Daniel Wulkan

Ben BeeriWhat's up everyone? Welcome to The Authentic Journey. I'm your host, Ben Beeri. And today, I have the honor of introducing somebody who has truly left his mark on the world of sports cards and collectibles. My guest, Dan Wulkan, is the vice president of Memory Lane, one of the premier auction houses in the industry, where he's helped lead over $325,000,000 in vintage card and memorabilia sales since the year 2000. Dan's expertise spans far beyond just memorabilia. He's appraised and handled everything from vintage sports cards, game used collectibles, autographs, Hollywood props, and rare Americana artifacts.

If you've ever watched the History Channel's hit show Pawn Stars, chances are you've seen Dan featured as the go to sports expert, a role he's held since 2015. With more than forty years of experience, Dan has facilitated some of the largest appraisals and sales in the industry, contributed to publications like Forbes, Sports Collectors Digest, and appeared on ESPN, the Great American Collectibles Show, and countless radio and television programs across the country. For over two decades, Dan has been a consistent presence at major sports collectible shows nationwide, connecting with collectors, appraising legendary pieces, and helping to grow and elevate the industry.

I couldn't be more excited to share this conversation with somebody who has dedicated his career to preserving history and shaping the world of sports cards and collectibles. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Dan Wilkin. Hello, hello. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. It's so great to have you here, Dan. Yeah, no, I'm excited. Excited to talk everything. Talk sports memorabilia,

Daniel Wulkancards and life. There we go. I love it. I love it. That makes up your authentic journey. Yes.

Ben BeeriSo, so, so tell me what do you guys have going on right now at memory lane? I hear you guys have a really, really big auction with some really prominent items. Yeah, I know we have a great auction up. It ends September 13

Daniel WulkanAnd our lot one is the 90 3 SP Derek Jeter in a PSA 10. So that's a real nice 6 figure card. A lot of set breaks, a 1969 top set break that has a ton of PSA 10s. Set breaks are great because there are a lot of people that will spend good money to fill what I think has been one of the best ideas that started a long time ago was the set registry. So you have a powerful group of people that are looking to get their GPA up on the set registry. So this 69 set will be really neat to watch. We've got a beautiful W600 Honus Wagner card, a five figure card that's just a gorgeous image of Honus Wagner.

Autographs of Babe Ruth, like a Babe Ruth ball or a Babe Ruth signed canceled check. Different T206 cards, a huge amount of T206 cards with like the Ty Cobb add back and 65 Joe Namath rookie in an 8.5. Just a bunch of stuff, enough for everyone in our catalog to kind of grab the attention to all these collectors, whether you're collecting baseball cards, football, hockey, boxing, memorabilia, all walks of life from signed checks of Orville Wright to Barack Obama, signed baseballs. There's a beautiful baseball that's dual signed by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, and it's a high grade.

So it's an eight. The autographs are an eight and a nine, which that's a very high grade baseball that's up for sale. That's definitely probably a low five figure, well really low five figure ball. So enough for everyone, enough for everyone. Flannel jerseys game used by Early Wynn and Robin Roberts. You know, try and find any type of game, use flannel from a baseball Hall of Famer. Mini bats they used to get in the store, Frank Chance or Joe Jackson, that have decals of their photo. So, you know, that's really cool. So again, just a ton of autographs and cards and, you know, our heroes, our heroes that we can you know, a piece of the past.

That's and again, it ends September 13.

Ben BeeriThat's amazing. That's amazing. Sounds like you guys have a great selection, a little bit of everything. Yeah. People have been really excited about entering into the sports memorabilia and card space recently, not only as collectors, but also as investors with the most recent sale of the Kobe and Jordan Logo Man for over $12,000,000 Kevin O'Leary was an investor on that card. What have you seen over the last few years and the evolution of new entrants into the space of sports memorabilia and collectibles? You know, we've dealt primarily in vintage,

Daniel Wulkanpre-seventy five. I know the shiny stuff, you know, pretty well. I think our clients tend to move more towards the vintage stuff, but we do handle a lot of modern as well. And, you know, it's incredible because, you know, back in the day, you'd get cards from upper deck that would have a cut of a Babe Ruth signed canceled check and they'd cut the autograph out. And I was selling a bunch of cuts to a bunch of signed checks like Ty Cobb and Jonas Wagner back in the day and they would make these one of one cards.

And at one point, you know, I thought they were going to frame them, not cut them up and kind of kill history and ruin history. Then I thought, you know what, it's cool to combine a card with an autograph. It's a document. What they're actually doing is a benefit to us because the more checks they cut up, the more the full checks are going to be worth later on down the road. But then my point is that I saw all these one of one cards being created where the price would shoot all the way up to the moon and come down to the grass.

And it just, it would go, it would just plummet. So I, you know, people were kind of chasing their next product and what they would buy. So they would buy that stuff at a high price. Realize in a month they'd come out with another ten, twenty, 30 products. They need the money, the funding, the capital to buy stuff. So then they sell it, dump it. So that's when, you know, I think prices would come down on that stuff. It's, you know, then cut to $20.25 where you have all these cards going for four, five, six, seven, eight figures, you know, you would never imagine, who could imagine a card that was printed a half an hour ago that goes for 13 mil, you know, but I think it's not the, you know, Kevin O'Leary, you know, the two partners he bought it with.

