JewishSportsCollectibles

Welcome Back, Danny Valencia

Danny Valencia. Photo courtesy of MLB.com, Orioles.com.

Danny Valencia has been called up from the minors by the Baltimore Orioles, according to JewishBaseballNews.com.

Valencia made his Major League debut in 2010 with the Minnesota Twins. He batted .311, swatted 7 HRs and 40 RBIs over 85 games, and garnered enough votes to finish third in the A.L. Rookie of the Year polling, according to JBallNews. After a significant sophomore slump in 2011, Valencia was sent to the minors by the Twins in 2011 and then traded to the Red Sox, for whom he appeared in just 10 games before being traded to the O's in the off-season.

Valencia had a strong showing with Baltimore in 2013 Spring Training, but started the season with the AAA Norfolk Tides. He performed well in the International League, batting .306 in 40 games with 11 HRs, 14 doubles and 35 RBIs before his call-up.  

Recalled on Sunday, May 19, the newest Jewish Major Leaguer whacked a double in his first at-bat of his first game with the O's.

Jewish baseball collectors have access to numerous of Valencia cards and memorabilia.

Valencia has more than 200 different cards, according to Beckett.com. 

This includes a wide variety of big league issues from Topps and Bowman. In addition to his standard cards, Valencia's pasteboard includes dozens of limited edition color variations, autographed and memorabilia cards, and serial numbered limited edition printings.

     

Among my favorites are Valencia's 2010 Topps Update Rookie card, 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen, 2011 Topps Triple Threads autographed memorabilia, and 2012 Topps cards, pictured above.

Danny Valencia New Britain Rock Cats card. Photo courtesy of eBay.

Valencia's minor league cards include team issues from the 2005 Glacier Pilots, 2006 Elizabethton Twins, 2007 Beloit Snappers, 2008 Fort Meyers Miracle, 2009 New Britain Rock Cats, 2010 Rochester Red Wings, as well as 2009 AA and 2010 AAA Top Prospects cards.

All of these cards are available on eBay, Amazon.com and in the Beckett.com Marketplace.

Minor league cards collectors can also look on MinorLeagueNetwork.com, STB Sports, and MinorLeagueSingles.com.

Prices vary widely, depending on the seller and the scarcity of the card you seek. 

Danny Valencia signed ball. Photo courtesy of eBay.

Among the Valencia memorabilia available on eBay and Amazon.com at the time of this posting were signed bats, baseballs, jerseys, batting gloves and mini helmets, along with a variety of autographed and unsigned photos. Prices range from $30-a few dollars to more than $250, depending on the item.

As always, buyers beware. 

Two photos featuring Valencia in his Twins uniform are available for purchase on the MLB.com Photo Store. 

Danny Valencia walk-off hit. Photo courtesy of MLB.com Photo Store. Photo by Hannah Foslien, Getty Images.

This includes an image of his teammates mobbing Valencia after an extra-innings game-winning hit. 

No Valencia memorabilia is available for sale in the MLB.com Shop, as of this posting.

In 2010, following his call up to the Majors during his rookie campaign for the Twins, I obtained a through-the-mail autograph from Valencia. I've subsequently mailed to him during Spring Training on two different occassions, without success. Has anyone else obtained Valencia's signature, either in person or through-the-mail.

What Valencia cards and memorabilia do you have in your Jewish baseball collection? Have you met him? Let JSC readers know by commenting below.

Upcoming Appearance: Jewish Boxer Dmitriy Salita

Dmitriy Salita Meet and Greet promotional materials.
Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/Dmitiy Salita.

Orthodox Jewish welterweight boxer Dmitriy "The Star of David" Salita is scheduled to take part in a meet and greet scheduled for 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, at the Chabad House of Greater Hartford, Connecticut, according to several recent postings on the boxer's Facebook page.

According to the Chabad House's web site, the cost to attend the function is $12 for advance registrations and $15 at the door. No program appears on the organization's site, and there is not indication that Jewish boxing collectors are prohibited from obtaining autographs or photos with the famed fighter.

Born in 1980 in Odessa, Ukraine in the former Soviet Union, Salita moved to Brooklyn at age nine, according to his Wikipedia bio, to escape anti-Semitic violence. Bullied in Brooklyn schools, Salita took up karate and boxing to learn to defend himself, and began boxing competitively at age 13.

