Larry Frisch Cards..what happened ??

[bh3443]

One of the best experiences in my 4 decades in the hobby was in Cooperstown during induction week in the 90's. I was with my pal, veteran card guy, Bob Thing of Maine. Bobby introduced me to Larry Fritsch who had just opened his museum. Larry begged Bob to be the curator of the museum on a nice Cooperstown night as the beer flowed and we talked cards into the early morning hours. What great guys: Larry & Bob!

Another great moment was at our GBSCC show in Wilmington, Mass when I met Dolloff cards who on a rare occassion had set up. He was perhaps the most organized dealer I've known. His merchandise was organized so well that it was almost overwhelming for a collector to seek out what they wanted! He knew his cards so well, I was actually impressed! His catalogs on every sport were impressive and he was a true gentleman of the highest order.

Call us old school or old-timers, but I was honored to be with these giants of our industry.

I wish Jeff Fritsch well in running Fritsch cards and I hope Dolloff is doing well. I know my pal Bob Thing is down to a few shows a year. Bob goes back to the late 40's in our hobby and is one was the most like-able guys you could hope to meet. I've ben blessed with his friendship since the 70's. He was at my wedding and count-less family functions as well as I travelled to 28 States with him for shows!

Thank you,

Bill Hedin

[benchod]

Bill,
Thanks for sharing your stories

[Vintagecatcher]

I bought many cards over the years from Larry Fritsch Cards. Granted it was always an unusual buying experience. They were truly "old school." If you had an interest in a card, there was no scan or photo available to be emailed. The kind folks would, however, mail me a photo copy of the cards.

They always had an awesome selection. Their pricing was always very reasonable. Grading usually was a bit subjective. I truly miss buying from them.

Living in Maine, I am also crossed paths with Doloff. He had a tiny storefront in Portsmouth, N.H. in a strip mall on Route 1.

I stopped in several times to inquire about cards, however, Doloff could not be bothered to show me any cards. I inquired about seeing cards for the seven MLB catchers I collected. He told me he had cards of all the players, but he couldn't be bothered to show me any cards. Great way to run a business.

So my experience with these two dealers is that they were polar opposites.
Larry Fritsch Cards couldn't have been more helpful and Doloff couldn't be bothered.


Patrick

[wrapperguy]

Just contacted Dolloff a couple weeks ago. No website but offered to send me a catalog. Catalog arrives a few days later and there are 4 cards that interested me. Since I am trying to get a master set of 35 Goudeys, I needed to know the back number and letter. The person who answered the phone said they would pull the cards and send me photocopies of the 4 cards via snail mail. Good God! Nice people but VERY old school!

[hangman62]

I dont deny dealers like this were big dogs back in the day..( Nor am I knocking them... I know .it wasnt that long ago..1980's...that for the most part..you bought cards based on a very short discription in a catlg,or even less).... I guess what Im saying is now-a-days...it seems incredible for a dealer with a massive inventory..who decides he will be a internet only seller..not to do the legwork and set up a modern data base.. it could only help your buisness....why in the world would you do it the old way ??

[Matt]

Originally Posted by wrapperguy

Just contacted Dolloff a couple weeks ago. No website but offered to send me a catalog. Catalog arrives a few days later and there are 4 cards that interested me. Since I am trying to get a master set of 35 Goudeys, I needed to know the back number and letter. The person who answered the phone said they would pull the cards and send me photocopies of the 4 cards via snail mail. Good God! Nice people but VERY old school!

I had a similar experience with them about a year ago; I called the day the scans arrived in the mail to say I'd take the cards and they had already sold them to someone else.

[tbob]

I had the opportunity to talk to Larry on the phone a few years before he died. I was trying to buy some 1911 and 1912 Zeenuts and there was a sudden huge run on them from his catalogue because at that time there were at least 5 collectors (all from Net 54) who were buying them all up at very reasonable prices. Larry ordered a freeze on all the Zeenuts and would not sell anymore at the listed prices. I had called about the "freeze" and was told Larry wanted to speak with me. His concern was that I was a collector and not a dealer and when I convinced him, he lifted the freeze so I could buy about 25 cards I needed. We spoke for a couple of hours about the hobby and I really enjoyed the conversation. Yes he was old school, nothing wrong with that, I'm a little old school too with regard to the hobby although guys like Quan know I finally was pushed in to having my cards slabbed and have never looked back
I think there are a lot of younger colectors in the hobby who are "old school" also and thank God, I wouldn't want a bunch of guys like he who shall not be named and was recently booted off the board again, running the hobby. "Old school" is not just being old, it's recognizing it is a hobby foremost and loving the cards we buy, sell and trade. It means helping other collectors along. Sure we all like a good deal and all recognize the value of cards, but its a certain kindness that goes with it, not the caustic and brutal "you fire a rifle, I'll fire a missle and I'll squash you if I can in getting cards attitude."
The best reason to go to Nationals is to meet and greet fellow collectors, especially those you only know by their ebay names. Maybe that's naive and I will be trying to find some cards and complete sets but it's the comeraderie I most enjoy at Nationals. As someone once said, you can't take the cardboard with you but friendships, however brief, endure....

