Tiger Stadium Auction starts today!

[tigersfandm]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...709160568/1050

BIDDER UP!: What's a piece of Tiger stadium worth to you?

September 16, 2007

BY JOHN GALLAGHER

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

For sale: baseball history.

The long-anticipated sale of Tiger Stadium seats and other artifacts begins today at www.tigerstadiumsale.com. The site is scheduled to open for business at 6 a.m.

Thousands of pairs of seats and about 700 other artifacts are up for sale. The City of Detroit, which owns the ballpark, is holding the sale to raise money to help pay for partial demolition and redevelopment of the site.

Seats will be sold at a fixed price of $279 for an attached pair of standard seats and $399 for a pair of Tiger Den seats.

Artifacts to be sold to the highest bidder include:

• World Series banners from 1935, 1945 and 1968.

• Benches from the dugouts.

• Al Kaline's corner locker.

• The door to the broadcast booth used by Ernie Harwell.

• Thirty-two equipment bags stitched with a player's number and some with the luggage tags from their last flight home.

• A pitching rubber from a bullpen.

• The Opening Day 1997 mat from the on-deck circle.

• The home dugout urinal.

• Overhead and column section signs.

• Hot dog signs from the refreshment stands.

"This is an outstanding opportunity for anyone with a sports den, or just enough wall or desk space for a piece of history," said Bruce Schneider, chief executive officer of Schneider Industries of St. Louis, the company hired by the city to handle the memorabilia sale.

"We have items of all kinds, from the Tiger Stadium sign at Michigan and Trumbull to the turnstiles below it," he added.

With sports memorabilia a growing business across the nation, the sale could generate a lot of money for the city, possibly even the several million dollars needed to demolish the stadium. When Schneider auctioned off artifacts from Busch Stadium in St. Louis in 2005, the sale raised more than $5.5 million.

The Tiger Stadium sale may not raise that much because the Tigers took much of their equipment with them when they left after the 1999 season, said Dan Rosenthal, Schneider's chief of operations.

On the other hand, Tiger Stadium is one of the most storied ballparks in the United States, and interest may run higher, said Brian Schwartz, president of Schwartz Sports, a memorabilia company based in Northbrook, Ill. Moreover, a sale like this puts collecting in the range of ordinary people.

"It may not be conceivable to get Pudge Rodriguez's actual uniform, but you might get a piece of the field," he said. "People want a piece of the game." Virtually all the items show their age. They're dented, scarred and faded, reflecting their use over many years. But to treasure hunters, that may be part of their charm.

There also are a few non-baseball items, including section signs used when the late Luciano Pavarotti sang with the Three Tenors at Tiger Stadium

Schneider's company has mined the ballpark for unexpected pieces of history. During the 1971 All-Star Game, Reggie Jackson hit a home run that struck a transformer on the roof, and a piece of the fencing around the transformer is one of the items up for bid.

The auction runs through 11 a.m. Oct. 13. But to prevent sniping, the practice of trying to slip in a last-second bid before the deadline, any item still drawing bids at closing time will be kept on sale for an additional 10 minutes.

"A historic stadium like this should generate a lot of interest from all over the country," Schneider said Friday.

The Tigers left the Corner at Michigan and Trumbull for their new home at Comerica Park after the 1999 season. Michigan and Trumbull, through a few stadiums and various renovations to what became Tiger Stadium, had been the site of professional baseball in Detroit since 1895.

After years of debate, the Detroit City Council voted this summer to approve the sale of memorabilia and the demolition and redevelopment of the site, as proposed by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Earlier this month, Harwell joined with a Corktown group called the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy that is trying to raise enough money to save one corner of the ballpark, near home plate, as a memorial and community center.

[Mr.MelissaG915]

http://schneiderind.com/tigerstadiumsale/

Ordered my 2 Tiger's Den seats this morning!

[Zakk_Wylde]

• The home dugout urinal.

Excellent!

