THIS CEO’S FAVORITE INVESTMENT? SPORTS MEMORABILIA
Ihave always loved sports. I think life without sports is boring and not worth living. Sports keeps your blood pumping.” So says Peter Grimes, married to Maris with four sons, Ben (19), Sam (17), Dan (12) and Josh (nine).
He tries to work out every day, or as often as he can.
By day, Peter works in the finance industry and invests in traditional financial instruments — but he wanted some of his investments to be in something he really likes: sports. As we true collectors know, putting our hard-earned money into acquiring prized possessions is really part of our DNA.
“I like playing sports. I like watching sports. I just love everything about it. Since I’m British, I tend to gravitate towards sports that are more British like soccer, cricket and tennis. But I also love boxing, golf and racing — two of my eldest sons are now race car drivers making names for themselves,” Peter proudly states.
“My sports memorabilia collection is really a hodgepodge of anything and everything sports. I have a cricket ball signed by Richard Hadley, an Australian footballer who played in the Australian Football League who retired at age 27 in 2010, gloves signed by Manny Pacquiao, gloves signed by Floyd Mayweather, signed jerseys, signed photographs and many more,” he says.
“One of my all-time favorite athletes is Britain’s National Icon, Bobby Moore, the captain of West Ham United for 10 years, the team I support,” he continues.
“Bobby was also the captain of the England Team that won the 1966 World Cup. And after that, the British never won again! We must be bad at it. But I just love Bobby Moore, named in 2002 as one of the greatest Britons by the BBC. Too bad he died very young, in February 1993. So it is difficult to find anything that has his signature,” he adds with a laugh.
Peter still seeks out as much Bobby Moore memorabilia as he can find, because “Bobby’s the greatest.”
It was only David Beckham who managed to break Moore’s national record of 108 caps for the England team when David gained his 109th cap in 2009.
“One of my favorite pieces in my collection is a collage I made of my favorite team, West Ham United. I was able to collect every signature of the team mem- bers including the coaches. I take pride in that,” Peter recalls.
Peter is also a book collector. “I own several first-edition books but the subject and author really varies from philosophy to fiction and anything else in between.”
He does have a favorite, though: “It’s a limited-edition book about the rules of cricket by Steve Waugh and Richard Hadley. What makes this book rare and interesting is that the cover of the book is made from the leather of a cricket ball!”
Most of Peter’s sports memorabilia he bought from online stores and at online auctions, mostly abroad.
His gym is filled with various autographed posters from the likes of Muhammad Ali, David Beckham, Tiger Woods and many others.
Because of the volume and magnitude of Peter’s collection, while Peter is residing in the Philippines, a lot of it stays here with him.
He’s left some at a friend’s house in Thailand, and the rest remains in the U.K.
Ben, Peter’s 19-year-old son, puts in: “Dad’s collection is impressive. And I want it. I want to have it. All of it!”
He and brother Sam race cars and are starting to make their own mark in the sport.
“I’m so proud of them and their accomplishments,” says Peter. “They are very disciplined. In fact, they watch what they eat, more than I do. That’s for sure!”
When asked how his wife feels about his collection, Peter chuckles: “My wife thinks I’m crazy!”
That’s quite a common reaction among collectors from their spouses, especially when the collection gets “out of hand,” eating into space that the other half might prefer to use for something other than glass cases. But I suppose there is always a modus vivendi to preserve peace and harmony.
One really needs special skills to know where and how to find these one-of-a-kind items. It’s important to do research. That way, one won’t end up purchasing fraudulent items or fake autographs of sports greats.
In time, the value of most collected memorabilia does go up. Often, what was purchased for a few hundred pesos can eventually fetch tens of thousands — especially when the items are signed, worn or owned by great athletes!
As someone who grew up surrounded by sportsmen, athletes, sponsors and spectators, a love of sports is second nature to me. The reason I never got around to collecting sports memorabilia is, I didn’t know where to start! As they say, “When everything is collectible, nothing is collectible.” It’s the skill, the art, the science of knowing where to start that helps sustains the passion to build an awesome collection.
Indeed Peter, who’s been around the world but calls the Philippines home, has found that perfect balance — between collecting and coexisting with family members, retaining some of his most beautiful memories in the process.
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Peter Grimes, president of FWD insurance company, collects everything from sports jerseys to books to autographs. ‘My wife thinks I'm crazy.’