[Leon]

Originally Posted by tbob

I had the opportunity to talk to Larry on the phone a few years before he died. I was trying to buy some 1911 and 1912 Zeenuts and there was a sudden huge run on them from his catalogue because at that time there were at least 5 collectors (all from Net 54) who were buying them all up at very reasonable prices. Larry ordered a freeze on all the Zeenuts and would not sell anymore at the listed prices. I had called about the "freeze" and was told Larry wanted to speak with me. His concern was that I was a collector and not a dealer and when I convinced him, he lifted the freeze so I could buy about 25 cards I needed. We spoke for a couple of hours about the hobby and I really enjoyed the conversation. Yes he was old school, nothing wrong with that, I'm a little old school too with regard to the hobby although guys like Quan know I finally was pushed in to having my cards slabbed and have never looked back
I think there are a lot of younger colectors in the hobby who are "old school" also and thank God, I wouldn't want a bunch of guys like he who shall not be named and was recently booted off the board again, running the hobby. "Old school" is not just being old, it's recognizing it is a hobby foremost and loving the cards we buy, sell and trade. It means helping other collectors along. Sure we all like a good deal and all recognize the value of cards, but its a certain kindness that goes with it, not the caustic and brutal "you fire a rifle, I'll fire a missle and I'll squash you if I can in getting cards attitude."
The best reason to go to Nationals is to meet and greet fellow collectors, especially those you only know by their ebay names. Maybe that's naive and I will be trying to find some cards and complete sets but it's the comeraderie I most enjoy at Nationals. As someone once said, you can't take the cardboard with you but friendships, however brief, endure....

I got to speak with Larry a few times too. He was always very nice to me on the phone. I ordered quite a few times from him and almost every time I would have to send back some cards as they were a bit? over graded. I would just let him know something like..... E94 -vg (has a gaping hole in the bottom half of card)....and he never questioned a refund...He just wanted to know what I thought was incorrect.

On your other thoughts, Bob, I agree 100%. I am sure that without the friendships I have been fortunate to make in the hobby I wouldn't still be doing it. Going to the National, for me, is literally 95% about the friends and good times and 5% about the cards. I really don't even care if I buy or sell anything I just want to talk cards for 5 days straight. That is also the reason I could care less where the National is held. It could be indoors in the Mojave desert and I would be happy.....I don't care about sightseeing....I am collecting cards with my friends when at a show!! There is nothing else I care to do....

[Cooptown]

Originally Posted by bh3443

One of the best experiences in my 4 decades in the hobby was in Cooperstown during induction week in the 90's. I was with my pal, veteran card guy, Bob Thing of Maine. Bobby introduced me to Larry Fritsch who had just opened his museum. Larry begged Bob to be the curator of the museum on a nice Cooperstown night as the beer flowed and we talked cards into the early morning hours. What great guys: Larry & Bob!

I have VERY fond memories of that museum. I believe it was only open a year or two? Took the tour, and got a pack of cards that had Larry's "Top 10 Finds" and how he aquired them, for how much, etc. Went to Cooperstown the next summer, walked up to the museum and rememembered my disappointment of how it was gone. I remember from every summer on, I would walk by in hopes it would re-open. Great building too; I believe it was completely new when he moved in. For whatever reason, that building has been more vacant than not since Fritsch left. I remember an ice cream shop being in there one summer.

You know the funny thing? I still go and walk by that empty building when I am in Cooperstown....that tells you how much I enjoyed that Museum.

[GoldenAge50s]

I don't even remeber the yr, but I was in Cooperstown and found the Museum location, expecting to go in & have a look-see. Lo & behold the building was vacant and looked like someone left in a hurry!

I tried the door & to my surprise it was open but nobody was around. I went in and started looking around---empty boxes on the floor, paper littered around, a couple of old showcases still there but empty (darn!). It literally looked like someone had just vacated.

I poked around, looked in the trash & some boxes--the only thing I found were some Fritsch paperwork and a wooden baseball bat pen w/ the Larry Fritsch Museum logo on it. I was in there about 20 mins & all that time not a soul around!