[mckibbka]

The Tiger Den seats aren't going to be real crappy and torn up like some I've seen in pictures, are they? Is that maybe why there are only 400 because there are only 400 good ones??

[potthole]

:-D

Order placed for some seats! As a wedding gift for me, Bshingle purchased some of the blue plastic seats for me.

She had one term, which I think is awesome. That when we purchase our first house after the wedding we put them in the entryway. I didn't even have to think twice about giving that a huge thumbs up!

[tiger337]

Thanks for the heads up. I just bought a pair of regular seats. I'm not usually a memorabilia guy but this is something special. The price is not bad. I had feared they'd be more expensive.

[Corky]

Got mine! Will be neat in my office here right next to my desk.

[Blade]

Tiger Den seats are sold out. I wish i could get some of the blue plastic ones. Looking through the other items there are some things that i might bid on. Some of those signs would look awesome in my room

[lordstanley]

Just ordered a standard pair by phone, that's the way that Canadians must order. US$338 for Canadians including tax and extra shipping. Hope US$338 will equal C$338 by time order goes through.

[Corky]

Just ordered a standard pair by phone, that's the way that Canadians must order. US$338 for Canadians including tax and extra shipping. Hope US$338 will equal C$338 by time order goes through.

How are they shipping? You can sure count on those UPS brokerage fees of $50 if they use that method. Did that to me once on a $9 book when I was living up there.

[lordstanley]

How are they shipping? You can sure count on those UPS brokerage fees of $50 if they use that method. Did that to me once on a $9 book when I was living up there.

Yep, UPS ground. I'm having mine shipped to my parent's house in Sarnia, ON, just 55 miles from Michigan & Trumbull, but no way around the hefty surcharge. Speaking of books, despite a current exchange rate of US$1.00= C$1.03, it's common to see prices on book covers here as US$26.95, C$37.95.

[Mr.MelissaG915]

I'm glad I ordered my Tiger Den seats early. I knew they would go fast.

Congrats Potthole on a great present!

[mckibbka]

dangit... i was going to purchase some tiger den seats later today..didn't think they'd go in 9 hours:( guess i have to settle for regular seats!

[djb6]

WHo wants a urinal? :)

[Doctor Detroit]

A lot of cool stuf in there and a lot of junk. Auction is open for a month? Damn. I ordered two sets of seats and am looking aroud for maybe one other item.

[potthole]

dangit... i was going to purchase some tiger den seats later today..didn't think they'd go in 9 hours:( guess i have to settle for regular seats!

Oh, they were gone in less than nine hours. I was checking the site a little before 11:00 this morning, a little under five hours after sales opened up, and they were already sold out of the Tiger Den seats.

I can't wait for the seats to get here in November!

[tigerfanfromchicago]

Who's going to buy the sign at the corner? Where would you put that? It seems like it should go in a museum, maybe in the Henry Ford Museum by the McDonald's sign and the Holiday Inn sign.

[Brent]

WHo wants a urinal? :)

I'm bidding on it. I've been waiting for this. This is the one from the Home Dugout. Think about it....

Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Hal Newhouser, Mickey Cochrane, Al Kaline, and Felipe Lira all stood there with their johnsons. Think about the DNA!!!!

[tiger337]

I'm bidding on it. I've been waiting for this. This is the one from the Home Dugout. Think about it....

Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Hal Newhouser, Mickey Cochrane, Al Kaline, and Felipe Lira all stood there with their johnsons. Think about the DNA!!!!

They said the seats come as is - dirt, bird droppings and all. I wonder if the urinal also comes as is.

[ToledoTigerFan]

A urinal but no crapper? What are they? Commies?

[Doctor Detroit]

Did they have urinals when Cobb played? Serious question.

[ToledoTigerFan]

Did they have urine?

[Doctor Detroit]

Did they have urine?

I'm talking plumbing in the 20s here. They could have just done what I always do when I'm in downtown Detroit, pee on the side of the stadium. :shrug:

[ToledoTigerFan]

I'm talking plumbing in the 20s here. They could have just done what I always do when I'm in downtown Detroit, pee on the side of the stadium. :shrug:

But I was wondering if urine had even been invented in the 20's.

