The Memorabilia Man: Caplinger preserving history

It isn't a hobby, it's a lifestyle.

CHILLICOTHE - In the basement of Bruce Caplinger's home, you won't find a washer or a dryer, old photo albums or even ready to be hung Christmas decorations.

Instead, sports memorabilia takes precedence.

But Caplinger doesn't collect autographed baseballs from Hall of Fame players, game used gloves worn by football's biggest stars or signed 8x10 pictures of today's basketball kingpins.

The 54-year-old Chillicothe High School graduate sticks to local memorabilia with the hopes of preserving Ross County's rich sports history through pictures, jerseys, helmets, signatures, equipment and much, much more.

"Chillicothe and the surrounding area have had some strong teams for years and years," Caplinger said. "We've been blessed with some great athletes. Some, I don't even know. For such a small town, we're quite lucky."

In his collection, Caplinger boasts memorabilia worn or signed by some of the most famous names to ever come out of Ross County including Ben Hartsock, Greg Cook, Scott Bailes and, his personal favorite, Garin Veris.

"In 1972, I was playing baseball and I went to Allen's Pharmacy at the time," Caplinger explained. "When I got home, I rushed to open up the pack of baseball cards I had bought, just to see which players I had gotten. Although I was excited to get some of those players, what fascinated me more was the jerseys, the bats, the helmets and just the game used items they were wearing. That's kind of how it all got started. Then, as they say, the rest is history."

Veris also played a big part in Caplinger starting his hobby as he gave the collector his first ever jersey. After that moment, Caplinger's life has never been the same.

"In the late 1980s, when Garin reached the NFL, I started to wonder if I could obtain one of his jerseys," Caplinger recalled. "Then, once I did, I started wondering if I could start collecting other athletes' jerseys. From that point, it grew. I started collecting anything I could get my hands on, as long as it was tied to one of our local athletes."

The first two game used jerseys to enter Caplinger's collection also belonged to Veris; a 1986 red Patriots jersey and a 1988 white Patriots jersey. Now, it takes two filled-to-the-brim duffle bags just to carry all of his jerseys.

One of his all-time favorites is a 1963 game used John Herrnstein jersey. There's a story behind why.

"It's a Phillies' away jersey and it was worn by John Herrnstein," Caplinger said. "In 1963, John was a rookie and (the Phillies) were playing in San Francisco on Sept. 24. In a 4-4 tie ballgame, in the top of the ninth with two outs, the Phillies put in Herrnstein. He strolled to the plate, and still to this day can't remember what the count was, and Willie Mays was playing in the outfield. John said he hit what he thought was just a pop fly. But as he was trotting to first base, he could see Mays' No. 24 just running. The next thing he knew, the ball popped over the fence. It was a game-winning home run, hit in this jersey."

The hit was Herrnstein's second career hit and his first ever home run in the big leagues. It came off Giants' pitcher Don Larsen, who is still the only pitcher to ever throw a perfect game in a World Series contest.

Caplinger eventually showed the jersey to Herrnstein, who still resides in Chillicothe, in person. When that happened, Caplinger said Herrnstein's eyes teared up as a wave of emotion and remembrance hit him like a truck.

"I have a passion for these athletes' accomplishments and for where they come from," Caplinger said. "I don't collect for any personal gain. I collect so that our city's sports history can, just maybe, be preserved. I want to preserve the history those players have created. This way, our future generations can see and learn about these athletes. These will forever be around our area. Hopefully, they'll be in a local historical museum some day."

While Caplinger is now extremely seasoned in the art of collecting, there are still items that even he can't get his hands on.

"One of thing that excites me about collecting is the fact there's always an elusive item. There's always something you don't have that you'd like to add to the collection," he said. "I still don't have anything game worn from Greg Cook. That's something I'd like to get my hands on. Hopefully, that day comes."

As his collection continues to grow, Caplinger sees no end in sight. Like a kid in a candy shop, the temptation is just too much.

"When I see some of the great athletes in our area today, I start thinking of how I could get one of their game used jerseys. It's addicting," Caplinger said. "Kids are just so young that they don't know tradition and they don't the history. But it's something that's always fascinated me. If any of our athletes make it professionally, I want to collect. That's in any type of sport. I want to be the first one to try and get that jersey."

For any young collectors out there, Caplinger offered up some tips on how to create your own memorabilia empire.

"Nowadays, it's so much easier than when I started out because we have the Internet. At first, I had to look at newspapers, magazines and rely on word of mouth. My tip would be to do your research. Some of this stuff is like finding a needle in a haystack. You've just got to be persistent."

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509