals celebration photos/carry off images). I was thinking about the pat few sentences on the way over to Scarsdale mid-afternoon Friday. Several hours later I was pleasantly surprised by the great crowd that came out for Davey as well as the strength of the product I got signed for our inventory. People came out of the woodwork with their multi-signed Mets pieces and each one thanked Johnson for the '86 season. I then kind of realized that everything I said about the gamble of manager's collectibles applies to every market but New York (save a few all-timers like my boy Tony LaRussa). If and when you win here you are an immortal... and that really showed in the adulation the fans that did come out gave to Davey. People forget too that Davey was an unbelievable player. He was a teammate of Hank Aaron when Henry blasted number 715 and also got the last ever hit off of Sandy Koufax (I have some great video to be posted tomorrow actually talking about that hit off of Sandy). All in all it was a fantastic signing... and we have some stellar inscription pieces to prove it. Check back over the next few days for images of these tremendous collectibles.
Then came Saturday where we had Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) appearing at the Steiner Store. This was my first time working with Frankie and, I must say, he was as nice as can be. There was a huge crowd on hand for this and it absolutely roared as he walked over to the table. Rodriguez , who has the all-time single season save record, is saving games at a torrid pace. I always joke around with Mariano about how lights out he is and how spoiled the Yankee fans are because of it. I have told Mo on numerous occasions about my spells of nausea every time a closer enters the game(I am not going to go down the list entirely but Benitez and Looper come to mind)... my sickness has subsided entirely thus far this season. K-Rod is as lock down as it gets in the ninth and, when you have that going for you, a team can easily ride a horse such as him all the way deep into October. Anyway, it seemed like every fan in attendance was wearing a K-Rod shirt. I have rarely seen a free agent come to the Mets (especially a reliever) and win over the fans this quickly. What is even better is that Frankie reciprocates the love as he talked to everyone and each and every fan got a photo with the star. After the public portion concluded Rodriguez signed some stellar product including Mets replica pitching rubbers, Citi Field commemorative baseballs (with and without the 1st Save 4/6/09 inscription) and some great photos. Just like I said earlier about manager's memorabilia there are only handful of relievers and closers that are a must-have for any collector...K-Rod is one of them.
My National League weekend ended today at Citi Field where I attended my second game of the season. Truthfully the stadium still feels and looks so strange to me. I practically grew up at Shea (as did many) and despite it's dumpiness (not sure if that is a word but if it is it 100% describes Shea) I loved it. We all experienced some incredible moments there and it was the loudest park in the country (several players, including Bernie Williams, have told me that). I think over the course of the season it will feel more like home as people will spend more time in their seats rather than exploring (same can probably be said for the gorgeous amusement park in the Bronx). Despite my reservations about the field it is always awesome to be amongst Mets fans (which is what made this weekend superb). I read an article a few years ago (wish I could recall who wrote it) that talked about how fans bond over losses not wins. It is the devastating defeats that endear us to each other...not championships. People sit around bars talking about how they were there when Kenny Rogers walked in the winning run to lose the 1999 NLCS or that they were there when Piazza just missed a home run to prolong the 2000 World Series or where they were when Yadi went deep off of Heilman (I was at LaGuardia deplaning after travelling back from Detroit where I was doing Tigers signings). All the losses are what makes us Mets fans so it is always cool to be around those who have felt the pain...all those bad losses are what bonds us and what is going to make it all the more sweeter when we nail championship #3. Anyway, today's game was a nail biter but, at the end of the day, Frankie locked in up in the ninth to notch his fourteenth save in as many tries. As I said earlier a great closer can take you to the promised land so, after all the heartache and collapses, things are looking good in Metsville.

This is going to be a whirlwind of a week. With the Yankees coming home we have several signings scheduled as well as some great appearances over the upcoming weekend. I will try my best to update this forum daily but will unquestionably be tweeting...so be sure to check me out on there as well.
Enjoy what is left of the weekend! Let's Go Mets!


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A few quick and random thoughts (I will be doing full signing recaps later in the weekend)
-Last night's Davey Johnson appearance was great. I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and have some stellar product and video to show for it. Be on the lookout for both over the next few days.
-What an awesome day for the K-Rod appearance...all of you can enjoy a beautiful day at Citi Field or outside somewhere and then head over to Roosevelt Field Mall. It should be rocking! I may do some twitter contests in the mall later in the afternoon so, if you're not already, hook yourselves up with the twitter mobile alerts.
-Huge Mets win last night. Santos continues to dominate in the late innings and K-Rod and Putz and absolute beasts.
-Even bigger W by the Lake Show. It is quite conceivable that at the high level they have performed at over the last two games no team (any era) can beat this one in a seven game series. I am tempted to write congratulations but let's save that for after win #4.
-You all may have noticed the lack of photos on the blog of late. I have actually been posting a ton on twitter and, unfortunately, am having a difficult time technically getting them up on here. Hopefully that will be resolved in the next day or so as I have some incredible video as well as pictures to share.
-Lastly- lost in all the excitement of the past few weeks I almost overlooked that fact that there are three Phish shows this week!!

Enjoy the day! Hope to see you all at K-Rod!