They've got, you know, tons and tons of capital, you know, either behind them or you in know, assets. So they can afford to do that. And what I think they're trying to do is move the needle. You know, they're trying and it's, you know, I always say buyer beware, because to me, if you gave me 13,000,000 to spend on cards or a card, I'd buy 13 cards that are low pop vintage, you know, because they're not printing anymore. When is another Jordan Kobe gonna come up? When is another Jordan Kobe LeBron?

When's another Jordan Gretzky Tiger Woods? I mean, Brady. I mean, they're GOATs, you know. But this type of stuff can be printed today and sold tomorrow. Whereas the vintage stuff that's low pop, they're not printing it anymore. They're only X amount of Wagners, Mantle rookies, Gretzky rookies, Jordan rookies. So you know that there are only, I think, three thirty four 10s in the Jordan, you know, PSA 10s. So you know the quantity. Yeah, there are 101s, but when you look at it, you know, in my opinion, there are a lot of one of ones, and one of fives and 10s and 15s and 20s and 99s and four 99s.

I mean, there's just a lot and then you have cards that are, you know, 56 different colors and July 4 looks and zebra and, you know, so I think the biggest thing for that is buyer beware. Because, you know, if Kevin O'Leary goes on MSNBC or Fox News and says, Hey, look what I bought, he has a responsibility to be able to back that up with, yeah, other sales, but he starts getting people pumped. They start taking mortgages out on their homes and they start spending money thinking, well, if Kevin's do it, I'm gonna do it, you know, and I'm gonna spend all this money and I'm gonna double and triple and 4X my money. Well, I always said if someone, you know, people didn't know years ago to save their cards.

That's why they're worth what they're worth today. And then even in condition, people didn't know to hold on to them. People flipped them, they put them in their bicycle spokes. Today people know that if they're going to open up the pack, open that one pack, take five minutes, and make sure you don't hurt the card. And make sure you keep it in mint condition. And it doesn't always guarantee you opening up that pack and that things will be in mint condition because quality control is not a thousand percent. You don't know what those sheets are going to be printed, cut, wrapped. You don't know, could be fives, PSA fives if they're, you know, coming out of those packs and something's wrong with the card. So again, I say buyer beware because you go and spend a lot of money, money you don't have, throw it on your credit card, think you're gonna get the million dollar card.

Next thing you know, you can't pay your mortgage, you can't pay your rent, you can't pay for food, and you're wondering where the heck all your money went because you're gambling. And you're trying to catch that next $100,000 card, the Luka, LeBron. I stress that I want people to be careful, because it's unchartered territory with, you know, a lot of people that are not used to it. And I'm not used to it. I bought new boxes and stuff, you know, to get the one of one card, and you spend a couple thousand dollars on a box, and I get a Shohei Ohtani that's worth $100 and a PSA 10. One. So it's like you roll the dice, and I learned as a kid, when you have a profession and when you've invested so much time in something you love, stay in your lane.

You just stay in your lane. And I think that's where you'll you'll really, you know, be successful.

Ben BeeriThat's amazing. And take me back to the time where you were a kid and you discovered this passion and you realize you're like, Hey, I kind of like I really enjoy this. And how like what was the progression like from you being a kid and having a passion to ultimately choosing to pursue something like this as your career? That's a great question.

Daniel WulkanI was a kid. My grandfather owned a candy store in The Bronx. I have two older brothers. So he would bring us, you know, growing up in Upstate New York, he would leave The Bronx to visit us and bring us a box of cards, you know, per kid. And they loved the gum and they loved comics. So I loved the cards, but the only problem is that we didn't know about condition back then. I was born in 'seventy one, so you're looking at getting cards '77, '78, like right around that era. And we all had to make sure we knew whose cards were whose, so we all put our initials on the back of them. So I wish I could come across those cards again, you know, someday. I wish I could, you know, see a group of those with my brother's initial or my initial come through and, you know, that I could buy back, but that'll never happen.

But just collected cards, played sports in school, in high school and college. And I think, you know, when I found out that, you know, I opened up a little business with my father, My collection was worth about $400. And I said to my dad, if you put up $400 and we spend that $400 to invest, then with that amount and my amount, we'll have an $800 collection, an $800 inventory, and we'll be able to go and pay $25 a table and we'll set up. So we ended up starting, I started the business and it was called D and B Sports Unlimited. I was like 13, 14 years old.

And we started doing shows, you know, going to shows in Albany. And what's interesting is that I'd get up at four in the morning, and my friend was the one who created and promoted the show, Ed Keats. So I would help him. He'd pick me up in the morning, I'd help him, put tables out, and then my father would come later and we'd set up at the show. And it was just so much fun. I used to get a newspaper that was Baseball Americana, I think it was called Baseball Americana, where they would tell you, you know, the rookies, prospects.

You know, so you would look in like 1981 Rochester Red Wings, you knew the hottest prospect coming up was a guy named Cal Ripken. Or you would look at the Tidewater Tides or the Lynchburg Mets, and you would see that Dwight Gooden was playing or Darrell Strawberry, and we would buy their minor league sets, but we knew they were gonna be hot. So once they, like take for instance, 1983 Topps, once you knew in 'eighty two that Gwen was gonna be coming up, that Boggs and Sandberg, what I would do is read in that Baseball Americana, and then I'd go to the shows and I would spend 5¢, 10¢ on these prospects.

