Signing Preview - Jim Owens
Who is Jim Owens? And, why is his autograph so expensive?! Owens is a 12-year Major League veteran - including parts of 7 seasons with the Phillies (from 1955-1962), and one of the toughest autographs from that era to collect.
"Bear," as he was known, worked mostly as a starter during his time in Philadelphia - sharing the rotation with Robin Roberts and Curt Simmons. Though he entered professional baseball in 1951 and made a few appearances during the mid-50s, it wasn't until 1958, following two years lost to military service (1956-57) that Owens stuck in the Majors for good. He won 12 games that season, and ended up completing 21 games during his tenure with the Phils.
Following the 1962 season Owens was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Cookie Rojas and converted to a reliever. Then in 1964 was selected in the Rule V Draft by the Colt .45s. He had success in Houston - first as a bullpen anchor finishing 79 games between 1964 and 1967 for the Colt .45s/Astros, and later as the team's pitching coach (1967-72). After the 1972 season he slipped into private life where he has rarely conducted public signings or granted TTM requests (Sports Collector's Net shows he as a 13% success rate since 2002).
Under the Radar Sports Promotions is currently accepting mail-in items for their private signing with the former Phillie later this month. Co-Owner Todd Schafer told me Owens has been a frequently requested signer over the years, and he jumped at the opportunity to put together the event. "Through this process I've found that Jim Owens appeals to a wide variety of collectors," Schafer commented. "He's a white-whale of sorts for Phillies collectors, Astros collectors and vintage Topps collectors (who put together signed sets)."
Due to Owens' relative nonavailability since leaving the public life as a baseball player, eBay auctions for his signed vintage baseball cards range between $63 - $140, and a single-signed baseball is currently listed for $150. Online auctions often call him out as a "tough" signature - which is an adjective for "$." Under the Radar's private signing is limited, too - with only 75 spots available (50 of which have been sold). And, though it comes with a hefty price tag - the event promises to be one of the only times to add Jim Owens to your collection...