No Wagners, no Larry Doyle's, all gone!

[bh3443]

I was very pleased t read your post, Cooptown! Larry's place was a great one for sure. Too bad at that time a guy like Bob Thing or even myself was too tied down to re-locate and run the place. It would have been cool!
Larry told us that he loved to lock the museum doors and knock back a six pack as he went through his cards. He genuinely loved his cards, his family and our hobby!
Too bad that place is empty.
I met so many great guys at those Cooperstown shows. I set up at the first 3 and Don Flewelling and Frank Keetz were simply remarkable guys!
Thanks for the memories,
Bill Hedin

Originally Posted by Cooptown

I have VERY fond memories of that museum. I believe it was only open a year or two? Took the tour, and got a pack of cards that had Larry's "Top 10 Finds" and how he aquired them, for how much, etc. Went to Cooperstown the next summer, walked up to the museum and rememembered my disappointment of how it was gone. I remember from every summer on, I would walk by in hopes it would re-open. Great building too; I believe it was completely new when he moved in. For whatever reason, that building has been more vacant than not since Fritsch left. I remember an ice cream shop being in there one summer.

You know the funny thing? I still go and walk by that empty building when I am in Cooperstown....that tells you how much I enjoyed that Museum.

[Cooptown]

Originally Posted by bh3443

I was very pleased t read your post, Cooptown! Larry's place was a great one for sure. Too bad at that time a guy like Bob Thing or even myself was too tied down to re-locate and run the place. It would have been cool!
Larry told us that he loved to lock the museum doors and knock back a six pack as he went through his cards. He genuinely loved his cards, his family and our hobby!
Too bad that place is empty.
I met so many great guys at those Cooperstown shows. I set up at the first 3 and Don Flewelling and Frank Keetz were simply remarkable guys!
Thanks for the memories,
Bill Hedin

BH-Do you know the reason why Larry closed up shop in Cooperstown? Or do you have any recollection of the time frame that place was open? I was only about 14 or so if I can remember, so my "contacts" in the hobby at the time were pretty limited.

[Steve D]

Originally Posted by Cooptown

BH-Do you know the reason why Larry closed up shop in Cooperstown? Or do you have any recollection of the time frame that place was open? I was only about 14 or so if I can remember, so my "contacts" in the hobby at the time were pretty limited.

According to Larry's obituary on Fritsch Cards' website, he opened the museum in 1987. He then closed it in 1992 due to the distance and travel time.

Steve

[ls7plus]

Purchased a 1914 T222 Fatima Alexander from Larry in about '98 that was near mint and centered, with the exception of the usual wrinkles in the surface of the photo, but still with tremendous eye appeal for $513.00 as I recall. And almost bought a 1956 Kahn's Frank Robinson VG+ but with back damage from having been glued to a scrapbook which the Fritschter had priced at $375.00. Funny thing about the Robinson card-- at the time, I passed on it, but I believe it found me again about one and a half years ago, when I picked up what I believe to be the very same card from Jim Manos. This occurred about 12 years after I had passed on the card from Fritsch, and I had been looking for an example with good eye appeal throughout that time. Meant for me??

He had some good cards which seemed high at the time, but the passage of time made you more than whole if you hung on to them.

Good thread--always like to hear about the pioneers!

Larry

[bh3443]

Well, I'm now 50 years old and I've been in the hobby for a good 40 of them!
I keep reading "old school" in this and other threads and I am hoping that we can share some old school things done by the old schoolers! Here's a few:

1. Phone Calls were a no-no in the 1970's with most old school guys. I can recall the SCD big advertisers with their "to the point" phone rules that included "no calls on Sunday" and "if you call after hours I'll just hang up on you" and my favorite "some of you have been abusing my phone hours and soon I'll be taking no phone calls:, lol! Back in the 70's I recall my friend Bob Thing's Trader Speaks auctions that ended say midnight. I had a pleasant conversation with Rob Lifson a few years back about how the two of us got creative to sneak around and bid without waking our family! Rob was more creative than me in the Bob Thing auctions! We had a good laugh about those fun old days! Rob's a decent guy who (just like us) loves our hobby's rich history.

2. Another quirk was that in the 70's sme of the big dealers would get furious and refuse to sell you cards if you referred to the cards as an investment!


Those are the first two old school things that come to my mind. I hope om of you will write a blurp about your "old school" quirks, stories, etc.., We can use a good laugh as we stroll down our memory lane!

Bill Hedin <---Wife & I are off to walk our dogs every day at 5:30am and then 5:30pm!My ogs are Holly (hound 55 lns and Sadie (Black Lab) 80lbs!