Bobbleheads and Certificates of Authenticity

I get asked all the time if a bobblehead is worth more with its Certificate of Authenticity (COA). Easy answer is yes, the COA definitely adds value.  Some people will only buy bobbleheads with a COA, while others could care less.  And most bobbleheads now do not come with a COA.  However, in the early years of Twins and Timberwolves bobbleheads, all game giveaway bobbles came with a COA. Unfortunately many of the people who received the giveaways tossed the COA.  Because of that, there are a lot less COA's than there are bobbleheads, that's pretty much a fact.

If you are a collector who needs COAs to complete your collection, my buddy Bill can hook you up. Check out his site at Minnesota Fan Store.  If he doesn't have a COA you need, email and ask for it, he'll probably be able to find one for you!

Karl-Anthony Towns Bobblehead

Remember, the Wolves are giving away the 2nd bobblehead of the season (in a series of 5) tonight at Target Center.  It'll be first overall draft pick, Karl-Anthony Towns.  See the bobblehead below.  This is the first year in quite some time that the Wolves have done bobblehead giveaways and they are off to a very popular start.  The Wiggins bobblehead (first in the series) was gone by about 6:10 on game night (doors opened at 5:30 I believe).  I expect the Towns bobble to be just as popular.  Get down to Target Center early tonight!

2015 Yearly Recap - Part 5

This is my final yearly recap blog entry.  I've had many great deals this year and a few bad ones.  I'd love to eliminate the bad ones, but that's part of collecting (and learning while "on the job").  My final recap of 2015 is about the relationships you make while collecting.  I've met a couple really cool guys while collecting.  They are vastly more knowledgeable than me on the collecting industry as a whole (I might have more knowledge on specific Minnesota bobbleheads), but the relationships I've built with them are tremendous.  The deals we work out are good to great for all sides.  If I have questions, I feel completely comfortable asking them as they'll be honest and upfront with me about a potential deal.  They've saved me from the possibility of making dumb deals and I truly appreciate that.

I try to pass that on to my blog readers and other people I do deals with.  I've gotten plenty of emails asking about the value or rarity of a specific bobblehead.  I've had collectors ask me about deals they are in the process of making.  I've had people ask me to help them with a deal.  Karma is a very real thing and I certainly aim to be on the right side of it!

Collectors helping collectors, right?

2015 Yearly Recap - Part 4

For those of us who are married or have significant others, this might be one of the most important posts you read on this blog.  Jess is very supportive of my hobby, when she's out in the summer and hits a few garage sales looking for whatever she looks for, she always keeps an eye out for bobbles or sports stuff for me.  She's found a few good deals too!  But, I certainly return the favor as well!  I've picked up several items (usually they are clothing related or purses) with her in mind.  I've found genuine coach wallets/purses.  I've also found giveaway type clothing items she likes (the Twins bomber and stocking caps) and even a Gopher cardigan that she absolutely loved.

Re-read this one all you want!

2015 Yearly Recap - Part 3

I previously blogged about a deal that didn't work out.  I take pride in making deals that eventually work out for me.  I try to stick to my standards and budget as much as possible.  There were a couple garage sale deals that worked out extremely well.  There is no grand plan of figuring out which garage sales are the best.  I've been to sales that were extremely well marketed that turned out to be duds (that's putting it nicely) and I've been to sales on a whim that turned out great.  The first sale was marketed pretty well (not the best it could have been because they had so much stuff and 90% of it was quality stuff).  I chatted up the owner a bit and can only assume he and his wife were pretty big sports fans in general.  I wouldn't say they were the typical "collectors" though.  I bought several bobbleheads at the sale plus some random other stuff (mostly sports related).  I worked out deals where eventually the bobbleheads I kept were basically free.  

The second sale was completely on a whim and it turned out to be better than the one I just mentioned.  Lots of bobbleheads.  Lots of other giveaway type items.  I bought quite a bit of stuff, and sometimes at sales, the more stuff you buy the better deals you get.  I was able to re-sell a lot of the stuff and traded the rest of what I didn't want, so it worked out quite well for me!  

My main focus at sales is being nice and courteous.  I was surprised that this doesn't seem to be a common theme among "garale-salers."  Some are quite rude and in a hurry.  I was at a sale where another guy drove up to the house, decided he was going to park in the driveaway (there were lots of items lined up on the driveway) and was smoking...and not just smoking...but didn't even put it out when he walked around the garage.  

2015 Yearly Recap - Part 2

For every deal/find that works out...there's probably another deal that doesn't work.  Earlier this year I heard about some bobbleheads that ultimately I was interested in.  The seller had many other items that I thought might be collectible.  I didn't know much about most of what he had, but a few things I did have some background knowledge on and figured, why not take a shot.  Perhaps I sell those items and make a little money which would make the bobbleheads I bought "free" or at least cheaper.

Unfortunately for me...most of the stuff I bought wasn't that valuable and I didn't make anything on it.  So instead of making some money...those bobbleheads ended up costing me a bit more than originally thought!

2015 Yearly Recap - Part 1

In my previous blog I mentioned doing a yearly recap.  This will be a blog series as there are a few different stories I want to share.  Some good, some bad, some good and bad!  I try really hard to keep track of all the bobbleheads I come across, but honestly...its tough.  Sometimes I just forget to update my spreadsheet and other times I update it, but not 100% accurately because I wait a few days and forget everything about a deal.  Luckily for me...it's not imperative that everything is 100% complete!

The first garage sale I went to...a random drive by on my way home from work netted me a Hrbek/Gant 1991 World Series bobblehead.  That might have been a bit of foreshadowing of what was to come in 2015.  When it comes to bobbleheads that you might find (not super rare ones) the Hrbek/Gant is about the best you can get.  The bobblehead(s) itself was in great condition. Unfortunately there was no box.  For most collectors this is somewhat of a dealbreaker, especially when it comes to the Hrbek/Gant bobblehead as it comes with a picture box and styrofoam packaging.  I already had my own so this was to trade or sell, which limited my market as I wasn't going to ship this one without the proper packaging.  Sometimes tho, when it comes to great bobbles like this...you still pick it up because it was well worth it!

Here's the Hrbek/Gant bobblehead along with the box, which has value in itself!

I've had some bad buys too at garage sales.  Some people are very good and making a garage sale ad seem extremely appealing.  Several times I've wasted my time in going to sales that appear (on paper) to be exactly what I'm looking for, just because there is an "S" on the end of bobblehead, doesn't mean there will be 10 or 20 of them (of course at times it does).  So just remember, garage sales in general are very hit and miss!

The season of helping?

I haven't been able to blog much lately because I've been incredibly busy.  Mainly with family/friends for the holidays, but this year the holiday season has been good to me in the world of bobbleheads too.  Found a few new ones for my collection.  I've made a few deals for bobbleheads that I know other people need.  I can't promise anything, but if you are looking for bobbleheads from Minnesota teams, let me know and I'll do my best to find one and get it in your hands!

I continue to say that a big part of collecting for me is helping other collectors.  I recently made a deal with a friend in Florida.  He had a Twins retail bobble that I've been looking for and I have a Minnie & Paul bobble he wanted.  It's nice to help one another out and even more so during the holiday season.

I'm putting together a yearly recap as well.  Granted, right now its just in the back of my head, but I'll post that at some point in December.  Reliving some of my best deals and finds during 2015.  And I've also made a couple of boneheaded mistakes too - but that's part of collecting, right?  Right?  Tell me, I'm right dammit!

Happy Holidays!!