Integrity You Can Trust
Scottsdale Airpark News
Writer: Pete Christensen

John Sierra was the operations manager for two different Fortune 500 companies for over 18 years. Despite that success, he and his wife Sandy decided to venture into uncharted waters to start an awards and memorabilia company in Scottsdale, AZ. Originally, they were on Butherus and Scottsdale roads, but today they’ve opened a great new store at 8763 E. Bell Rd.

These two really get the “team” concept. While he’s artistic and hands on, she’s got an acute attention to detail and maintains consistent quality control. To that end they are extremely careful of what they sell, and who they buy it from. They only buy from Upper Deck, Mounted Memories, Steiner Sports, Tristar and Schwartz Sports. All are well respected, and known for their integrity. As the Sierras put it, “People have to know their memorabilia is authentic.” That’s what makes it real- research and reliable dealers.” Make no mistake however; they’re not in the business of appraising items. His product line features autographed items from Tiger Woods, Mickey Mantle, Wayne Gretzsky, Michael Jordan and hundreds of others. If fact, they have the largest selection of autographed jerseys in the entire state. The rest of their inventory includes signed baseballs, football helmets, pucks, bats, display cases, racks, artwork and so much more you’d have to see it to believe it. I was drawn to an art work that had the actual baseball coming out of the picture itself for a great 3-D effect. They’re always on the out look for unique items so the inventory is always changing. As he told me, “You won’t be disappointed when you visit. Everyone is surprised by the quality of our items.” I’d also suggest that if you don’t find what you’re looking for, ask them. They can track down just about anything, and by going through them, you’re assured of getting the real thing, and not some knock off.

On the other side of the business is the less flamboyant, but more emotionally involved trophy sales. I say emotional because it’s obvious they care about what they’re doing and for the people they’re working for. Trophies can be for business awards, retirements, sports accomplishments, academic achievements or personal gifts. They told me, “Every award reflects an accomplishment and a bigger story behind it.” It’s obvious when talking to them, they really try to understand the customer’s wants and needs. Sandy also points out, ”When you’re making an award or trophy you’re also getting involved with someone’s life. You have to consider budget, background and theme.” They only work with top quality materials such as crystal, stone, glass, resins, etc. You won’t find any plastics or cheap materials here. Awards are now a combination of artistic skill and insightful technology. The variety of materials, sizes and displays are tremendous. They’ve got a great Web site that can do just about anything. I’d suggest looking it over at your leisure to get an idea of your interest ahead of time. They pride themselves on customer satisfaction and reputation. If it’s a hard to fill order or a last minute rush, while others might turn you away, they’d certainly try to accommodate. No matter if you’re in the market for an award or special memorabilia, Grayhawk puts their integrity on the line for their clients. When I want something that will reflect my taste the rest of my life, that’s the kind of place I’m looking for. - Pete Christensen

THE BUSINESS JOURNAL
Sports collectible shop puts Canseco in opening-day lineup The Business Journal of Phoenix - September 13, 2006 Sports fans and collectors will have another place to congregate outside the ballpark or stadium when GrayHawk Memorabilia opens Oct. 7. And they'll get a chance to meet Jose Canseco, the admitted steroid user who fell from the sport's graces after his best seller "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, & How Baseball Got Big" was published. The former Oakland A's star, who also played with the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, will be on hand to sign autographs and meet fans at the new store, located at 8763 E. Bell Road, just off the Loop 101. The Scottsdale, AZ gallery showcases hundreds of autographed collectibles from photos and jerseys, to helmets, balls, bats and gloves, each distinctly displayed and preserved in ultraviolet-protected, framed designs. Owners John and Sandy Sierra are launching the concept after many successful years of operating their trophy and award business in the Scottsdale Airpark. The shift to showcase more of their extensive sports memorabilia collection is a result of the increased demand for these items and the security of dealing with an established, trusted business, which verifies collectibles are licensed and autographed are authentic. "I can't tell you how many customers want what we have displayed in our limited venue right now," said owner John Sierra. "And thanks to our tight connections with the most prominent and respected memorabilia providers, we're able to provide an environment where sports fans can acquire valued possessions with an assurance not readily available anywhere else." Grayhawk Awards & Memorabilia is an official representative for several top names in sports collectibles, including Upper Deck, Steiner Sports, Mounted Memories, TriStar AND Schwartz Sports.

SCOTTSDALE TRIBUNE
Scottsdale shop offers the ‘real deal’ for collectors of sports memorabilia John Leptich, Tribune
At a time when many sports memorabilia stores have closed due to sagging sales and more people buying merchandise online, John Sierra is taking the collectibles plunge in a big way.

It started as an idea to dress up his Scottsdale Airpark-based trophy and award company. But Sierra wound up in the upscale sports memorabilia business. Saturday, he will hold a grand opening of Grayhawk Awards and Memorabilia, a plush north Scottsdale outlet for limited-edition, big-ticket autographed memorabilia. Former Oakland A’s slugger Jose Canseco will be on hand to sign autographs on items, including his book, “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ’Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big,” a tale of steroid and human growth hormone use in professional baseball.

A professional athlete who used Sierra’s service suggested incorporating sports memorabilia as part of awards and plaques that charities later presented. He took the idea a step further and decided to adorn the walls of Grayhawk Awards with autographed sports paraphernalia. While he had sports knowledge, Sierra knew nothing about memorabilia. “I did the eBay thing and bought things from a lot of dealers,” Sierra said. “I got a signed Peyton Manning football jersey and some Arnold Palmer golf balls. After a while, I realized something wasn’t right about them. They wound up being phonies. I contacted eBay and they said fraud is common in this industry and there was nothing they could do.” Sierra did some research and found several prominent and trusted nationwide autographed memorabilia suppliers, including Mounted Memories of Florida, Steiner Sports of New York, Upper Deck Authenticated of California and Tri-Star Productions of Houston. Those companies enter into agreements directly with players and stand behind their merchandise. “I bought some of their autographs and liked them on my walls,” Sierra said. “After about a year, I thought why not try to be a dealer? Why not offer guaranteedauthentic autographs from reputable sources and make products that were unique and highly collectible?” Then, the plaques came down from the walls at Grayhawk Awards. Sierra started selling his memorabilia and got so good at it that he decided to open a 2,100-square-foot gallery to display his wares.

“I still do awards, but I like being creative with autographed memorabilia,” Sierra said. To that end, Sierra offers pieces such as a large photo of baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax ($1,295) with part of a baseball coming out of the photo to give it a 3-D effect. Sierra has similar signed pieces of new Cardinals’ quarterback Matt Leinart ($1,495) and golf great Tiger Woods ($1,350). Sierra’s favorite — and most expensive at $6,995 — piece is a limited edition lithograph signed by baseball great Joe DiMaggio. There’s also a print of baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle with a signed minibat mounted below it ($6,495) and a signed Luis Gonzalez jersey with photos ($1,395), among dozens of items. All of Sierra’s pieces are professionally framed using ultraviolet glass to protect each piece.

“I cater to the executive who wants to have something like this in his office and serious memorabilia collectors who want a good value and the real deal,” Sierra said. “I want to make this an experience for people. I get a kick as people have come in while we were setting up for opening and enjoying looking at the pieces and reminiscing about a player or a team. That’s fun.”