Sad news. If you weren't familiar with Barry Halper, he had the single most amazing collection of baseball memorabilia ever. I mean ever. He put all others to shame. Eventually, he sold most of the collection in a Sotheby's auction. If you ever get the chance, look for Barry Halper Collection as it details all of the pieces that were sold, and makes for a great coffee table book. It will tickle Jonny Dub's already huge ego for me to say that he bought me a copy for Christmas or a birthday one year and that it was a great present.
The first time Jess and I went to Cooperstown, we had a chance to see the exhibit that was set up dedicated to Barry Halper. It was made up to look like Halper's home, complete with a sliding glass door that looked out at photos of Halper's back yard. It was one of the best exhibits at the hall as it had some of the strangest things.
Probably my favorite items were Ty Cobb's false teeth and Ty Cobb's diary/planner. The journal entry that it was open to was very interesting. Something like, "Buy more Coca-Cola stock. Get money back from that f__ker Bill. Send Na-Na a birthday card." I don't remember it completely, but I'm confident that I only paraphrase slightly what it really said.
In any case, as a collector of random baseball crap myself, I'll be dusting off some of my collection this evening and as I do, I'll reflect on maybe the greatest collector of all time. Rest in peace, Barry Halper.
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Barry Halper passes away
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Dex
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