GaryMrMets
03-25-2004, 05:46 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/8273229.htm
Posted on Thu, Mar. 25, 2004
The Vet lives on - on eBay
The stadium may be gone, but it has not been forgotten by the online aftermarket.
By Don Steinberg
Inquirer Staff Writer
Up from the rubble of Sunday's Veterans Stadium implosion has risen a thriving new marketplace. Hundreds of items relating to the Vet are now for sale on eBay, ranging from vintage memorabilia to debris found after the demolition.
There are ticket stubs, old programs, stadium seats, implosion videos, shards of plastic, and chunks of concrete.
"I would think, right now, there's a lot of people walking around with a lot of concrete," Jon Bernstein of Cherry Hill said.
Bernstein said he got the concrete for his eBay offering the Friday before the implosion so he could take photos of his chunks at the stadium to document their origin.
"I'm the only guy who labeled and numbered each stone and took a picture with the Vet in the background," he said yesterday. "I picked only nice, clean paperweight-size ones, labeled about 60 of them, put them on the roof of my car, and drove them to the back of the Vet to take pictures."
Just one of his 60 pieces was listed on eBay yesterday.
"I don't want to flood the market," he said. "The Vet does mean a lot to me. I've been to Cowboys-Eagles Monday Night Football in the 700 level. I went to the baseball All-Star Game. I did this for myself - I kept some good pieces for the bar in my basement. But I figured there's like-minded people, and if you are like-minded, bid away."
As of yesterday, two bidders had upped the $1 starting price for Bernstein's chunk No. 44 to $5.
Other items had more action. The bidding for an authentic base originally bought from the Phillies was up to $865. Jerry Weldin watched bids rise to $510 for his pair of seats.
"Seat numbers 19 and 20 - Greg Luzinski and Mike Schmidt," he said, referring to the uniform numbers of the two former Phillies. "I wouldn't be surprised if it went to $600."
"Since 7:02 on Sunday, people seem to have a lot more interest in the Vet," said Larry Shenk, vice president of public relations for the Phillies. He said he wasn't surprised by the online aftermarket, calling it "the nature of today's world."
Dale Pollock of Media bought a blue field-box folding chair from the Phillies for $125. Now he has it listed on eBay for a minimum bid of $449 and said he had received an e-mail from someone ready to pay.
"I just thought it was an opportunity to sell it at an obscene figure," Pollock explained.
"I loved the Vet," he said. "If I could push a button and have the Vet be the ballpark for the future, I would have kept it. But what are you going to do? It's gone. I bought season tickets this year for the first time, and thought I'd defray some of the costs by getting rid of the chair."
Temple student Darren Jacobs picked up some debris from the implosion on his way into the 76ers' game on Monday night. He got a concrete chunk about the size of a baseball, some pebbles, a bit of chain-link fence, a few inches of yellow caution tape, and two shards of flat plastic.
He first listed the package - "perfect for ANY collector, or fan of the Phillies"- at $8 but has relisted it with a $1 starting bid. He's still waiting. His auction continues through Saturday, but be warned: The winning bidder pays $6 for shipping.
"The piece of cement, that thing is pretty heavy," Jacobs said.
Posted on Thu, Mar. 25, 2004
The Vet lives on - on eBay
The stadium may be gone, but it has not been forgotten by the online aftermarket.
By Don Steinberg
Inquirer Staff Writer
Up from the rubble of Sunday's Veterans Stadium implosion has risen a thriving new marketplace. Hundreds of items relating to the Vet are now for sale on eBay, ranging from vintage memorabilia to debris found after the demolition.
There are ticket stubs, old programs, stadium seats, implosion videos, shards of plastic, and chunks of concrete.
"I would think, right now, there's a lot of people walking around with a lot of concrete," Jon Bernstein of Cherry Hill said.
Bernstein said he got the concrete for his eBay offering the Friday before the implosion so he could take photos of his chunks at the stadium to document their origin.
"I'm the only guy who labeled and numbered each stone and took a picture with the Vet in the background," he said yesterday. "I picked only nice, clean paperweight-size ones, labeled about 60 of them, put them on the roof of my car, and drove them to the back of the Vet to take pictures."
Just one of his 60 pieces was listed on eBay yesterday.
"I don't want to flood the market," he said. "The Vet does mean a lot to me. I've been to Cowboys-Eagles Monday Night Football in the 700 level. I went to the baseball All-Star Game. I did this for myself - I kept some good pieces for the bar in my basement. But I figured there's like-minded people, and if you are like-minded, bid away."
As of yesterday, two bidders had upped the $1 starting price for Bernstein's chunk No. 44 to $5.
Other items had more action. The bidding for an authentic base originally bought from the Phillies was up to $865. Jerry Weldin watched bids rise to $510 for his pair of seats.
"Seat numbers 19 and 20 - Greg Luzinski and Mike Schmidt," he said, referring to the uniform numbers of the two former Phillies. "I wouldn't be surprised if it went to $600."
"Since 7:02 on Sunday, people seem to have a lot more interest in the Vet," said Larry Shenk, vice president of public relations for the Phillies. He said he wasn't surprised by the online aftermarket, calling it "the nature of today's world."
Dale Pollock of Media bought a blue field-box folding chair from the Phillies for $125. Now he has it listed on eBay for a minimum bid of $449 and said he had received an e-mail from someone ready to pay.
"I just thought it was an opportunity to sell it at an obscene figure," Pollock explained.
"I loved the Vet," he said. "If I could push a button and have the Vet be the ballpark for the future, I would have kept it. But what are you going to do? It's gone. I bought season tickets this year for the first time, and thought I'd defray some of the costs by getting rid of the chair."
Temple student Darren Jacobs picked up some debris from the implosion on his way into the 76ers' game on Monday night. He got a concrete chunk about the size of a baseball, some pebbles, a bit of chain-link fence, a few inches of yellow caution tape, and two shards of flat plastic.
He first listed the package - "perfect for ANY collector, or fan of the Phillies"- at $8 but has relisted it with a $1 starting bid. He's still waiting. His auction continues through Saturday, but be warned: The winning bidder pays $6 for shipping.
"The piece of cement, that thing is pretty heavy," Jacobs said.