Rare baseball card sells for $1.2M at auction

By JIM SALTER

updated 12:53 p.m. ET April 20, 2012

ST. LOUIS - A New Jersey man paid $1.2 million for a rare 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card in an online auction that brought interest from many potential buyers who had never owned a card before, the sale organizer said.

The buyer hasn't decided whether to come forward publicly, and the seller, a Houston businessman, wants to remain anonymous, said Bill Goodwin, the suburban St. Louis collectibles dealer who ran the auction that ended Friday. The buyer's bid was the highest of 14 made since the auction began last month.

"We're thrilled with the outcome," Goodwin said. "There's been so much media attention surrounding this card, and the final price proved this card was worth watching."

Wagner was a member of the first class of Hall of Fame inductees. The shortstop, nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman," spent most of his 21-year career (1897 to 1917) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning eight batting titles and hitting a career .327.

The 2 1/2- by 1 1/2-inch card was released in cigarette packs sold by the American Tobacco Co. from 1909 to 1911. What makes the card special, in addition to Wagner's fame, is the fact that it was pulled from circulation after about 200 were issued.

Image:

Jeff Roberson / AP

A 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card, one of the most sought-after sports collectibles in the world, is seen in a protective case Monday, March 26, 2012, in Sunset Hills, Mo.


The consensus among many was that Wagner didn't want to encourage smoking, especially to children. Goodwin said it may have simply been a matter of Wagner wanting to be compensated for his likeness, since he was photographed with chewing tobacco in his mouth and did advertisements for tobacco companies.

Historians believe only about 60 of the Wagner cards still exist, though many are in poor condition. Based on a rating system by Sportscard Guarantee Corp., the quality of the card Goodwin auctioned was better than all but five of the Wagner cards in existence.

Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick paid a record $2.8 million for the highest-graded Wagner card in existence in 2011.

Bidding for the Wagner card auctioned by Goodwin opened at $300,000. The final sale price was $300,000 more than the previous high for a Wagner card of similar quality, Goodwin said.

The auction suggested that people beyond sports memorabilia collectors are becoming interested in baseball cards, said Bill Shelton, who worked with Goodwin. The winning bidder for the Wagner card "came in completely off the radar," Shelton said.

He said a lot of those who expressed interest in the card had never owned a baseball card.

"A lot of people were talking about investment and return on investment," Shelton said. "I think people are starting to see these high-end cards in the same terms as art and antiques."

Goodwin auctioned off other cards that also brought in prices exceeding expectations, he said. A card for Hall of Fame pitcher Eddie Plank, also pulled from circulation, sold for $330,825. Plank won 326 games, mostly with the Philadelphia A's, in a 17-year career that ended in 1917.

A card that misspelled the last name of early 20th century Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Sherry Magee (misspelled as "Magie") fetched $80,000 - $30,000 more than Goodwin predicted when the auction began.

Among other cards that sold, four featuring the likeness of Ty Cobb brought in a combined $10,000.

Goodwin has already begun planning his next auction, which includes a complete set of 200 baseball cards distributed through the Famous-Barr department store chain in 1916. The cards, including a Babe Ruth rookie card showing the baseball legend as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, and one featuring Jim Thorpe during his brief time as a ballplayer, will be sold individually.

Goodwin believes the Ruth card could bring up to $75,000. That auction begins in June.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Impressive Internet Marketing Principles For Competitive ...

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The internet is a vast marketplace filled with a plethora of sites, all of which are designed to present a specific idea, company, or product. Once you begin a business, finding a way to create an internet marketing campaign that fits you into any number of these sites can be tough, but this article is tailored to ease the issue and offer guidance.

Even if your business is very small, do your best to make it look bigger than it is. Design your website like a professional, or hire someone to do it for you. Present your company seriously and introduce yourself as the CEO. People will be more likely to trust you if you present yourself in a very professional way.

Advertise the products on your site by using words that trigger emotion. These are words like happy, freedom, relax, safety, etc. This causes a personal emotional response that differs from person to person, but if that person needs something related to those words, then they?ll be more likely to purchase those kinds of items.

Log in the frequency of purchases on your site to determine who buys the most from your company. This will allow you to establish who your best customers are, as you should offer them extra incentive to purchase more products. Always maximize the happiness of your most frequent clients to improve overall profit.