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Friday's are always hectic for me. While most are winding down and ready to decompress for a few days I am generally getting amped up for a big weekend of appearances. As you all know this one is no different as we have Davey Johnson appearing at Last Licks Scarsdale this evening (6:30 to 8:00) and Francisco Rodriguez signing at the Steiner Store tomorrow after the Mets game. After a quick trip to Yankee Stadium earlier today I am now spending time pulling blank product, checking sales and getting ready to load up for these two events.
I will hopefully be blogging later tonight (and then tomorrow after K-Rod )so check back for some updates...also check me out on twitter as I will be tweeting frequently throughout the appearances and probably even running a contest (or 2) as well as posting some cool photos.

Have a great weekend! Go Lakers!


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As I spoke about yesterday the grunt work and preparation before a signing (as well as the packing up of, transporting and back end labor after one) is not very exciting. In all actuality though the preparation is what is most vital going into any signing. Granted I have done many on the fly but the work done ahead of time is what makes any signing successful. With that in mind I am now entrenched in assuring that I am fully ready for an intense two weeks. I believe yesterday I left off talking about Saturday's Francisco Rodriguez appearance. After a day off Sunday next week goes into overdrive. Monday I will be at the Yogi Berra Museum conducting a signing. We have several new Berra images (never before seen!) and cannot wait to unveil these on this very site. Then, with the Yankees home for a seven game stand, there are sure to be signings with Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Melky Cabrera and Mariano Rivera. That alone brings us to next weekend when Andy Pettitte is appearing Saturday June 6th at Last Licks Rye. Andy has not signed in public in forever (at least in my memory). The following day, Sunday June 7th, the great Mariano Rivera will be signing at Last Licks Manhattan. My friend Mo has never appeared in the city so that is sure to be a great one as is Saturday's Pettitte event. Then after an off signing day Monday the 8th we have legendary Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz coming up to our office that Tuesday. Just like with Berra I have several new images we will be getting done and will be offering soon after.
Anyway, as you can see we have a ton of spectacular signings and events over the next two weeks. I will do my best to update daily and continue to post photos on twitter. I am really starting to understand the whole twitter thing (at first I was a bit lost on the purpose of it)...and am using it often as a tool for contests and giveaways as well as post some awesome video and photos.

Two quick side notes: Huge Laker win last night!..fueled by the stellar fourth quarter play of Gasol, Odom and #24 as the facilitator. The Lake Show desperately need the big men to step it up again in Game 6 tomorrow so this thing can get closed out sooner than later...
Big Mets win last night! It was interesting game where karma came around when, on a night where Santana has arguably his worst stuff, the offense finally scored for Johan. Even more incredible was that the game featured yet another replay home run which seems to be occuring every night...all in wins so we'll take it. Lastly the game was closed out by an awesome bullpen effort anchored by K-Rod.....who, as you all know, will be appearaing at the Steiner Store Saturday.
There is some real momentum building around this team (amazingly enough considering the skeleton lineup this injury depleted team has been boasting each game) so come out for Davey tomorrow and/or come out for K-Rod Saturday. Aside from getting a photo with and a great autograph these appearances are also a tremendous place to bond with and meet some fellow fans. We, as Mets fans, are the minority here and incredibly outnumbered so any chance to mobilize is awesome. Hope to see you there!
Have a great day!

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We are now in the middle of a quiet signing week. Traditionally a short week after a holiday weekend tends to be stagnant as far as signings go (especially with the Yankees on the road). While there isn't much action I am spending much of my time prepping product and coming up with ideas for what will surely be a crazy two weeks (starting Friday). I know the above seems like a cakewalk but surprising to most..it isn't. As you know from reading this forum there are always time constraints and often piece count restrictions on the signings (especially the public appearances) With that in mind I spend much of my day monitoring sales as to know what we absolutely need and also brainstorming ideas about what we should have... and what we need on certain athletes to hold us over until the next signing. Then when it comes to the public appearances it is necessary to monitor the store's sales as well...which is far from an exact science since we have been getting huge walk-up sales of late. Those of you who have been to some of our publics know that we generally get the athlete there early to try to knock out some of our private items. Ideally this is the best scenario for everyone involved since usually once the public is over the appearee is ready to yabba dabba doo. This usually becomes more difficult with our "after the game" signings. A lot of times we have current players sign after a day game...just like the Nick Swisher signing from last week. We put down a tentative time of 5:30, 6:00 but it generally begins somewhere between 6:30 and 7:30. Those days it is virtually impossible to get any private pieces done before the public and even more difficult to get it done when you are approaching 9:00 at night. It is a fine line to walk and not as easy as it seems... somehow though we have been doing it for years and all usually gets resolved by hook or by crook within a day or so (for example after we finished the Swish appearance he ended up coming up to our office the next day to sign the private items).
With all of the above in mind here is a quick rundown of the next few signings.
Friday night we have Davey Johnson appearing at Last Licks Scarsdale at 6:30. I am expecting this to be just as great as the Doc Gooden signing there last month. I grew up not far from that location and am really trying to keep the Met thing going there. Davey is an awesome guy and a must-have autograph for any avid Mets collector.
Then on Saturday, after the game, we have K-Rod: Francisco Rodriguez signing at the Steiner Store (Roosevelt Field Mall). On the whole K-Rod thing- I had no idea the guy was this nasty. He has one of the sickest curves I have ever seen. He has an unblemished save record thus far donning the Mets uniform and has already become a fan favorite (when was the last time a Met reliever was this popular?) I do not get very excited for these signings anymore but I am incredibly pumped for this one.
As of now Sunday seems like an off day as the Yankees return Monday for a seven game homestand. I have a gut feeling (and some knowledge) that next week will be the busiest in recent memory (with a ton of Yankee signings and appearances)...but that is a story for another post.
Enjoy your day! Great effort Livan! Let's Go Mets! Go Lakers!