And at the time it was real hot to put a set together. People would assemble, they'd open up, collect 20 box cases of 83 Topps cards. So they would open them up, chew the gum, put the sets together. And the funny thing is that would, people at the shows would come out there with 10,000 cards because people would go through them to fill, because people wanted to fill their sets. Well, I would always wipe them out of the rookies. So they kinda caught on after a couple years, But it was the prospects that people would walk up and say, I need this card for my set, you know, the Tony Gwen rookie, and they'd be like, we don't have any. You know, I would take ten, eleven, 12 of them for like a nickel a piece, 10¢ a piece, And by like a week after of me buying, might sell them for a buck a piece. So you knew that you could make profit. And to answer your question, I knew it hit then that that was my passion because I was loving what I was doing, but I could also make money. So at that point in time, 14 years old, I was getting a small allowance of like 2 or $3.

Then I said to my mom, I don't need any allowance anymore because I wanted to make it on my own. I didn't want any help. Because I knew that if I continue to do that, then buy and sell those cards, I'd make enough capital to buy bigger cards, more expensive cards. So I think that really started the initial passion and playing like all sports in school, I knew that, you know, that just kind of aligned, you know, my passion, you know, as a whole. So I did that and then met a buddy of mine who I started working for, was one of the biggest dealers in the nation who sold unopened material, a guy named Mark Murphy back then called the baseball card kid.

And he would always get fines of like, we bought an 86 FLIR basketball case back then, when it's a 12 box case, so it was like $60,000 Like that today is worth like 3 or 4,000,000. But we would set up at shows and he'd pay me $100 a day, and pay for all my flight and hotel. And it was fun, you know, just enjoying traveling at 16 years old. And from there it just, I kind of moved forward, moved from Upstate New York to Long Island, and then moved out to California in 'ninety four and started working in film. I moved out because I thought to myself at one point our business was kind of having a little bit of a dip. And even though I loved it, you know, and continue to do it, I want to do something else that would, you know, be fun. I always thought to myself, whatever job I pick, I want that to be the most fun. If I want to be an astronaut, if I want to be Jacques Cousteau and dive to the bottom of the sea to, you know, look at coral or fish, you know, whatever I could dream of, I knew that that'd be something I wanted to do. And I wanted to go to Hollywood.

So I went out to Hollywood and the way I got out there is that around 16, 17 years old, was collecting Michael Jordan, I was collecting doubles. And all the doubles I sold as my seed money to get out to California, so I'd have enough to pay for rent for one year, just so I could, you know, go and get a job, you know, go for what I loved, my passion in film and wanted to direct or produce. Didn't know at the time what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to work on TV shows and movies. So I got my job with Warner Brothers. I was getting paid $325 a week, and I think I was netting $235 a week.

And I was making a lot more in cards. So I was doing both of them at the same time. But that doubles collection of the Jordan cards got me out to California and kind of, you know, bought myself time. And I gave myself a year, but I got a job in three weeks, you know, at Warner Brothers. I could have worked on the show 24674. I could have worked for, it was Dick Clark Productions at the time, but instead I got a job working on this show called Step by Step, which was at Warner Brothers and at the same time that ER was in their first year of their show. So I was on the Warner Bros lot, you know, in heaven, you know, totally passing all these celebrities and all these actors, and you become friends with them because it's their job and it's your job, and you're working with them in the job.

So I played basketball with George Clooney all the time, and I'd see Dean Cain and throw a football with him if I wasn't, you know, I was on my lunch. At the time where I was throwing a football with Dean Cain, Steven Seagal was doing his movie Under Siege. So it's like, you're just totally immersed in like, you know, pinch myself. Like, what is this, heaven? Like, it just, like, feel the dreams. But, you know, so, and then I continued to do the sports stuff because I knew that that was my passion.

And, you know, kind of cut to Pawn Stars, it was actually 2017 I think that I started on the show, I would come up with the idea that if you have two passions in life, you can do both. You could possibly throw them in the mixer and blend them together. You know, you could you figure out a way if you like crocheting and sports, so you make athletic wear, you know, or it's, you know, there's an out and, to be able to do and love what you do in multiple facets, multiple categories. So I ended up saying to myself, well, I'm in film, I've already produced a couple things here and there.

And now they're hitting me up on eBay saying, well, we like your stuff, bring it on to Pawn Stars and you can sell it, you know, become a seller. So I said that would be really cool to kind of mix. But I knew everything about reality TV and that's reality TV. And I said to them, as long as you make me look good, because I really love my industry and, you know, I get along with everyone. I don't want to be made to look like a fool in reality TV. One episode, two episodes, three episodes go by, six episodes of selling on the show, and they loved me. So that was great. That was a good success. And I said, let's keep doing it. And they said, well, we're gonna hold off. And then I was a bit confused.

And then they said, we wanna interview you to be the sports expert on the show. And I said, well, that's a great transition from selling. They liked me enough for selling, why not, you know, just appraising? So Steve Grad had referred me, I owe it to him, he had referred me to the show. And, you know, I interviewed, They said, you know, it'll take about like a ten-fifteen minute interview and they'll record everything and show the executive producer and everything. An hour and a half later, I'm still talking to the coordinator.

And they offered me the position the next day. So I ended up doing about 50 episodes over like a five year period. And it was just, it was great. It was a great run. And then we got so busy with memory lane that I felt, I did 50 episodes and this is, it's a nice time with them, but the going back and forth, I was just happy to be back and doing. But do I miss it? It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun and the guys were great. And I kind of feel like I left on top like a pitcher from Major League Baseball that you know, knows when, you know, it's enough because, you know, you're busy in other parts of your life.