He won a championship in the April 2001 New York Golden Gloves competition and turned pro at age 19 later that year. Salita holds a record of 35-1-1, according to BoxRec.com, with his last victory coming over Brandon Hoskins on October 20, 2012. Salita was scheduled to fight Hector Camacho, Jr. on February 9, 2013, but the fight was cancelled.

Salitas is fully observant, keeps kosher and observes Sabbath, refusing to fight before sundown on Saturdays, or on Jewish holidays.

In a recent interview in Ha'aretz with Israeli sports journalist Raphael Geller, Salitas says his religious observance sometimes makes it difficult to schedule fights, and hints that he may be seeking opportunities outside the ring.

As indicated in this October 2012 posting on JewishSportsCollectibles.com, Jewish boxing fans have access to a small, but varied, number of Salita collectibles.

Salita signed
boxing gloves.
Photo courtesy DSalitas.com.

The boxer, who fights wearing trunks that bear a Star of David, maintains a web site, on which he sells merchandise, including autographed, training ring worn boxing gloves and signed fight worn corner jackets. Cost for either item is $250 plus $20 shipping.

There are also a number of high quality images available on Salita's web site. The action shots would make nice additions to a boxing collection, especially if a collector could get a print signed by the Jewish fighter.

Orthodox Stance DVD. Photo courtesy of OrthodoxStance.com.

Salita is also the focus of a documentary film, titled Orthodox Stance. DVDs of the film can be purchased on Amazon.comand eBay, but not from the film's web site.

A search of eBay yielded little beyond the DVD, at the time of this posting.

Amazon.com sellers were offering no Salitas memorabilia, other than Orthodox Stance at the time of this posting.

Likewise, Beckett.com lists no boxing card for Salitas, and the Beckett Marketplace was also void of the fighter's collectibles.

Certainly, other Salitas collectibles exist, including tickets, programs and promotional materials for his fights.

For fans who collect friends and tweets, Salida is active on Twitter (@DSalita) and Facbook.

Do you know of other Salitas collectibles exist? What memorabilia associated with the fighter do you have in your Jewish boxing collection? Are you planning to attend the upcoming meet and greet with Salitas?

Let JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know by commenting below.

Jewish World Series Heroes

Sandy Koufax Upper Deck artwork. Photo courtesy of Beckett.com.

The Detroit Tigers take on the San Francisco Giants in the 108th World Series, which starts Wednesday, October 24.

During the 56-year history of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award (which started in 1955), two Jewish baseball players and a player who converted to Judaism after his career won a total of four MVP trophies.

Interestingly, all three played for the Los Angeles Dodgers when they captured the honors.

Larry Sherry Topps card.
Photo courtesy of eBay.com.

JewishSportsCollectibles.com offers reviews of the players' baseball cards and collectibles ... which range from common cards to $100,000+ game-used leather, from books to DVDs, from postcards and programs to books by the yard.

 

 

Steve Yeager Upper Deck card. Photo courtesy of Beckett.com

Click on the links that follow to read the JSC overviews of the cards and memorabilia for World Series MVP winners Larry Sherry (1959), Sandy Koufax (1963 and 1965) and Steve Yeager (1981).

 

Feel free to comment below, or in the individual postings, to let JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know what your most treasured collectible for these World Series winners might be.

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Editor's Note: A version of this posting originally ran under the headline "Jewish World Series MVP Profiles" in 2011.

Orthodox Boxer Dmitriy Salita Fights October 20

Dmitriy Salita (left) vs. Ronnie Warrior Jr. Photo by Alex Gorokhov, courtesy of www.dsalita.com.

Orthodox Jewish welterweight boxer Dmitriy "The Star of David" Salita will step into the ring as part of the opening night fights at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, October 20.

Salita will fight either Brandon Hoskins, according to a report on KaplansKorner.com, in one of the under card bouts scheduled for the grand opening event.

Salita's story is intriguing.

Born in 1980 in Odessa, Ukraine in the former Soviet Union, Salita moved to Brooklyn at age nine, according to his Wikipedia bio, to escape anti-Semitic violence.

Bullied in school, Salita took up karate and boxing to learn to defend himself. "That is how it all started. I got called into the principal's office. I got suspended a few times, but I got my respect. I started kicking some ass at school."

Salita began boxing competitively at age 13, won a championship in the April 2001 New York Golden Gloves competition and turned pro at age 19 later that year. He has since won 36 fights, losing only one match and fighting to a draw in one, according to BoxRec.com.

Orthodox Stance DVD.
Photo courtesy of
OrthodoxStance.com.

