Collector Con – big trade in sports collectables
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
I remember as a young kid getting into the whole collector cards and action figurines scene . In the mid-80s it was huge . Fast forward to 2023 and I actually think that the whole collector card and memorabilia scene has exploded internationally .
At the touch of your fingers , you can jump on eBay and buy pretty much whatever memorabilia or sports collectables you are after to satisfy your inner nerd .
Sports card stall at the Collector Con event .
I ’ m no different and despite having a few years of not much action in the card trading scene with footy cards , cricket cards , soccer cards , basketball cards and NFL cards , I decided to jump back into the rabbit hole of card collecting . So , I was pleasantly surprised when on Sunday I received an invitation to attend the Collector Con event out at Cambridge Park .
It was chock a block . The lineup to get into the basketball stadium stretched for hundreds of metres and there Wrestling figurines . were some serious traders and people with stacks of cash to pick up all of their bits and pieces of collectables , ranging from sports shirts and memorabilia , collector cards and action figurines .
The event covered everything from sports to Star Trek and Star Wars . I even saw some Neighbours and Home and
Away cards for those fans who can ’ t live and breathe without knowing what Alf Stewart or Harold Bishop are doing
Collector Con has been around for years too and travels all over Sydney to cater for the needs of interested collectors , and there are a lot our there . It might surprise you that there is big money involved , particularly in the card scene .
I ’ ve spent the best part of $ 500 chasing up sports memorabilia from all over the world in the last few months ( don ’ t tell my missus ) and its common for people to spend $ 300-400 for a box of cards so that they can get the inserts they are looking for to either collect or sell at events like this .
I saw a graded Steph Curry rookie card from 2009 in his debut season in the NBA for $ 4000 - no offers . That means that you couldn ’ t negotiate and haggle the price , and at the end of the day that trader sold that card and plenty more and turned over close to $ 10,000 for the day .
I ’ ve always joked with my wife and said that if I ever sell my sports cards ( I ’ ve got a 38-year collection ), that we would have a house deposit . It wouldn ’ t be that much , but there are people I know that have over $ 250k of sports cards and another $ 150k of memorabilia .
People love Collector Con too , because they can dress up in all sorts of costumes and play the part of their favourite characters from Star Wars , and Star Trek . Wrestling always gets a show and everything gets a run . There were two full halls in the basketball courts and probably 5000 people or more wandering around checking everything out . They even put on a wrestling show to keep everyone entertained .
Next time you see a Collector Con event around your local area , I strongly recommend that you go and check it out . Bring your cash because I ’ m sure you ’ ll find something that you or your kids will like .
HARPO ’ s MARKS
I always had an interest in horse racing from when I was eight or nine years old - each Saturday my father would give me shillings and tell me to run down to the corner shop and have thruppence eachway his selections .
I never got into gambling though until I left Riverstone High School of Hard Knocks in 1967 and found myself a job as a copyboy on the old Daily Mirror .
Once ensconced in that place , it was impossible for me not to take up more than a passing interest in having a bet , primarily on thoroughbreds , the Red Hots and greyhounds .
After only a few days at the old rag , I was given the nod to become the full-time copyboy in the sports section .
Where I rubbed shoulders with a host senior sporting journos , all of whom lurved a punt – Bill Mordey , John Holloway , Pat Farrell , Kenny Callander , Gary Manning , Tony Megahey , Harry Pearce and Jeff Collerson .
I had my good days , leaving a course with plenty of pelf , but there were others when I made regular treks down to the pawn shops .
My binoculars spent more time there than hanging around my neck on track !
But win , lose or draw , I have always maintained a passion for the Sport of Kings .
I ’ ve been privileged to have been on track to see in action great horses , legendary trainers and outstanding jockeys as well as witnessing memorable races .
Three races come readily to mind , two of which occurred 50 racing seasons ago in 1973-74 .
First , I ’ ll tell you about the most exciting race finished I have witnessed after watching races across all Australian states , New Zealand , Singapore , France , England and Ireland .
That was the 1973 AJC Derby in which a trio of champion three-year-olds had a ding-dong battle from topping the rise until the winning post .