Ben BeeriThat's amazing. And it seems like you got to cultivate all these amazing relationships while you were at Warner Brothers and while you were there at Pawn Stars. Tell me about how some of those relationships have evolved to today in your life today and all the people that you still kind of keep in contact with. I know you've had the opportunity to work with some A list actors and do some stuff within your current business as well. Yeah, no, great question. I, you know, build lots of relationships.

Daniel WulkanThey say it in Jerry Maguire, the key to success is building relationships. And it's not just building relationships, it's natural relationships. It's not because you can tell when a person wants, you know, is using you. And you can also tell when a person trusts you. You know, where my relationship with Johnny Depp through a friend of mine who's friends with him since day one, you know, connected me with him and it's been smooth as can be. I've done, you know, multiple signings with him and stuff and, you know, he's become a friend and it's a great feeling where he trusts, you know, trusts me in his circle, you know, and my friend who connected us, you know, that says even more that he trusts me, you know, within his circle, you know, which includes a lot of A list guys that he's very close with. So that was really cool.

Again, just relationships with meeting people and being loyal, being loyal to companies, whether it's the authentication companies being there and it's a give and take that I think loyalty is major in this industry because you can really not How would I say it? Loyalty is just important. It's important for people to work together and to be fair to each other. And I think all my relationships that I've built in the industry, it's sad to say, some of the mentors of mine from way back in the day, believe it or not, Alan Rosen, Mr. Mint, who, you know, I was 13 doing shows in New York with my father, and I would leave the table because Rosen would, he would literally give me a case of cards to walk around and sell. And then I'd bring him the money back and he'd throw me a $50 bill.

So also talk about your question before, the idea of, you know, where was the passion? Of course people wanna make money and love what they do. And when a kid at 13 is throwing a $50 bill, you're like, I changed that into ones. And I think I counted those 51 bills in the middle of my mattress like every day for a straight six months, because it's like, that's a pretty nice cut on selling this $300 case of cards. So, it's sad to see that he's since his past, And it's sad to see that a lot of the pioneers that started this are really up in age now.

But these are guys that started it that are probably some are rolling in their graves seeing this $13,000,000 card that's sold. Because it's like, how could this new card be worth so much money? Yeah, two icons, but you can always get a cut from each one and make a card. But they're, again, with the loyalty and building relationships over the years. You know, after I left Warner Bros, I think I went back to the studio another couple 100 times, you know, to play basketball with people there, to, you know, have some meetings with, like, you know, people that I got to sign, you know, some stuff. And so I'm grateful for the whole experience thus far, and I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't change a thing. And another thing I learned from the Chicago Cubs baseball Hall of Famer, Billy Williams, I met him at the Hall of Fame at one point years ago, and he said, Good, better, best.

Never let it rest until the good is better and the better is best. So you can always improve, you know? And for anyone that wants any type of advice, don't be a know it all. Absorb, listen. Listen to mentors, listen to people that, you know, because I just sat back, I listened to all these mentors of mine, and they taught me, you know, they fell on their face, I fell on my face plenty of times. You know, the song, you get knocked down, you get up again. Like I failed, but you know, failing's good because it just makes you stronger to get the success that you deserve, but you gotta work hard.

Ask me, they're like, how do you do it? You're like, how do you do it? Like, do you buy and sell cards? How do you buy and sell memorabilia? Overnight success takes twenty five years. So they think there's a handbook, but you gotta be able to fall on your face and fail at times because failure's great. Failure is great. It just makes you stronger and it makes you more wise and it makes you more intelligent to make the right decisions.

Ben BeeriAnd what do you say to the younger generation that are looking at entrepreneurship and they're not quite fully ready to go for it or commit to it, but they see other people as entrepreneurs. They're excited about it. But you have these kids that are 12 years old, 13 years old. They think it would be cool to go out and

Daniel Wulkanmake some of their own money. And what do you say to those kids about, Hey, like, here's a starting point for you and go. The first thing I say, do not buy a Pelican case. Because when you walk around in a Pelican case, it looks like you have tons of money, and you're a target. Because all these kids that I see at these trade nights that walk out with $50 in cash or more, and these Pelican cases don't be a show off, you'll pay for it. Because people are unfortunately watching in our industry because its strength and it's gone through the roof, you know, monetarily.

Also tread lightly and, you know, now they have all these apps with all these comps, you know, and just be yourself. Like don't put up any type of front, just be yourself, and you'll learn and pick the brains of these guys that are at these card shows, you know, that have all these YouTube channels and IG and do all these reels, you know, walk up and talk to them. I don't know the name of this one guy, but I've seen many reels of him. Seems like the nicest guy in the world. He's the one that gives kids stuff.

He sells hats of his company for charity. He seems like the most fair guy. You know, I wish I wouldn't, you know, he's well known in like the newer modern cards. And he sets up at all the big shows. He was at the National, but he's fair on like all of his buy prices. To me on these reels, transparent. He's So to me, it's like go up and talk to a guy like that that knows modern stuff and pick his brain. You know, it seems like he's just great with kids and also fair to adults who are trying to figure out value and what they want to sell their card for and all that.

There are lots of videos to watch, but there are also these apps you know, that are gonna explain to you like the realized prices. And there are some times where you shouldn't trust the realized prices because they might not be real. They might not be real ized. I mean, it's, you've got to be careful where you get your information, but for the most part, you'll be able to see what stuff goes for. You'll be able to look on eBay at realized prices and completed listings, and then you have to make that decision yourself. But, you know, I think you can't go wrong with buying the GOATs. You know, you can't go wrong with Tom Brady, even though I'm from New York and I hated the Patriots and Tampa and anything, but you can't go wrong with buying Steph Curry or Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant or there's a guy now, the center for Portland, the Chinese kid, Yang Hansen. He could be a big guy, look at Yao Ming. So he could be a new and I don't think his stuff is that crazy. But I would say to kids, just tread lightly.