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Hope you all had a great holiday weekend. Before I get into this week's excitement on the next post here is a recap of the last few days. Last Thursday was our first private signing with Jorge Posada in quite some time. After much debate we ended up scheduling the signing for late afternoon at Yankee Stadium. As I have said in the past there is nothing fun about doing signings at the stadium...especially close to game time. I loaded up early in the day as I knew it would be a scramble once a location within the ballpark was secured. As you all know it has been a long time since Jorge has signed. Due to the lack of signings we have built up quite possibly the largest amount of send-in/mail order pieces I have ever seen. I knew going into the signing that it was unlikely Posada would complete everything and was preparing myself to make a game-time decision on what was to be signed... little did I know the decision would actually be made for me. Upon arrival at the park I was forced to double-park by Gate 2 and await word on who would be coming to get me to take us to the "Family" room where we were conducting the signing. This took forever as the stadium is basically a "Fort Knox" right now (miss the old days when I would put the blinkers on and head straight to Torre's office). Finally with not much time to spare word was given that security was coming down in a few minutes to escort us (I had two interns with me...ironically one a Laker fan and the other a Nuggets fan..obviously I took the Laker fan with me and the Denver fan drove solo...how can someone outside of Denver be a Nuggets fan?...seriously??) With the few moments allowed we then parked the cars on the third floor of the closest parking garage. Between the three of us we were able to carry two cases of baseballs, two boxes of bats and a box of photos. My rationale at the time was that those pieces were self-explanatory and ready to go...considering how late it was once we finally got to the room I definitely made the right choice. After struggling with the boxes over the course of the mile walk we finally got settled in the room at about 4:25. The signing was slated for five and, after getting set up, I debated heading back out to grab as much more product as I could as there may have been just enough time for another trip. Thankfully we didn't since Jorge showed up about ten minutes earlier and did not have much time to sign. Posada did knock out the signing in no time. We got some awesome product signed (1st stadium homerun baseballs, bats and photos) but it was only the tip of the iceberg for what we will be getting signed at the next session (sometime next week). We finally got packed back up and headed back through the corridor for the longest mile, out the gate and towards the garage. Unfortunately I had not realized that the parking ticket needed to be paid at a pay-station before leaving the garage. I once again caused a scene by backing up, trying to find a pay station and eventually stopping traffic again to pack up the car. Soon after I dodged around the incoming stadium traffic and hit the Degan for the trip home (actually was not as bad as expected or any of my past experiences leaving the park on a game day).
Two quick side notes on that adventure: The "Family" room is awesome. There is food for the kids (full kitchen, stocked refrigerator, mini Oreos) as well as toys, television and a computer. The walls are covered with photos of some Yankees with children (one of Mantle, another of Whitey..etc..)
Secondly, I ran into Reggie Jackson not far from the clubhouse. It is pretty cool that he is regularly around the club and works with the players...always interesting to see some of these athletes in situations other than a signing or an appearance.

While Thursday's experience was a little bit of a schlep Friday's was quite the opposite as Brett Gardner came up to our office for a small private signing. We were able to get images of Brett's inside the park home run from May 15th...the first of it's kind at the new yard. It is one of the strongest photos we have done in a long time (both with inscription and without) and is sure to be one of our best sellers this baseball season. Aside from the photos we also got a limited number of baseballs and bats signed with the "1st Inside the park HR 5-15-09" inscription.
Before the signing I gave Gardner a tour of our new, improved facility. I have really been enjoying seeing people's reaction as finally we are in the perfect spot (we outgrew our old space about three years before we moved)...it truly is impressive. Anyway, Friday was undoubtedly the first of many signings we will be having up here with Brett as I said earlier that photo is soon to become a staple piece.

While the Posada signing is probably the more interesting one of the two I will take Friday's ten times over... nothing better than doing something in house. While I have received countless emails from the blog faithful telling me how cool this job is (and it is cool- don't get me wrong) the lengths and the physicality you must go to expedite some of these signings is ridiculous at times. As I said earlier Thursday was not half as bad as expected but if you read through the blog archives (go back to '06, '07) there are quite a few horror stories (Danica Patrick at the Richmond Speedway for example).... you guys should check out the archives anyway as it is easy to see what the upwards trends were in sports over the past four-five years (just by following me..isn't that nuts?)

Enjoy the rest of the day! Fernando Martinez called up to for the Mets today... should be an interesting evening at Citi...Go Mets! Go Lakers (turn the on-switch back to on tomorrow...please...)!

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This weekend marks the first in quite some time that we have no appearances. Traditionally we never have any on Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day weekends. I have however had plenty of private signings over the years on those holiday weekends and am ecstatic to have none of the above over the next three days. That brings us to next week which will start off relatively quiet but then get extremely busy going into the weekend. With that in mind I will be posting recaps of yesterday's and today's signings on Tuesday rather than today... and also in the hopes that this is a great sports weekend that will include something that can tie all my random thoughts together (lately there has been an uncanny knack for something to do that).
In the meanwhile I will continue to post some cool photos and link some great pages on twitter so be sure to check it out.
Enjoy the weekend! Go Mets! Go Yankees (can't believe I wrote that but they do need to sweep the Phillies)..and, of course, Go Lakers! (need a huge bounce back effort on the road tomorrow night..in 24 we trust!)


