PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The basement of Tony Eidle’s Boyertown, Berks County home is nothing short of an Eagles museum.
“I always wanted a true man cave for years, and finally, when we basically said, ‘Hey, let’s actually create about 1,000 more square feet of living space, let’s just do the whole thing right in the basement.’”
He pitched the idea to his wife, Jess, about a decade ago — when she was pregnant. Usually, when a family is about to have their first child, they start building a nursery, not a fan cave. But she loved the idea, too.
Tony, 41, has been an Eagles fan for most of his life. He got hooked when he saw backup quarterback Jim McMahon rally the Birds from a 23-0 deficit by Bill Belichck’s Cleveland Browns on Nov. 10, 1991, which he watched at his grandmom’s house — his first time watching football.
Now, the couple and their 8-year-old son, Jackson, get to share and create memories in their own incredible space.
“It really brings them together, which makes my heart happy,” Jess said.
They don’t actually watch many games in the Eagles cave, a way to keep the several hundred pieces of memorabilia in pristine condition. Framed and autographed jerseys, signed helmets, turf, Eagles furniture, replica Lombardi trophies, pictures, game-worn cleats, oil paintings, player contracts — it’s an impressive and organized collection. And that’s just scratching the surface.
One of Tony’s prized pieces is a mini helmet cut in half and signed by late Eagles legend Reggie White, which was a birthday gift from Jess. He also treasures his DeSean Jackson game-worn jersey and muddy cleats, because it’s essentially one-of-one when it comes to that particular game.
“I want to find the rare pieces and put them there,” he said. “People have asked me to sell stuff. I still refuse to sell anything. I think stuff’s priceless to me.”
He said someone would have to offer him maybe $100,000 for the Jackson jersey and cleats.
“You won’t ever duplicate it,” he noted.
However, you don’t have to be a great Eagle to make the room. Tony has framed jerseys of DeMarco Murray and Bryce Huff. Murray was an Eagles running back for one forgettable season in 2015. Huff is in his first year with the team and hasn’t produced through the first four games of the season.
But it doesn’t matter to Tony. If it’s a worn piece, he respects the player who played in it — and you can’t get it anywhere else.
His passion for the Eagles is matched only by his passion for collecting, something he’s done since he was 10 years old.
“I enjoy telling people what everything is when people come down and look at everything, and I enjoy telling them the history, and it’s just like, ‘Wow. That person that played that game had this in their possession, signed it, and now you have it,’” he said.