ON JANUARY 7 , a number of destructive and deadly wildfires began around Los Angeles. Exacerbated by drought conditions and heavy winds, the fires spread quickly, burning for weeks and destroying everything in their paths. Nearly 200,000 people were forced to evacuate, more than 18,000 buildings destroyed, with losses estimated at $150 billion. It was one of the most devastating disasters in the history of our country. The Eaton fire alone destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed at least 24. Several collector friends and customers were forced to leave their homes, and their friends and families displaced. During January, we spoke with dozens of folks from the area who told story after story about the displacement of their neighbors – families who were forced to leave everything behind, who returned to find their homes and all their belongings destroyed by the fires.
As is always the case with these horrific disasters, though, we are inspired by the resilience and determination of people to rebuild and move forward. We’re even more inspired by how quickly people take action to help. As we’ve seen in recent years, we have so many differences, so many things that threaten to drive us apart – but when we really need each other, that’s when we pull together. I’ve been unfortunate enough to have witnessed a number of unexplainable tragedies – fires, floods, pandemics, even a horrible attack on American soil – and invariably, that’s when people rise up and lend a hand. We’re Americans, and more than anything else, that’s what we do. We stand strong in the face of adversity, and we pitch in and help our neighbors when they need it. From the sales of this auction, we will be donating a percentage of our profits to the Wildlife Recovery Fund of the California Community Foundation. The CCF addresses the long-term recovery needs of neighborhoods most in need, addressing housing, medical care, mental health of displaced residents. You can read more about the California Community Foundation at calfund.org. They do great work, and we’re proud to contribute what we can. According to Kings Research, the sports card market is nearly $10 billion in size. We are, among auction houses, one of the smallest. There are many companies in this hobby that are significantly larger than us, and many tout their size as a competitive advantage when competing for consignments. It is our hope that some of those significantly larger companies soon intend to announce their much larger contributions to help the victims as well. On a completely unrelated note, it is a new year, and unfortunately it is time for us to visit the issue of shipping. Several years ago, we switched to standardized shipping costs on all but the heaviest and largest lots. We ship everything by Priority Mail and FedEx, and in the face of withering price increases each year, we have not adjusted our shipping costs. Unfortunately, with the new year, we are forced to make a modest adjustment to our shipping costs. It’s not an astronomical increase – in most cases just two or three dollars – but we encourage you to consult our auction rules for specifics. We promise not to make it a habit, as our objective is to keep shipping costs as low as possible while shipping the most safe, secure way we can. And with that, it’s time for our Spring, 2025 Premier Auction – one of the most interesting auctions in our history, and certainly our largest in terms of number of lots. We thank all our consignors for contributing such excellent material, and wish the best of luck to all our bidders!
Best regards, Al Crisafulli Auction Director
SPRING 2025 PREMIER AUCTION − CLOSES APRIL 5, 2025 1
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