Salita signed
boxing gloves. Photo courtesy DSalitas.com.

While growing up in Brooklyn, Salitas was exposed to Orthodox Judaism and became fully observant. He keeps kosher and observes Sabbath, refusing to fight before sundown on Saturdays or on Jewish holidays.

Jewish boxing fans have access to a small, but varied, number of Salita collectibles.

The boxer, who fights wearing trunks that bear a Star of David, maintains a web site, on which he sells merchandise, including autographed, training ring worn boxing gloves and signed fight worn corner jackets. Cost for either item is $250 plus $20 shipping.

There are also a number of high quality images available on Salita's web site. Most (like the one featured above) feature the boxer in the ring, and would make nice additions to a boxing collection, especially if a collector could get a print signed by the Jewish fighter.

Salita is also the focus of a documentary film, titled Orthodox Stance. DVDs of the film can be purchased on Amazon.com and eBay, but not from the film's web site.

The trailer for the documentary can be seen below.

A search of eBay yielded little beyond the DVD, at the time of this posting. A poster for Salita's 2009 championship fight against Amir Khan, which Salita lost by knockout in 76 seconds, is for sale on the auction giant.

Khan vs. Salita poster. Photo courtesy of eBay.

Amazon.com offers photos, puzzles and photo mugs with images of Khan from the fight, but none of Salitas.

Beckett.com lists no boxing card for Salitas, and the Beckett Marketplace was also void of the fighter's memorabilia.

Certainly, other Salitas collectibles exist, including tickets, programs and promotional materials for other fights.

For fans who collect friend and tweets, Salida is active on Twitter (@DSalita) and Facbook.

What other Salitas collectibles exist? What memorabilia associated with the fighter do you have in your Jewish boxing collection? Let JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know by commenting below.

2012-2013 Football Preview

The football season kicks off tonight. There are 10 Jews and players with Jewish heritage (talk amongst yourselves, but I'm taking a big tent approach!) -- many of whom have memorabilia available to Jewish pigskin collectors -- among the players on teams 2012/2013 rosters.

This year's roster of Gridiron MOTs includes:

• Greg Camarillo - New Orleans Saints - WR
• Gabe Carimi - Chicago Bears - T
• Brian de la Puenta (Mother) - New Orleans Saints - G
• Julian Edelman (Father) - New England Patriots - WR
• Erik Lorig - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - FB/TE
• Taylor Mays - Cincinnati Bengals - SS
• Adam Podlesh - Chicago Bears - P
• Sage Rosenfels - (Father) Minnesota Viking - QB
• Geoff Schwartz - Minnesota Vikings - T
• Mitchell Schwartz - Cleveland Browns - T

The-not-nearly-complete list of collectibles associated with each player who will start follows ...

Greg Camarillo

Greg Camarillo 2009 Upper Deck. Photo courtesy of eBay.

Camarillio has more than 50 cards available in the Beckett Marketplace. These include standard issue 2008-2010 pasteboard from Score, Upper Deck and Topps, along with a bevy of signed cards.

Most of the wide receiver/punt returner's cards sell for under $5, with a few of the limited editions booking for as much as $12-20.

Signed photos of the Stanford grad, in both his college and pro uniforms, are available on eBay for between $10-25. Football programs (typically $10 or less) can also be found on the auction giant; they typically sell for $10 or less, depending on the opponent.

 

Gabe Carimi Crown Royale card. Photo courtesy of eBay.

Gabe Carimi

The Wisconsin grad is, truly, a "monster of the Midway." A highly-touted rookie, Carimi has nearly two dozen cards available in the Beckett Marketplace.

A search of eBay yields the "Hebrew Bear's" 2011 Senior Bowl Card ($1.25), several signed photos, a Combine worn and signed Under Armour shirt and a Rose Bowl worn and autographed warm-up jacket. As always, buyer beware.

Brian de la Puente

The Beckett Marketplace shows no cards available for the New Orleans Saints offensive guard, who's mother has Jewish heritage, as reported on Kaplan's Korner on Jews and Sports.

Searching eBay may prove more fruitful for for Jewish football collectors seeking de la Puenta memorabilia. The auction site offers a Saints practice jersey, signed gloves and a jersey name plate, along with Vikings tickets and a program.

What de la Puenta collectibles do you have on your shelf? Anything from his college playing days with Cal?

Julian Edelman

Julian Edelman Exquisite LE Signature card. Photo courtesy of eBay.

