Tuesday, January 31, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Sports Sports Columns

A collection of basketball collectors

Lito CincobyLito Cinco
April 11, 2022, 6:10 pm
in Columns, Sports, The Bottom Line by Lito Cinco
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

People collect different things for different reasons, but these three different folks have found the same subject matter to collect—basketball items.

This is the shared story of Aristotle Garcia, Dr. Rico Mesina, and Ariel Morales, whose collections have accumulated over a long period of time.

Take the case of Garcia, who owns the biggest collection of sports tabloids and magazines—around 20,000 items already, valued at seven figures and still growing.

Aris Garcia and his sports magazines

“It was a hobby I developed because I was not born to play basketball. When I was young, I used to help out in a friend’s house and in return, I was given sports magazines, among others, that was the start of my interest,” said Garcia.

But this guy certainly went beyond mere collecting. With the advent of technology, he even started archiving his collection by category and chronologically for easier referencing, with an extra room at his water treatment office in Muntinlupa devoted to his collection.

ADVERTISEMENT

Just to have an idea of the extent of his collection, he has all the PBA Annuals, including the holy grail in this set, the very first one in 1975; a popular sports tabloid then, Sports World, which he has completed around 85% from 1973 to 1984, and Sports Weekly Magazine, from 1975 to 1990.

On the other hand, Dr. Rico Mesina, an avid basketball fan and player himself, started his collection of sports magazines in 1990, but unfortunately lost them all when the family transferred to a new house.

In 2005, he got a Michael Jordan book at sale price, triggering anew his interest in collecting materials, this time including NBA books and other materials.

And during the pandemic, these last two years gave him more time to devote to his collection efforts. Presently, he has close to 1,300 items in his inventory, mostly magazines and books, but the crown jewels of his collection are the two gold medals from the 1954 Asian Games and 1973 ABC Championship the Philippines hosted and won over South Korea. He, however, does not know to whom they originally belonged to.

Dr. Rico Mesina with the author

“When I started collecting PBA Annuals, it rekindled my interest in basketball, but beyond the PBA, I wanted to know about the start of Philippine basketball and started expanding my collection to earlier periods. This has been the biggest challenge for me,” said the good doctor.

He says it is not really an expensive hobby, though the older items are becoming pricey too.

“Maybe, my present collection has a six-figure value already, and I intend to eventually put up a cafe, where I can show my collection and attract other serious collectors. My collection presently can be viewed at The Collectibles in Greenhills Mall. Also, when I opened The Basketvault in FB, it grew fast, now at around 2,500 members, a real basketball community,” he concluded.

Just like the others, Ariel Morales started his collection with sports magazines in his elementary years, fortunate that he had a mother who bought these sports magazines for him every week.

He expanded his collection to NBA materials, including autographs of popular players, but it was only in 2005 when he decided to focus on collecting jerseys, both local and foreign. Not just collecting them, mind you, but making sure they are autographed.

“I started with NBA retro jerseys, but a friend suggested I do the same with throwback PBA jerseys, too. I did the designs and gave them to a jersey maker who would give me freebies, these shirts I exerted efforts to be autographed following the NBA example. Now, I have the complete set of the PBA’s top players jerseys. Took me 11 years to complete that,” said Morales.

And as his collection grew in number, he has lost count of them already. He found out it can also cause problems.

“People I do not know will approach me to ask if I can arrange meet-ups with players, or give cellphone numbers, I turn these down. I look at myself just like them, a basketball fan, but definitely, I will not give away personal phone numbers,” he admitted.

Total strangers have also approached him for possible business tie-ups related to his collection, which he has turned down, too. After all, he looks at what he is doing as a hobby and not business.

Ariel Morales and his jerseys

When asked what he believes is the most valuable item in his collection, he says “it is an autographed June Mar Fajardo jersey that he actually used in international tournaments.”

And this is the collection of these collectors’ stories.

Tags: Ariel MoralesAristotle Garciabasketball collectorsbasketball itemsRico Mesina
ADVERTISEMENT
Lito Cinco

Lito Cinco

Related Posts

Djokovic settles ‘greatest’ debate with Aussie Open win

byAFP
January 30, 2023, 8:50 pm
0
8
Cruz reaffirms status as PH’s no. 1 with Flexible Cup tablenet win

Melbourne—In drawing level with Rafael Nadal’s record 22 Grand Slam titles, Novak Djokovic reignited the debate about who is the...

Read more

PSC exec Torres to handle 30 sports

byPeter Atencio
January 30, 2023, 8:45 pm
0
8
PSC holds Gintong Gawad ‘21 awards rites

Newly appointed commissioner Walter Torres will have his hands full with his duties as a board member of the Philippine...

Read more

PH to mark centennial Olympic campaign in Paris

byManila Standard Sports
January 30, 2023, 8:40 pm
0
8
Cruz reaffirms status as PH’s no. 1 with Flexible Cup tablenet win

Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino has remained in France to iron out in earnest the country’s campaign...

Read more

PSC chief Bachmann to discuss plans at forum

byManila Standard Sports
January 30, 2023, 8:35 pm
0
8
Former NBA player Nick Young arrivesin Manila to join Strong Group

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann graces the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum for the very first time on Tuesday since...

Read more

Strong Group eyes 3rd victory in Dubai cagefest

byManila Standard Sports
January 30, 2023, 8:30 pm
0
8
Cruz reaffirms status as PH’s no. 1 with Flexible Cup tablenet win

Strong Group shoots for its third straight win when it faces Al Wahda of Syria early Tuesday, Jan. 31, in...

Read more

Chiefs, Eagles set up Super Bowl showdown

byAFP
January 30, 2023, 8:25 pm
0
8
Chiefs, Eagles set up Super Bowl showdown

Miami—The Kansas City Chiefs will meet the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl after the two top seeds won their...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Sneakers for Makati : AB4.0
  • PBBM rolls out 5-year dev’t plan
  • Mr. Marcos says education system ‘failed’ the children
  • Fuel price hikes: Gas up P1.30/l, diesel by P1/l
  • Enrile slams ICC, suggests probers’ arrest for interfering
  • Power snaps may hit rural areas
  • PBBM vows ‘all possible aid’ to Ranara family
  • SC nullifies SEC memo on CPAs, external audits

Advertisement

Latest News

Power snaps may hit rural areas

byAlena Mae S. Flores
January 31, 2023, 12:50 am
0
8
Napocor seeks higher charges

State-run National Power Corp. warned on Monday about year-long daily power interruptions affecting 1.3 million households in remote islands and...

Read more

PBBM vows ‘all possible aid’ to Ranara family

byVince Lopezand1 others
January 31, 2023, 12:30 am
0
8
PBBM vows ‘all possible aid’ to Ranara family

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to extend all possible assistance to the family of Jullebee Ranara, the 35-year-old...

Read more

SC nullifies SEC memo on CPAs, external audits

byRey E. Requejo
January 31, 2023, 12:20 am
0
8
Omicron now dominant virus variant in US

The Supreme Court has nullified for being unconstitutional the memorandum circulars issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission that required...

Read more

Now things get ‘egg-citing’

byManila Standard
January 31, 2023, 12:15 am
0
8
Now things get ‘egg-citing’

First, we got reports on the unrestrained smuggling of food products like sugar, rice, onions, fish and meat—but no one...

Read more

Victory for press freedom

byTony La Viña
January 31, 2023, 12:10 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"May the free press win in all these cases" Rappler Holdings Corporation and its president Maria Ressa have been acquitted...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App