Check out UFC, check out F1. F1 is worldwide. Soccer, you know, the kid for Barcelona. Lamine, kid for Barcelona. That could be a great investment right now. But don't, you know, something shoots up, you know, to me, nine out of 10 times if you buy it, a newer card, and the guy's hot, and you capitalize because it goes up 10x, would sell it. I don't care if it doubles again the other nine times, you're gonna lose. Those prospects won't be anything, and you'll lose on that. So when someone gets hot, take advantage of that and know that, you know, you grab the profit and if you wanna expand your capital, you gotta get in, get out. What I say is get in, get out, and then get on.

Get on to the next card, the next box, you know, whatever you feel. And certain boxes that everybody breaks and opens up, I'd buy those boxes and put them away. You know, don't, you know, it's whatever's in there is in there, it's sealed. So as any prospects go up in value, that box is gonna go up in value. And the more people that open up these unopened boxes, the better off you are, because then your box will go up because the boxes will be, you know, more in demand, because they'll be scarcer.

You know, so I think it's just read up on your info, watch games, watch the player. A lot of people just, they follow, they follow everybody else. Get your own information. Go watch the games, watch the guy play in the NBA, watch them throw in the NFL, you know, watch these quarterbacks, there are a lot of quarterbacks coming out now that are rookies or second, third year that are hot as hells. Watch players, watch, you know, and you can kind of tell who's gonna be in it for the longevity and who's gonna, you know, be a great star, you know, for the future.

Ben BeeriAwesome. And it sounds like you're really preaching that scarcity and collectibles is really kind of where you prioritize the types of items that you have, whether it's vintage items that are old or not making any more of them or these card boxes that people are leaving unopened, and as more people open them, they become scarcer. Uh, what are some of the items that you've come across that have been extremely scarce that maybe you've decided, hey, I kind of like I love this. I'm kind of going to hold on to this myself. This is like a really cool collection type of item for me. Yeah, it's interesting.

Daniel WulkanI always say I'll buy something. And then I always say, Well, you know what? I'm going to keep that. That's really cool. I will never sell that until a week or two goes by. And I show one of my clients, he's like, I have to have that. And it's tough, and I'll tell you how tough it is. I just sold a book signed by Martin Luther King. It was signed, The Stride of Freedom. It was signed by Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott King, and Ralph Abernathy, who was Martin Luther King's mentor. And a photo of Martin Luther King, Abernathy, the guy that got the book signed and the guy that brought the guy to meet Martin Luther King. So this stuff's gone through my hands like a book signed by Pablo Escobar.

You know, that's incredible. You know, that's a piece of history. You know, there are things that have just gone through my hands, you know, like Abraham Lincoln documents, or Babe Ruth letters or Joe DiMaggio, pages from Joe DiMaggio's diary talking about Marilyn Monroe. Know, so it's tough. You know, as far as I recently got a gift from a friend of mine who's very close with Robert Downey Jr. We all know that Robert Downey Jr. Was in jail, you know, in early two thousand and he did these drawings, you know, just to, you know, pass time.

And I've always wanted one of those. And a friend of mine gave me one of them for our anniversary also as a wedding gift. And I was always like, what am I going to be able to trade him, come up with thousands and thousands of dollars worth of trade? And then he gave it to me as a gift. So that was really cool. So that will never be sold. That won't be sold next week, next month, next year, next never. That will never be sold. A letter that Muhammad Ali wrote me when I was in high school. My cousin was the commissioner of boxing for New York State for eight years, so he provided licenses for every fighter who wanted to fight at Madison Square Garden, you know, all the big fighters.

And I met a lot of them and met Ali multiple times, and he wrote me a letter when I was in high school, and he wrote, Dear Daniel, I will soon start the Muhammad Ali fan club. I will get back to you when I'm ready to start. Love always, Muhammad Ali. P. S. Service to others is the rent I pay for my room in the hereafter. Wow. So really profound. So I mean, this guy was a boxer, middle class guy, kid growing up. To have those types of quotes, think about that. Service to others is the rent I pay for my room in the hereafter. So it's like just being nice to other people. So as far as like collectibles and collecting and things I keep, I will always keep that letter. I will always keep the piece of art that Robert Downey Jr. Did. As far as items that I've bought and sold, you know, that we've bought and sold as a company, we're making people happy.

We're finding rare items like an Albert Einstein book or a Walt Disney book that this extra got signed for being in the movie and now he's 95 years old and he decided to sell it. Then he was a youngster as an extra in the movie in 1948, and the movie was made off a book, and he got the book signed and he got the crew to sign it. Pieces of history like that, you know, relics like that, I'm happy to pass on to other people, you know, because at the end of the day, we're only, and I forgot the word, we're only like leasing this stuff, you know, eventually it'll be gone, it'll be in the hands of someone else. But to put smiles on people's faces, I mean, it's crazy, you know, with Taylor Swift, how hot her stuff was, you know, selling it at the National. How hot, I couldn't hold on to it, You know, and you talk about, regardless of what people think of her, you know, you talk about a person who's so genuine, who gives away money to her entire crew per person with the tour she did, you know, last year, the year before,

doesn't need the write off, because if you do the numbers of her giving away 50,000,000 really is not going to help her. But to be able to do that, you know, and then you meet people that are so happy, again, putting smiles on people's faces that are buying something that they absolutely love, to me I don't need to hold on to it when I can, you know, make someone happy. Even if it is a very scarce piece that I don't think I'll ever see again. But you'd be surprised, you know, with dealing with signatures of Al Capone, you know, in the mob world or Meyer Lansky or, you know, Lucky Luciano.