The Beckett Marketplace offers a selection of nearly two dozen Edelman cards, ranging from $0.25-$15. These include standard issue as well as memorabilia and autograph cards.

Offerings on eBay include Edelman's cards, signed photos, autographed jerseys and footballs. As always, buyer beware.
 
Antonio Garay
Still no cards -- yet -- for this former practice squad player (check out this terrific, feel good article about Garay from the San Diego Jewish World), according to Beckett.

An eBay search yielded Garay's autograph on a Chargers team signed helmet and an autographed index card.

This is both a bummer -- and an opportunity -- for collectors. Does anyone have any Garay memorabilia in their collections?

Erik Lorig

eBay offerings include a team signed ball and a Stanford media guide, but there are no cards yet for the dual threat full back/tight end, according to Beckett.

Do you know if Lorig is featured in any other Stanford collectibles? Has anyone had success obtaining Lorig's signature through the mail?

Taylor Mays 2010 Bowman Sterling. Photo courtesy of eBay.

Taylor Mays

As a highly-touted rookie out of USC, Mays started his career with the 49ers and was traded to the Bengals. The Beckett Marketplace includes 60 cards for Mays, including standard issues, autograph and limited editions cards.

A wide range of the safety's collectibles, in all price points, including jerseys, signed photos, helmets, etc. can be found on eBay.

Adam Podlesh
Sadly, Beckett offers no cards for the Bears punter.

An eBay search shows several signed photos, including pictures of the punter in both his professional and college uniforms, and a Maryland 'Terps program. Other memorabilia includes Bears team signed items with Podlesh's autograph.

Certainly the outspoken punter is featured in other media guides, team publications, etc. What do you have in your collection?

Sage Rosenfels Press Pass rookie card. Photo courtesy of eBay.

Sage Rosenfels
The veteran back-up QB has perfected the art of carrying the clipboard on the sideline. This begs the question, will Rosenfels even have a shot at seeing the field in 2012?

For collectors, the answer may not matter. Rosenfels has a slew of cards, dating back to his 2001 rookie campaign.

A Beckett search results in more than 150 different cards. This includes dozens from the major issues, and numerous special inserts, relic cards, etc. Prices range from less than $1 to about $20 for some of the rarest memorabilia cards. 

Rosenfels fans can a find game-used equipment, signed photos and team-signed memorabilia at a variety of price points on eBay, in addition to the QBs football cards. As always, buyer beware.

Geoff Schwartz
Offensive lineman play a critical role in the success, or failure, of any team's offernse. They big men, however, often toil in obscurity, insofar as their collectibles are concerned.

Such is the case for Geoff, who is best known as the big brother to Cleveland Browns draftee Mitchell Schwartz.

Unfortunately for collectors, Beckett shows no cards for the Vikings o-tackle. Collectors can find several Oregon Ducks programs that include Schwartz The Elder, along with an unsigned photo and several team autographed items that include the lineman's signature on eBay.

What Schwartz collectibles do you have in your collection? Anything from his college days with the Oregon Ducks?

Mitchell Schwartz

Mitchell Schwartz Senior Bowl Card. Photo courtesy of eBay.

Mitchell Schwartz is the only Jewish player from drafted in 2012 to land a roster spot. The second round pick of the Cleveland Browns (read more about Schwartz and the Jewish undrafted free agent signers in this JSC posting) has a limited edition Senior Bowl facsimile signature card, which sells for $1-$15 (the more expensive cards have been autographed) on eBay and $1.50 on Beckett.com.

Collectors can find Cal Bears helmets, jerseys, logo footballs, tickets, programs, yearbooks and other ephemera (including this poster schedule) on eBay and Amazon.com.

 

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The 2011/2012 Jewish football players and 2012 draftees currently without a home, due to late roster cuts and other circumstances, are:

• David Binn - formerly of the San Diego Chargers - Long Snapper/C
• Adam Goldberg (Father) - formerly of the St. Louis Rams - T/G
• Alex Gottlieb - 2012 undrafted free agent - formerly of the Detroit Lions
• Alex Hoffman-Ellis - 2012 undrafted free agent - formerly of the St. Louis Rams
• Kyle Kosier - formerly of the Dallas Cowboys - G
• Igor Olshansky - formerly of the Miami Dolphins - DT

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I may have missed some players, and I'm sure I've missed numerous collectibles in highlighting the offerings above. What can you add to the list? What's your favorite collectible associated with the current Jewish NFL players? Let JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know by commenting below.