Card Collector's Company, Franklin Sq. NY

[rgurtowski]

Anybody remember The Card Collector's Company in Franklin Square, NY? I ordered many cards from them in the early '70's by snail mail (what else, back then?) Interesting company, always sent me paper catalogs with cards for sale. On the cover of their catalog would be "Paying $25,000 for the T-206 Wagner card". Whatever happened to them?

[paul]

I used to order from them as well. I remember one time they had an offering of T-206 HOFers, including Cobb, Young, etc. They were $5.00 each. I passed because I couldn't believe that they really made cards back then. I was probably 9 years old at the time.

[rgurtowski]

Yes, I got a '55 Topps Rizzuto for $2.00 + 1.00 P+H. They'd send a note to please include the card #, there wasn't a card catalog to be found in '72-'73. I'd just my card name, company & year requested, and they'd send it to me. I think the early Mantle's were like $20-$30, big money for a kid!

[Jayworld]

Yes, I loved the Card Collector's Company (Richard Gelman's Card Collector's Company) and ordered cards from them quite frequently from 1977-82 or so. I remember ordering T206 cards in "fair" condition for 50 cents each; they picked the card and back. Several of the cards I ordered looked to have fire damage, but I got a Pattee, Wiltse (portrait with cap), Snodgrass, Street, Leach, Lindaman, two McQuillans (both batting, one Tolstoi, one Piedmont), Sweeney, and Birmingham (of which I still have, and it is missing about 1/8" of the card due to fire damage). Also purchased a T201 in EX condition for $14.00; turned out to be Ward/Foster.

It was also a great place to order Topps lots (all different in lots of 25, 50, or 100). The quality of cards were very nice.

Miss the company very much. Others on here have indicated that Fritsch Cards purchased Card Collectors Company years ago; is that correct?

[barrysloate]

Yes, I loved the Card Collector's Company (Richard Gelman's Card Collector's Company) and ordered cards from them quite frequently from 1977-82 or so. I remember ordering T206 cards in "fair" condition for 50 cents each; they picked the card and back. Several of the cards I ordered looked to have fire damage, but I got a Pattee, Wiltse (portrait with cap), Snodgrass, Street, Leach, Lindaman, two McQuillans (both batting, one Tolstoi, one Piedmont), Sweeney, and Birmingham (of which I still have, and it is missing about 1/8" of the card due to fire damage). Also purchased a T201 in EX condition for $14.00; turned out to be Ward/Foster.

It was also a great place to order Topps lots (all different in lots of 25, 50, or 100). The quality of cards were very nice.

Miss the company very much. Others on here have indicated that Fritsch Cards purchased Card Collectors Company years ago; is that correct?

I recall seeing a lot of those fire damaged T206's back around the 1980's, but forget the story. I'm sure somebody on the board remembers it.

[brianp-beme]

I posted these catalogs once before...but as far as I know there are no rules about posting scans multiple times (otherwise I would have been thrown in jail for scan abuse long ago). Here is a 1963 Card Collector's Catalog that my older brother had filled out but never sent in.

I never ordered from them either. Bad, bad collectors.

Brian

[moeson]

Around 1976, they suffered a devastating fire that destroyed/damaged much of their inventory including their supply of test set cards which were frequently offered for sale by the Gellman's in The Trader Speaks. After that I recall ordering 500 card lots from several different years, and despite having specified "no fire damage", fire/water damaged cards often got through.

[rats60]

I bought a lot of cards from them in the early 70s. I completed my 1958-67 and 1969-73 sets thru them. I bought my first Clemente RC from them for 1.00. I think that was the most that I paid for any card.

[rgurtowski]

I remember seeing their ad in the Good Old Days magazine or in a Street and Smith's Baseball yearbook. I remember getting a '53 Topps Gene Woodling for 25 cents.

[commishbob]

I bought cards lots from them through their catalogs. I think I first saw their ads in one of those cheap, pulp baseball mags I loved to pick up at the corner newsstand.

[JollyElm]

Man, this thread is bringing back some great memories. I used to get those b/w catalogues in the mail and I scoured through them to see all of the 'ancient' cards (you know, from the 60's) they had to offer. It's funny how expensive 10 cents was for a Mantle. Ha ha. Where's a time machine when you need one??