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Yesterday, amidst all the Yankeeness, was a big football day here at Steiner. It began in the morning when we were payed a visit by Archie Manning. Archie was in town for another one of our fantastic Times Talk events so he popped in for a small private signing. One of the absolute best product lines that we have gone out with in the past few years is our Manning Family collection. With Archie in town it gave me a perfect opportunity to start another round of these. The triple signed (Archie, Peyton and Eli) footballs and mini-helmets are almost impossible to keep in stock. It seems that as soon as the ink dries on the third name (whoever it may be on that particluar round) the items are already flying off the shelves. While I am a big fan of all the Mannings I particularly enjoy conversating with Archie. He knows so much about football..college in particular so I make sure to probe him for his thoughts on that. One name that did come up is the Giants first round pick Hakeem Nicks. Arch told me that he has heard nothing but glowing reviews of the former Tarheel. I kept that in the back of my mind later in the day when I first met the stellar wide receiver....that is for later in this post though.
Anyway , the signing only took about a half hour at which point we gave Archie a tour of our new facility. Only reason I mention that is there are several kinds of visitors to our warehouse. Archie falls into the shopper category. As he walks the aisles he always spots items he wants framed for his home and notices all the great product. After the tour (and with a stack of photos Archie picked out in my hands) we parted ways...not before he gave me a few Mets jabs (still amazes me that I am known as "the Met fan").
A few hours after the signing I headed down to Last Licks Manhattan for the Hakeem Nicks appearance. There was a decent turn-out considering the kid has yet to play an NFL game. People are definitely excited about the possibilities for the upcoming season and the match-up problems Nicks will most likely present for defenders. He is a very nice guy. Still reeling from the Mets comments made by Archie earlier in the day I did make sure to remind Nicks that Maryland beat up on him second to last game of the 2008 season. After the public was over we got what is sure to be just the beginning of what is bound to be a vast product line surrounding Hakeem... including both Giants and North Carolina mini-helmets, footballs and Giants helmets.
Random sidenote- Found out something interesting about Hakeem...the guy's High School football team was undefeated his entire career there...he had not lost a game until college (that is nuts)

Later today I am headed over to Yankee Stadium for a long-overdue signing that I am sure you all will be either intrested in or have some sort of item on backorder from us. Check back later for a recap..


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...I will be posting most of my photos on Twitter now so be sure to check them out on there. (Go Lakers!)

With all the enthusiasm surrounding the Yankee Stadium demolition it has been all but forgotten that we are right in the middle of one of the most exciting NBA playoffs in several years. As you all know I am a huge hoops fan and am literally counting the hours until the Lakers/Nuggets series tips off tonight. I learned my lesson last season and will not make any bold predictions on this forum. I will, however, say that I am cautiously confident that the Lake Show will prevail not only in the Western Finals but on the biggest stage against LeBron and the Cavs.
While we are known (now more than ever) as a baseball/Yankees company Steiner offers an unbelievably diverse array of NBA product. Probably the best place to start discussing these awesome collectibles is with one of our finest exclusives- Carmelo Anthony. Melo has been with us for quite some time and, with what started as a small partnership on Syracuse item, we have built an impressive memorabilia line around the young star. One of the coolest signing I have done to date was in Denver two years ago with Melo. We actually did the session in the Pepsi Center and I got to see the locker room, training room etc... was unreal. For his age and talent Melo will be a perenial all-star for the next ten-plus years...an absolute must-have for the avid NBA collector.
We move from young Melo to Boston veteran Paul Pierce. I have fauned about Pierce from day one last year. He is one of the nicest athletes I have ever worked with and I am, surprisingly, somewhat disappointed that the Celtics did not advance. It would have been great to face those guys again in the Finals. Interestingly enough Pierce grew up as Lakers fan and talking hoops (and trash) with him ranks up in their in my highlights from the last twelve months. Bottom line is that Pierce is undoubtedly a hall of famer (the rock solidified that) and a no-brainer on the memorabilia side of things.
Speaking of Celtics (and Lakers) we also offer product on two rival Hall of Famers from both sides of the coin...Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. I have done a ton of signings with both and my modest autograph collection (it really is modest as I am not a collector) does contain a few Magics'...I have an old Grateful Dead Great Western Forum yellow tour cap that Johnson signed under the brim for me!) One of my all-time favorite pieces is a dual-signed overhead 16x20 photograph.
Lastly, for all you Knicks and Nets fans anxiously awaiting tonight's draft lottery we have a ton of amazing product on sale right now. These pieces range from unique Clyde Frazier balls and photos to Wilson Chandler collectibles. On the Nets end we can take you back to the glory days of years past...1999-2002 as we have hand-signed memorabilia from Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Speaking of Jason Kidd (another sure-fire hall of famer) we even have some amazing Mavericks photos for sale.
The above is only a starting point (off the top of my head I already can think of three more incredible players we offer that I omitted from the body of this post- John Havlicek!, Alan Houston!, Kevin Garnett!) Check out the rest of this site as it is very easy to search for collectibles from your favorite teams and players.
Since we are in NBA mode I figured I would re post some old photos and video from some basketball signings over the years...hopefully have those up later today
Enjoy the rest of the day! Go Lakers!...and don't forget to touch third base...

