Below is Paul’s statement written for the first auction Hake’s offered items from his collection- Auction #213 November 2014.

“I got my first pinback button in 1958 at a World Series game. I saw vendors selling pinback buttons that were mounted on a cardboard stand. Beneath each pinback was a hanging ribbon. The ribbons fluttered in the breeze. It was if they were calling me.

Over the years I widened my interests to include pinbacks of other sports. I would pick them up in antique stores, outdoor fairs, and curiosity shops. For many years I didn't have much money to devote to my hobby. But it was never so much about the having as the getting. The invention of eBay also changed how collections could grow. Instead of walking many hours to find a little treasure, the treasure arrived on our computer screen.

I derived so much pleasure from collecting sports pins that I wrote two books on them. The first was Baseball Pinback Buttons, followed by Boxing Pinback Buttons. There were only a few hobby resources on these topics. So I delighted in these books helping other collectors to further enjoy the hobby. But as I said in the baseball book, we really don't own these pins. We just get to lease them for a while.

I have reached the point where I want to thin out my collection of sports pinbacks. Some of my pins I have no intention of selling. But I am now ready to have other collectors enjoy many of the pins that have been in my collection for a long time. I am most grateful that Ted has provided me with a means to downsize my collection.”

• Paul Muchinsky 1947-2015