Internet Marketing

When you are doing internet marketing, make sure that you website is compatible on all browsers and computers. You don?t want a MAC user not able to access your page correctly just because they are using a different browser. If you can?t do this, make sure to put a link for the customer to download a free browser that will work.

A simple internet marketing method designed to increase your visibility is to post on other sites. Visit sites popular in your niche or industry and comment on posted articles. However, be sure the comments are valuable and informative to help drive visitors to your site. Posting comments without any foundation behind them does not lead visitors to your site.

Internet Marketing Business

When trying to get an Internet marketing business known, try to get your web site?s pictures added to an engine search. Even if your Internet marketing business does come up in a search engine, you will have more success when someone does an image search. Be sure that you name your images with keywords that are relevant.

Knowing who your competitors are can be one of the most important factors in making your internet marketing business successful. Once you have identified who your competitors are, analyze what you see as their strengths and weaknesses. Then develop a strategy to make you business strong where they are weak.

Internet Marketing Strategies

Developing effective internet marketing strategies can be challenging. One tip is to focus on your specific market sector and ensure that your site caters to their specific needs. If your market is focused on young adults and teenagers, then your site should be more relaxed and laid back. If your market targets business professionals, then your site should be more polished and professional.

Reciprocal linking is one of the most respected internet marketing strategies, but it still pays off for the diligent webmaster. The process of trading links with a related website raises both websites? position on search engine indexes. It also drives interested visitors directly to a website, and an interested visitor is always a potential customer.

These are some of the best ways to get your message across to as many people as possible and bring in all the traffic you could desire to your own site, thus increasing your sales and the money made. From big investments to none at all, there are enough possibilities on the internet to suit anyone or any business.

Click Here to get my FREE REPORT on how 2 homeless guys taught, Andrew Gallop, A happy homeopathic cancer survivor,how to earn a wonderful new lifestyle from the comfort of home while learning internet marketing.

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FDA says nanotech may need extra safety tests

WASHINGTON | Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:20pm EDT

WASHINGTON

(Reuters) - U.S. health regulators said consumer products that use nanotechnology may have unknown effects on the human body, and advised food and cosmetic companies to further study the safety of these tiny particles.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued two draft guidelines on Friday calling for more studies, putting, for now, much of the onus for safety on companies.

The FDA also rejected a consumer group's petition from 2006 that urged a separate category of regulation for nanotechnology due to its "unique human health and environmental risks."

Nanotechnology involves designing and manufacturing materials on the scale of one-billionth of a meter - so small it cannot be seen with a regular light microscope.

It is used in hundreds of products in areas ranging from stain-resistant clothing and cosmetics to food additives, but the health effects of nanoparticles are still poorly understood.

Nanoparticles may be able to penetrate the skin, or move between organs, with unknown health effects.

"Understanding nanotechnology remains a top FDA priority," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement. "FDA is strengthening the scientific tools and methods for evaluating food products, cosmetics, drugs and medical devices."

The FDA advised companies that use nanotech in food additives or food packaging to consult with the agency and show that the changes are safe before selling their products.

"The consequences (to consumers and to the food industry) of broadly distributing a food substance that is later recognized to present a safety concern have the potential to be significant," the draft guide says.

Makers of most U.S. food additives and ingredients can tell the FDA that their ingredients are "generally recognized as safe" in order to legally sell them.

The FDA said nanotechnology does not automatically fall into this category, meaning companies would have to prove additional safety data before approval.

Erik Olson, director of food programs at Pew Health Group, a consumer advocacy group, said companies can often simply inform the FDA that certain food additives are safe. But the new guidelines for the first time show the FDA thinks nanomaterials deserve greater scrutiny.

"The FDA is essentially saying (to companies), we don't think you can just make your own decision a nanomaterial is safe without telling us," Olson said. "That's a fairly new development."

The International Center for Technology Assessment, which filed the 2006 petition, sued the FDA late last year for being slow to reply.

Jaydee Hanson, policy director at the center, said legal action may have prompted FDA to issue guidance for nanotech in food and cosmetics after a delay of six years.

"It's good that they're making recommendations in this area, but they haven't gone far enough," he said.

The European Union requires companies to prove a nanotech product is safe before it can be sold to consumers, Hanson said, while the FDA has only issued voluntary guidelines for companies.

