Sandusky Scandal Sparks Interest in Penn State Collectibles

I am a Penn Stater. I both studied and later taught on the University Park, Pennsylvania campus. My Ph.D. in art history is from Penn State and I taught art history courses on the main campus and through the university’s distance online education program, called the World Campus. I have known Coach Paterno, President Spanier, and many other important figures who have contributed to the university community. And, like many people worldwide, I know Penn State to be a fine academic institution.

Recently, as I introduced myself as a Penn Stater at TV studios for media hits and at some of my antiques appraisal events across the country in large scale venues like expos, stadiums, and convention centers, I did not get the typical reaction of wide smiles and applause which usually goes along with my announcement of my proud connection to PSU. Instead, people said things to me like, “I’m sorry,” or “Can you believe what happened?” A fellow PSU alumna from Texas even advised me that since I am in the public eye, I may want to emphasize my undergraduate degree (from the University of Michigan) for a while instead of talking about Penn State.

My audiences are as surprised as I am to have heard the reports coming from the beautiful central Pennsylvania campus. Typically known for its high standards, lovely community and, of course, its football icons, Penn State is one place where people know right from wrong and live by traditional rules. It is one of the reasons why we call Penn State “Happy Valley.”

While I can shed no light on the scandal making headlines, my opinion is that Penn Staters will stand together and do the best thing for everyone concerned. I hope we will all take this opportunity to take a sad, even bad, situation and make it better. That’s something I learned at Penn State.

In the wake of the news media’s sudden interest in all things Penn State and particularly Penn State football, I started to think about how this focus on the university impacts the current state of the collectibles market. As you might have guessed, Penn State collectibles are experiencing a market spike right now.

People are selling all types of Penn State items such as JoePa coffee mugs, invitations to the installation ceremonies of former university presidents, old milk bottles from the Creamery, vintage football team photographs from the 1960s, commemorative baseball caps, old holiday ornaments from the Nittany Lion Inn, and other memorabilia. While these items are selling at auctions, flea markets, and for the most part online, surveying the market shows me that Pennsylvanians are not at the forefront of this market spike. In fact, it seems as if collectors living where there is a huge community of Penn State grads are holding on to their Penn State collectibles now. The active buying and selling of Penn State items is happening largely outside of Pennsylvania.

Informed collectors or market watchers would have expected that reaction of movement in the marketplace as a way for sellers to take advantage of the media exposure surrounding Penn State.

I know you are wondering if I think this is a good time to sell off your Penn State collectibles, and the answer is no, I don’t. I know that exposure in the media increases the interest and value of particular collectibles and Penn State certainly is getting a lot of attention right now. I would hold onto Penn State memorabilia until the time when a significant and positive event takes place on the campus as that is when the pieces will most valuable. That will also be the time when those PSU collectibles will reflect the true spirit of Penn State.