What Is Love of the Game Auctions?

The short answer

Love of the Game Auctions is a vintage-focused sports auction house founded in 2012 by longtime collector Al Crisafulli, who serves as its auction director. It built its reputation on pre-war and early 20th-century baseball cards and memorabilia -- material several decades older than the modern chase cards most auction houses center their marketing on -- and runs a handful of major "Premier" catalog auctions a year (typically spring, fall, and a winter or specialty sale) rather than a rolling weekly calendar.

How it works

A handful of Premier catalog auctions a year — rather than closing sales every week, Love of the Game concentrates its consignments into a few large, illustrated catalog auctions annually, the same periodic-sale model used by Memory Lane Inc. and Robert Edward Auctions.
Pre-war and vintage baseball emphasis— the house is best known for T206-era tobacco cards, early Goudey and Play Ball issues, and vintage game-used memorabilia, a narrower era focus than most large houses that mix vintage and modern material in the same sale.
No hidden reserves, no house bidding— Love of the Game markets a policy of not bidding against consignors or running undisclosed reserves on lots, a transparency point it calls out explicitly in its terms.
Specialty and mid-season sales— between its major Premier auctions, the house also runs smaller specialty sales, giving consignors more than one entry point during the year.

Fees

Bidders pay a 20% buyer's premium on the winning bid, in line with the rate charged across most major sports auction houses; a $100 winning bid becomes a $120 total. Bidders who pay by PayPal (including credit card payments routed through PayPal) are also charged an additional 4% convenience fee on the full payment. As with any auction house, published seller commission terms can vary by consignment size and material, so confirm the current rate before consigning -- see how sports card auction houses work for the fee mechanics that apply across the industry.

How it differs from Memory Lane, REA, and SCP Auctions

vs. Memory Lane Inc. — both run periodic vintage-heavy catalog auctions, but Memory Lane also operates I Own It Now, a fixed-price marketplace for buying a piece instantly. Love of the Game doesn't run a fixed-price channel; every lot sells through competitive bidding in one of its scheduled auctions.
vs. Robert Edward Auctions (REA) and SCP Auctions — REA and SCP are both known for record-setting single-owner vintage collections and extensive lot research across a broad range of vintage material. Love of the Game runs at a smaller scale with a tighter pre-war baseball focus, and markets itself specifically on a no-house-bidding, no-hidden-reserve policy as a point of differentiation.
vs. broad multi-era catalog houses— houses like Heritage Auctions and Clean Sweep Auctions mix vintage and modern cards across large, varied catalogs. Love of the Game stays concentrated on pre-WWII and vintage baseball, so it's less useful for consigning modern chase cards but a natural fit for early 20th-century material.

What to check before bidding or consigning

Factor in both fees on a PayPal payment.The 20% buyer's premium plus a 4% PayPal convenience fee can meaningfully change the total cost of a win versus paying by wire or check.
Confirm the era fit before consigning. A house built around pre-war and vintage material may not be the strongest venue for a modern parallel or rookie card -- compare against how sports card consignment works generally before choosing a house.
Check the current auction calendar. With only a handful of major sales a year plus occasional specialty auctions, timing a consignment around the next scheduled close matters more than with a weekly-format house.
Verify condition on vintage lots independently. See how to spot a trimmed or altered sports card before bidding on pre-war material, where trimming and restoration are common concerns.