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Here is some more great footage from Saturday's Hulk Hogan appearance at Last Licks Armonk..Enjoy!..





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Last night was our appearance at Last Licks Rye with Yankee fan favorite Nick Swisher. I have never seen a player come here and connect with the fans as quickly and as instantaneously as Swish. Later today I will have much more on this appearance as well as some upcoming events we have with Nick in the weeks to come. The shear proof of how much the right-fielder has endeared himself to the Yankee fans is in a current movement that is picking up momentum daily...it is voteswisher. A group of fans started this exercise and already have a huge following... basically the goal is to get Swish voted into the All-Star Game in St. Louis. With that in mind check out this short clip of their fearless leader... and then click on VOTESWISHER.COM and do your part to try to get Nick elected to the game...Enjoy..and vote for Swisher!






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I am finally home from today's stellar appearance with "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. It was as good, if not better, than I imagined. There were the perfect amount of people for both that time frame and store...and the weather pretty much cooperated (was a little nervous about that early this morning as there is no awning on Main Street, Armonk). Years ago, right before our first Hulk appearance, I read a study that stated Hogan is/was one of the top five most recognizable people in the world. He definitely transcends wrestling, sports..everything. That was obvious by the crowd reaction, Hulk's enthusiasm and the smiles on everyone's face. Bottom line is- the icon did not disappoint. He dropped several "whatchu gonna do brother?"s, took photos with everyone, shared Andre the Giant stories with adoring fans and even did a quick Happy Bar Mitzvah video for a pair of twins (the words "Bar MitzvahMania were uttered..I have video to prove it..was so awesome). It was as electrifying a three hours I have had at an appearance in quite some time. Most of the signings are about people wanting autographs for their collection. While everyone did purchase signatures this was truly about getting a little bit of face time and a handshake with the Hulkster. With that in mind these were not your run of the mill Last Licks customers (there were a few sprinkled in- no pun intended) as the Hulkamaniacs were out in full force. Half of the crowd donned their Hogan and NWO shirts while the others sported garb displaying John Cena, Rey Mysterio and The Undertaker. As I said earlier there was absolutely the correct amount of customers there for this type of event. It was a huge crowd but was with maybe a thirty person radius of it getting somewhat out of hand. By "out of hand" I mean that Hogan would have been more pressed for time and people would not have been able to get the full experience (handshake, autograph, quick introduction and a photo with). All in all it was a very fulfilling day and I cannot wait to post the photos and video (hopefully later tonight if not definitely by Monday)...so be on the lookout for some dynamite visuals to go along with this post.
Tomorrow, after the Yankee game, we have new fan favorite Nick Swisher appearing at Last Licks Rye. We have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback on this appearance and it is, already, close to a sell out. If you have yet to purchase a ticket (or two or three..) give the store a call and reserve a spot...it will undoubtedly be another out of sight day at the ice cream store (by the way Hulk flipped for the Last Licks concept- said it was , by far, the coolest sports store he has ever been in).
Enjoy the weekend!..NWO for life...brother...

