150th Open Championship – Everything Has Led to This

Sports Collectibles

141 venues have hosted what is known as the World’s Oldest Golf Championship, The Open, or the British Open. 141 courses have borne witness to some of the greatest golfers of all time. The journey of this epic Tournament has spanned generations. As the official tagline says, “Everything Has Led to This.”

The Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland. The “Grand Old Lady.” 10-17th July 2022.

First played in the 1400s, some consider The Old Course the “Home of Golf.” Per ESPN, “No other golf course has as many famous landmarks as (the Old Course) St. Andrews, its 112 bunkers and endless hills and hollows have been cursed for centuries, and many have their own names and legends.”
Legendary, indeed. Even more so this past week. From Tiger Woods‘ return and tearful walk to the 18th over the Swilcan (or Swilken) Bridge to Rory McIlroy hitting an ancient stone on the course, The R&A Clubhouse, or The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, has stood tall, witnessing history as it has since 1854.
St Andrews has hosted The Open 29 times with 25 winners hoisting the Claret Jug upon its grounds. From Tom Kidd in 1873, some of the golf world’s greats including Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, John Daly and Tiger Woods have been named the Champion Golfer of the Year here in Fife. Several, including Nicklaus and Woods, have done it twice. Few other courses around the world have frustrated and awed these putting professionals as much as The Old Lady.

This year, celebrating The Open’s Scottish roots, a unique tartan pattern was created for the myriad of championship merchandise adorned with an iconic 150th logo. The logo features golden lines, swirling together, symbolizing the decades of historic moments winding through time and space that have led to this place. This moment. Tomorrow, another of golf’s great players will hoist that iconic cup and close out the event that has had the world captivated for the past week. The crowds will leave but the hallowed grounds will stay as they have for centuries, awaiting the next time it hosts history.

After checking out all of our SC grand golf collectibles, head over to our sister company, The Golf Auction, to check out their array of memorabilia from this year’s Open.
Looking for 150th Championship Collection souvenirs? Check out our other sister company, MMO Golf, for merchandise purchased directly from The Open and ready to ship to you!

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Sports Collectibles Blog Dog, Jackson

-Jackson is a Florida rescue pup whose mother has some Scottish roots. Jackson is the King of his house and loves snuggling, treats and jumping around like a Circus Dog for cheese. A fan of NE Ohio and Tampa Bay sports teams, Jackson prefers donning his favorite team’s jersey and watching games snuggled on the couch, rather than getting sweaty on the football field.

Saban = GOAT

Sports Collectibles

Unless you live under a rock, you know who Nick Saban is. How you feel about him though, may differ depending on who you ask. Nick Saban is widely viewed as not only one of the greatest coaches of his generation, but of all time as well. Boasting a collegiate record of 274-67-1 (.803), it is no surprise as to why. How did Saban go from a boy in Fairmont, West Virginia to the king of the NCAA?
Saban’s first title was almost 60 years ago, he quarterbacked his high school to a West Virginia state title in 1968. From there, Saban continued his playing career at Kent State University, home of the Golden Flashes, where he was a defensive back. Saban was known to seek contact and always looked to make a big hit. It was the choice of being a Golden Flash that helped start his coaching career. After his degree in 1973, Saban joined the program as a graduate assistant and later joined the staff. Here, he would learn under Don James, a coach Saban still holds in high esteem.

Saban did not stumble into the Alabama job he holds today. The legendary coach had to endure years of paying his dues and learning from other opportunities. Saban would act as an assistant coach at programs such as Syracuse, West Virginia, Ohio State, Navy, Michigan State and even the Houston Oilers of the NFL before he got his first look as a head coach. That look would come from the University of Toledo in 1989. Saban came in and made an immediate impact, boosting their record by 3 wins with a 9-2 inaugural season record.

Saban’s time at Toledo was short lived, the next season he found himself two hours East in Cleveland as the Browns‘ defensive coordinator where he spent four years and refers to them as the “worst of my life”.
Saban pivoted back into the realm of college football taking over at Michigan State in 1995. The first three seasons were improvements from the three-season predating the Saban era, but not by much. In 1998 the Spartans did upset #1 ranked Ohio State in the Buckeyes stadium, the biggest bright spot of his time there. Saban led the 1999 team to a 9-2 regular season record and resigned before the team could play their Bowl game.

Saban ended his time at Michigan State to take over the LSU Tigers program in November of 1999, leading them to two SEC Championships as well as a BCS National Championship in 2003 with a win over the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Saban’s success at LSU caught the eye of the NFL and Saban found himself as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2004.

The Miami job would start out hot with a 9-7 opening season but the 2006 season would bring trouble. With Daunte Culpepper not panning out in Miami and a rollercoaster of a schedule, Saban found himself with his first losing season ever as a head coach at 6-10. That would be the last of Nick Saban and Miami.

