Colorado Man Donates 'World-Class' Sports Collection to Teen Group
A nonprofit teen center facing deep budget cuts in this small mountain town is finding renewed hope, thanks to one man's unexpected act of generosity.
David Shortridge, 73, is well known in the Nederland community for his philanthropy. He's helped local churches, food banks and individual homeowners, but no one expected his most recent donation -- his late son's collection of rare and valuable sports memorabilia that could fetch more than $100,000.
This week, Shortridge will give the entire collection to TEENS Inc., a nonprofit organization that runs an alternative high school for troubled youth and provides recreation and leadership opportunities for Nederland teens.
Officials with the group say the gift is almost unimaginable, but Shortridge says it's what his son would have wanted.
'It brought us together'
David H. Shortridge II moved in to care for his father 15 years ago, after he began going blind. The pair found a common bond in the younger Shortridge's passion for sports collectibles.
"We started this collection together," the elder Shortridge said, using his hands to identify boxes filled to the brim with thousands of sports cards, autographs and assorted rarities. "We did it together, and it brought us together even more, because it gave him what he wanted to do and it allowed me to be with him. It's rare that an older child and a father can come together on something."
The father and son team spent countless hours, and just as many dollars, canvassing online auctions and memorabilia dealers to find only the best -- and rarest -- of sports collectibles across the world.
"He wanted a collection of perfection," Shortridge said of his son.
Within a decade, the pair had amassed a collection of rarities such as one of the world's only perfect-condition set of 1989 Score trading cards, a complete set of John Elway cards -- including one of only a handful of perfect condition Elway rookie cards and a little-known rookie card from 1981 when Elway played minor-league baseball -- and autographs of sports legends such as Michael Jordan and Joe DiMaggio.
There are thousands of other autographed pictures, complete with certificates of authenticity, along with signed baseballs, basketballs, footballs, hockey sticks and knick knacks.
Some of the one-of-a-kind items in the collection could fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction, including original artwork for trading card packs and original autographs used as templates by trading card companies. There's even the original artwork used in the mid-1980s to package Michael Jackson trading cards, which Shortridge suspects has skyrocketed in value since the singer's death.
"It's been defined as a world-class collection," Shortridge said. "There is a dollar value on this, but there's an intrinsic value in it that's much more. We loved this set, we worked together and we loved each other."
'Some buyers are going to get great deals'
When the younger Shortridge died last summer from liver failure at age 51, his father donated the entire collection to the David H. Shortridge II Memorial Fund, which the family has contributed into to fund community-based projects in Nederland.
The fund has already provided a portable defibrillator to the Nederland Police Department, $25,000 to complete the Nederland Carousel of Happiness, a wheelchair ramp to a pharmacy and funding for a pets-for-seniors program.
The fund also gave $2,000 to help save this year's Fourth of July fireworks display over Barker Reservoir, and included some of the younger Shortridge's ashes in the opening volley.
Now, more than a year after his son's passing, the elder Shortridge, who also served a controversial stint on the Town Board and was embroiled in a year's long legal battle with Nederland more than a decade ago, is making sure the collection he spent so many years helping to build will sustain another community group.
TEENS Inc. serves about 420 Nederland teens each year but has run into financial distress after the state cut grants that fund half of the center's annual $410,000 budget.
"I couldn't think of a better place for this to go to work," Shortridge said. "This (collection) might do the same thing for some of them that it did for me. It brought me and my son together."
This weekend, members of TEENS Inc. will gather up hundreds of pieces from the Shortridge collection to sell off at Nederland Middle School, 597 Eldora Road. Every dollar from the sale will go to the organization.
Items being sold Saturday and Sunday include 1,000 vintage team caps, hundreds of autographed pictures and hundreds of less-than-perfect graded trading cards. Hats and trading cards will be priced at $5 each -- some of which would normally sell for up to $50 apiece -- while autographs will sell for a few dollars more than the original purchase price.
"Some buyers are going to get great deals," Shortridge said.
Anyone who purchases an item during the sale will be entered into a drawing to win an autographed photo of Michael Jordan.
The big-ticket and especially rare items will not be sold this weekend, but rather will be auctioned off online in a virtual eBay store being set up and managed by Nederland teens. Those proceeds will also benefit TEENS Inc.
"I am so pleased that my son's collection is in the hands of these teens," Shortridge said. "I couldn't think of a better place to put it."
'People do care'
Stephen LeFaiver, executive director of TEENS Inc., said the donation is a godsend to the small organization.
"I think it's something everyone in our situation dreams of," he said of the unexpected donation. "It's going to just really help pass us through this uncertain time."
Roby Spratford, 18, is a senior at the center's Chinook West Alternative High School. He said word about the sports collection has spread throughout the town, and the good deed has shown him and his friends the power of caring.
"It goes to show the spirit of the community here in Nederland," Spratford said. "People do care. They see the positive effects something like this has."
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I am in the process of compiling data from collectors and dealers to determine which celebrities have been the best autograph signers for 2009. There will be a U.S./Canada celebrity list and a UK/Europe/Australia celebrity list. If you would like to participate, please send your list to this email Your Best Celebrity Signers For 2009. Please consider the signer's willingness to sign, their demeanor and how they signed. Celebrities from movies, music, TV, sports, etc. from any country can be included. Please limit your list to 10 celebrities in order of preference.
