Westchester Sports Collectible Maven is in His Glory With Yanks-Dodgers Series

For New York baseball fans, 2024 has been a year to remember. Between the surprise post-season run from the Mets and the Yankees’ first World Series appearance in 15 years, it has been a special time.

When the Bronx Bombers take the field Friday evening against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a rivalry that stretches back generations, it’s not just fans of the two teams that will watch the Fall Classic with anticipation.

No one could be happier at the turn of events than Westchester sports collectible guru Brandon Steiner. Simply put, when New York teams do well – and that includes the newly-crowned WNBA champion New York Liberty – so does Steiner. The only thing that could have been better is if the Mets made it to the Series instead of the Dodgers.

“From a natural standpoint, you always want to see the Dodgers and Yankees play. That’s for the TV (ratings) and overall,” said Steiner, a longtime Scarsdale resident who grew up a Yankee fan in Brooklyn. “I’d take a Subway Series anytime, any day that’s meaningful.”

Even without the Mets, the founder of Steiner Sports, who now runs the Yonkers-based CollectibleXchange, is in his glory.

What makes the Yankees-Dodgers matchup so special, aside from its history, is the great players in this Series, which makes it a boon for Steiner. Led by the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, the two best players in the sport, fans and collectors are expected to be snapping up the collectibles.

“The stage is set. You’ve got like two megastars,” Steiner said. “It’s kind of like Joe Montana and Tom Brady.”

Judge and Ohtani aren’t the only players that have their autographed balls, bats, gloves and jerseys be in high demand. Steiner said this year Yankee outfielder Juan Soto has made the leap into the superstar stratosphere.

The Mets’ Francisco Lindor emerged as a marketing and merchandising dream as well, he said.

Not only can the superstars supplement their incomes through merchandising efforts, many All-Star caliber players can do well. On the Yankees’ roster, shortstop Gleybar Torres and pitchers Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt have seen their merchandising stock rise.

However, not all athletes choose to or have the interest to go that route, Steiner said.

Social media has also increased the opportunities for supplementary income off the field, whether you’re in New York, St. Louis or San Diego. Gone are the days where you had to be in the largest handful of markets to become a force, he said, although places like Sacramento and Tampa Bay, the opportunities still lag.

“If you’re a big name, you’ll be a name in any market with a few exceptions,” Steiner said.

Baseball merchandise is most popular in October and November, during the post-season and immediately afterwards and in time for the holidays, he said. In football, it’s in January and February, to coincide with the playoffs and Super Bowl, while the winter sports of basketball and hockey have the most demand in April and May.

Steiner has high hopes for the New York Knicks this year, who many fans believe could contend for a title. The Knicks’ merchandise sells well, especially when they’re winning.

While Steiner will be pulling for the Yankees to win it all over the next week, he also has other priorities at stake, including pulling for those athletes who he has a business relationship with.

“I’m a Yankee fan, so I have my heart on that, but I’m always rooting for my guys that I have an interest in,” he said.

For more information on the CollectibleXchange and the sports merchandise they have to offer, visit www.collectiblexchange.com.

Martin Wilbur

Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/