A vast collection of Houston baseball memorabilia covering the days of the Houston Buffs and the Houston Colt .45s is in doubt after an important collector goes out of business.
Sammy Finger dedicated a lot of time and money to collecting 2,000 or so items relating to Houston baseball history, beginning with the Texas League’s Houston Buffs and running through the original Houston Colt .45s. the National League expansion team playing at Colt Stadium.
Heck, he was so devoted to that baseball history he built a family business, Finger’s Furniture, at the original Buff Stadium site and installed a commemorative marker where home plate stood.
But the future of the collection is in doubt after the Finger family decided to get out of the furniture business. The furniture showroom where the collection was displayed has been shut down, and the items have been catalogued and into warehouse storage for safekeeping.
The most obvious solution is a partnership with the Houston Astros, who already commemorate Houston baseball history with a set of displays at Minute Maid Park. Surely there’s room there or in adjoining Union Station for a permanent home. Some local curators want more: they’d like to see a separate facilty near the ballpark to house the memorabilia. That may be a poor idea: collections like this always get a greater exposure when they’re located at the ballpark — just ask the Atlanta Braves or Texas Rangers, who house excellent baseball museums at their faciliites — and at the end of the day the point should be to tell the colorful story of Houston baseball in an accessible manner.
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