New York Mets memorabilia that would be awesome to own
Since the beginning of time obtaining memorabilia of some kind from someone who was more popular than the average person has been a goal of most. For New York Mets fans, it is the same. We all clamor for the best pieces of memorabilia from our favorite franchise to either show off to friends and family or to try and flip for a profit.
I personally try and do the former and display it for all to see. I love collecting memorabilia both signed and unsigned; it gives me a sense of pride that I have a piece of something that has a history or a story behind it. Over the years I have collected a wide variety of memorabilia, some of it Mets related and some of it non-Mets related.
Even though I have collected a bunch of pieces of memorabilia I continue to have a bucket list of pieces that I one day would love to own someday. Some of it is attainable given the appropriate resources and some of it is more of a pipe dream due to the lack of availability.
Mets fans are some of the most passionate fans in baseball and most of them love to display their memorabilia. I am confident that a lot of Mets fans like myself have a bucket list of Mets memorabilia they would love to own.
Even though the Mets do not have as long of a history as some of the other teams in baseball, the list of pieces of memorabilia that could be owned is just as long.
This slideshow will go through my top three pieces of Mets related memorabilia that I hope to own at one point in my life. Some would have sentimental value to me while others would be awesome to own and display for all to see.
Mike Piazza’s Home Run ball from September 21st, 2001
I think I can speak for most Mets fans when I say that this piece of memorabilia, in particular, would be highly sought after by any true Mets fan.
Arguably one of the most iconic events in franchise history, Mike Piazza hit the go-ahead home run against the Atlanta Braves in the first baseball game since the September 11th attacks.
9/11 was a tragic event that stopped the world in its tracks and when the Mets opened the game against the Braves there was a lot of somberness in the stadium. The country needed a moment of happiness and Mike Piazza provided just that. It was truly an incredible moment and being able to own that baseball would mean so much.
On top of the incredible honor it would be to own that ball, it would also be special to own that ball because Mike Piazza was my sports hero growing up. I idolized him and it would be awesome to own a piece of memorabilia from him and from that night.
The ball I believe is in either the Baseball Hall of Fame or the Mets Museum, so this is another pipe dream, but it is on the bucket list, nonetheless. Being able to acquire any piece of memorabilia from that game would be humbling even if it was not the ball.
Unfortunately, anything from that game in an auction would cost a small fortune but where there is a will there is a way, and one day, I hope to own something from that night.
1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie Card
A while back I did a piece on the most valuable Mets baseball card of all time. Even though the Mets have not had a lot of All-Time greats in baseball history they did have a few and one of their rookie cards is quite valuable.
That player would be Nolan Ryan. His rookie card would be a dream to own and is the most attainable of the three pieces of memorabilia in this slideshow.
Back in the early days of baseball cards, the rookies were pictured in pairs if there was more than one on the team. 1968 was exactly that with Nolan Ryan and Jerry Koosman sharing the same card.
This is one of the most valuable baseball cards in the world if it is in a high grade. There is only one PSA 10 version of this card and its last sale price was $600,000 in August of 2020. That is absurd but it is the only one in existence.
For my bucket list, however, the ideal one to own would be a PSA 8 or PSA 9. The grade is still high, and it has a low enough population to hold its value.
Sports cards are on a wild up swinging climb right now and the ceiling of the value for this type of card is unknown. Vintage baseball cards though tend to hold their value over time making this worth the amount of money it would cost to acquire it.
This would have a sentimental value as well. My dad grew up watching Nolan Ryan and when I became a Mets fan, I became enamored by his success and how the Mets traded him away early in his career.
One day I hope to own this card and proudly display it along with all of the other memorabilia I own for all to see.
Disguise worn by Former Mets Manager Bobby Valentine
This piece of Mets memorabilia is one that would be so funny to own. Bobby Valentine was thrown out of a game during the Mets 2000 season and instead of relegating himself to the clubhouse like usual, he decided to put on a fake mustache and return to the dugout.
It was a moment in Mets history that will be remembered forever and the fact that it occurred so nonchalantly makes it even more incredible. The Mets announce team was enamored by how Valentine just decided he did not want to leave the dugout and put on a mustache to go incognito.
This disguise turned into a Halloween costume that still is used to this day and wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to go as mustache Bobby valentine for Halloween but be able to use the actual mustache that was used that Summer night in 2000.
This piece of memorabilia is like no other in Mets history, it is iconic but in a humorous way and really had no impact on the Mets’ successes on the field yet it is one of the most brought up moments in Mets history.
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Unfortunately, this piece of memorabilia probably does not exist anymore and if it does probably has not been stored properly to even be worth what it would cost to acquire. Regardless, it would be an awesome piece to own for the pure humor aspect of the whole thing and to say I own the mustache that Bobby valentine used as a disguise.