Memorabilia from the world of sports trading cards with Michael Osacki

Michael Osacki has spent, and continues to spend, most of his life tied to his past, but he seems very happy. In his early 40s, he occupies an important niche in the surprisingly vast, sometimes sinister, and increasingly competitive and lucrative world of sports memorabilia. He has dozens of items packed into his Near North Side apartment and a nearby warehouse.

“I don’t trade or buy or sell anymore because it’s a conflict of interest,” he says. “It’s not right to appraise something for $1,000, buy it at that price, then flip it around and sell it for $100,000.”

He is a certified appraiser with the International Association of Appraisers and an important niche player in the world of sports memorabilia, so integrity is very important to him. The area was on vivid display at the Rosemont Convention Center during the Chicago Sports Spectacular the weekend before Thanksgiving, and the New York Times, in a lengthy business article on Sunday, described it as “the country’s largest and most… It’s one of the old card shows, and it feels like a card show.” We had a big sale a few days before eBay started, but there was a lot more money involved. ”

no kidding. Osacki said such shows often have his FBI agents roaming anonymously looking for criminals. Osacki said, “It doesn’t matter what business you’re talking about. If there’s money to be made, some people are going to cheat to get it.”

The gist of the Times article was captured in the headline, “The trading card industry’s biggest news since we lost Bubblegum.” In this article, we detailed how the industry is changing following Fanatics’ entry into the world of sports collecting.

That company, Fanatics, was already a dominant force in the world of sports merchandise, primarily in clothing. Mike Mahan, who heads Fanatics Collectibles, said he acquired Topps, a prominent sports trading card maker, two years ago with the goal of “injecting some name recognition and relevance and creating a cool, fun and exciting company.” I will make it a reality.” Times story.

This has spurred concerns and lawsuits. No wonder, since this is an industry with an estimated value of $44 billion. Osacki, interviewed for this article, said: “Fanatics is trying to take over the world. Some would say that might be a bad thing. I think that’s a good thing. I think the hobby needs innovation, new ideas. Too much. It’s been the same old, same old thing for too long.”

He is scheduled to participate in the next Rosemont event in mid-March, the latest step in a career that has ignited innocently. On his 11th birthday in the Buffalo Grove home where he grew up, his grandfather gave him a shoebox filled with old baseball cards. Like many kids at the time, he was aware of baseball cards and bought them at gas stations and grocery stores.

“Up until that point, I was riding my bike to the grocery store and gas station and getting all the new cards,” he told me. “But my grandfather’s cards in the box were very old. So I started looking for similar cards and learning all about the player’s history.”

He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he majored in finance and products, and later used the skills he learned there to start a website.

“The history of the players and the memorabilia is always interesting,” he said. “And I love the thrill of the hunt. Every day I get calls from people. I never know to whom or what they have. They’re found in the attic or warehouse. Maybe you own something and want to know how much it’s worth.”

Naturally, the coronavirus has kept him at home, but he’s back on the road, traveling the country, speaking at businesses and libraries, and appearing at festivals and conventions. . He has worked with teams (including the Chicago Bulls and New York Yankees) and many individuals.

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“There are basically three reasons I’m called in: appraisals for insurance reasons, charitable giving purposes, and estate planning,” he says. “My focus is on cards, but other items as well.”

I first met Osacki nearly 10 years ago, and on a recent afternoon, I was pleased to see that he was still enthusiastic: It attracts more people and costs more money. I’m just a small part of it. But it’s an eye-opener. ”

Now, I come from a generation where baseball cards were a part of boys’ lives, mostly young boys. We replaced them and stuck them in the spokes of our bikes, but then we (most of us) let them go and threw them away along with our grammar school report cards. I haven’t seen a sports trading card in decades.

“You can still buy these at hobby stores and Target and Walmart. But what this industry needs is to get younger kids involved again,” Osacki said. “Too many young people are using mobile phones and getting hooked on the world of gaming. But there’s something very special about the physical nature of cards and memorabilia. See it, touch it. Please. That’s something Fanatics might be able to accomplish. I’m hopeful.”

As we spoke, the television was flickering to the screen with footage of the AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. “(Chiefs quarterback) Patrick Mahomes’ rookie card sold for $4.2 million a while ago,” Osacki said.

When I asked him what his favorite item in his vast collection was, he smiled and said, “I love it. “It’s certainly not the most valuable, but my favorite is the 1973 Mike Schmidt rookie card (of the Philadelphia Phillies and future Hall of Famer).” It’s not in great condition, but my grandfather gave it to me a long time ago. It’s from a box of cards. It brings me back to Him. ”

rkogan@chicagotribune.com