Cory Nightingale
Dan Zachofsky's book, Collecting Baseball Memorabilia, gives the passionate baseball collector a fun and detailed path toward assembling the best possible collection. It's interesting in that it appeals to both the already-serious collector who wants to go much deeper and build his/her collection to new heights, while also appealing to someone who is interested in starting a collection but hasn't taken any steps toward that yet. It speaks to those in both situations, in an ultra-detailed manner while also keeping the same theme throughout: that starting and building a baseball memorabilia collection is all about just having fun. A chapter that stands out is one that gives a brief description on collecting memorabilia from Hall of Famers. Reading this does two things: it made you feel like you got to know each Hall of Famer, just in the one blurb on each legend and, of course, it provides vital information on how to go about contacting and acquiring special pieces from the game's all-time greats. To someone who seeks the best from the game's best, it provided an especially detailed way—whether the player was easy to track down or extremely hard—to go about running down a Hall of Famer and getting what you want from him, be it by mail, at a memorabilia show, at a charity event, or during a Fantasy Camp in the offseason. The book does a strong job of covering all the bases, so to speak, in collecting, whether it involve baseballs, hats, bats or photographs. And it wisely devoted a chapter—the final chapter—to seeking out and acquiring memorabilia during spring training. In this chapter might have contained the most important tips, because there might not be a bettersetting, in any part of the calendar year, to collect. Spring training is all about a relaxed atmosphere, and it also contains the game's present greats and attracts its past greats, who are coaches, instructors, advisors. The chapter provides contact information for all 30 spring training sites, so you know exactly where to go, tips on where to stand before spring games, during the games, after the games, when to ask for autographs, how to ask for autographs and, importantly, how to react when the player or legend says, "No. But maybe I'll sign later." Through all of Dan's detailed descriptions on how to start, build and maintain a baseball memorabilia collection, he drives home the same theme: don't feel the pressure...just have fun. In other words, the book doesn't scare one away from starting or building on a collection. It rather encourages and explains and tells you how great an experience it can really be. (Cory Nightingale, writer/copy editor, sports department, Miami Herald)
