T206 Wagner in Canada

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Does anyone here know the story behind Angelo's Wagner? When did he get it and from whom? How does it look like?

Originally Posted by clamendo

It was sold years ago to an “American”Probably, when he sold off his baseball. I’m sure it was raw. Knowing Angelo it was probably in nice shape, he was focusing on high grade before it was fashionable.

Angelo Savelli bought his Honus Wagner card in the mid to late 1970's from a Hamilton coin and card dealer on the east side of James Street North near Barton Street East not far from the old CN train station. He sold the family car to raise the money for the purchase and his wife almost left him at that point!

In the late 1990's he told me that he'd compare his Honus Wagner (which he was keeping in a safety deposit box) to the one owned by Bruce McNall and Wayne Gretzky any time because the latter was trimmed. And it was!

Angie sold the Honus Wagner card together with the rest of his Baseball, Basketball and NFL cards to a big California dealer in 2000 or so. But he kept his Hockey, CFL and Wrestling cards.

Originally Posted by paulmolive

Was just looking for information on Angelo. He once lived in the north end of Hamilton, Ontario and had a card shop briefly in the early 90s near his house.... Does anyone else in the Toronto area remember his shop? I think it was on Barton St. Can't believe he had a Wagner!

Angie's "King of Cards" shop was on the south side of Barton Street East near Sherman Avenue North. As such it was just a few blocks northwest of Ivor Wynne Stadium where the Hamilton Tiger-Cats played. I visited his shop many times.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Angelo Savelli bought his Honus Wagner card in the mid to late 1970's from a Hamilton coin and card dealer on the east side of James Street North near Barton Street East not far from the old CN train station. He sold the family car to raise the money for the purchase and his wife almost left him at that point!

In the late 1990's he told me that he'd compare his Honus Wagner (which he was keeping in a safety deposit box) to the one owned by Bruce McNall and Wayne Gretzky any time because the latter was trimmed. And it was!

Angie sold the Honus Wagner card together with the rest of his Baseball, Basketball and NFL cards to a big California dealer in 2000 or so. But he kept his Hockey, CFL and Wrestling cards.



Angie's "King of Cards" shop was on the south side of Barton Street East near Sherman Avenue North. As such it was just a few blocks northwest of Ivor Wynne Stadium where the Hamilton Tiger-Cats played. I visited his shop many times.

Thanks for your post, fox.

He was definitely way ahead of his time. He not only went after all the "big cards," but he was diversifying as well. This is something smart collectors do today because you never know which area of the hobby is going to get hot. For example, basketball cards went insane during the pandemic and still remain expensive even to this day. Look how expensive the rookies of George Mikan, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain are.

What do you remember about your time inside his store ?? What did you see in there ? Were there 1952 Topps Mantles lined up for $500 each ?? The Howe rookie (1951 Parkhurst) was probably a $10 card back then. Also, what were most people buying back then ?? What was considered "hot?"

[Leon]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Thanks for your post, fox.

He was definitely way ahead of his time. He not only went after all the "big cards," but he was diversifying as well. This is something smart collectors do today because you never know which area of the hobby is going to get hot. For example, basketball cards went insane during the pandemic and still remain expensive even to this day. Look how expensive the rookies of George Mikan, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain are.

What do you remember about your time inside his store ?? What did you see in there ? Were there 1952 Topps Mantles lined up for $500 each ?? The Howe rookie (1951 Parkhurst) was probably a $10 card back then. Also, what were most people buying back then ?? What was considered "hot?"

Interesting thoughts. My main focus has never been what a cards future value will be. I have, obviously, tried to get my cards at the best deal I can, but future values haven't been what I have focused on. It's still more of "just collecting" for me. I buy and sell sometimes, but mainly, it's just collecting.
.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by Leon

Interesting thoughts. My main focus has never been what a cards future value will be. I have, obviously, tried to get my cards at the best deal I can, but future values haven't been what I have focused on. It's still more of "just collecting" for me. I buy and sell sometimes, but mainly, it's just collecting.
.

They're both equally as important - the money and the collecting part. You need so much money in order to start a collection today and so we're "forced" to pay attention to the money side of it. Imagine spending thirty grand on some baseball cards and then a year later they end up being worth half that. It's gonna' hurt (even if you consider yourself only a collector).

Merry Christmas and thanks for running a great forum.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

] The Howe rookie (1951 Parkhurst) was probably a $10 card back then.

Not in the slightest. It had great value for the time, even then. Just as coveted as it is today. I'm Canadian and remember it well.

There was a store in my hometown that was famous for selling very bad fake signed cards. All with the same black Sharpie and all pathetic even to my grade school eyes. They had a Howe RC in one of those "iceberg" screw downs. This would have been around 1991. The asking price was $5K. I asked to see it. The jerk/forger begrudgingly "showed" it to me by lifting it from the shelf of the display case to the underside of the glass top. Gee, thanks. Between that move and the forgeries, I never went back. Thankfully, the place didn't last long. Scumbag.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Not in the slightest. It had great value for the time, even then. Just as coveted as it is today.

Are you talking about the late-80s here? Early-80s? 70s? I had some old-timers tell me how cheap it used to be. They also told me that Gretzky's father used to work for Bell and would give his customers a free 79/80 OPC rookie card of his son. He had a deck of them, I was told.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I edited my post. Please check out what I added. My frame of reference was the 1980's-very early 1990's. We were talking about the Gretzky/McNall Wagner, so I assumed we were all referring to that timeframe. Anyhow, all cleared up.

[samosa4u]

Ah, okay. I see it now.

I was a kid in the 90s too and remember the Howe rookie well. Beckett priced it at 3k and that's how much dealers wanted for theirs (even if they only had VG-EX copies). They called everything back then "near mint."

But Angelo had a store before then, no ?? He was buying and selling in the disco days and cards back then were really cheap. So, that's what I was asking fox about.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

But Angelo had a store before then, no ?? He was buying and selling in the disco days and cards back then were really cheap. So, that's what I was asking fox about.

No he did not. While Angie began setting up at sports card shows in the States in the 1970's, his brick and mortar store on Barton Street dated back only to 1991 or so. Here's a good article on Angie from the Hamilton Spectator:

Angelo Savelli - Hamilton Spectator; 5 April 2024

I need to scan some items for a post on my recollections of my visits to the store.

[bmattioli]

I'll bet he had some great stuff coming into his store from walk-ins off the street and folks looking to sell. That's the era I wish I had a store..