The judge had to get out the magnifying glass to separate three of the best horses to have graced the Australian turf .
The Tommy Smith-trained Imagele , a son of the crazy as a cut snake but champion sire , Sostenuto , got the bikkies by a short head over Leica Lover with Grand Cidium , which got his head up just on the winning post , a long head away , third .
The three star youngsters came away from the rest of the field around the two furlongs mark and neither of them shirked their tasks when the whips were cracking .
Imagele ’ s return to the racetrack was certainly meritorious following his crashing to the turf as 4 / 9 favourite in the previous autumn ’ s Golden Slipper Stakes , won by another champion galloper , Tontonan .
Imagele went to Melbourne for the Spring Carnival and raced OK against the best of his age before TJ took the colt to Western Australia where he raced like a tired horse .
He returned the following autumn to win the Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill but then he went amiss and the great colt was retired to the breeding barn , standing at George Ryder ’ s famous Kia Ora Stud .
The flashy , imposing chestnut failed to fire in the gee-gee boudoir during his two seasons at stud .
He was found dead in his stall in April 1976 , succumbing to a stomach rupture . By the champion sire of stayers , Oncidium , Grand Cidium ’ s career included victories in the Trenton Stakes , Hill Stakes and Caulfield Guineas and 4th in the 1973 Caulfield .
Sadly , Grand Cidium , died tragically
while still a few months shy of his third birthday . Leica Lover ’ s victories included the WATC Derby , Adelaide Guineas , Hill Stakes , Craven Plate , Eclipse Stakes and the Chelmsford Stakes .
The 1973-74 season boasted a tremendous group of three-year-olds ; they included Taj Rossie , Purple Patch , Idolou , Craig Win , Americano and the marvellous sprinter-miler , Tontonan .
Which segues into Tontonan ’ s victory in the 1974 Doncaster Handicap in which he carried a weight-carrying record for a threeyear-old , 56kg .
The brilliant youngster toyed with his rivals to blitz a top class field in the nation ’ s premier mile race .
Tontonan , was the first horse to greet the judge but he was beaten to the winning post by a “ colt ” and a “ filly ”.
Two racegoers thought they ’ d get in on the act and jumped the fence at furlong mark and , stark naked , they raced up the final furlong ahead of the Doncaster field which had just entered the straight .
First past the post was the male streaker , which won by a good length over the female , who breasted the line a few strides behind .
Fortunately , they had just cleared the track when Tontonan and the rest of the neddies thundered past the post .
The other truly memorable moment occurred at Kembla Grange in ’ 73 and caused a furore across the racing fraternity .
Hot Chestnut , ridden by the late-great Ray Selkrig , was within the shadow of the post and was set to win by two lengths . I ’ ll let Ray Selkrig tell the story . “ As we were near the post the horse saw this brown patch and propped , throwing me out of the saddle ,” Ray recalled .
“ He kept going , I held on to the mane firstly and then the reins and my feet hit the ground .
“ Being dragged , I looked over my shoulder and wouldn ’ t let go until I passed the winning post .”
Objections were lodged and most punters , including those who backed Hot Chestnut , were confident horse would be deemed to have lost rider .
I was on track that day – indeed , had a little something on Ray and his neddy - and was fully prepared to tear up my betting slip .
The tyro on-course stewards couldn ’ t make a decision in the objections and contacted more senior stewards by telephone and after a lengthy discussion , ruled Hot Chestnut had carried his weight to the finish line .
“ The stewards reckoned the horse did a harder job pulling me , than carrying me ,” Ray said .
Ray showed tremendous courage in hanging on for dear life , but in doing so , cracked his pelvis in three places . Man-oh-man , was he one tough jockey !
SAD MARKS : What a terrible month was September , Australia losing three sporting legends – Australian Rules icon , Ron Barassi , and distinguished Rugby League men , John “ Cracker ” McDonald and Lionel Morgan . Lionel was the first Indigenous player to represent Australia at the 1960 World Cup in England . As an Aboriginal , Lionel was given an “ honorary ” citizenship so he could travel outside Australia .
36 ISSUE 161 // OCTOBER 2023 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT