Here is an interesting story I stumbled across the other day that I would like to share with you.  This just goes to show you that you never know where your hobbies can take you!

Freddie Hanneman Jr., a retired Milwukee railroad engineer, began collecting autographs back in the 60s when he was a young man pursuing his beloved sport of gymnastics.  He recalls attending a banquet of champions in Milwaukee, where he had the pleasure of meeting Olympic gold medal swimmers Don Schollander and Johnny Weissmuller (also the lead actor in the film Tarzan).  He asked for their autographs on his banquet program and “that was the beginning of it,” said Hanneman, “and it just kind of took off from there.”

Last Saturday, Hanneman decided to empty out his memorabilia-filled basement by auctioning off a half-century worth of celebrity and sports memorabilia.  The collection, valued at over $100,000 included baseball bats signed by Stan "The Man" Musial, baseballs signed by Pete Rose and baseball commissioner Bud Selig, and the 1957 World Series champion Milwaukee Braves.

Also among Hanneman’s extensive collection are 300 genuine, autographed baseballs, including two balls signed by Milwaukee Braves pitcher Warren Spahn and Brewers pitcher Rollie Fingers, a golf ball and two footballs signed by Brett Favre, and a football signed by legendary quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr.

Although he began his collection pursuing only the autographs of professional athletes, he soon turned his attention to the world of celebrity memorabilia as well.  He began seeking out celebrities and movie stars as they would pass through Milwaukee, always looking for the chance to snag a great autograph.  He and his brother obtained actress Rita Moreno’s autograph in the 1970s while she was performing in ”Guys and Dolls.”  Soon after he began adding more star-studded celebrity signatures to his collection such as those belonging to actresses Jane Russell, Linda Blair, and Maime Van Doran, who also included her measurements -“38-26-36”-and an imprint of her lips in fiery red lipstick!

Carl Seitz, owner of House in the Woods auction gallery, where the items were successfully auctioned, said Hanneman has an amazing collection. "He went wherever there was a signing. He really worked at it," Seitz said.

Check out “Sports Memorabilia Collecting 101: A mini-guide to starting your sports memorabilia collection” and “Snagging Signatures: A blog mini-series on starting your own Autograph Collection” for tips on how to start your future $100,000 memorabilia collection now!

Also, got to iTaggit.com to check out the iTaggit classifieds and to protect, sell, share, and value your collection!