Autograph collecting 49 years ago.....

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Leon

I have posted some of these old hobby pubs on the card side so here is one for you autograph guys....enjoy....(I think the Nick Stout autograph is probably real )

Very interesting, Leon - thanks for continuing to post these old publication articles.

[djson1]

Great reminder of a time in the hobby long gone (and rarely remembered). Great prices on autographs too! In fact, as recently as the early '80s, I remember R.J. "Jack" Smalling used to sell his signatures dirt cheap too: Joe Dimaggio for $0.35; Sam Crawford for a few bucks. I remember ordering a few DiMaggio's from him and one was real and one was DiMaggio's sister's secretarial signature. But what was I going to do? Complain over 35 cents?

[JimStinson]

Thanks for posting that , Was a lot of fun to read ! Amazing how collecting autographs evolved. Especially sports autographs.

The hobby itself has been around for a long time but the "main" field of collecting was always Presidents, Historical figures etc. it was (kind of) a high brow hobby...., with the most often forged signatures being those of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln

When collectors branched out into sports the historical collectors wanted nothing to do with it. So it became like a hobby outside of a hobby. The really funny part was when the Vintage Hollywood collectors mingled with the sports collectors , I can remember being told "Those guys are WEIRD" !!! Seems funny today.

Now the most often forged signatures are Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig and a Christy Mathewson will set you back at least double the $$$ of George & Abe.

There are still quite a few guys still collecting from those days Jack Smalling. , Doug Averitt., Dick Patman., Mort S., Jeff Morey., and a fellow who's an active and extremely knowledgeable member of this forum who's name I won't mention as I don't want him to feel old (Tom). And several more that came in shortly after.

Honorable mention to those that were there but have left us like Ted Elmo, George Sanders, Bill Van Buskirk, Dick Dobbins, Bill Zekus, Ralph Winnie, Johnny Bos, Jim MacAlister, and more

This may sound crazy today but when the Baseball card shows started booming if you were one of the few autograph dealers set up at the show , usually the ONLY autograph dealer set up at the show and someone came in with an autograph collection to sell, the card dealers would actually take them by the arm and bring them to your table. Things were pretty civil..

At one of the last Nationals I did which was a LONG time ago , I saw a guy almost get ripped to pieces that walked in with a collection.

Thanks for the memories !
_______________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

STILL selling Vintage autographs on my web site
stinsonsports.com

[jimjim]

Jim,

I didn't know that Johnny Bos had passed away. I bought a Lefty Grove Hall of Fame plaque from him back in 2007 on ebay, when I was a newbie with vintage autograph collecting. I still have the email reply he sent me explaining who he was and he even used your name as a reference. He said he had just sold you most of his collection and gave me his phone number to discuss. I wish I had purchased more from him, as he stuff wasn't selling for very much!!

[JimStinson]

Originally Posted by jimjim

Jim,

I didn't know that Johnny Bos had passed away. I bought a Lefty Grove Hall of Fame plaque from him back in 2007 on ebay, when I was a newbie with vintage autograph collecting. I still have the email reply he sent me explaining who he was and he even used your name as a reference. He said he had just sold you most of his collection and gave me his phone number to discuss. I wish I had purchased more from him, as he stuff wasn't selling for very much!!

Bos was a dear friend who I'd known for most of my life , Here is his obit from the NY Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/mo...icle-1.1342254

Was famous in his own right for his contributions to boxing , The greatest matchmaker in history !!! When he was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame , my wife and I sat with him at his table for the awards banquet. I miss him.

We used to talk on the phone for hours , would always end his conversations with an abrupt........SEE YA !!!! and hang up.
________________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

Vintage autographs on my web site
stinsonsports.com

[MooseDog]

Having been out of the hobby on an active basis from the late 1980s I was unaware that Ted Elmo and Jim McAlister had passed away. Both were frequent trading partners. Both great guys from the "old school".

Damn, I'm starting to feel very old….

[david4602]

Just stumbled upon this thread and saw all the old names. My collecting buddies (really pen pals) in the 70s were Wiliam Van Buskirk, Jim McCallister, Bill Zekus, and Brian Castleman. Later Ron Gordon and Jim Beckett when I moved to Texas. Good to see the old names.