January 3rd, 2007. A date that will go down in Alabama football history. Coach Nick Saban announces he will accept the head coaching offer from the University of Alabama. While there, Alabama has won eight SEC championships and six national championships. More impressive, they have won seven SEC titles and four national championships in the last ten seasons with a record of 128-13 (.908). We will just have to wait and see how many the King of the NCAA retires with.

Shop our Nick Saban Alabama Crimson Tide autographed jerseys, footballs, helmets and more HERE now! Don’t forget we offer custom framing options for jerseys and photos to make your fan cave EPIC!

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-Tucker, a Military Brat pup hailing from Connecticut, loves going for relaxing walks, ear rubs, scratching rugs, and eating entire bowls of chicken enchilada meat before his family can eat it! A HUGE fan of the Yankees, Giants and most things New York (with the exception of a borderline-unhealthy obsession with LeBron James), TuckTuck is so excited to get to blog about his favorite thing – SPORTS.

NFL Post-Minicamp Fantasy Football Sleepers

Sports Collectibles

If you are a die-hard Fantasy Football fan like each of us at Sportscollectibles.com, you have already started to do your research on the upcoming fantasy football season. But if you haven’t started yet, we will help you out with our favorite fantasy sleepers for this Fall’s NFL Season.

Almost everyone knows about the flowing blonde mane out in Duval County, Florida, sporting the #16 jersey, but not enough people are drafting him high enough and that is why he kicks off our sleeper list. Trevor Lawrence is a golden-haired and golden-armed quarterback who can make all of the throws a coach asks of him and more. With a new coaching staff after the Urban Meyer project didn’t quite work out, former Super Bowl Champion Coach Doug Pederson is looking to take the Jacksonville Jaguars to the next level. They spent heavy on the offense adding weapons for Lawrence to target like Christian Kirk and Evan Engram and even beefed up the offensive line with guard Brandon Scherff. Everyone should be on the lookout for Lawrence to be drafted in the later parts of their fantasy draft and can get some real value.

The next sleeper on our list is Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. The former Michigan Wolverines standout is looking to capitalize on the departure of Austin Hooper, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. There are plenty of targets that are left on the table and Peoples-Jones looks to be in line to take a good share of them. If you are playing in a PPR (Points-per-Reception) League look no further than #11 by the Lake.

Another receiver that is looking at a breakout year is Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman. The Ravens traded away Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals this offseason and Lamar Jackson will need a new number 1 receiver to hit when Mark Andrews is double-covered by defenses on third downs. Baltimore is a run-heavy offense, but they run a considerable amount of play action which could play into Bateman racking up big plays when the defenses get worn down by the J.K Dobbins-led rushing attack. Watch out for Bateman to have a big year in fantasy this year and is still being taken later in drafts.

The last fantasy sleeper we have is the Florida State Seminoles 2013 Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion Jameis Winston. The New Orleans Saints starting quarterback was hurt last season and is coming into this year with a chip on his shoulder. The Saints are a dark horse to make the playoffs this season and it is because of Winston. He has gotten better every season since entering the league and the Saints have some serious weapons on offense. They boast three major wide receivers with All-Pro Michael Thomas, newly acquired Jarvis Landry and 1st round draft pick, Ohio State Buckeyes TD record holder, Chris Olave. To make things even more unfair they have Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill getting plenty of touches as well. Jameis Winston looks to be the beneficiary of having a plethora of weapons at his disposal and could very well win plenty of fantasy leagues this year.

Just be sure to remember us when earn your big Fantasy Super Bowl winnings! 😊

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-Barkley is the best boy ever! He’s been with the SportsCollectibles.com team for 3 years and couldn’t imagine doing anything else! He enjoys LONG walks around the neighborhood and playing fetch. His hero is Air Bud. His favorite foods are pizza and tortilla chips. His favorite teams are the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs.

America and Her Pastime

Sports Collectibles

With the birthday of our great country celebrated this past Monday, we look back at some of the America’s greatest gifts to the world. Creations such as Rock n’ Roll, Hollywood Movies, Internet and the Telephone have highlighted the American contribution to worldwide life. Although, there is one that tops all.
The Game of Baseball.

The history of baseball is an odd and confusing road. There are a couple different variations on who created the game, the origins of the game, and when it became an official sport. The most well-known tale of Baseball is of course Abner Doubleday starting the game in 1839 here in America. Doubleday, a cadet at West Point at the time, is widely credited as the inventor of baseball when he started the first game ever played. The game was played in Cooperstown, New York, now the home of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. To this date, the MLB and the HOF still acknowledge that Doubleday created the game.
Others though, believe there is another story to the game. According to History.com, the first-time organized baseball was seen in September of 1845. The article states, “a group of New York City men founded the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club.” In this story, it is a man of the name Alexander Joy Cartwright that is credited with the birth of our pastime. Cartwright and company claim to have created baseball off inspiration from “rounders”, an old colonist game, and the sport of cricket. The story is that Cartwright was the one who created the rules we know of baseball today. The shape of the field, the limits of foul lines, and the number of strikes allowed per batter. In 1846 Cartwright and the Knickerbocker Baseball Club were said to play the first game of American baseball when they took on a team of cricket players.
The emergence of baseball as a traditional American sport is not the clearest story. There is still a decent amount of disagreement, even if Doubleday is credited by the MLB Hall of Fame. None the less, the sport grew in popularity and by 1869 we saw our first professional team in the Cincinnati Red Stockings. By 1876 we had the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs (modern day National League) created by William Hulbert, a wealthy Chicago businessman. The league held eight teams that include modern day Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. In 1901 the league we know as the American League today was founded and by 1903, we had cross league play for the World Series Title.

