In 1974, Lionel Carter wrote an incredibly detailed account of his and his wife Irma's experiences at the Detroit convention (officially called the Midwest Sports Collectors Convention) for The Ballcard Collector. It was so detailed that editor George Martin had to publish it in three parts, one for each day of the convention (Friday-Saturday-Sunday, July 19-21, 1974), in the November 1974-January 1975 issues of The Ballcard Collector. I only have the December 1974 issue, with Carter's account of Saturday, July 20, but it's still a fascinating snapshot of what a major card convention was like at a time when the hobby was starting to undergo major changes, many of which Carter didn't like. He saw his first counterfeit card (1959 Fleer Ted Williams #68, a hot rarity at the time), which shook him up. He and Irma were selling Topps cards for 1 cent apiece, below market price, but some people were going through and picking out the superstars, unlike the "real card collectors" who were going through checklists for the cards they needed. Others were buying Lionel's cards for 1 cent and then immediately selling them for 2 cents or more, which did not please him. His account of the auction at the end of the day is great, with Bill Mastro lurking behind auctioneer Frank Nagy pulling on his coat. It appears that people just brought things up for the auction with little rhyme or reason, first come first served, and Carter had to get help from John Rumierz to get even one item in.
Anyway, I present to you -- Lionel Carter.
