Who had a positive impact on your collection ?

brian1961 · #1 12-03-2017, 01:06 PM

1. My dear Mother. My Mom was already a widow, but strove to get me to the big 1972 Midwest Sports Collectors Convention at the Troy, Michigan Hilton. It was my first big convention. That meant so much to me; I was 18 at the time.

By the end of that year, SEVERAL DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, I wrote to major dealer Larry Fritsch about the availability of a major dream card I wanted---a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. Larry wrote me a nice letter back. He had only one left, in near mint condition, and would hold it for me. The cost of $25 was high, he said. Somehow, I was able to convince my poor mother that this was the dream card I had long wanted. God bless her and her memory, she wrote out a check for $25 dollars and sent it off to him. I knew very well this was a sacrifice of funds for her, but I guess she sensed this might be my only time to get one. Long to short, the card was perfect to me, and in technically Excellent - Mint condition, but the colors and picture registry were perfect; there was not a mark or print spot on that dazzling beauty. The centering was about 37.5 - 62.5 both directions, which was fine with me.

You can best be sure I thanked and kissed my dear Mother after I opened the package and looked at the card.

2. Ron Greenwood. During the aforementioned 1972 Midwest Convention, Ron Greenwood, a college professor, had brought his album of mounted 1953 - 1955 Stahl-Meyer Franks cards for show. I had never heard of them before, nor seen any cards like them. It was love at first sight. He did not bring any of his Mickey Mantles; smart move on his part. Didn't matter, as I was awestruck with the card of Roy Campanella. I kept turning the album pages back to see Campy again. I must have stared at the card for an aggregate of 15 minutes, burning the memory of that masterpiece into my brain.

Mr. Greenwood had an extra chair at his table, and allowed me to sit and admire his Stahl-Meyers. That was mighty thoughtful and generous of him. As an educator, I think he appreciated my studious attitude toward those cards, as well as the good manners my parents taught me. Aside from the cards I purchased that glorious weekend, seeing Mr. Greenwood's Stahl-Meyers was the highlight for me.

3. Lionel Carter. I got to meet Mr. Carter at, again, that Midwest convention. I had read with the utmost fascination, and enjoyment, his article on the 1933 DeLong Gum cards that appeared in the fall, 1971 Sport Hobbyist. I hung onto every word. Late the following winter, I saw an ad in The Sporting News for a reprint set of the DeLongs. They were skillfully done by TCMA's Mike Aronstein.

So, when I met Mr. Carter, it was honestly as if I was meeting a hobby celebrity. Little did I know how major of a celebrity he really was. At this tender point in the burgeoning adult card collecting hobby, Mr. Carter invited me to his home to see his collection. At the time, I lived in close-by Elk Grove Village, Illinois, not far from his Evanston home.

I was EXTREMELY PRIVILEGED to make 2 visits to Lionel's home, and the Carters were wonderful hosts. His collection was the finest I ever saw in person. We exchanged several letters through the years. He was a dandy letter writer, as well as hobby writer. By no means did I always agree with him. He was able to build his collection back in the days when the cost of cards was minuscule; good for him.

If youse guys are still with me, you must like stories. I love to tell them, and my book on postwar regionals is stuffed with yarns and sea stories, 'cause there were numerous chaps who had a very positive impact on my collecting, and really, part of the reason I wrote NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN was to pay tribute to them.

Well, I best be getting back to my darling wife. Loved reading all your stories, guys. Keep it up.

---Brian Powell

mechanicalman · #2 12-03-2017, 02:44 PM

Jeff Foy and Brady Hill passed along their centering "sickness" to me, which has made collecting more painful and rewarding at the same time.

Wite3 · #3 12-03-2017, 03:31 PM

I have had several over the years...

Dave Hornish and Larry Tipton...both were influential in getting me back into vintage when I was just a teenager, Dave really was the start of my Phillies journey.

That journey led me to some great people who shared their knowledge with me over the years and treated a teenager back then with respect and kindness. Those include in no particular order: Lew Lipsett who lent me copies (not scanners back then) of cards he had and showed me who to contact for more info. Gar Miller, Lionel Carter, and Mark Macrae, Terry Knouse and Kit Young all helped me to understand vintage, improve my knowledge, and improve my phillies list. Bob Lemke whose knowledge was invaluable to me and I was just glad to help him once or twice over the years too.

Geno Wagner and Tim Newcomb who inadvertently started my obsession with T205s.

Leon Luckey (and Bill Cornell and other Net54 people, too many to mention) that have continued to drive my passion for pre-war cards. It has been tough lately to find time to get on and post or even read like I used to (used to be on every day multiple times a day) but I still drop in every now and then.

If I missed anyone, I am sorry...I have been fortunate to have a great many people have a positive impact on my collection and I thank them all.

Joshua

bigfanNY · #4 12-03-2017, 04:21 PM

Like most here My Father was my first and greatest hobby influence. But right away I met collectors who helped me for no other reason than the joy we all get passing this hobby along. First was Paul Gallagher who I met at an antique show at Madison square garden in 1973. He ran the pioneer shows in NYC. And at my first in 1974 I met Paul Pollard, George Lyons, Carlto Schooley, Steve Kaczynski, Rob Lifson. All of who gave freely of there knowledge and love for this hobby. A year or so later I met Dennis Eckes who was a great friend and a person who helped card collecting grow leaps and bounds. The price guide Denny along with Jim Beckett published helped countless collectors. Tony Carafel John Ramierez John Scott Tom Collier I met at the first show in Silver Spring M.D.. All of who gave freely of their hobby knowledge and friendship.
I am forever grateful all these Friends and Collectors and so many more who make this the most enjoyable hobby.

pokerplyr80 · #5 12-03-2017, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

Jeff Foy and Brady Hill passed along their centering "sickness" to me, which has made collecting more painful and rewarding at the same time.

