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Posted By: Corey R. Shanus

Here's an interesting story that sort of sums up the lax attitude the Museum had about the Burdick Collection for many years, and why so many cards are missing. Many years ago (in the 1980's) when I saw the collection I noticed the Goudey Lajoie (which I remember being a really nice one) dangling from its album page, secured to it by a single piece of adhesive tape (at that time I don't remember there being a plastic covering around it). Had I wanted I could have easily pulled the card from the page, put it in my jacket pocket and walked out. Nobody was watching me. Concerned about such lax security for such a valuable card, I informed the Museum's representative who was administering the viewing for the collection that perhaps they might want to take better precautions for such a valuable card. The person responded by asking me to write a note listing the card and stating its approximate value (which at the time was around $6K) and leave the note sticking out from the card's album page. I did this and then left. Six months later one of my friends went to see the Burdick collection. When I asked him how the visit went, he told me of the following strange thing. When he was looking at the Goudeys, he noticed in the page where the Lajoie was located a note listing the value of the card at $6K. The card was still dangling from a piece of adhesive tape just as it did 6 months prior. So here you have it that not only did the Museum do nothing to safecard the card, they actually made its theft more likely by highlighting the card's value!! No wonder, I guess, so many cards are missing.