Ravens Insider: Baltimore sports memorabilia is nostalgia for some, a thriving business for others

[ExtremeRavens]

After a father-son Orioles game at the old Memorial Stadium in 1975, then-6-year-old Ed Stylc left with three souvenirs: a cardboard megaphone full of popcorn, a pennant and an Orioles button featuring something he’d never seen before — the cartoon bird positioned after finishing his swing instead of preparing to bat.

The megaphone was lost long ago. The pennant hung on Stylc’s wall for years, getting old and dirty before also being lost in the transition of a move. But nearly 50 years later, that button remains one of his most sentimental pieces of sports memorabilia. He doesn’t know what it’s worth, but he does still know that Jim Palmer was pitching with a high leg kick and that Brooks Robinson played. He even remembers the score: The Orioles beat the Red Sox 3-0.

“My personal opinion is collecting should be for fun,” Stylc said. “If you happen to make a profit later, that’s just a bonus.”

Stylc represents the kind of collector who has quietly fueled Baltimore’s sports memorabilia market for decades — one driven by nostalgia, not dollar signs. But in a booming industry reshaped by grading services, online auctions and global media exposure, even collectors who don’t chase profit occasionally find themselves holding something worth far more than they expected.

The sentimental collector’s foil is Robbie Davis. For him, sports memorabilia is a thriving business — and a surprisingly stable one.

Davis, co-owner of Robbie’s First Base in Timonium, has been dealing in sports memorabilia for almost 40 years. He and his business partner, former Oriole Al Bumbry, travel the country appraising items and purchasing rare pieces. Their connections, Davis said, go back decades — to Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray and the early days of Baltimore’s sports royalty.

After being featured on ABC’s “Ball Boys” and Netflix’s “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,” the store has become a magnet for sellers worldwide.

“We get calls constantly because they see us on television,” Davis said. “Netflix is all over the world.”

Robbie Davis Jr. holds a signed personal model bat from Manny Machado, at Robbie's First Base, a sports memorabilia store.

‘Our business grew crazy’

Sports memorabilia has the potential for a windfall, with recent high-profile sales illustrating the soaring market.

In August 2024, Babe Ruth’s Yankees jersey from his famous “called shot” in the 1932 World Series sold for $24.12 million, setting a record for sports memorabilia and highlighting the premium for items tied to legendary athletes or moments, according to MLB.com.

Davis says the memorabilia market exploded during the coronavirus pandemic, driven by online sales.

“People still had the money, but they couldn’t go out,” he said. “So they went on the internet. Our business grew crazy.”

And, he added with a grin, “It’s been good to me. This is all I’ve done for 36 years.”

For Stylc, collecting became less appealing when the hobby shifted toward professional grading and speculation. But even he’s had financial success stories.

He once held an item that today could headline any auction catalog: the WWWF championship belt worn by Hall of Famer Pedro Morales during 1972-1973, including his title defense against Bruno Sammartino at the famed “Showdown at Shea.” According to wrestling lore, Morales reported the belt lost — only for it to surface in a New York pawn shop and eventually find its way into collectors’ hands.

Stylc owned it until 15 years ago.

“It was worth about $12,000 then,” he said. “I’m not sure of what it is valued at now, but with the advent of WWE’s popularity, it has no doubt skyrocketed in price.

“I sold it at the time to pay for my daughter’s private school tuition that year at a nice profit at the time. So I put the money to good use.”

Ed Stylc has three seats from Memorial Stadium. The one, number 8, is signed by six Hall of Fame Orioles and six Hall of Fame Colts. Cal Ripken Jr. signed under the number. Stylc started his Baltimore sports collection with baseball cards when he was a boy. He decorated his basement with authentic and replica items commemorating various Baltimore baseball, football, and ice hockey teams, as well as wrestling belts that had a Baltimore connection. (Kim Hairston/staff)

But is it real?

The sports memorabilia authentication process involves expert analysis, verifying provenance and third-party authenticator companies, such as PSA, JSA or Beckett. Items undergo physical examination and autograph comparison to known exemplars, and are often marked with tamper-evident holograms or stickers linked to online databases, according to experts.

Appraiser Todd Sawatzky, of Canada-based Todd Sawatzky Appraisals, relies on these companies before assessing goods.

“If I feel the card or autograph is fake or counterfeit, or if I have my doubts about game-used items, I turn down the potential contracts, letting them know my reason in the process,” he said.

Davis said counterfeits pose little problem because the shop avoids uncertified material until it can be verified. They rely on PSA and JSA — just like collectors at home.

“If we buy an item that isn’t authenticated, we don’t pay as much for it,” he said. “You still pay the authentication fee whether it passes or not. If it doesn’t — you eat it.”

Davis said 99% of what they buy passes the verification process. “We wouldn’t buy it anyway if we weren’t comfortable.”

Even though Stylc collects “for enjoyment rather than investment,” he still plays it safe with autographed items. He sends pieces to JSA and keeps a close eye on seller ratings.

One of Stylc’s favorite pieces in his collection is a Memorial Stadium seat signed by some of the biggest names in Orioles and Colts history — Cal Ripken Jr., Brooks and Frank Robinson, Palmer and Murray, among others. Stylc bought it for about $900 on eBay around 2008.

“I finally got around to having those autographs JSA authenticated in case I ever wanted to sell and they passed as promised,” Stylc said. “Currently, I have no idea what this item is valued at.”

What holds value?

But how can collectors determine what’s a good investment compared with what speaks to the heart?

According to Davis, the safest investment is the simplest: Buy legends.

“The older guys hold their value,” he said. “They’re not going to go out and do anything stupid. If you don’t know anything about sports and I say the name Mickey Mantle or Babe Ruth — you know it. That’s what holds value.”

Young stars, such as Shohei Ohtani, have soaring upside but carry risk. And hype plays a major role. For the Orioles and Ravens, Davis said the hottest items right now belong to the youngest, most touted names: Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday.

“The more a team spends on a player, the more hype they have,” he said.

Stylc also became fascinated by baseball cards after his father bought him his first pack in 1975. He built near-complete Orioles team sets from 1964 through 1987 before drifting out of collecting in college.

“Cards continue to have a very strong market, particularly in the Baltimore market where the Orioles have an extremely dedicated fan base and a young core that is injecting a lot of excitement into the modern baseball card market,” said Ron Oser, vice president and director of consignments at Huggins & Scott, a Calverton auction house specializing in vintage sports cards, memorabilia and other cultural artifacts.

“But keep in mind that while his legend was established in New York and Boston, Babe Ruth’s journey began in Baltimore. In fact, his very first card was his 1914 Baltimore News rookie card, one of the rarest cards in hobby history.”

When asked the rarest item to ever pass through the shop, Davis didn’t hesitate: a Ruth baseball.

Would he sell it? “Everything’s for sale at some point,” he said. “We just haven’t gotten there yet.”

He has regrets, too. Decades ago, he bought a pair of game-worn Michael Jordan shoes from the coach whose son received them directly from Jordan at a Nike camp. He sold them for about $5,000.

“They’re six-figure shoes now,” he said. “I should’ve kept them.”

But on one thing both Stylc and Davis agree: Buy what you love.

Because value rises and falls, players fade and flourish, but memories — whether captured in a bent baseball card or a signed stadium seat — tend to hold up pretty well.

Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich.

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