For cosmetics, the FDA said companies should also do additional testing of products that, for example, use nanotechnology to create smoother-feeling moisturizers or lipstick.

The FDA does not require cosmetic companies to submit safety data before selling their products, and the guidance is unlikely to have a big impact on large cosmetic firms like Avon Products Inc, which already comply with European rules.

Avon said it adds nanomaterials like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide to cosmetic products to boost protection against the sun's ultraviolet rays and let sunscreens rub in without leaving white marks. It said the products were proven safe in the EU.

(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov in Washington, additional reporting by Phil Wahba in New York; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

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Justin Bieber Leads Today Show Summer Concert Series


Mark your calenders, Beliebers. And... ummm... Pittbullers.

NBC has released the schedule for The Today Show summer concert series, and it's highlighted by Justin Bieber performing on Friday, June 15, just a few days prior to his new album release.

Justin Bieber on Daybreak

We've listed the full slate of appearances below:

May 18: Usher
May 25: Pitbull
May 31: The American Idol champion and runner-up
June 1: The Band Perry
June 8: Chris Brown
June 15: Justin Bieber
June 22: Kenny Chesney
June 29: Maroon 5
July 6: Flo Rida
July  13: Zac Brown Band
July 20: Hot Chelle Rae
August 24: Train
August 31: Jason Mraz with special guest Christina Perri

Who are you most excited for?

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Emmert: Coaches being held more accountable

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The Arizona Dermatologists Have Spoken - What are the Common ...

Acne is a disease of the follicles of hair on your face, chest and back that largely shows up on someone in their teenage life. Not everyone is ill-fated to get acne, but for individuals who have quite a bit, they're somehow, struggling and also looking for the reasons it happens.

What can cause acne?

The moment a person has reached her teenage or puberty years, your body has oil known as sebum which is simply a natural substance that lubricates and protects the skin. With an increase of oil linked to other activities, skin cells mature and opens the pores, the clogged hair follicle progressively gets bigger and produces a bump and sooner become acne.

Exactly what are the contributing factors that induce acne?

1. ?Pressure - Some contributing factors like stress from helmets, chin straps, collars and the likes are said to play a role in acne production.

As with all other things, your pore has the right to inhale and exhale and release its natural oil. If in this case you're constantly using helmets, chin straps and the likes you must know by now that it can harm your face and it is a consideration that causes acne too.

2. Occupations - You will find jobs requiring you to work on the field. Construction or industrial jobs are the best types of such. Where they're exposed to too much dirt and sweat, there are also some field works where you're subjected to too much pollution, good examples are public utility vehicle drivers, cab drivers and the likes.

3. ?Drugs - Here is the main reason exactly why in every medicine or health-related commercial, tabloids and magazines you're encouraged to see your physician or a specialist before you take a medicine. You will find some drugs or medicines that can cause or even intensify your acne and some of those contain iodides, bromides and or steroids.

4. ?Cosmetics - Main reason exactly why you will find a lot of natural and mineralized makeups created is simply because some cosmetics exist to harm your skin along with your face. A number of them have hazardous ingredients which may contribute to acne production. Some individuals usually like water-based products or cosmetics mainly because these are typically safe to use.

5. ?Diet - There are certain studies that indicate some dietary factors which include dairy products and carbohydrate-rich foods like breads, chips and the likes. They increase blood sugar levels and may even trigger acne production. That?s exactly why fruits and vegetables are advisable to everyone because of its natural dietary content to aid the body and the skin.

Conclusion

Arizona dermatologists advise natural skin care is still the perfect for your complexion. Taking care of your skin is very important as this is usually the very first thing that people look at. Wash your face every day with mild and gentle soap, pat dry with a clean towel and rest at least 8 hours a day. Eat healthy food and always maintain cleanliness throughout your workplace, your house, and the clothes you're wearing. Try these basics and you?ll live happily and pimple-free!

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Joe Fiveash, President of Vertical Acuity ... - Small Business Trends

Bloggers are well aware that creating content can be a very demanding and even costly task. Writers block, nothing new and interesting to inspire you, the time involved to conduct proper research and create something useful to your readers and the cost involved to employ freelance writers. These are familiar obstacles to bloggers. The good news is that there is an easy and affordable solution available and in this interview, Joe Fiveash, President of Vertical Acuity joins Brent Leary to share it.