[davidsb]

I'm bidding on it. I've been waiting for this. This is the one from the Home Dugout. Think about it....

Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Hal Newhouser, Mickey Cochrane, Al Kaline, and Felipe Lira all stood there with their johnsons. Think about the DNA!!!!

....and davidsb!!

[Doctor Detroit]

But I was wondering if urine had even been invented in the 20's.

I did a google search and it came back with nothing. I typed urine+invention and it was not a pretty result. I'm gonna guess no, but I'm not a scientist so I could be wrong.

[ToledoTigerFan]

I did a google search and it came back with nothing. I typed urine+invention and it was not a pretty result. I'm gonna guess no, but I'm not a scientist so I could be wrong.

Just as I figured. Urine was invented by the commies to keep us handling our privates.

[The Ronz]

Don't ask how/why I know this but most plumbing fixtures are dated. The oldest fixture I have is a drinking fountain from 1941. I don't know about the current fixtures but if your home is from say, the 1970's or before and still has the original "equipment" take the lid off your toilet tank and look on the underside of the lid - theres the date!

[potthole]

Did they have urinals when Cobb played? Serious question.

I think as an honest answer they might not have had urinals like the kinds we have today, but they might have used the trough, like you see in the dugout urinal being auctioned off.

I've got no real basis for this, other than just speculation.

[Simple Simon]

Got mine! Pumped...thanks for posting this!

[sgtricc]

got my seats.........no urinal........LOL

[Corky]

I think as an honest answer they might not have had urinals like the kinds we have today, but they might have used the trough, like you see in the dugout urinal being auctioned off.

I've got no real basis for this, other than just speculation.

http://www.brainyhistory.com/events/...866_56552.html

March 27, 1866 in History
Event:
Andrew Rankin patents the urinal

[FloridaTigers]

I want some seats badly.

Now where can I find $279? :(

[Simple Simon]

I want some seats badly.

Now where can I find $279? :(

Credit Card!! Lol...this is the type of thing that you need to place on a credit card even if you hate to use those things (like I do). This is a once in a lifetime chance to own a piece of Detroit baseball history!

[potthole]

Looking at the items up for auction, it's sort of interesting to see what things have bids on them and what things don't. There are a few items where I'm surprised to see they have bids- some of them multiple, and other items where I'm pretty surprised they don't have any bids yet.

[Yoda]

I just bought my two seats! This is frickin awesome! Since back before Comerica was even built I've been telling myself that I HAVE TO have a seat from TS. That was my absolute favorite place in the world when I was growing up. I'll probably cry when they arive...

[potthole]

I'm already excited to come home to the large box from UPS. It would probably would sound odd to most people, especially those who aren't Tiger fans, but I am really looking forward to getting to clean up the seats, so I can put them out on display.

[Mr.MelissaG915]

We are taking about putting them on some sort of base and use them for the players when they play PS2. We are always looking for extra seating when we have a house full.

On a tiger stadium note, there is a greeting card at meijers which has a great black and white arial shot of Tigers Stadium with the history on the back of the card. There is no message so you can write anything you want. I bought the meijers out of the 8 cards they had for us to use for the "good-by" card for the players. They are VERY cool.

[Yoda]

I'm already excited to come home to the large box from UPS. It would probably would sound odd to most people, especially those who aren't Tiger fans, but I am really looking forward to getting to clean up the seats, so I can put them out on display.

Me too man. I have no idea where I'm going to put mine yet. I'm leasing this house from my boss with an option to buy after 2 years. I'm not sure if I'm going to do that yet, so I don't know if I want to install them yet.

I have a concrete block house with a covered porch. I could put a couple bolts right into the concrete block and just remove and patch them if I decide to move.

Man, I can't wait! Any idea when they're being shipped?

[Simple Simon]

Man, I can't wait! Any idea when they're being shipped?

The site said mid-November...can't get here soon enough!