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-Tucker, a Military Brat pup hailing from Connecticut, loves going for relaxing walks, ear rubs, scratching rugs, and eating entire bowls of chicken enchilada meat before his family can eat it! A HUGE fan of the Yankees, Giants and most things New York (with the exception of a borderline-unhealthy obsession with LeBron James), TuckTuck is so excited to get to blog about his favorite thing – SPORTS, especially baseball.

Warriors Join Dynasty History

Sports Collectibles

We find ourselves at the end of yet another NBA season. The Golden State Warriors closed out the Boston Celtics in six games, securing their fourth title in 8 seasons and cementing them in NBA history as a top-tier dynasty.
Before this season, only four teams have been able to capture four titles in an eight-year span. The Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili trio brought the San Antonio Spurs to four titles spanning from 1999 to 2007. The legendary Chicago Bulls duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen won six titles from 1991 to 1998, arguably one of the most dominant teams to ever grace the court. The Boston Celtics and legendary Bill Russell took the fourth title in an eight-year span accomplishment to a new level. The Celtics may have won four titles in an eight-year period but what is most impressive is the eleven titles in thirteen years. The Celtics won every title from 1957 to 1969, besides ‘58 and ‘67. That feat is unheard of in todays landscape. The Lakers were the first team to accomplish the feat and the only franchise to do it twice. The first time was a stretch in the 1950s. Then known as the Minneapolis Lakers, they won titles in ‘50, ‘52, ‘53 and ‘54 led by league pioneer George Mikan. After that, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy helped the Los Angeles Lakers franchise explode back onto the scene winning titles in ‘80, ‘82, ‘85, ‘87 and ‘88. Understandably, its a nine-year span, but with five rings it’s worth the mention.

This Golden State Warriors run has been special, especially this year. Centered around the future Hall of Famer players Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, they have created a change in the way the game is played, focusing heavily on three-point shooting. That scoring ability was on full display in the 2022 NBA Finals. The Warriors attempted 43 or more three-point shots in three of their six games this series. That accounts for three of the top six spots ever in NBA Finals history, this team shoots at a historically high clip. The Warriors attempted 42.5 three-point attempts per game in the NBA Finals and Steph Curry was the only player in double digit attempts per game sitting at 11.8 attempts per game. Curry hit at a 43.7% clip shooting 11.8 three-point attempts per game. Read that sentence again.

Andrew Wiggins exploded onto the scene this playoff run and especially in the Finals. Wiggins, who was the #1 overall pick in 2014, had a lot of expectations coming into the league that many believed he has not lived up to. The 27-year-old out of Kansas showed his abilities and tenacity this Finals run, leading the team in rebounds (8.8 RPG) and blocks (1.5 BPG) while still being the second scoring leader per game in the series.
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both seemed to struggle in terms of their usual production on the games biggest stage but were still able to contribute to key moments and big shots. Klay chipped in 17 PPG on 35.1% shooting from deep. Draymond, who found himself with more fouls than points at one point, turned it around in the last two games and lead the team in assists over the six games.
My biggest notice of the series was the play of young upcoming star in Jordan Poole. The 23-year-old out of Michigan played with no fear, was a huge spark plug for the team and hit an insane half court buzzer-beater because, why not?

This Golden State Warriors team was unlike others we have seen before them. There was no Kevin Durant to give the media an excuse as to why the Warriors are champions. There was no excuse that they were playing a Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers team that is injured or missing key players. This was a complete team, built from the ground up and this Finals propelled Stephen Curry into a top-10 argument for greatest players to ever grace the hardwood. Shop our selection of NBA Collectibles and Memorabilia including autographed jerseys, basketballs, autographed shoes, signed basketball trading cards & much more today as we close another chapter of history and await the dawn of a new season.

SC.com Blog Dog:


-Tucker, a Military Brat pup hailing from Connecticut, loves going for relaxing walks, ear rubs, scratching rugs, and eating entire bowls of chicken enchilada meat before his family can eat it! A HUGE fan of the Yankees, Giants and most things New York (with the exception of a borderline-unhealthy obsession with LeBron James), TuckTuck is so excited to get to blog about his favorite thing – SPORTS!