The inside story of Echo Collectables, who are minting 24-carat gold coins with Keegan Bradley ahead of the Ryder Cup.
This week, as Teams USA and Europe go to war on the Bethpage Black battlefield for the Ryder Cup, there will be countless pieces of merchandise on offer for both fans on the ground in New York and those watching from afar.
A European polo shirt will set you back north of £100, while Team USA’s Big City Energy range sees a pin flag cost £30.
But the world of mementos has changed, Mark Salzberg and Kentaro Kawamori of Echo Collectables tell City AM, as they launch a solid gold collectable coin collection in association with Team USA captain Keegan Bradley.
A 1oz coin, one of only 100 minted and signed by Bradley, will set buyers back £5,000 but the pair, who are in talks with a number of Premier League clubs and MLB franchises, insist this is not an investment impacted by whether Team USA win or lose the Ryder Cup.
Kentaro Kawamori of Echo Collectables
Ryder Cup beginnings
“We’re getting a hat, we’re getting a shirt, the same things [all of the time], and you don’t get a memento,” Salzberg says. “You don’t get something that is really tangible that you’re going to keep.
“This is gold, pure gold. It’s 24 carat. There’s going to be a number of factors that come into play with the collector mentality – it’s limited edition, it’s beautifully designed, it’s authentic.”
Salzberg is a leading numismatist – a specialist in the study and collection of coins – and sold a majority stake in his business to Blackstone, Roc Nation and Fanatics founder Michael Rubin in a transaction that valued Certified Collectibles Group at over $500m.
Tech entrepreneur Kawamori is a collector of coins, watches, cars and Pokemon cards, and says there will be a capital raise in the near future, adding that he sees this “as a multi-billion-dollar business at scale”.
“We will raise some capital, probably from some combination of finance and institutions fairly soon,” he adds. “We’ve turned down everybody that’s come to us even before we’ve launched, but we’ve got enough validation now.”
Gold coins for all
Coins from the Ryder Cup collection – which involves an incentivised Bradley as co-founder – range from £5,100 for the 24 carat premium offering down to around £200 for a silver edition. The pair expect these to sell out.
Salzberg and Kawamori insist the concept is a sound one, where collections can be sold at auction in decades to come.
“The concept is to have teams – we’re not going to be doing individual players off the bat,” Salzberg says.
Adds Kawamori: “You’re going to see us announce several Premier League teams, the big ones, as partners in the coming weeks and months, and some of the major baseball franchises.
“Even though we’re starting with Keegan and an athlete-focused line, we’re very focused on teams and leagues.”
Echo Collectibles’ venture could be likened to the NFTs that clubs largely failed to engage fans with, but a physical ounce of gold will always have a value that digital assets don’t, something they say offers “fans and collectors an investment-grade, lasting connection to iconic moments”.
One signed Keegan Bradley gold coin for £5,000 or 50 £100 Team Europe polo shirts. Now that’s a conundrum, or is it?