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Over the past year or so and especially over the last few days (amidst the excitement surrounding the Yankee demo) I have heard one simple question asked over and over again... what was your greatest Yankee Stadium moment? I never really thought about it before...personally the building doesn't really hold a special place in my heart... so truthfully I rarely gave it much attention. Then all of a sudden last night I had somewhat of an epiphany...I have plenty of stadium memories. Most of the work that I have done over the majority of the last decade was predicated on events that took place there. My earliest Yankee Stadium retrospection is of a scorching "Astronomy Domine" at a Floyd concert. It was the opener of a monster night of music at the rarest of venues played by one of the greatest bands of all time (I would have been tempted to say THE greatest had Roger Waters been with the group). After that early summer night in '94 my Yankee experiences remained dormant until I began working at Steiner (the 2000 World Series won't be discussed on my watch).
Then there was 2003. In my last post I veraciously stated that I had only been to the old stadium a handful of times. While this remains true I actually did think of a few more times (so maybe it's 9 times now?). If anything proves my non-allegiance to the Yankees it is the fact that I did not even remember, at first, that I was actually in attendance for the 2003 ALCS Game 7...the Aaron Boone game. I still have pretty vivid memories of anxiously watching (didn't really have rooting interest) and wondering where I would be the next day. As all you faithful readers know my whereabouts are often rooted in who wins. Our business is based on two things..hot market and memories. Sitting in the stands that evening I was absolutely convinced that if the Red Sox were to win I would clearly be up in Boston within twenty four hours. Eventually the game was won by the unlikeliest of heroes and within a day we were at Aaron's apartment expediting the first of several marathon signings.
Then there was 2004...I am sure you are all expecting me to jump right to the ALCS but before that there was actually a huge stadium moment..the Jeter dive. I am fairly certain that any Yankee collector reading this is already the proud owner of a Jeter dive photo. It has and will most likely always be one of our top sellers as it personifies everything good about not only Derek but the game in general. Anyway, I didn't even watch the game. It was not until the following morning that I even saw the highlights. What makes it a potent memory for me is that DJ who is as gracious as anyone I ever met (athlete or not) gave us the opportunity to do a signing less than forty-eight hours removed from the in-stand collision. I did not know Derek very well then as it was maybe, at most, my fifth signing with him. His face was a battered from the incident but we banged out the signing in no time..as always. Since then we have gone on to sell thousands of that iconic photo in several forms and I have done countless signings with Derek.
Then, of course, was the 2004 ALCS... the reverse of the curse. I mention that because that really changed the course of this whole industry as well as history obviously. Once the Red Sox came back from 0-3 and won game 7 at Yankee Stadium it was a foregone conclusion that they would win the title. Once they did..within twenty four hours..I was loaded up with World Series baseballs on my way up to Boston. Truth be told though the World Series that year was not played between Boston and St. Louis...it was between the Yankees and Red Sox. That was reflected in our product line...David Ortiz game winning photos, Johnny Damon game 7 photos and even our best selling team photo was a celebration shot- not from the World Series- but from Game 7 ALCS at Yankee Stadium.
My next vivid Yankee memory is from the beginning of the 2006 playoffs. It was the day of game one of both the ALDS and the NLDS. The Mets and Yankees were both in the playoffs and I was chomping at the bit for retribution..for a rematch from 2000. I was on my way to Yankee Stadium in the early afternoon as I was slated to meet up with Bernie Williams to get about twenty pieces signed that we desperately needed. Bernie, being the true gentleman that he is, obliged and agreed to give me five minutes to convert my backorders. I was about five minutes from 161st and River when I heard the fatal news that El Duque was going to be out for the entire postseason...I was crushed. Anyway, as deflated as I was I got my day credentials and schlepped my product into a small meeting room and got the signing knocked out in no time. Unfortunately though as easy as it was getting into the stadium that was not the case leaving. Have any of you ever tried to leave a parking garage when an entire stadium of people were trying to get in?? It was scary. A sold out Yankee Stadium crowd was headed towards me as I was the sole person trying to escape..I did narrowly avert the danger and made my way out...and am a better driver and stronger person for it.
Then there were a handful of times when I did small signings in Joe Torre's office. I always thought that was pretty awesome. Locker rooms don't do anything for me...just a bunch of guys getting dressed..manager's office though- that's where lineups are decided, players are cut or sent down, decisions are made. I always liked Joe a lot...great guy and we share a mutual friend in Henry Aaron. I won't get into it too much but I definitely recommend his book to any baseball fan as (despite what the perception is) it is not so acutely about the Yankees but moreso about how much the league changed from 2002-2007.
I have one last remembrance (I rarely misremember) of Yankee Stadium. At a friend's request I went to one game over the entire final season. It was on the second to last homestand...do not recall who they were playing. It was, however, the first time I got to view the Yankee-Steiner relationship up close. It was pretty cool to see all the signage at the park and even cooler to see our somewhat meager (it has now grown into a full-fledged store front as I said on my last post) stand. I spent most of the game there talking to fans and it truly was awesome to hear the non-collector's thoughts on all the pieces I had gotten signed. My good feelings ended shortly after that when it took well over an hour to get out of the parking garage (was cursing the stadium under my breathe as the sweet sound of unmitigated honking filled my ears for about sixty minutes).

With all that in my mind I would love to hear some of your Yankee Stadium memories and also, hypothetically if money was no object, what would you personally want from the old park?...I think over the next few weeks you will all be pleasantly surpised by the plethora of affordable collectors items that we will be offering. Email or tweet me your thoughts as it would be cool to compile them and post them in the upcoming days.

See you at Hogan!