I know what you mean. I started focusing on centering more after seeing MattyC's stuff, but have picked up a few cards from Jeff and Brady as well. It makes such a difference. I end up passing on a lot of cards but it's nice when you finally track a centered card down.

Peter_Spaeth · #6 12-03-2017, 07:34 PM

I got back into vintage a few years before the internet, so for me it was the guys who owned card shops in downtown Boston -- Peter Leventhal and Kenny Tong (RIP) -- and the guy who had the best vintage at local shows and an early PSA guy, Peter Lalos.

mrmopar · #7 12-03-2017, 07:46 PM

I suppose an early neighborhood friend who got me interested in cards would be the #1 influencer. He and his brother moved into my neighborhood around 1977-78. They both had card collections and I am pretty sure it was them that got me spending my allowance on cards in general. In those days, I tried just about anything that came in a wax pack. I don't think either continued to collect must past those early days, but I am not sure. By the time I moved away in 1982, I was completely hooked on cards.

Most of my early buying was from retail stores. The Lynnwood Center store on Bainbridge Island, WA, where I formed my early collecting interests, was where I would buy most of my new packs of cards, candy and even some of those RC Cola baseball cans.

I didn't much venture into card shops early on, but somehow discovered the mail order catalogs of TCMA and Renata Galasso, probably from those Baseball Magazines they used to publish in the 70s/80s. I began to receive those catalogs and spent a lot of time looking through them, imagining what I would buy, sadly I never bought too much. I remember buying a bunch of those TCMA all time sets and those HOF postcards. I did start buying the 3 main brands of complete sets in 1981, I believe mostly from Renata's company. I continued that each year until leaving for the Navy in 1987. I remember a few others that I bought from through the mail, like Paul Marchant and Stan Martucci.

Besides a rare trip into Seattle to the Pike Place Market and a few neat old shops that sold cards, an early card store that I eagerly visited as often as my parents would take me, was Pacific Trading Cards in Edmonds, WA, owned by Michael Cramer. I don't remember if I interacted with Cramer himself or not. This would have been the early to mid 80s. I suppose he was probably there some of the time. They had catalogs I used to get and every once in a while, they would mail some neat postcards advertising a sale or a signing. I met Bob Feller at one such signing as a teen. His shop is what shaped my mind as to what a card shop was like. Like anything, I wish I had had more opportunity to visit (His shop was on the way to my sisters house, who we only visited a few times per year) and that I would have bought more stuff, like those X's out 1984 Topps football boxes he was blowing out for $5 each (but I was mostly a baseball collector, so I only grabbed a couple)!

Lastly, I had all but quit collecting cards while I was in the Navy. About a year before I was due to separate, a shipmate of mine and I got to talking about cards for some reason and he ended up showing me what he had been buying. I had stopped mostly around 1988-89 and it was now 1993. The cards he had were nothing like what I had collected before. They were shiny and used foils and such. They were much fancier. I ended up going to one of the stores with him and got myself hooked back into it immediately, buying boxes or cards from the years I had missed. I got back home in late 93 and started buying cards, hitting local shops and attending local shows with most of my free time.

In 1997, I was nearing the end of my college time and discovered the world of online card dealing. Beckett, message boards and then in early 1998, eBay. I have never looked back since.

CW · #8 12-03-2017, 08:54 PM

Great stories and recollections, guys.

My biggest early influence would definitely be my Mom. Although my Dad was the bread winner in the family, he'd give my Mom a set allowance for clothes, food, and the basic necessities for the house. My Mom was sure to give me a few bucks per week to spend on baseball cards, provided I was sure to bring her back a couple Three Musketeers bars in return.

Thanks goodness my Mom liked chocolate.

chiprop · #9 12-03-2017, 09:08 PM

For me, Aaron Seefeldt was a huge influence. Until we met, I had no idea the nuances of the hobby. I instantly fell in love with rare backs and pre war HOFs. I owe my love of the hobby to him and I am forever grateful. Thank you Aaron!

Dan Kravitz

steve B · #10 12-03-2017, 10:03 PM

All three of the Halls from Halls Nostalgia.

I moved to Arlington in late 77, and asked a couple kids about older cards. Discovered there was a full time shop right in town!

So I went, and started hanging out there after school maybe 2-3 days a week. They'd occasionally set stuff aside for me, usually totally wrecked stuff at amazing prices. Beckley T206 with a huge tear and tape, but only 20 cents. A Sweet Caporal pin, also badly damaged, but free. I did sorting/set collating for them in 78 and 79, and the damaged stuff cheap got me buying older stuff. Of course, I had widely varied interests and decided against buying some stuff, but did buy other stuff. (Wish I'd gone for even one of the 33 Ruths they handed me saying "you should buy this, it's $X " )

Being there so much I got a few early chances at collections that came in. Got a few poor R300s once, I'd just read the book of lists that had them as some of the rarest cards and a small collection of beaters had a few - actually had to call mom to bring me the money for them.
Another time someone brought in a huge box of RC cola cans and asked if they were interested. They said no but that kid is and pointed me out. So I got most of both sets plus a bunch of the football ones for $6....Another call to mom...Hi mom, I'm at halls and - "do you need money AGAIN?! - No, just a ride for me and a big box of cans.

Come to think of it, Mom put up with a lot of collecting, so I think she's got to be on the list too.

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