Al Rosen - Mr Mint - Passes

[conor912]

I never knew the guy, but even as a kid seeing his ads I thought he came off as a sleazy used car salesman type.

Personally, I fail to see how someone so obviously in it for the money and not the cards was really that good for the hobby at the end of the day.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by conor912

I never knew the guy, but even as a kid seeing his ads I thought he came off as a sleazy used car salesman type.

Personally, I fail to see how someone so obviously in it for the money and not the cards was really that good for the hobby at the end of the day.

Well hobbys that dont make any money are never as popular has hobbys that can show big money even if its only a small percentage of people making money...

Im sure we will be seeing an auction of his items within 2 years...

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Well hobbys that dont make any money are never as popular has hobbys that can show big money even if its only a small percentage of people making money...

Im sure we will be seeing an auction of his items within 2 years...

Does he have anything? He liked to flip stuff immediately.

[Fred]

Jake L, there are a few different ways to look at Mr. Mint and what people believe he's done "for the hobby".

He did help to bring card collecting to the forefront but if you were a true collector and didn't care about the value of cards and you're on a limited budget then that attention only made it harder for you to collect because of the price escalation that took place when all that attention was brought to the hobby.

It turned from a hobby to a business and a lot of the fun went with it because now if you truly loved the cardboard, your dollar didn't go as far after all of the attention that was brought to it.

This is not to say that without Mr. Mint the price escalation wouldn't have come around.

I guess the sad part about all of the attention is that it brought all of the low life ass holes into the hobby. This resulted in a lot of manipulated value to the hobby which made the hobby less fun for the true collector.

My thought is that a true collector is someone that doesn't look at their collection as a "portfolio" but rather something that gives them joy when they look at it. Ooops, I hope I didn't open a can of worms and step on some peoples egos.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Fred

Jake L, there are a few different ways to look at Mr. Mint and what people believe he's done "for the hobby".

He did help to bring card collecting to the forefront but if you were a true collector and didn't care about the value of cards and you're on a limited budget then that attention only made it harder for you to collect because of the price escalation that took place when all that attention was brought to the hobby.

It turned from a hobby to a business and a lot of the fun went with it because now if you truly loved the cardboard, your dollar didn't go as far after all of the attention that was brought to it.

This is not to say that without Mr. Mint the price escalation wouldn't have come around.

I guess the sad part about all of the attention is that it brought all of the low life ass holes into the hobby. This resulted in a lot of manipulated value to the hobby which made the hobby less fun for the true collector.

My thought is that a true collector is someone that doesn't look at their collection as a "portfolio" but rather something that gives them joy when they look at it. Ooops, I hope I didn't open a can of worms and step on some peoples egos.

This.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Fred

Jake L, there are a few different ways to look at Mr. Mint and what people believe he's done "for the hobby".

He did help to bring card collecting to the forefront but if you were a true collector and didn't care about the value of cards and you're on a limited budget then that attention only made it harder for you to collect because of the price escalation that took place when all that attention was brought to the hobby.

It turned from a hobby to a business and a lot of the fun went with it because now if you truly loved the cardboard, your dollar didn't go as far after all of the attention that was brought to it.

This is not to say that without Mr. Mint the price escalation wouldn't have come around.

I guess the sad part about all of the attention is that it brought all of the low life ass holes into the hobby. This resulted in a lot of manipulated value to the hobby which made the hobby less fun for the true collector.

My thought is that a true collector is someone that doesn't look at their collection as a "portfolio" but rather something that gives them joy when they look at it. Ooops, I hope I didn't open a can of worms and step on some peoples egos.

right when there were more non pure hobbyist out there the National conventions were 5x+ more fuller than they are now. Not saying one way is better than the other but cant deny that price escalation was not in part because of guys like mr mint and non pure hobbyist. There are many many hobbies out there with a bigger percentage of hobbyists that we dont see in the news with major 'finds'....


i came across this post from a josh evans who said in part about mr mint..

However, you must put Alan Rosen in proper historical perspective
This guy “made” the baseball card business
On the money side he made money for all of us
He made your stuff worth more
He brought countless new people into the field
He brought out of an attic that card you sold last week

On the “stuff” side he drew out a ton of cards
Tons
The stuff that now sits in your collection and you love

He (and others) did the work that we all now draw benefit from
Yes he benefited too but he still deserves his due
You should see the other side

Those are saying he was a jerk I cannot disagree with
I have had more fights with Alan then just about anyone
He attacked me with a baseball bat at a show (true)
And I am sure I did plenty to antagonize him through the years

But after all these years we have forgiven each other and moved on and we are now friends again
We have both mellowed (thank God)

I guess my point is you don’t have to like him
But you should respect him on some level
And anyone that thinks that Alan is still not a force in this business does not have a clue
If he is a joke than he will probably have the last laugh

[brian1961]

Over the last few years a few things occurred to me regarding Alan Rosen and the public he served, and that served him.

Here was a man that really hadn't accomplished a whole lot in his life, became a baseball card collector, and a collector that was so fastidious and fanatical about condition someone tabbed him as "Mr. Mint", which in turn became his moniker and he used it for his business. In the early 80s, he sold his beautiful collection, and began buying and selling nice cards.

Right place at the right time.

He began his flamboyant full page-ads in the pages of SPORTS COLLECTORS DIGEST. They worked. He was abrupt. He could be the rudest jerk on planet EARTH. Yet, he bought the good stuff, and he sold that good stuff. The stuff cardboard dreams are made of.

He had the great stuff, and you did not come at him with any attitude of dominating the meeting. He controlled, 'cause he had the stuff dreams were made of. You better behave yourself, or he'd cut you off at the ankles, and he could do it, too.

'Cause he had the cards.

