My Hobby Mentor

[emmygirl]

My mentor was the late great Bill Carvalho. Bill owned a little card shop in Reading Ma. for many years and was always willing to teach everyone the true meaning of card collecting and that was to have FUN. In 1982 I met Bill at his store for the first time and he was just great to be around. Always teaching his customers, old and new. He gave out free cards to kids on a regular basis and the kids filled his store to hear Bill tell his collecting stories. Bill was president of New England Sports Collectors Club which held monthly meetings and card shows in Reading, Ma.. Bill was also responsible along with NESCC for holding the Wilmington, Ma. Shriner's Show. The success of that show even today is still due to Bill's love and dedication to the hobby. He is missed by all who knew him. I'm truly greatfull for his freindship and his devotion to this wonderful hobby. Jim MacCord

[steve B]

Originally Posted by emmygirl

My mentor was the late great Bill Carvalho. Bill owned a little card shop in Reading Ma. for many years and was always willing to teach everyone the true meaning of card collecting and that was to have FUN. In 1982 I met Bill at his store for the first time and he was just great to be around. Always teaching his customers, old and new. He gave out free cards to kids on a regular basis and the kids filled his store to hear Bill tell his collecting stories. Bill was president of New England Sports Collectors Club which held monthly meetings and card shows in Reading, Ma.. Bill was also responsible along with NESCC for holding the Wilmington, Ma. Shriner's Show. The success of that show even today is still due to Bill's love and dedication to the hobby. He is missed by all who knew him. I'm truly greatfull for his freindship and his devotion to this wonderful hobby. Jim MacCord

Bill was one of the really good dealers around Boston, and one of the early ones as far as retail goes.

My hobby mentors were in the same area. Joel and Dave Hall from Halls Nostalgia. I moved to Arlington in late 77, and their shop became one of the places I'd hang out at after school.

I still drop into their auction now and then, they haven't had a shop for years.

And in the small world department I'm pretty sure I bought a big part of my RC cola can collection from Bill at Halls. I was collecting them and the guys at the shop knew I was. One day a guy dragged in a huge carton full of the cans. I was paying attention since sometimes I could get a first shot at stuff that they'd just bought. When he asked if they wanted them their answer was that they didn't but "that guy over there probably does" A couple minutes and $6 later they let me use the phone to call home for a ride for myself, my bike and the cans.
Pretty cool. It's not everyone that lets another dealer make a deal in their shop.

Steve B

[mrvster]

John, Jamie and the rest......I don't know what to say, but THANKS SO MUCH!
you guys are just INSANE COLLECTORs who I look up to.....
I can't explain how much that really means to me....

I thank my mom and dad getting me hooked on baseball cards as a kid...

John Dreker got me into T206 in the 90's and it was all over! I found the Net and Ebay....scrap T206 and BOOM! perfect storm...I'm obsessed

Leon for what he does....


and , all the collectors who have truly become my friends....we share such a passion for these cards, the comradere is just insane...

Peace

Johnny V


All of the fine folks I have met, have become my mentors

[Gradedcardman]

I had no true mentor when I started but admired Brian W. And his focus on the vintage. Today I have had great help from Johnny V and Dan M. Both have always answered my questions without judging.

Thanks guys

[slidekellyslide]

I never had a hobby mentor...the hobby was so small in my neck of the woods. I got my first prewar cards from my dad who found some Old Judges in a scrapbook..he removed them and gave them to me with the advice that I should stop spending my money on the new cards and focus on the old stuff. I modified that and bought the crap out of new stuff, hoarding rookie cards of McGwire, Canseco, Mattingly, etc and then trading them to the local card shop for 1950s-60s stars and rookie cards. I traded 3 Mark McGwire 85 Topps cards for an Ernie Banks rookie card...I was doing that constantly...the card shop couldn't move old stuff, but it could move hot rookies with no problem.

I'm much more of a minor league memorabilia collector today than a card collector, and I owe much of my transformation to guys like Clint Hromek and Dave Eskenazi. Both of whom have amazing minor league collections.

[ElCabron]

Dave Kohler and Doug Allen. It's all about integrity, people.

-Ryan

[Kawika]

No one particular "mentor" otherwise too many guys to name, many on this board, especially back in the old days, that each imparted a bit of their expertise onto my learning curve. Love the hobby in spite of all the shady crap.

[Joe_G.]

As a youngster taking interest in older and older card issues, I found the perfect mentor in Bob Richardson and the invaluable resource of Lew Lipset's encyclopedia of 19th Century baseball cards (late 80s). I also always looked forward to Lew's auctions in SCD which led to my first Old Judge cards. I still have all my "snail mail" correspondences from Bob Richardson. He was very patient with me and helped me build my Detroit collection. I've attached one of my favorite items acquired from Bob, albeit in more recent times.

Fast forward to the 21st century and I've really enjoyed further study with Jay Miller, the Jersey Boyz, Kevin Cummings and John Dreker, and others.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Joe_G.

... and the invaluable resource of Lew Lipset's encyclopedia of 19th Century baseball cards (late 80s).

Joe, I'm glad you mentioned Lew's book - when I first got 'serious' about cards, I spent hours studying his 3-volume set. It's still one of the most interesting reads we have in the hobby.

[Kenny Cole]

Originally Posted by ElCabron

Dave Kohler and Doug Allen. It's all about integrity, people.

-Ryan

Amazing how that integrity deal works. I haven't bid in a Kohler/SCP auction, or even looked at a catalog, since he chose to hose Ryan. When an auction house screws a bidder with a deceptive description and deceptive scans, has a chance to fix the problem, and makes a decision not to, they are off the list IMO.

Life is too short to knowingly deal with people who have no compunction about committing fraud and screwing you to the wall-- even if they have a, or even the, card that you want. Almost always, there will be another, more honest seller, who has that card. I can wait.