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David Shortridge, 73, is well known in the Nederland community for his philanthropy. He's helped local churches, food banks and individual homeowners, but no one expected his most recent donation -- his late son's collection of rare and valuable sports memorabilia that could fetch more than $100,000.
This week, Shortridge will give the entire collection to TEENS Inc., a nonprofit organization that runs an alternative high school for troubled youth and provides recreation and leadership opportunities for Nederland teens.
Officials with the group say the gift is almost unimaginable, but Shortridge says it's what his son would have wanted.
'It brought us together'
David H. Shortridge II moved in to care for his father 15 years ago, after he began going blind. The pair found a common bond in the younger Shortridge's passion for sports collectibles.
"We started this collection together," the elder Shortridge said, using his hands to identify boxes filled to the brim with thousands of sports cards, autographs and assorted rarities. "We did it together, and it brought us together even more, because it gave him what he wanted to do and it allowed me to be with him. It's rare that an older child and a father can come together on something."
The father and son team spent countless hours, and just as many dollars, canvassing online auctions and memorabilia dealers to find only the best -- and rarest -- of sports collectibles across the world.
"He wanted a collection of perfection," Shortridge said of his son.
Within a decade, the pair had amassed a collection of rarities such as one of the world's only perfect-condition set of 1989 Score trading cards, a complete set of John Elway cards -- including one of only a handful of perfect condition Elway rookie cards and a little-known rookie card from 1981 when Elway played minor-league baseball -- and autographs of sports legends such as Michael Jordan and Joe DiMaggio.
There are thousands of other autographed pictures, complete with certificates of authenticity, along with signed baseballs, basketballs, footballs, hockey sticks and knick knacks.
Some of the one-of-a-kind items in the collection could fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction, including original artwork for trading card packs and original autographs used as templates by trading card companies. There's even the original artwork used in the mid-1980s to package Michael Jackson trading cards, which Shortridge suspects has skyrocketed in value since the singer's death.
"It's been defined as a world-class collection," Shortridge said. "There is a dollar value on this, but there's an intrinsic value in it that's much more. We loved this set, we worked together and we loved each other."
'Some buyers are going to get great deals'
When the younger Shortridge died last summer from liver failure at age 51, his father donated the entire collection to the David H. Shortridge II Memorial Fund, which the family has contributed into to fund community-based projects in Nederland.
The fund has already provided a portable defibrillator to the Nederland Police Department, $25,000 to complete the Nederland Carousel of Happiness, a wheelchair ramp to a pharmacy and funding for a pets-for-seniors program.
The fund also gave $2,000 to help save this year's Fourth of July fireworks display over Barker Reservoir, and included some of the younger Shortridge's ashes in the opening volley.
Now, more than a year after his son's passing, the elder Shortridge, who also served a controversial stint on the Town Board and was embroiled in a year's long legal battle with Nederland more than a decade ago, is making sure the collection he spent so many years helping to build will sustain another community group.
TEENS Inc. serves about 420 Nederland teens each year but has run into financial distress after the state cut grants that fund half of the center's annual $410,000 budget.
"I couldn't think of a better place for this to go to work," Shortridge said. "This (collection) might do the same thing for some of them that it did for me. It brought me and my son together."
This weekend, members of TEENS Inc. will gather up hundreds of pieces from the Shortridge collection to sell off at Nederland Middle School, 597 Eldora Road. Every dollar from the sale will go to the organization.
Items being sold Saturday and Sunday include 1,000 vintage team caps, hundreds of autographed pictures and hundreds of less-than-perfect graded trading cards. Hats and trading cards will be priced at $5 each -- some of which would normally sell for up to $50 apiece -- while autographs will sell for a few dollars more than the original purchase price.
"Some buyers are going to get great deals," Shortridge said.
Anyone who purchases an item during the sale will be entered into a drawing to win an autographed photo of Michael Jordan.
The big-ticket and especially rare items will not be sold this weekend, but rather will be auctioned off online in a virtual eBay store being set up and managed by Nederland teens. Those proceeds will also benefit TEENS Inc.
"I am so pleased that my son's collection is in the hands of these teens," Shortridge said. "I couldn't think of a better place to put it."
'People do care'
Stephen LeFaiver, executive director of TEENS Inc., said the donation is a godsend to the small organization.
"I think it's something everyone in our situation dreams of," he said of the unexpected donation. "It's going to just really help pass us through this uncertain time."
Roby Spratford, 18, is a senior at the center's Chinook West Alternative High School. He said word about the sports collection has spread throughout the town, and the good deed has shown him and his friends the power of caring.
"It goes to show the spirit of the community here in Nederland," Spratford said. "People do care. They see the positive effects something like this has."
I am in the process of compiling data from collectors and dealers to determine which celebrities have been the best autograph signers for 2009. There will be a U.S./Canada celebrity list and a UK/Europe/Australia celebrity list. If you would like to participate, please send your list to this email Your Best Celebrity Signers For 2009. Please consider the signer's willingness to sign, their demeanor and how they signed. Celebrities from movies, music, TV, sports, etc. from any country can be included. Please limit your list to 10 celebrities in order of preference.
posted by Lon at 12:46 PM
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