29th National Sports Collectors Convention offers record $25,000 to sign

                               one autograph



    ROSEMONT, Ill., July 23 /EMWNews/ -- The most money ever offered for

one autograph is on the table, literally, at the 29th Annual National

Sports Collectors Convention (The National), scheduled for July 30 - August

3 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.



    Show organizers and SportsBuy.com (formerly NAXCOM.com), a Sports

Online Sales & Auction firm, announced today that a briefcase filled with

$25,000 is being offered to Steve Bartman on "Redemption-Reward Thursday"

(July 31, 2008) at the sports collectibles convention.



    The Bartman signing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central Time on Thursday,

July 31, in the Tristar Autograph Pavilion inside the Donald E. Stephens

Convention Center in Rosemont.



    "No one in sports memorabilia history has ever been paid $25,000 to

sign one autograph -- not Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Joe DiMaggio, Babe

Ruth, Lou Gehrig, or any other athlete," said Mike Berkus, co-Executive

Director of The National.



    "All Steve has to do is show up, prove he is in fact the real Steve

Bartman -- not some earphone-wearing imposter -- and he'll move to the top

of the autograph value list," said Wesley Hein, CEO of SportsBuy.com.



    The photograph that The National organizers want Bartman to sign is, of

course, the infamous image from Game 6 of the 2003 National League

Championship Series against the Florida Marlins. Once the picture is

signed, it will be auctioned on SportsBuy.com to the general public with

net proceeds being donated to a Chicago-based charity. This photo, signed

by Steve Bartman, would be, arguably, the most sought-after collectible in

the history of sports memorabilia.



    "Steve Bartman has been a recluse for years, but we're hopeful that he

will accept our invitation and generous offer to appear at The National,"

Berkus said. "We have personal security to provide to Steve at The National

and to a destination of his choosing."



    If Bartman accepts the offer, he immediately will vault into an

autograph stratosphere of his own. Just consider the prices and values of

former athletes for one autograph:






    -- Babe Ruth: $10,000

    -- Shoeless Joe Jackson: $7,500

    -- Lou Gehrig: $5,000

    -- Michael Jordan: $2,500

    -- Joe DiMaggio: $2,000

    -- Mickey Mantle: $1,000





    For more information please visit http://www.nsccshow.com .