What Was The Hobby Like Back In The Day?

[Tere1071]

Originally Posted by whitehse

Great stories....We had always heard about the Detroit shows especially with Jim Hawkins but I never went. Chicago always seemed to be a great place to get cards so there was no reason to go to Detroit.

Mr. Mint....ugh. That guy was a weasel from the very beginning in my opinion. Too many stories about him and they are all very true...and then some.

Around 1987 I purchased some Yankees World Series programs from 1921, 22, 23, 26, 27 and 28 for the store I worked at. They varied in condition, but most were intact. We took them to one of the local conventions where Al Rosen was selling. He saw the programs and the prices we were asking and became furious. I remember him telling someone rather loudly that "we wanted a million bucks for our stuff." Hundreds were more like it and we had no trouble selling them through Sports Collectors Digest. It was rather enjoyable seeing him get worked up because we wouldn't drop our prices.

Remember, Al Rosen and other "superstar" dealers are/were large fish in a very small pond. Collecting will always exist without their presence.