Where are You, Steve Bartman?

29th National Sports Collectors Convention offers record $25,000 to sign one
autograph

ROSEMONT, Ill., July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The most money ever offered for
one autograph is on the table, literally, at the 29th Annual National Sports
Collectors Convention (The National), scheduled for July 30 - August 3 at the
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.
Show organizers and SportsBuy.com (formerly NAXCOM.com), a Sports Online
Sales & Auction firm, announced today that a briefcase filled with $25,000 is
being offered to Steve Bartman on "Redemption-Reward Thursday" (July 31, 2008)
at the sports collectibles convention.
The Bartman signing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, July
31, in the Tristar Autograph Pavilion inside the Donald E. Stephens Convention
Center in Rosemont.
"No one in sports memorabilia history has ever been paid $25,000 to sign
one autograph -- not Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth,
Lou Gehrig, or any other athlete," said Mike Berkus, co-Executive Director of
The National.
"All Steve has to do is show up, prove he is in fact the real Steve
Bartman -- not some earphone-wearing imposter -- and he'll move to the top of
the autograph value list," said Wesley Hein, CEO of SportsBuy.com.
The photograph that The National organizers want Bartman to sign is, of
course, the infamous image from Game 6 of the 2003 National League
Championship Series against the Florida Marlins. Once the picture is signed,
it will be auctioned on SportsBuy.com to the general public with net proceeds
being donated to a Chicago-based charity. This photo, signed by Steve
Bartman, would be, arguably, the most sought-after collectible in the history
of sports memorabilia.
"Steve Bartman has been a recluse for years, but we're hopeful that he
will accept our invitation and generous offer to appear at The National,"
Berkus said. "We have personal security to provide to Steve at The National
and to a destination of his choosing."
If Bartman accepts the offer, he immediately will vault into an autograph
stratosphere of his own. Just consider the prices and values of former
athletes for one autograph:
-- Babe Ruth: $10,000
-- Shoeless Joe Jackson: $7,500
-- Lou Gehrig: $5,000
-- Michael Jordan: $2,500
-- Joe DiMaggio: $2,000
-- Mickey Mantle: $1,000

For more information please visit http://www.nsccshow.com .

SOURCE National Sports Collectors Convention

Shelli Andranigian of SportsBuy.com, +1-818-507-0221; or Ross Forman of the
29th National Sports Collectors Convention, +1-847-542-9350