As an experienced dealer in memorabilia, we look for authentication of our offerings in every possible way. Most commonly, we rely upon very respectable dealers and authenticators to provide us Certificates of Authenticity. The authentication process is expensive therefor mostly used for very desirable autographs only. Every once in a while, we come across a massive collection of memorabilia that is too large to be graded because of the expenses involved. It is then that we rely on provenance to make the case for authenticity.

The Tres Collection, as we have determined to call it, has provenance that actually reminds us of a love story that only a mother can have for a son. As I talked with Gail, his mother, she recalled Tres’ first autograph. It was on a little purple football. He was hooked on autographs. His mother saw the light in his eyes and decided to help him get as many as he could. It was their own personal journey that only a mother and son could share. As she talked, I could see her eyes light up with pride. As she scrolled through the memories, it was very clear to me that she was very much a part of the assembling and provenance of the items in the collection.

As his passion increased so did his collection. He became more of an expert in his hobby and started trading some of his duplicates for memorabilia that fit his interests. His eye for collectability was keen and showed in his collection. He started his own company that manufactured oversize bats. The bats were made so fellow collectors could get team autographs on them. Tragically, Tres’ life was ended before he could make that dream a successful business venture.

Tres left behind a son, Isaac. He has also left behind a legacy of collecting and 1,000’s of the fruits of his passion. His mother has decided to share Tres’ passion of collecting to fellow collectors.

We hope you will enjoy your passion of collecting as much as Tres and his mother enjoyed theirs.

Sincerely,

Casey Jones, Auctioneer