After a few years, he made millions doing this. Some guys thought they could just be brusque right back, or take a tough stance. MR. MINT RAN HIS BUSINESS AS A FIEFDOM!!!!---AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT! He wasn't some shlockmeister, or your usual used-car salesman. Hardly. Comparing it with our world, he sold vintage racing sports Ferraris, Mercedes-Benz, and Alfa-Romeos. Yet, some guys treated him as if he was a used car salesman selling twenty-year old non-entities.

In general, he didn't need you or your money. He had collectors up to his nostrils that were more than willing, and glad to pay his price, and shuffle through all the shit he put them through.

'Cause he had the most desirable cards, et al, to be found in the USA. He had major suppliers combing through collections everywhere, with their ears to the rail, should any word of a find come about.

Granted, he treated a lot of people terribly. The YOUTUBE video of his buying an elderly gentleman's collection made me wince over and over again. As I wrote before, his life is full of good, bad, and ugly; just like you and I. To our hobby, without him, we'd be a whole lot less than we are, unless you're strictly a collector-type that enjoys crumb bums. That's ok; it really is. But Mr. Mint didn't deal in crumb bums, did he?

His flash, his ads with the gargantuan nose caricature of him, and his wads of C-notes got people to finally look for what they had been keeping for decades, whether it be a case of 1952 Topps high numbers, boxes of 48-49 Leaf high numbers, a coffee can with virtually gem mint World Series press pins starting with the first year they made them, Baltimore News Babe Ruth cardS, and what became eventual PSA-graded MINT and GEM MINT T-206s, early Topps and Bowmans, and all sorts of hysterically desirable, beautiful, and rare, cards, coins, et al that became the highlights of our collection. Several of my Mr. Mint pristine gems were once prized pieces Mr. Mint sold to someone else, then eventually were consigned right back to him. I was then privileged to buy them from THE MINT MAN, whether from one of his famous phone auctions, or outright at a show.

You were eventually dealing with a multi-, multi-millionaire. You really think Mr. Mint's gonna take any guff from the likes of you, or I, or anyone else? Come on.

Maybe you, or someone you care about, suffered terribly from Mr. Mint, and you will never let it go. Berating elderly gentlemen, making a little girl cry---Alan Rosen should have been slapped both ways half a dozen times!

So, in the end, as I wrote in my book, I try to keep an attitude of gratitude.

Again, my condolences to his wife, son, and daughter.

---Brian Powell















.

[Stampsfan]

What a great synopsis. Thanks Brian...

[drcy]

Originally Posted by Fred

Jake L, there are a few different ways to look at Mr. Mint and what people believe he's done "for the hobby".

He did help to bring card collecting to the forefront but if you were a true collector and didn't care about the value of cards and you're on a limited budget then that attention only made it harder for you to collect because of the price escalation that took place when all that attention was brought to the hobby.

It turned from a hobby to a business and a lot of the fun went with it because now if you truly loved the cardboard, your dollar didn't go as far after all of the attention that was brought to it.

This is not to say that without Mr. Mint the price escalation wouldn't have come around.

I guess the sad part about all of the attention is that it brought all of the low life ass holes into the hobby. This resulted in a lot of manipulated value to the hobby which made the hobby less fun for the true collector.

My thought is that a true collector is someone that doesn't look at their collection as a "portfolio" but rather something that gives them joy when they look at it. Ooops, I hope I didn't open a can of worms and step on some peoples egos.

PSA Registry

[ngnichols]

Originally Posted by conor912

I never knew the guy, but even as a kid seeing his ads I thought he came off as a sleazy used car salesman type.

Personally, I fail to see how someone so obviously in it for the money and not the cards was really that good for the hobby at the end of the day.

I'm first and foremost in it for the money. I like finding bad-ass cards and getting them to people who truly want them and are willing to pay me for my time/efforts to get it to them. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate them any less than you or anyone else. It just means that I'm not emotionally attached to them. I just ask people to respect what I have available and the effort I've gone through to get it.

I never knew the guy personally and have only heard stories about him. After seeing that YouTube video, I don't think he and I would get along too well. I don't care who I'm talking to, I always treat people's cards/items with respect and don't just throw stuff around. It's not mine until I hand them cash and I handle things in a way that represents that.

[Rich Klein]

Originally Posted by ngnichols

I'm first and foremost in it for the money. I like finding bad-ass cards and getting them to people who truly want them and are willing to pay me for my time/efforts to get it to them. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate them any less than you or anyone else. It just means that I'm not emotionally attached to them. I just ask people to respect what I have available and the effort I've gone through to get it.

I never knew the guy personally and have only heard stories about him. After seeing that YouTube video, I don't think he and I would get along too well. I don't care who I'm talking to, I always treat people's cards/items with respect and don't just throw stuff around. It's not mine until I hand them cash and I handle things in a way that represents that.

Nate:

Knowing you as I do, although you state (And I'll agree) that profit if your primary motive, you are also friendly and honest to your customers on the buying/selling part of this business.

One of the major differences between you and Al is that Al was a salesman/vest-pocked coin dealer before going into sports carts and you work with customers who are on the high-end of the socio-economic ladder. As such, you apply your people and customer service skills to the people who come to your table at shows and Alan created and then a schtick to maintain.

Alan would have been with his name recognition an asset to my shows and you are an asset to my shows because of how your comport yourself.

Regards
Rich

[chris6net]

Having many dealings with Rosen in the 80's and early 90's I always thought he was an asshole. But one day in the early 90's when I saw him berate an elderly gentleman at one of the Philly Shows who had a box of cards to the point where the man was shaken and thought he might need medical assistance. As morbid as it sounds he was not a good man in his prime and am not sad at hearing of his passing.
As per my religion I hope he is in a better place.