There might only be a couple here and there, but you find it, you make someone happy and you move on, you know, because there's always cool stuff coming up. So that's kind of the angle. It's really cool how you talk about making people happy. And then you bring up the Muhammad Ali quote, which is about service to others. Yeah.

Ben BeeriHow have those played like a big role in your life? Just service to others, making people happy, like those principles on their own? Yeah, you know what? I

Daniel Wulkanwas always happy as a little kid, you know, my whole life. And there are times when, you know, I'd be really happy in kind of a negativepositive way where I would open up baseball cards, shut my door and not do my homework, and play with baseball cards. I wanted to be happy. You know, I didn't love school. I loved playing sports. Know, I think because when you're 13 and I would tell everyone, you know, as a youngster, you still need school. You still need, you know, to me, you know, you still need college.

Do you need two years at a community college to save all your money and to learn and kind of help you grow into the future? Do you really need a four year school? Today I kind of feel like it's a business. You know, so you get your four year degree, I got mine. Did it really help me get where I am today? No. Did I make it on my own? Yes. You know, I think that, you know, I want to stay on track with what you asked, but I think, you know, you just have to be happy and you have to figure out what you want. So then if you're happy, you can pass it on and you can also figure out what bothers other people and where they're at in their life. So you can kind of give them some type of advice, you know, for experiences that you ran through as a kid, as, you know, all, you take math in school, a negative times a negative is a positive.

So if you can take all these negatives and turn them into positives from what I learned and then what I can pass on, it's gold, it's great, it's gold. It's perfect to be able to be there for others, not be selfish, just be selfless, and also realize that you have to, in order to be successful, in my opinion, you have to take karma out of the equation. Because if you say, I am gonna help 100 people this year, and it is gonna pay tenfold, I am gonna get back so much because I'm helping 100 people.

Then you're helping them for the wrong reason. You're trying to get a grab, a money grab on, or whatever your angle is. Gotta help people. And this person today sent me a message and said, Is this Johnny Depp autograph real? I don't do any business with them. Am I gonna go out of my way to help them? Yeah, I'm gonna help them. And she says to me, you know, if I can ever help you, she's bought Johnny Depp stuff from me a long time ago, if I can ever help you, I will. I said, you know what, It's okay.

I'm helping you. Help someone else. Pay it forward. I don't need, you know, I'd rather, you know, pay it. I don't need anything. So pay it forward. You know, that's what's important to me, you know, to be able to pass it on. Because if I can help someone and I tell them, well, help someone else, that person helps someone else. It's the movie back in the day, Pay It Forward, where, you know, you help someone and they help three people, which help nine people. Know, it's, then you're kind of spreading the good, So it doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt.

If someone's having a bad day at a restaurant and you can afford it and your bill's $35 and you give them a $50 tip, who cares? Is that $50 gonna break You know, it's like at the end of the day, you can't take it with you. You know, Randy Travis, the singer said a Brink's truck doesn't follow you to your funeral. So it's like, it forward. You're not gonna miss that $50, but you're gonna really help someone. You're gonna really help someone in their day, and maybe they're weak, maybe they can't pay their light bill, or their water bill, or their cell phone. It's like, at the end of the day, your impact will be a lot heavier on them than you giving away $50.

You know, I think it's the whole key is to, you know, always be happy with what you're doing.

Ben BeeriBe happy and impact others and really kind of just give to others upfront, looking at people, wanting something for them, not wanting something from them. Yeah, it's a great point. And like you look at situations and it's like I've been making an effort of this lately. It's like, do you get situations that are give, give? I want to give to you. And if you want to give to me, great. If you don't want to give to me, there's other people around. But rather than entering situations that are give take, because if somebody is looking to take in any situation, it doesn't pour into the relationship. It doesn't actually grow the relationship over time. Agreed. And it's amazing to see that you've been in this business for over forty years and you've been able to cultivate all these long term relationships.

Yeah. What do you say to people who want to go out and build relationships, not just in a business or career field, but just in general, in life, have a significant other, friends? What do you say about relationship building? You know, I,

Daniel Wulkanduring the beginning of COVID, I was at a local mall and you couldn't go inside. They put up the plexiglass. You had to stay outside and order stuff. And there was a girl that walked up behind me, and younger, and I never thought anything more than I've been cooped up in my place for five straight days, I haven't seen a human, you know, I need some interaction with just talking and BS ing about whatever. So I was goofy and funny and sarcastic to her, and the next thing you know, ten days later, we went out on a date.

Six months later I met her parents. And last year we got married. So it's, you never know. And I think with, you know, building relationships, you can't expect anything. You never expect anything. You just be yourself. You be yourself. And I'll tell you why I say be yourself, because if you're not yourself and you attract them, you're attracting them for someone else. Like they're gonna look at you as person B, not person A, the person you're Or person A, not person B, who you are being. So I think just be yourself and I think just don't

Ben Beeribe

Daniel Wulkankind of I can't really think of the word as far as know, just be yourself. Just be yourself and talk to someone or be open. And I think I was just being myself and being sarcastic, and I think it came off natural, and that I wasn't, you know, trying to throw out any other words other than just to make her happy and go home. That at least I was able to talk to a human, and never thought that I would, you know, ask her for Instagram and, you know, and then that's where it kind of started, you know, and it's, I think building relationships and friendships and always be yourself.