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How many people can say they have been to the new Yankee Stadium more times than the old? I actually can...did not really dawn on me until earlier today but it is true. I may realistically be the only person of legal voting age in the world that can boast that. I think I went once when I was very young for a friend's birthday...maybe '84 or '85. Then I didn't go back there until a Pink Floyd concert on June 10, 1994...honestly remember that date (didn't even have to look it up). After that I went to a handful of Mets/Yankees inter league games (didn't make it there for the ill-fated 2000 World Series) and one game towards the end of last season (at a friend's request). That is it. Truthfully I never understood going to a ballpark for a game that is inconsequential to you...why go to a Mets game as a Yankee fan at the same time the Yankees are playing a road game which is being televised?..and vice-versa...that's just me.
I started thinking about the above on my short trip back to the office from both the new and old stadiums about an hour ago. I have been to the new ballpark quite a lot over the past month as those of you following me on Twitter can attest to. We have a spectacular new store inside the mammoth 2009 Yankee Stadium. It carries our finest Yankee product including game used and both signed and unsigned memorabilia. Those of you who have yet to see the store need to pay a visit in between innings, or during one of this weekend's inevitable rain delays, or during one of Dave Eiland's visits to the mound when Veras is on the hill. Quintessentially: it is a must visit... a museum as much as a retail store.
So anyway, after dropping off some brand new product at the new stadium (including cases of the old stadium sod...which is starting to grow on me as an item ... did not mean that to be funny or a play on words..just did not quite understand it when it was being described to me at first..it actually is one of the coolest and affordable pieces we offer) I headed over to the old park to pick up seats. Actually they weren't just any seats...they are the first two sets of seats to get pulled out and leave the ball yard. So after asking security how to get to what once was Gate 4 at the old stadium (told you that I wasn't there that often) I took the two block ride and just stopped. I had no idea how to get to where I was going past the construction. After calling my contact I was instructed to pull up onto a narrow sidewalk and drive basically up to the old ticket window. It was actually pretty cool that what once was a highly populated (at least on game days) place of business was a virtual ghost town (other than a few workers)....a year ago I would have been arrested on the spot for driving there. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed inside as I had no hard hat (actually have a novelty Mets one at home but that probably wouldn't have done the trick). So instead I waited and minutes later the first of two sets of seats were brought out to me. These are literally the first two sets (four seats) taken out of the park and, in yet another moment of irony, were taken out of the ghost town by a die-hard Mets fan who, even with this visit to the old spot today, can count the number of times he has been to Yankee Stadium on his fingers (and still have two free to play a bad guitar).
Even though I may come off sometimes as expressing a mockish tone the bottom line is that this stuff truly is amazing (after all I am the same guy who tried desperately to pull the armrest off my seat at the last Spectrum concert a few weeks ago). We haven't even scratched the surface on the possibilities and treasures that are inside (and out) of the house you need a hard hat now to enter. As I said earlier the sod (freeze dried grass) is as cool as it gets as far as an affordable piece of history. There really is a price point for everyone and the seats, from the small sampling I have seen, are absolutely in great shape and would look incredible in anyone's home. Lastly we are also running a Yankee Legends auction on this very site. As always there are great deals and steals so, if I were you, I would take a look and start bidding on these artifacts.
The excitement surrounding the Yankee Stadium demolition is sure to be a reoccurring theme on this forum over the next few weeks and even months. I would love to hear some feed back too so shoot me an email with any questions, ideas, anything..always. (also I have been posting quite a few photos on Twitter that have yet to be put on the blog so, if you aren't already, check me out on there as well) Enjoy the rest of your Thursday! Go Lakers...let's close it out tonight in Houston!!

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After months of speculation and negotiation today it becomes official...in layman's terms- we have the seats. As Yankee Stadium (not the amusement park across the street where baseball is played now) is dismantled we will literally be getting it piece by piece. We will be offering pieces of the famed facade, signage as well as the sought-after holy grail of memorabilia- the seats. There is obviously a ton of excitement surrounding this venture. Interestingly enough when the news was broken I kind of felt left out. Anytime something hot has hit (Aaron Boone home run, 04 Red Sox, 07 Red Sox, 07 Giants, Peyton Manning etc..) I have pretty much been in the middle of it (there is a lot of be careful what you wish for though of course when being in the middle of something as hot market as those). Then I started thinking about it and the bigger picture and, actually, how it relates to all of you. On the autograph end there truly is no limit to the opporunities and imaginative ideas that can come out of this incredible deal...both on my end and yours as the collector.
All of a sudden, as detached as I originally felt from this, a million things popped into my head. How many #2's are there? Do we do different editions with 00 AS/WS MVP and/or The Captain? Do the seat numbers even go up to #42?..or do you take a #4 and a #2 and Mo signs the #4 and inscribed the #2? Do we get some #8's signed with Larsen and the PG inscription? Do the '98 team on seatbacks? A '77/78' project on seats? ... those are just a few things that came to mind. Really the moral of the story is the possibilities are endless with these pieces of history. I envision that in a few months when we are heavy on Yankees appearances again there will be some familiar faces as well as new customers travelling store to store to personally load up their seats with signatures. August 15th we have a Yankee No-Hitter show at Last Licks Manhattan....how incredible would a Yankee stadium seat be with all the no-hitter pitchers?... but then do you add the perfect game pitchers, and/or all the catchers that called those games?
The above is really what makes collecting fun...and for the collector that has every Jeter piece or every Mariano collectible now there is something that you definitely don't have...and you can treat that already incredible piece of memorabilia as a finished good...or just a starting point. From what I have observed over the years it seems to be more about the adventure and excitement of starting and continuing your own project than the end result. I have seen collectors drive hours to an appearance to add a utility infielder or a back-up quarterback to a multi-signed piece. It wasn't that they had to have them on there...they wanted the most complete piece possible.
The seats are incredibly exciting. They are arguably the most desirable unsigned collectible ever. Everything I just discussed doesn't just apply to the seats though. If you are passionate about collecting come out the appearances, start your own project...have fun with it. I just went to six Dead shows in a little over a week...that's what I am into and am extremely passionate about it. That is why I discuss my musical exploits on occasion in this forum. It's the same passion you all have for collecting...and it's great. As I have said here countless times my guy is Phil Lesh (bass player for the Dead - has the tightest band in the WORLD right now). I did 12 out of 14 shows at the Nokia last Fall (and was bummed out I missed 2!) That's the same kind of intensity and adulation I see every weekend at our appearances. Interestingly enough I had zero expectations going into this current Dead tour. While it got incredible last weekend in Philly (last ever Spectrum shows) the first few I caught were marginal. A friend of mine kind of summed it up before Philly: I go to the Phil shows because I want to but I go to the Dead shows because I have to (glad I did because Philly was as hot it gets!)...it is what I do, who I am and need to support those guys. There truly is a correlation between the two. If you want to support the industry come out to the appearances and/or make a small purchase when you get the email specials...help support it and keep it going. If you are reading this post chances are you are a passionate collector so, even in tough economic times, try to buy a baseball (if not a seatback), come out to the Nick Swisher signing Sunday, start a no-hitter project.. this business really isn't about us..it's about you...and, after my serious digression into the Philzone, that brings us full circle to the original theme of this post- the seats. The demand is overwhelming for them already...and we got them because it's what you, the collector, wants.
Enjoy the day! Go Lakers!


