For those of you who have been in the hobby as long as I have, you can remember the early days of the hobby when baseball cards were king and when gloves, bats, uniforms, and vintage equipment filled flea markets and attics. Collector/dealers like myself bought things because we liked them and believed they had value that others would soon recognize. The more I became involved in looking for these items, the more I learned about them, which enabled me to share the information that I acquired by creating one of the earliest reference guides and thereby attracting new collectors into the hobby. Knowledge, information, and the confidence people had in me, led them to build some of the finest collections in the hobby and fuel the industry. I have enjoyed this hobby for many years and now find myself in a position to help both the older established collector to acquire that "last great piece" and assist collectors in selling, to realize the value of what they have purchased over the years.

During this passionate journey, I made some lifelong friends as I continued to buy, sell, research, and share information. One of those great friends and colleagues was Troy Kinunen, who started collecting at a very early age. Our paths would cross often at shows and it wasn’t long before we forged a strong friendship and realized that working together enabled us to better assist others with information we gathered and mistakes we made. Troy and I began our pursuits, spending many days at the Louisville Slugger museum researching the records and archives. It was our shared passion for game used bats and equipment that led us to authenticating together for SCD in 2004. Troy also brought an expertise of others collecting areas to our knowledge base, giving us a wider breadth of collectors to reach with information.

Almost 20 years has passed and I never anticipated that we would be in the same position with an entirely new generation of collectors today. Our work becomes more difficult because vintage items are getting harder to find and more people are competing for them with so many collectors, dealers and auction houses. Founding MEARS in 2005 has enabled us to reach the next generation of collectors in a way I could not have imagined back in the 1980s. This virtual presence has been a driving force in terms of education and research throughout the industry. Using this medium to both buy and sell now affords us the opportunity to reach more people and provide them access to a vast inventory which we have accumulated over the years and an enormous network of collectors who share our passion.

Over the years, Troy and I have authenticated literally thousands of game used items. We’ve also witnessed a transformation in the hobby, which has given birth to a more astute and educated collector. As a result, our contributions have grown to be more scientific in our approach to authentication resulting in the highest level of accuracy when determining a game-used item's authenticity. This precise determination is the reason why most of the historically important pieces of equipment that exist in the hobby today carry our letter of authenticity. Our accurate and complete research along with our willingness to stand behind our opinion for each and every item that we evaluate, instills a confidence among collectors that we are thrilled to be a part of. We will not only continue to evaluate and authenticate game used items with a level of responsibility and care that is unparalleled, but intend to share our knowledge with collectors by assisting them to acquire the memorabilia they seek or wish to sell. We also make the commitment to continually improve our existing practices without compromising our integrity.

As we strive to better serve the hobby, we will now be working with collectors who desire to use our knowledge and contacts to obtain the elusive memorabilia for their collections or wish to achieve the highest possible return on their investment. We will personally work with each collector and the services we provide will allow for more flexibility in determining price, shorter pay periods, and a wider audience. Troy and I have experience dealing with the most rare and coveted memorabilia and we are excited to work with each of you on a personal level with your collection.

In response to the overwhelming request by collectors like you for assistance in trading your memorabilia, we will be buying and selling all types of game-used equipment for all major sports including game-used bats, game used jerseys, wire photos, authenticated autographs, sports & political pin back buttons, historical postcards, Muhammad Ali items and much, much more.

If you are looking to buy an item or looking to sell a single piece or collection, think about what collectors have been saying since the infancy of the sports memorabilia hobby, "Ask MEARS.” With the combined expertise of Troy and myself, I know you'll be glad you did.

David Bushing

Troy R. Kinunen

We hope you enjoy the products we have made available at MEARS For Sale. Questions can be directed to:

Troy R. Kinunen can be reached at troy@mearsonline.com

Dave Bushing can be reached at dbushing1@aol.com