Rick Probstein interviews Bill Mastro

[Yoda]

I have had a 30 year relationship with Lew Lipset. Yes, he could be a curmudgeon at times and his grading standards were out-of-step with TPG'ers. But what a fountainhead of baseball knowledge and collectibles. His books about 19th century, T & E cards are classics and sit in my library. His auctions, although rudimentary by today's standards, always had great material and were scrupulously run. He belongs in that special pantheon of early pioneers, like Nagy and others, who brought so much to the hobby we love.

[Ricky]

Originally Posted by Yoda

I have had a 30 year relationship with Lew Lipset. Yes, he could be a curmudgeon at times and his grading standards were out-of-step with TPG'ers. But what a fountainhead of baseball knowledge and collectibles. His books about 19th century, T & E cards are classics and sit in my library. His auctions, although rudimentary by today's standards, always had great material and were scrupulously run. He belongs in that special pantheon of early pioneers, like Nagy and others, who brought so much to the hobby we love.

Agree about Lew, John. Purchased some cards from him back in the day and he always had interesting material. Read his encyclopedias and Old Judge publications religiously. Is he still active in the hobby?

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Ricky

Agree about Lew, John. Purchased some cards from him back in the day and he always had interesting material. Read his encyclopedias and Old Judge publications religiously. Is he still active in the hobby?

Rich, I have sort of lost touch with Lew. As you probably know, he and Marsha finally sold their house in AZ and moved back to NJ a few years ago. I haven't heard much lately.
I remember well when they would come down to the Jersey shore, when I lived there, looking for a consignment. Afterward, we always had lunch and he would fill me in on hobby gossip. Interestingly, at least to me, he mentioned he never had a problem with Alan Rosen, and I think he quietly liked Alan and the publicity he brought to the hobby.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by Yoda

I have had a 30 year relationship with Lew Lipset. Yes, he could be a curmudgeon at times and his grading standards were out-of-step with TPG'ers. But what a fountainhead of baseball knowledge and collectibles. His books about 19th century, T & E cards are classics and sit in my library. His auctions, although rudimentary by today's standards, always had great material and were scrupulously run. He belongs in that special pantheon of early pioneers, like Nagy and others, who brought so much to the hobby we love.

So that gives him an excuse to treat people like crap. Got it.

[molenick]

Is this viewable other than on Instagram (says the old guy without an Instagram account)?

[CTDean]

Originally Posted by molenick

Is this viewable other than on Instagram (says the old guy without an Instagram account)?

I'm an old guy without an Instagram account and I just clicked the link in the first post and watched the interview.

[molenick]

Thanks. When I clicked on it the first time it wanted me to log in....but when I just clicked on it now, it went right to the interview.

[GaryPassamonte]

Originally Posted by molenick

Is this viewable other than on Instagram (says the old guy without an Instagram account)?

Michael- I don't have an Instagram account either, but was able to watch anyway.

[molenick]

I found it very interesting (after the first two minutes of looking at an office ceiling). I recall the days when Lifson and Mastro sold cards out of a motel room at Willow Grove shows in the mid-to-late 1980s. A friend and I used to go to their room and look through plastic sheets (or was it boxes?) of T206s picking out ones we needed for our sets (as I recall, nice condition commons were $20-$25...this was well after the days of the $0.15 T206). I never cared about the backs, I was just looking to fill in gaps in my sheets back home. If anything, I didn't want a rare back because that was more expensive. I don't remember them ever setting up at the show itself, but I could be mistaken about that.

Every now and then Rob would show me something more exotic, and somehow I would go from not knowing what I was looking at to buying something I had never seen before that day. He was a very good salesman (I am not saying that in a negative way). I think he knew that the friendly sales method worked better on me than Bill's sometimes more direct approach.