Shoe Box Cards

[bh3443]

"Hi Bill. Glad you are posting regularly on the board again -- from TBob"
TBob, you made me smile~~~~ You are a great friend!

Hi Gang,
My daughters bought me a shirt that says:

RETIRED
Knows everything
and has lots of time to tell you all about it......

Hoping I got a laugh out of you! My story is about the first time I met Wayne and Bill from Shoe Box. We all converged on the lounge at the Strongsville, OH (Cleveland) show run by legend Clayton Pasternack. Till this time, I only knew of Wayne and Bill by name. I sat up at the bar next to them and we had a few cocktails while watching an NCAA FB game. After a few minutes, they noticed my Boston accent and we introduced each other. I was sitting with 2 legends of the hobby and we we're later joined by Denny Eckes, Bob Thing, and a virtual who's who in our hobby.
I was shocked that these hobby icons talked with me about cards, sports, etc.., I was invited to join the crew in the hospitality room that night. What a night, lol, with Bob Lemke and the boys from SCD, and more legends! Bill Zimpleman was kind enough to give me the list of "it shows" that the big boys did regularly. I consulted my traveling companion, Bob Thing from Maine, and we made plans to set up with this elite crew in St. Louis, Plymouth, MI, Sharonville, OH (Cinn), plus all the regular East Coast shows we normally did.

I'm sorry for the long-winded post, but the point is that these fine guys (Bill & Wayne) made it a point to make me feel like one of the crew, and they made it a point to introduce me to EVERYONE. And, not that it's a huge deal, but they made sure to introduce me as Bill Hedin (pronounced Ha- deen) to everyone. What a grand time it was for sure!

Bill Z and Wayne V are top notch in my book! Always treated me right, sold me cards fairly and bought some cards with a decent offer. The hobby needs more guys like them!

Bill Hedin

[Griffins]

about 8 years ago, at the SF show, Wayne asked to see my want list. He spotted a card on there he'd seen at the show, and in the middle of a show left his table alone to walk thru and find the card on my list he'd seen on another table. I tried to give him a finders fee, tried to buy him coffee, he declined everything. Pretty typical of him.
He and Bill are two of the nicest people you'll meet anywhere, in or out of the hobby.

[Rickyy]

I met them too at the SF show...Great guys...good fair prices...courteous and yet professional at the same time. Glad they are still in the hobby.

[ls7plus]

Rickyy, what in the world are you and I both doing up at 3:40 a.m., typing away on this message board?!?!

Larry

[ls7plus]

Just read your post re the Tsunami. I appologize for my ill-timed attempt at humor at a time like that.

Larry

[Rich Klein]

Bill *IS* one of my favorite people in the hobby as we both share a love for old music (50's-70's -- in other words, when it was still music) and old radio air checks and knowing about that music.

If you talk to many of the older dealers there is a correlation between them and liking and knowing about the "old-time" rock and roll. A few nationals ago, I remember chatting with a dealer from Colorado (can't remember his name -- but he has an oldies show there) and the next time I talked to Bill at the show we discussed that and he mentioned that he had known the guy for 20+ years and never knew about the shared music love.

Next thing I knew, the 2 of them spent a few hours together planning that guy's radio shows and Bill trying to help him with some records to play

Rich