Dealers (or fellow collectors) who lit the fire

[barrysloate]

The first mail order dealer who helped me get started was Kit Young. He always had a lot of material in his SCD ads and he was very hands on. He would take my order and spend a good deal of time answering my questions. I remember buying my first 52 Topps high number from him, and then asked the beginner's question of did he know of anyone who had ever completed a 52 Topps set
There were others I bought from before Kit but he was the first that made me feel like a real collector.

[sando69]

wow wolfie-
i can clearly remember driving over 60 miles, to victor franc's canoga park home in a continuous downpour (must have been the late 70's).
the booty was worth it, tho... about 200 vg to ex+ t205 & t206's, including tougher cards & hof'ers, for under $500!
i'll bet i even still own at least a few of those cards, too.
other names from my early collecting years include:
goodwin goldfaden- adco sports book exchange, los angeles
will & ginnie davis- the baseball card shop, fullerton, ca
tony galovich- fantasy illustrated, garden grove, ca
from tts: robert ball & jeff goldman, as well as kit young, come to mind...