Shea Stadium & RCA Dome Memorabilia to be Auctioned & Sold

Recently I wrote an article about the City of Buffalo announcing that they are seeking an auction company to sell off Buffalo Memorial Auditorium memorabilia. I said it would be sad to see the old place go. Many other fans will feel the same way this week with the announcement of the Shea Stadium memorabilia auction and the upcoming RCA Dome memorabilia auction. Shea Stadium in New York is where the Major League Baseball New York Mets play. The RCA Dome is where the Payton Manning threw many of his touchdown passes in the National Football League. In an era of better stadiums to make players and owners richer, both of those venues are being torn down.

The sale of Shea Stadium memorabilia began today and continues throughout the weekend. Everything at the stadium is being offered for sale including seats, banners, signs, dugout and even the escalators. The kicker here is that in order to bid or buy any of these items you must first join the club. MeiGray Group who is running the sale of memorabilia is first selling, for $2,500 - $10,000 Premiere Club memberships that will allow you a chance at first dibs on the merchandise. They have three levels Platinum, Gold and Silver. The money you pay is being called a minimum purchase deposit and although non-refundable, will be used towards any purchases you make.

On September 24, 2008, the roof of the RCA Dome, which was built in 1984, in Indianapolis, Indiana, will be deflated. After it is completely deflated, the roof will be cut into small pieces and sold as memorabilia along with other memorabilia that is being salvaged within the stadium walls. For about $60 you can obtain a piece of the RCA Dome roof on a plaque from the Colts Pro Shop. Apparently they are also auctioning off items although when I checked out the site recently, there was nothing listed on their auction page. After the roof is gone and everything else is stripped and dismantled, the upper level is going to be imploded. And another great venue in the history of sports and will be gone forever.