And I think within, it's tough, it's a tough world out there today and meeting a significant other. And just be yourself, and I've said that probably 10 times, be yourself and just don't, you know, you don't need it. You want it, but don't come off like you need it to live. Like, you're 100% of a person, don't act like you're 70% and that 30% you need so bad in a relationship. Act 100%. And if you get a relationship, friendship, it only adds to the 100%. And I always say in relationships, you know, you gotta come in one hundred-one 100. People say come in fifty-fifty to make that 100.

I wanted to meet someone who'd come in 100%. 100% of loving what they do, wanting to travel, wanting to be proactive, not wanting to just sit around, you know, I kind of go, go, go, go a lot, you know, and sometimes I should slow down. But it's not FOMO, but I wanna enjoy every day, every second, every minute, every hour, every day. And if you're not out there enjoying your life, then you have to get a little bit of a reboot and a recharge. And it feels good. If you're not in the right space, get out of that space.

It's not tough. And the more tough you think it is, the longer you're going to be in that space.

Ben BeeriSo COVID was five years ago now. So five years ago, you met significant other. Yeah. You guys have gone through the journey of being together for a few years. Yeah. You got married about a year ago. Yeah. It's funny. I got married 08/1024.

Daniel WulkanAnd, you know, Kobe Bryant, big Kobe fan. Kobe Bryant. You got that right. Big Kobe fan. It destroyed me when he passed. But big Kobe fan. And I said, Well, I got the uniform number 8 and uniform number 24. And I get a call from my friend Ryan, who's coming out to the wedding. And he says, How'd you get all three jersey numbers? And I said, What do you mean I got eight and twenty four? And he said, Well, number 10. USA. Exactly. He wore number 10 at the Olympics. So I said, I got so lucky it wasn't even funny. Eight, ten, 24.

So yeah, we got married about a little over a year ago, and it was the best. It was a dream come true. You know, but yeah, that was the best. Absolutely the best.

Ben BeeriWhat's changed in your life since you've been married?

Daniel WulkanYou know, I married my best friend and the woman of my dreams. What's changed? It's only changed for the better. We got a dog. So she's gonna be two in October, and a little miniature Italian greyhound named Blue, and she's the best. And what else? I come home to my wife, and that's the best because, you know, before that, I'm coming home to nothing. You know, and here, every day, I can't wait to get home. We do things, we're doers. We go and do, and go and, you know, whether it's traveling here or there, not all the time traveling here or there, going to the park or going to play pickleball or going to the mall and walking around and just getting out of the house.

I think it's just a great feeling to be with the right person. And I lost both my parents, you know, eight years ago and two years ago. To be with her and her family, I'm very family oriented. So to be with her family, it's unbelievable. They've like adopted me, kind of. It feels like they've adopted me. But it's been the best because, you know, we all do stuff together. I think we have dinner once a week as a whole family, you know? So I have my wife, her parents, her sister, her brother, her sister's boyfriend. So it's like, before you know it, every week it's like seven or eight of us going out. So it's nice to be around that family feel, you know, and her grandparents are still around, just great, great, great, great people, you know. And thank God they're Yankee fans, because being from New York, you know, I'll tell you, they're Angels fans, but you know, when I was getting into this relationship, I was like, all right, I passed the time where we met after six months, and they apologized to me for not meeting me sooner

because I was real and not just looking to meet someone real young. And then they passed the test because I was like, Oh my, her father's wearing a Yankee hat. This is a good sign. So, but we're inseparable now. We're very close with her family, very, very close with her family, and, you know, great friends, and we're gonna spend Labor Day weekend together. And, you know, when you ask like what has changed everything, you know, in the best way possible. Her father loves sports, her brother loves sports, her sister loves sports, her mom loves sports. So, you know, sharing this industry with them and kinda, you know, not only teaching them stuff but sharing items to show them that are signed. How does this even exist?

It's just cool. Years ago, you would tell someone, whether if you wanted to meet a girl when you were 18, 19 years old, and you're like, I do baseball cards. And they're like, Oh, have a good day. Peace out. Today, it's like a big thing. So, you know, it's a career. And it's like a cool thing. So her parents love it, and I get to share this with them. They love it. So it's like, what a plus. But when you're 18, you're like, what up? I buy and sell dudes on cardboard, baseball cards. And they're like, oh, that's good, have a good day. You're an accountant, great.

You're not, baseball cards, have a good day. I'm kidding around with that, but it's being successful or at least just having something significant that you're attached to that you love. And to share that with other people, especially your family, priceless.

Ben BeeriPriceless. Well, there's something to be said for, I mean, following what you want, being happy doing what you're doing. You found love in your life that's helped enhance what you're doing. You found a career that you're really passionate about and you love doing it. And it seems like at the center of all of that was kind of like, be yourself, Dan, be yourself. And what does that mean to you? And what is the message to everybody else about being yourself?

