Kollector’s Korner Met-o-ra-bil-ia Hall of Fame Inductee # 15 : From Malta Roots to Mets Memories: A Collector Built on Family, Faith, and ‘86 Dreams
- Mark Rosenman
- 50 minutes ago
- 5 min read
If you spend enough time around collectors, you start to realize something important. The best collections are not built in a hurry. They are built over time, piece by piece, memory by memory, often without a grand plan.
Sometimes, they begin with something as simple as a name on the evening news that makes a six-year-old kid stop eating dinner and start paying attention.
This month’s Kollector’s Korner Met-o-ra-bil-ia Hall of Fame inductee is exactly that kind of collector. One whose journey was shaped by family, curiosity, and a lifelong connection to the game that grew stronger with each passing year.
Meet Michael Meilak, a Massapequa-based collector whose story feels a lot like the Mets themselves. Unexpected beginnings, deep roots, and a whole lot of heart.
He has been married for nearly 23 years and is the proud father of two teenagers, a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter. By day, he works as a CPA in a large firm, focusing on financial statements rather than taxes, which probably makes him very popular around April.
But when the spreadsheets close, the baseball life opens.
He plays whenever he can and has become a regular at Mets Fantasy Camp, attending eight camps along with every Syracuse and Citi Field version offered. Last summer, he picked up his first camp ring at the inaugural Citi Field Classic, a piece of hardware that likely means more than anything that could be bought online.
Because like many great collectors, Michael's story begins with family.
His parents immigrated from Malta and did not grow up with baseball. The connection to the Mets came in a way that feels almost too perfect. His father worked as a superintendent in a Manhattan building where the original owner of the Mets once lived. That is how the family first heard about the team.
From there, a spark was lit.
By 1983, that spark turned into something more. Sitting at the dinner table with the news on, he heard about a young player named Darryl Strawberry. To a six-year-old, the name alone was enough to grab hold. That moment turned curiosity into fandom.
The Mets became his first love. And like many of us, once that door opened, there was no going back.
His collecting journey did not begin with a splash, but with something far more meaningful. A 1984 Mets yearbook. From there, the collection grew steadily. Today, he owns every standard Mets yearbook, still hunting down some of the elusive revised editions that have proven harder to track down.
But what makes his collection special is not just what he owns. It is how he approaches it.
He is not chasing value. He is chasing connection.
Yes, Michael owns some high-end pieces outside the Mets world, including a 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle card and a signed Michael Jordan jersey. But when it comes to Mets memorabilia, the value is measured differently.
The items that matter most are the ones tied to moments, especially those shared with his son.
That connection to family runs through everything he does.
Like many collectors of his generation, his heart leans heavily toward the 1980s, particularly the 1986 World Series era. But unlike the kid who once watched those players from afar, he now knows some of them personally.
Through Fantasy Camp, he has built relationships with players like Dwight Gooden, Mookie Wilson, and Howard Johnson. The kind of relationships that would have seemed impossible back when he was that six-year-old hearing Strawberry’s name for the first time.
That is one of the beautiful things about baseball. Over time, it has a way of shrinking the distance between fan and player.
Of course, every collector has that one piece that got away.
For him, it is a 1969 Mets team ball with Gil Hodges’ signature. The reality is simple and a little cruel. Hodges passed away far too young, and items like that are scarce. The few that do surface often come with a price tag that requires not just deep pockets, but a very understanding spouse.
As he put it, he enjoys being married. So there are limits.
Still, his collection is filled with meaningful pieces.
One of his favorites is an autographed photo of Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden together at Shea Stadium. It represents two eras of Mets greatness, the past and present colliding in a single image. For a fan who grew up idolizing Gooden, it is the kind of piece that never gets old.
Then there are the stories.
One of the most memorable came through an interaction with Curtis Granderson. After making a donation to Granderson’s foundation, he won a pair of game-used, autographed Jackie Robinson Day cleats. When they met, Granderson did not just sign the item and move on.
He spent 15 minutes talking with him and his son, taking pictures and even offering travel advice for an upcoming trip to Seattle to see the Mets play. That is the kind of moment that transforms memorabilia into something far more meaningful.
It becomes personal.
Like many collectors today, he is keenly aware of the challenges of the modern memorabilia market. There is more available than ever before, but also more risk. Advances in technology have made it easier for counterfeit items to slip through, which makes research and authentication critical.
He spends a significant amount of time doing exactly that. Verifying, cross-checking, and making sure what he is adding to his collection is the real thing.
Because in this hobby, knowledge is just as valuable as the item itself.
His advice to new collectors reflects that mindset. Do not rush. Do your homework. Use multiple sources. And understand that not every deal is as good as it looks.
There is also a deeper lesson in the way he approaches collecting.
He believes that if you truly want something, patience will eventually pay off. The right piece will find its way to the right collector. Not every transaction has to be about maximizing profit. Sometimes it is about passing something meaningful to someone who will appreciate it just as much.
That perspective feels increasingly rare.
When asked about his personal heroes, he does not hesitate. His parents. The people who taught him honesty, respect, and how to treat others. Values that show up not just in his life, but in the way he approaches collecting.
If he had to describe himself in three words, he chose honest, friendly, and reliable.
In other words, exactly the kind of person you would want holding onto pieces of history.
Because that is what this really is.
Yes, there is value in his collection. And he acknowledges that one day, his children may choose to treat it as an investment, whether that means holding onto it or using it to help build their own futures.
But for him, it is something else entirely.
It is a bridge between generations. Between a father discovering the Mets in a Manhattan building and a son building memories at Citi Field. Between a six-year-old hearing the name Strawberry and an adult shaking hands with the players he once idolized.
It is proof that collecting is not really about the items.
It is about the life that happens around them.
If you enjoy stories like this one and want more looks into Mets history, passionate fans, and the incredible stories behind the collections, come join us on the Korner. The conversation is always better when more fans are part of it.
Here is a guided tour of Michael's collection:
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