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As promised here is the first of several Hulk Hogan contests that will be held between now and Saturday's appearance. The first person to tweet me the answer will receive VIP treatment at the event...good luck!

Who did Hulk Hogan defeat to capture his first WWF Heavyweight title?

Later today I will be running yet another trivia type contest on twitter.
Winner will receive VIP treatment at Hulk Hogan appearance Saturday in Armonk (signed 8x10 and photo with the Hulkster...not bad.)
Good Luck!

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Saturday's appearance was unbelievable. It was Brian Leetch's first public signing in as long as I have been in the industry and it was as perfect as can be..aside from an unforeseen flight delay (only pushed back the signing about an hour...have experienced a lot worse). I am still in awe of the presence any of the '94 Rangers bring to the table. I am not a hockey fan so, despite having been around it for quite some time, the outpouring of love the fans have for these guys still amazes me. Personally I equate it to the '86 Mets and the bond the fans still have with Doc, Keith, Darling, Straw, Nails...all those guys. Being that Brian has not appeared in public at all many customers came with their multi-signed '94 Cup pieces They were all absolutely ecstatic that they were finally now complete and ready to be framed and displayed. Also there was an NHL.com auction winner that traveled all the way from Chicago to meet Leetch (as a side-note we do have some incredible VIP experiences on our auction pages as well as NHL.com and MLB.com...check them out) Anyway it was a total success. Everyone, especially Brian , had a blast and went home happy. The best part about it is the proceeds all went to the Michelle O'Neill Foundation which benefits children stricken with cancer...http://www.monfoundation.org/about.html.
Later this week I will be posting some great video from the day...


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We have a winner...congratulations to MarkD for answering correctly.. Rich Tabaracci is the answer. Anyway, over the next few weeks I plan on running many more contests and interactive exercises through this forum as well as twitter. If you have any suggestions let me know...
Have a great weekend!
Go Lakers!

First person to tweet me (on twitter- not email) with the answer to the following question gets VIP'd at the Brian Leetch appearance tomorrow...

Who was the opposing goaltender that Mark Messier- The Captain- scored his 500th goal off of?


First to tweet me gets an 8x10 and front of the line at tomorrow's Brian Leetch appearance...


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Next Saturday is our appearance with wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. Sometime between now and then I will be running a contest on twitter that will win you a VIP experience at the event...be on the lookout for it.


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I just completed our massively huge signing with skateboard legend Tony Hawk. For anyone (and that's pretty much everyone minus a handful of people) that have not conducted one of these it is almost impossible to describe how daunting a task it is. Most of these signings are focused along our best Hawk seller- the skateboard deck. This time around we did an eclectic mix of the old standards and three new graphics (13 different styles to be exact). We definitely cut it a little close timing wise as the shipment arrived mid-afternoon yesterday. It came on two wrapped pallets of deck boxes...generally it is 10 per box (a few have 8,9...11). Each deck is individually wrapped which means they have to be taken out of the plastic and laid out. We almost got halfway done yesterday and this morning had to really blitz the process. I try to lay them out in stacks of ten (coordinated by style). We were finally ready to go with about a half hour to spare before Tony arrived. The signing itself is quite a spectacle as well...Tony always makes sure to take a photo of the room before we begin as it is (as I said earlier..very difficult to explain). It is similar to stacking photos as you need to make a minimum of four to five piles before stacking...except these are bigger and awkward shaped (and there is 1000!...and we try our best to keep the thirteen different styles somewhat together. Despite the pit-falls and the labor-intensivitity (think that's a word?) of the process we do , for the most part, have it down to a science by now. It took Tony about two hours to sign the decks (at which point we moved on to photos..which is so easy in comparison)
Now that the signing is over comes the hardest part... packing up the boards. Again this is a crazy process which involves a few steps...first inventorying- we are left with a room full of decks that , once again, need to separated into the different styles, hologramming- each deck is affixed with our holograms and certificate, wrapping- each signature is then covered loosely by paper and then plastic (to assure it doesn't smear over time, and lastly- storing- the decks are then located and stored within our new wonderfully spacious warehouse facility. The packing process could possibly take upwards of a week to be done right.
So there you have it- the behind the scenes breakdown of a Tony Hawk signing. Periodically (especially on multi-signed pieces and events) I will be getting more into the background story on our amazing pieces as there is a lot more involved than most would realize.

Saturday is our public appearance with Brian Leetch at Last Licks Scarsdale. This is Brian's first public signing (quite possible ever...at least in my eight plus years of service). It should be an unbelievable event and, for the first time in what seems like forever, the weather should cooperate...hope to see you there!


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Conducting a signing with Tony Hawk RIGHT NOW!!

I apologize for such a long gap in between posts. The site we use to publish the blog was experiencing some difficulties but we are finally back up and running. This past week has been quite busy (those of you following me on Twitter can attest to that) and there isn't much of a slow down in sight. With that in mind right now I am off to Yankee Stadium so hopefully later today will get you all up to speed.



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