Daniel WulkanYou know, I think just being real, being real, being confident, not cocky confident, being confident in yourself because it's going to show it its way physically, mentally, morally, whatever. It's gonna, it'll show it, you know, be yourself as in when you have a list of things that you want to conquer, be that self. Go and do it. You know, don't hold back. You know, if that if your self is, of the listing of these things that you want to conquer in your life, go and do it because it's you. And don't hold back. And again, if you fall on your face, who cares? If you get dirty, wipe yourself off. If you get cut, put a band aid on it and let's go, move on, man up.

You know, that's the biggest thing because you will be 75 and you will regret everything as to not following what you should have followed. Like, I don't want to say the word, but don't be a step up to the plate and take the shot. You know, I'm very close with Tommy Hilfiger. And I say that for the only reason that when I met him, he didn't speak about Tommy Hilfiger. He spoke about Ralph Lauren. So when you speak about someone else and you're of that stature, you're humble, you're kind, you're giving me the time of day, and I didn't even know him at the time. And here we talk all the time now. I was in Italy for my honeymoon and he's setting me up at a restaurant that I couldn't get into. So it's like, again, before about relationships and friendships, I rarely call him for a favor.

That's why if I do, he comes through for me. So it's be yourself. It goes all the way back to I met him years ago in Boston. How did I meet him? I forgot my winter coat. So I went into Saks and they were having an event. I grew up in Upstate New York, he grew up in Upstate New York. So we had that in common and I always wanted to meet him. So I walked up, his wife was having a breast cancer awareness fundraiser, black tie affair, I'm in jeans and a hoodie. And I said, I gotta walk up and meet this guy.

So I walk up and his wife designed some purses, she came out, I ended up, they said, Yeah, but you can look around, but we're having an event. I end up buying something there. And then I said, And I'd really love to meet Tommy. He comes over and I said, I have one question for you and I'll let you be. But I said, How do you start a clothing line? And again, backing up to Ralph Lauren, he said, Well, Ralph, he didn't talk about himself. That's what I say, like, Be yourself. So he felt it necessary to say Ralph Lauren bought or sold ties from, you know, door to door. He sold bow ties and different ties.

And he never gave up. But he said to me, pick one thing. Don't pick a line, don't accessorize it, hone in on one thing. So that was it. And he said, take my email and we'll stay in touch. Went from email to phone number to then we text back and forth now. So it's like, it doesn't matter how famous you are, how big you are, you stay humble and kind like that. And sometimes I question, what does he want with me? Nothing. He just wants to help pay it forward. He went from, like buy, like he bought like extra, you know, jeans from people in the city that were selling, like had overages, like closeouts.

He would take those closeouts and he would bling them, and he would sell them in his store, and he'd hire this guy to play guitar way back when. So people would come in, they'd hang out, they'd listen to music, they'd buy clothes, and eventually he just kept on what his dream was, and it became a reality. And he is who he is today, not from being handed it, but hard work in being himself. You know, being himself. And that's the most beautiful thing. It kind of circles back to the whole idea of be yourself.

And that's how I met him. Now whenever I have a question about like, he's a mentor to me. He's a friend and a mentor. So it's how do you build those relationships of people of that status? Don't come off like you're using them. Just be yourself. You have a real question to ask. You're interested in, you know, not how do you buy and sell baseball cards so I can make a lot of money. What classes do I take? Who do I talk to to learn so I can put the time in? You know, success comes from putting in the time.

Ben BeeriPutting the time and working towards the right things with the right intention.

Daniel WulkanYeah. 100%. Because if you put in time and you go for

Ben Beerisomething that you're not fully aligned with, you're going to find yourself on a train heading the wrong way. And it's really interesting, the concept of heading towards the right direction. And you talk about being yourself and being yourself. And spreading that and spreading that message to other people on things that you want to do in life, people that you want to meet, a job that you want, you wanted to sell baseball cards, it may not have been the coolest thing back in the day. Right. But looking at it now, it's you get to be yourself. You get to be happy. Yep. And it's incredible.

Dan, this has been such a pleasure sitting here and talking to you and hearing all the different stories you've got to share. Thank you. Where can our listeners connect with you further? Well,

Daniel Wulkanyou can call the office. Also, have our website at memorylaneinc.com. Instagram name is pawnstarssportsexpert. So it's pawnstarssportsexpert. So they can get me on there or call our office at Memory Lane. We're in Tustin, California. And I'm here to help, you know, here to help and, you know, build relationships and help people with contacts. You know, there's enough for everyone, I say, even in the competitive auction world and that we put out a stellar catalog. You know, there are times where I've heard other people at other auction houses, I'm really bummed I didn't get that deal.

What we understand is that there's enough for everyone. You know, out there there's still all these fines and things are being uncovered every day. So you'll be okay. You don't have to rush it, you don't have to rush life, take one day at a time, and things will work out your way. But yeah, they can hit me up on Instagram or Facebook or, you know, check us out on the web or again, memorylaneinc.com.

Ben BeeriThere you go. That's incredible, Dan. I mean, a great message to just be yourself, go after what you want in life, come from a place of giving and really looking to cultivate relationships long term rather than being short term or transactional and really just wanting to help people, to give, wanting to shine your light. It's been so great having you here, Dan. Thank you. Thank you guys for listening to our episode here on The Authentic Journey. If anything that you heard today resonates with you, uh, please give us a like or a follow, comment on the episode what you think, share it with your friends. You guys can follow our journey along on Instagram at the authentic journey pod.

I'm your host, Ben Beeri. You guys can follow me on Instagram at Benbeeri. That's B E N B E E R I. And we look forward to seeing you on the next episode of The Authentic Journey.