Travis Briggs had a dream and this is what it looked like.

A Ken Griffey Jr. autographed jersey hangs on the wall in a sharp looking frame. There is a pitching rubber that is signed by five Cy Young award winners. There is an actual bat used by Vinny Castilla complete with pine tar just below the label, a crack on the handle, and an autograph on the barrel. There are John Beck signed helmets and footballs, and there are autographed jersey's and basketballs from Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams and many of the other Jazz players.

It was a dream, but now it is a reality.

It's called the Locker Room, a sports card and memorabilia store in American Fork (78 NW State) that Travis opened up with his brother Ryan in December of 2006.

The Briggs brothers smile a lot these days.

And why notfi On a typical day they talk sports with their customers, collect sports memorabilia, watch a little ESPN while (it's part of the ambiance) and buy and sell sports cards collection.

Imagine the line those two will have when they go to a junior high school talk at career day.

A few weeks ago Travis was in Fenway Park watching Dice K pitch Boston's home opener against the Seattle. This spring, he went to spring training in Arizona.

Hey, it's work, sort of.

When King (LeBron) James came to the Energy Solutions Arena on Valentine's Day to play the Utah Jazz, Travis' daughter Kaitlyn made a sign. "LeBron, will you be my Valentinefi"

The answer was yes. An NBA photographer took a picture of LeBron in front of the sign and put it on NBA.com. Kaitlyn got one of the few LeBron James autographs that night, but don't look for that basketball to show up in the Locker Room.

There are some things that aren't for sale, even for a couple of brothers who opened a memorabilia store.

For Travis, he wouldn't think about selling his autographed Joe DiMaggio photo, or his signed Mickey Mantle lithograph, nor could he depart with his Cool Papa Bell signed photo that he bought on a trip to the Negro League Baseball Hall of Fame.

"I thought that was really cool. If he would have had the chance to play in the Major Leagues he would have won the stolen base title every year," Travis said. "It's just a rare item that is unique."

For Ryan, it could part with Ichiro Suzuki autographed ball.

They both have several baseball cards that they couldn't stand to part with and speaking of baseball cards, times have changed in the sports cards industry. Bubble gum is out. It's been replaced by actual pieces of jerseys, bats, bases, and gloves are in and along with original autographs.

The sports card business went through a boon in the 1990's, but took a big hit at the turn of the century as shops began to fold and interest in card collecting crashed. Sports cards once mass produced, went into survival mode and became more of a collector's item.

"That's the difference. In the early 90's, there were no limit to the number of Ken Griffey Jr. cards they printed, but now they limit all of them," Travis said. "They're more of a collector's item. Look here, on the back of this card is says it is care No. 21 of 150."

Authentic autographed cards are now put in packs, creating a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket factor that keeps the demand for buying high and the interest in collecting on-going.

"The other day a guy pulled a Michael Jordan autographed card out of a pack of cards that he bought," Travis said. "Two days after the Super Bowl, someone pulled a card signed by Payton Manning, Joseph Addai and Marvin Harrison out. Those kinds of things are pretty cool."

While interest in sports cards has been filled with peaks and valleys, interest in sports memorabilia never seems to go out of fashion. Having a autographed item from your favorite player apparently never gets old.

So, what's hotfi

BYU and Utah Jazz items, which explains the interest the Locker Room got when BYU quarterback John Beck made an appearance for a private autograph session.

What's notfi

"Kobe Bryant," Ryan said with a laugh. "I think we've sold one Kobe Bryant card and that was to a six-year old kid."

As you take a look around the Locker Room there are so many things that bring the game a little closer like the Ken Griffey Jr. jersey that is autographed and mounted in a frame.

"I want that for myself," Ryan says with a laugh. "I think that's pretty cool."

Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow.

Of course Ryan could say that about most of the store that includes things like framed photos of LeBron James, a piece of a basketball court signed by Mike Dunleavy Jr. and an old school signed photo of Warren Spahn. They had an autographed ball by Ted Williams, but it sold for $500.

Get out.

It's true.

People really pay hundreds of dollars for autographed itemsfi

Just ask the guy who paid $220,000 for the Barry Bonds' 715th home run ball. It seems everyone wants a piece of sports history, whether it comes in a pack of cards, or an autographed baseball.

"We've always been into collecting stuff. It's been that way our whole lives," Travis said. "My grandfather Pinky (Reed) Briggs had baseball card collection included all kinds of cards from the 50's and 60's. When he died, it was divided up between three families."

In Travis and Ryan Briggs' case, collecting cards and sports memorabilia has not only kept the family closer, it has helped them stay connected to the game and what could be better than thatfi

Maybe a Mickey Mantle rookie card in mint condition.

Get all your BYU sports news at CougarBlue.com

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C1.