Hobby history: Gar Miller (+ 1973 Chicago convention)

[darkhorse9]

These are all great stories.

I'm hoping you find room to write a bit about the mail order dealer that got me into vintage. Jim Elder from Odessa Florida.

[icollectDCsports]

This is great! Gar's contact info was listed at the back of the Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book, and I purchased some cards from him as a result. The book itself was a big reason I got into older cards.

[trdcrdkid]

Originally Posted by darkhorse9

These are all great stories.

I'm hoping you find room to write a bit about the mail order dealer that got me into vintage. Jim Elder from Odessa Florida.

Elder had a lot of ads in hobby publications in the mid to late 60s, especially Sports Trader and Sports Collector's News, both of which I have complete runs of. In 1968 there was a controversy over his prices that led to a series of long letters to the editor in SCN, which are an interesting peek at the then-insular world of the hobby in the late 60s. I'll see if I can write something about that at some point.

[Exhibitman]

More fascinating stuff. Anything else on Elwood Woody Scharf would be of interest. He and I corresponded about exhibit cards in the early 1990s as I was researching my articles on them. He was a pioneer in that genre of baseball card collecting.

[Griffins]

David, thank you for posting these articles. Fills in a lot of blanks for me, and I'm glad this history is being brought online.
There was a collector that used to give away a card a month to anyone that sent an sase. It might have been Fred Kopp, or I may be mixing him up with someone else. It was an incredible gesture, he was slowly giving away his collection. Should you run across any of his ads I'd love to see one.
Please keep these posts going!

[WillowGrove]

David -

thanks so much for posting this and your other information about our hobby. I was getting some trade pubs and attending shows as a young kid in the mid 1970s so seeing these names again as an adult, along with the information, is really great. thanks again

[Collectorsince62]

I sent many orders off to 400 West Cherry Street to Gar Miller back in the 70's. He was always great. He once sent me a T-206 Cobb with no back for $3. He was buying Tip-Tops at one point. I had several sets of the Cardinals and Browns. I told him I had an extra complete Tip Top set for sale, thinking it was just a St. Louis regional set. He politely informed me otherwise and said I almost gave him a heart attack.

[Leon]

Agree. Love the old hobby stuff.

Originally Posted by Griffins

David, thank you for posting these articles. Fills in a lot of blanks for me, and I'm glad this history is being brought online.
There was a collector that used to give away a card a month to anyone that sent an sase. It might have been Fred Kopp, or I may be mixing him up with someone else. It was an incredible gesture, he was slowly giving away his collection. Should you run across any of his ads I'd love to see one.
Please keep these posts going!