MARGATE
Taube, owner of J.T. Sports here, is an expert on museum-quality sports memorabilia. He has the enviable job of being able to grab a hold of history every single day.
That history comes in the form of baseball bats as current as Ryan Howard’s 34-ounce black bat, or as old as the 51.3-ounce, 40-inch bat Honus Wagner swung in 1917.
Taube not only buys and sells vintage sports equipment to collectors; he also authenticates it and lets collectors and auction houses know if they have the real deal or a fake.
Even Louisville Slugger has come to him when it wants to know the date a bat was used or whether it is authentic, he said.
To authenticate a bat, Taube said he puts it in the hands of the player. Using forensics and good old-fashioned research, he probes photographs, books, the Louisville Slugger log books and interviews to determine whether a specific bat was used by a specific player. Some bats are sent to a lab, where testing is done to pick up resins and paint that help pinpoint the year a bat was made.
Taube’s reputation brought him to the attention of producers from the Discovery Channel for their new reality show, “All Star Dealers,” which previewed 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24. The show follows sports memorabilia collectors Richie and Dave Russek of Grey Flannel Auction House as they buy, sell and provide some history about the items and the era from which they came.
Taube said he has been filmed for several upcoming episodes in which he authenticates baseball items that have been sent to Russek. He said that if the show takes off like the producers’ other hit, “Pawn Stars,” he will be under contract to the Discovery Channel next season.
Taube said that as a kid, he collected baseball card sets and had a pretty decent collection. In the 1980s he had a chance to talk with some Major League bat boys.
“They gave me some bats, and that really rekindled my interest in collecting again,” he said.
“You have to understand that bats are very special to each player. Some, like Ted Williams, bake their bats to get them as dry as possible. Some players bone them so they won’t break, and others keep them under lock and key.”
The collector was doing the authentication work and the buying and selling as a side job. “The end game was that I would continue to do this when I retired,” said Taube. “But 9/11 changed that. I knew some people that were lost in the
Authentication of a bat, glove or ball can cause its price at auction to soar – or fizzle, if the research proves it’s not the read deal. Recently Taube authenticated the bat Kirk Gibson used for his pinch hit homerun to win the 1988 World Series.
The bat fetched close to $500,000 at auction for the owner.
Taube said he receives items from auction houses, investors, players’ families and even players themselves who are looking to sell off items and command top dollar at auction. Taube said he also buys and sells what he calls hall of fame quality baseball equipment and uniforms.
He said interest in expensive sports memorabilia has not waned in the years since the economy tanked in 2008.
“These have been our best years. I think investors are looking to put money into something they feel will hold its value,” the expert said.
A he wrapped his hands around the handle of a bat Babe Ruth used to take a mighty swing during one of his seven World Series appearances, the dyed-in-the-wool Yankees fan was quick to admit that he is living a dream every day.
At heart, he is still just a baseball fan, enjoying his brush with history.
J.T. Sports is at
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