* * * * *

Joe Fiveash, President of Vertical AcuitySmall Business Trends: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Joe Fiveash: I started in the Internet world in 1994 and in one weekend, went from being a lawyer to being the first sales guy for an Internet company called Landmark Communications that used to own The Weather Channel until it was sold.

Small Business Trends: Wow! ?So now you help people leverage content to build a presence in getting people to notice them. ?Can you talk a little bit about that?

Joe Fiveash: I worked at The Weather Channel. ?I ran the interactive site of weather for about six or seven years and did a lot of deals to get our content out and a lot of deals to get other peoples content into our site ? but it was hard. They were manual, there were plan rides, negotiations, contracts, and it was very difficult.

The platform we?ve built allows websites to partner with each other on top of our web platform. ?So if Boston.com wants to get Inc. content into their site, all they have to do is click a button. ?So long as Inc. said yes. ?Then the content starts flowing in.

Scribit, which is a product we launched last week, allows company websites to bring in content from all over the web to display on their site to share through social media channels. When they share it and somebody clicks on it, they come back to the customer?s website to read the article, because that is where the article is published.

Small Business Trends: So this is a service where a small business could sign up and start leveraging the content from major content?

Joe Fiveash: That is exactly right. What if I wake up every morning and say:

?I was supposed to put something on my web site. ?I was supposed to tweet something. ?I was supposed to put something on Facebook. . .and I do not have anything to say.?

What we do is give you an interface where you can go search millions of articles, grab some great stuff, put it on your website, Tweet it and put on your Facebook page.

Small Business Trends: You have made business arrangements with the content providers. ?So if a small business becomes a Scribit customer, they are able to basically pick and choose what type of content they want to place on their website, without having to worry about any issues?

Joe Fiveash: That is exactly right. It is fully licensed content. If you are a financial planner and you want content from Income Magazine, Forbes, Motley Fool, and Business Insider on your site, you can?t really call them and do a deal with them. They are not set up to do that. ?But through Scribit, we have done those deals and now we can pass those deals on to our customers.

Small Business Trends: How quickly can a small business get content onto their website?

Joe Fiveash: It takes about 15 minutes. ?It is a self-service product. If you go to Scribit.com and sign up for the 30-day free trial ? you do not put in a credit card ? you get to configure the widgets that display the content going onto your site.

There is a Wysiwig editor that lets you make those widgets look exactly the way you want them to look and we push out a piece of code that you put on your site. ?Then you?re done. I watched it done right after we launched it in ten 10 minutes.

Once the article is on their site, then they can tweet links and put links to that content on Facebook. ?The same way you put links to things anywhere. ?Except now they are coming back to your site to read this article.

Small Business Trends: Have you been able to measure the impact this kind of service has had on some of your customers?

Joe Fiveash: I can be on Google Analytics and I can watch visitors come to my site when I tweet something. I can see the visitors go up on Google Analytics so, that is exactly what we are trying to produce.

Small Business Trends: Is this is for companies of any size?

Joe Fiveash: That is exactly right. Anybody that wants to use content as part of their marketing strategy. We think this is an important missing piece in the content marketing ecosystem.

If you want to be interactive with the people that are following you and your fans, and the people that are coming to your website, it is really hard and expensive to produce that much content. That is where we see us fitting in as coming on top of that original content to provide interesting and timely, topical stuff.

Small Business Trends: So this is a way to enhance what you can do personally with some great content from around the Web?

Joe Fiveash: That is right. ?Then the starter package, once you do the free trial, is $50 per month. ?That gives you access to all of the content in the database. There are millions or articles so when you think of the cost of producing one article versus having access to this buffet of articles, we think it is a very efficient way to get access to a lot of very good content.

Small Business Trends: Where can we lean more about your service?

Joe Fiveash:?Go to Scribit.com.

This interview is part of our One on One series of conversations with some of the most thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This interview has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click the right arrow on the gray player below. You can also see more interviews in our interview series.

Whether you?re growing your business or starting a new venture, BlackBerry solutions provide you with the freedom you want and the control you need. [Series sponsor]

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About the Author

Brent Leary Brent Leary is a Partner at CRM Essentials and organizer of the upcoming Social Business Atlanta conference taking place on February 3rd, 2012. Brent serves on the advisory board of The University of Toronto CRM Center of Excellence, writes the Social CRM column for Inc.com's technology site, and blogs at BrentLeary.com.

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