In the spring of the year when neighbors are inspired to clean basement and attic, one heap of discarded materials in the alley behind a local Etna resident's home was begging to be plundered.
The first run home yielded 10 feet of inch-and-a-half square tubing from a clothing rack.
Our hero passed once again and, having exhausted all obvious valuables, flipped open a few boxes and happened upon a baseball trophy. Quickly hefting it, he casually dropped it into his bag and sauntered home.
The trophy sat on a dining room shelf for a few months as he admired the lines and the casting quality until a free weekend of contemplation prompted him to list the item for auction on ebay. Just six hours later, a few watchers, a pair of messages, and an offer of $1000 encouraged him to do some research.
It took some time, but the trophy was finally identified as a Spalding trophy from the 1920s with the likeness of Ty Cobb. It turns out that none were known to still exist until one surfaced at a famous auction of sports memorabilia in the early 1990s. The gavel price was almost $20,000.
Since then, a few more had been sold at auction and the price had stabilized at a bit more than $4,000 with the auction house taking 10% to 20% of the final price. It was time to hit the forums and find out if a sports memorabilia enthusiast would buy it directly. I ended the ebay auction early, received several angry messages from eager bidders, and continued my online search for a private buyer.
A few forum PMs and emails later, we agreed to a price of $3,300 plus $50 for shipping. I carefully packaged the trash trophy and sent it on to a new home.
The square tubing, after some welding, has become a support under the seating area of the kitchen island. The trophy now sits in a Washington state resident's display case awaiting the moment when father will bequeath it to son. We spent a free summer with family in Paraguay.
All from a good day of scavenging.
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