Calgary collector sells off huge collection of signed sports memorabilia

A Calgary man is offering up some one-of-a-kind items for sports fans in search of something special.

Dan Beatty is winding down a passionate pursuit and selling off a pretty cool collection.

Beatty is a serious sports fan who’s spent the past 35 years amassing a huge array of sports memorabilia.

Beatty is now selling off about 500 items, all adorned with signatures of well-known athletes.

Among the memorabilia for sale is a hockey stick signed by all members of the Stanley Cup-winning Calgary Flames team in 1989.

The collection also includes a Team Canada jersey signed by all of the players on the gold medal-winning men’s hockey team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

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“I’ve always been a collector by nature,” Beatty said. “Once I start collecting something, I kind of go overboard.”

The sports memorabilia also includes signed pucks, baseball bats and balls, as well as signed framed photos of athletes involved in golf, boxing, football, basketball and car racing.

The collection is being sold online by Calgary-based Estate Sale Pros, with the company’s veteran evaluations expert Brian Lehman overseeing the sale.

Beatty collected almost all of the athletes’ signatures himself.

“I don’t think people realize how tough that is,” Lehman said. “You have to map out what you’re going to do and where you’re going to go and what time you’re going to be there, and then hope that he’s going to sign it.”

Beatty has often travelled in search of signatures, making trips with his wife to places like baseball spring training camps in Arizona and Florida.

“We would try and target a sporting event for our vacations,” Beatty said.

Beatty is selling off his memorabilia because he and his wife are downsizing to a home in which there’s no longer room for all of his items.

The online sale continues until 2 p.m. on Thursday.

Beatty said the decades he’s spent building up his collection have made for a rewarding hobby, with fond memories of meeting so many top-level sports stars.

“If you’re a fan, your attitude comes out – you’re a big kid,” Beatty said. “The athletes like to see that, they’ll take a second and talk to you.”