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Redsfan1507
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Just had one of the most unusual baseball experiences of my life- at the Green Diamond Gallery in Montgomery (OH) & wanted to share with you guys. I didn't know it existed, so if you are familiar, maybe you could share your view. If you ever get a chance to go, it's worth whatever it takes to get there.
I accepted an invitation to go-You can google for info, although there isn't much there to do the place justice. It's reputedly the largest private baseball memorabilia collection in the country-smaller than the MLB HOF, but absolutely amazing-most stuff there SHOULD be at Cooperstown, IMO, NOT in a private collection...They do sell memberships, but don't allow the public in. Only by appointment with a member, limit the number of people who are there, etc.
One wall had a photo and autograph, by induction years from beginning to present day, of every HOF player. Every player that has hit 500 HR had an autographed ball and a bat there- Mel Ott and the Babe included. Tons of oldies-from 1860's baseballs (tennis ball size), pre WWI WS programs , loads of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Tris Speaker, Grover ALexander stuff, etc...and just about every memorable baseball event had something more than a picture there. Much very unique- I've seen autographed Nolan Ryan's 7 no hitters stuff, but never included with ticket stubs signed by all the catchers that caught those no-no's before. There was one picture taken in the clubhouse restroom at Crosley, with Pete Rose and Tony Perez side by side with stall doors open, taking a shit...autographed. Some sad stuff- World Series trophies and rings obviously sold at a tough time in their lives- Pedro Borbon and Tom Browning both had those items there. A TON of ***** League memorabilia. Autographed scorecards from the 1933 inaugural Al-Star game, Bench's last HR game, Rose's 4192 game, Larson's perfect WS game, etc.
Signed first contracts of Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and others. Specialty walls of priceless and unique stuff on the Reds, Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals. Signed books, personal effects and letters from baseball legends. Signed Presidential pictures tossing out 1st balls- Coolidge, Taft, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy. A pic of Joe DiMaggio & Marilyn Monroe signed by both.
I spent 2 hours there, dumbstruck and speechless for the first hour. There have been several HOF'ers that have given appearances and spoke to groups there, and I suspect no single human regardless of wealth, could have accumulated all that without some substantial insider MLB help. Amazing...
I accepted an invitation to go-You can google for info, although there isn't much there to do the place justice. It's reputedly the largest private baseball memorabilia collection in the country-smaller than the MLB HOF, but absolutely amazing-most stuff there SHOULD be at Cooperstown, IMO, NOT in a private collection...They do sell memberships, but don't allow the public in. Only by appointment with a member, limit the number of people who are there, etc.
One wall had a photo and autograph, by induction years from beginning to present day, of every HOF player. Every player that has hit 500 HR had an autographed ball and a bat there- Mel Ott and the Babe included. Tons of oldies-from 1860's baseballs (tennis ball size), pre WWI WS programs , loads of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Tris Speaker, Grover ALexander stuff, etc...and just about every memorable baseball event had something more than a picture there. Much very unique- I've seen autographed Nolan Ryan's 7 no hitters stuff, but never included with ticket stubs signed by all the catchers that caught those no-no's before. There was one picture taken in the clubhouse restroom at Crosley, with Pete Rose and Tony Perez side by side with stall doors open, taking a shit...autographed. Some sad stuff- World Series trophies and rings obviously sold at a tough time in their lives- Pedro Borbon and Tom Browning both had those items there. A TON of ***** League memorabilia. Autographed scorecards from the 1933 inaugural Al-Star game, Bench's last HR game, Rose's 4192 game, Larson's perfect WS game, etc.
Signed first contracts of Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and others. Specialty walls of priceless and unique stuff on the Reds, Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals. Signed books, personal effects and letters from baseball legends. Signed Presidential pictures tossing out 1st balls- Coolidge, Taft, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy. A pic of Joe DiMaggio & Marilyn Monroe signed by both.
I spent 2 hours there, dumbstruck and speechless for the first hour. There have been several HOF'ers that have given appearances and spoke to groups there, and I suspect no single human regardless of wealth, could have accumulated all that without some substantial insider MLB help. Amazing...
