Philadelphia A's Memorabilia to be Auctioned

Citing "financial responsibilities beyond their control," the overseers of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society last week closed the door to its Hatboro-based gift shop and museum.

"We're done selling," Ernie Montella, the nonprofit group's executive director and lone remaining board member told Patch. "We do most of our business during the baseball season. We tried to hold out, but it didn’t work out."

Just because the organization will no longer be selling memorabilia doesn't mean that baseball fans and Philadelphia Athletics fans in particular can no longer buy it. 

Montella said a yet-to-be-set sheriff's sale will help clear the former 6 N. York Road space of any and all remaining memorabilia, largely sports books and player autographs.

"Whatever’s up in the building they’re going to sell to pay our creditors," Montella said. "There'll be some great bargains."

Patch first reported news of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society's financial woes two years ago.

The group, which opened its space in Hatboro in November 1998, is committed to preserving the legacy of the Athletics, which won nine American League pennants and five World Series playing in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954. The Athletics moved to Kansas City before the 1955 season, and moved again to Oakland, Calif. in 1968.

The Hatboro site, while fairly close to Philadelphia, has no real connection to the former team or its history, Montella said.

"When we were looking for a place to rent, that was the only place that had a building to do what we were looking for," he said. "We brought visitors into Hatboro from all over the world."

Reminiscing about some of the more prominent visitors, Montella recalled a visit paid by a man from Tokyo and shared that during special events over the last 15 years, the organization hosted breakfasts at Williamson Restaurant in Horsham with 500 people.

The events, which were expensive to run, were detrimental to the organization's overall bottom line, Montella said. Many cost more than the group was able to recoup in sales. That, coupled with a "poor economy" led to the Hatboro site's closure, he said. 

"We’re sad to see it close," Montella said. 

Also leading to the difficulty, according to Montella, is the fact that since its opening roughly 15 years ago, the organization went from having 128 living members who played for Connie Mack to only 10 remaining today. 

And while the selling aspect of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society may be a thing of the past, Montella said the historical aspect is alive and well. The organization's museum has since been relocated to a new home at Spike's Trophies, 2701 Grant Ave., in Philadelphia and are being exhibited along with the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, he said. 

"Everything we had on a loan in our museum we transferred down to that museum," Montella said. "They have some beautiful displays."

As for the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society itself, that too may become a thing of the past. Montella, the last man standing following the resignations of all other board members, said lawyers are looking into whether or not the group could join the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame and be "guided by their board."

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