[Exhibitman]

I ordered from them a few times in 1976. They offered grab bags lots of old cards very cheap. As I recall, the cards I got were dead on mint but for smoke or water damage on most of them, but i didn't mind because the effect was minimal and they included multiple HOFers in each lot.

[rgurtowski]

I remember also buying a card collector's box from them (fit 1000 cards) for $2.00 + shipping. Seemed like they were the only place you could mail order card collecting supplies.

[ALR-bishop]

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img064.jpg

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/img065.jpg

[toppcat]

I've done a few posts on CCC over the years: https://toppsarchives.blogspot.com/search/label/Card%20Collectors%20Company

I also have a series going (somewhat neglected but I'll pick it up again soon), on "The Card Collector" Newsletter they put out: https://toppsarchives.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Card%20Collector

[jerrys]

Don Lepore, who actually ran the CCC operations for Woody Gelman, invited me to see the operation at the site one time. It was as one would expect, women seated at tables in front of mountains of cards filling orders. After the fire Don conducted business from an office on the main street in the village of Franklin Square, NY.

[trdcrdkid]

Here are a couple of posts of mine that include the early history of the Card Collector's Company:

First, its origins in the 1950s with Sam Rosen, Woody Gelman's stepfather, and the earliest price lists after Woody took over following Sam's death on 12/31/58. He launched The Card Collector newsletter shortly thereafter to compete with Gordon Taylor's Card Comments:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=233137

This post is about the competition between Gelman and Taylor in the early 1960s, which Gelman won when Taylor went bankrupt:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=233392

Finally, this post is mostly about Bruce Yeko and Marshall Oreck, but it has a bit at the end with the 1968 Card Collector's Company price list, the first year Gelman started charging more for star cards:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=233772

[toppcat]

Don Lepore, who actually ran the CCC operations for Woody Gelman, invited me to see the operation at the site one time. It was as one would expect, women seated at tables in front of mountains of cards filling orders. After the fire Don conducted business from an office on the main street in the village of Franklin Square, NY.

Jerry, do you recall where that site actually was?

[jerrys]

Hi Dave,

No don't remember the name of the street but I'm pretty sure it was off Franklin Avenue. Franklin Avenue is the main road that is an extension of New Hyde Park Road; it runs south starting at Hempstead Turnpike.

[hedgefund96]

Awesome!!

[insidethewrapper]

I think they( or someone similiar) use to advertise in the Sporting News in the 1950's. I got my first set by mail in 1958 ( 1958 Topps). They were sent Series by Series through out the year. Checked the mailbox everyday. A few years later my brother threw them out, didn't think I still wanted them ! I did, even though by that time in 1964 my interests changed to music and The Beatles.

[toppcat]

Hi Dave,

No don't remember the name of the street but I'm pretty sure it was off Franklin Avenue. Franklin Avenue is the main road that is an extension of New Hyde Park Road; it runs south starting at Hempstead Turnpike.

Thanks Jerry! I know that area quite well, old stomping grounds and such but had no idea at the time.

[jerrys]

Dave, I believe you live east of FS. If you have occasion to be in the neighborhood, a visit to the FS Historical Society may answer your question.

[ocjack]

Not to revive an old thread, but I noticed comments about the fire at the CCC warehouse while re-reading this thread. This is a copy of the first page of their issue #28 dated January 1976 that talks about the fire and how they will deal with damaged cards. Thought some would find it of interest. (If you want to see prices - and need a good cry -- let me know and I'll copy some of the interior pages.)

[Tere1071]

In the late 1970s, Mark Christensen, who started a mail-order business, then a store called Sports Nostalgia Shop purchased a huge amount of cards from Richard Gelman. They ranged from 1957-1975. The cards were broken down into lots ranging from 50 different to 400 different. Among all of those cards, there were some that smelled of smoke while others had an interesting warpage. On the other hand, there were many cards that were close to mint; the 400 card lots were great starter sets.

[Mark17]

I remember getting a good sized lot of 1965 high numbers from them and those cards were mint, apparently right out of vending. They had some concave curvature to them which wasn't a problem, just noticeable. The group had 25-30 Hunter rookies which I then sold to Chandy Greenholt.

Back then, a conversation would go like this:
"What condition are the cards?"
"Mint."
Are the corners sharp with no creases?"
"They came directly from Gelman."
"OK, I hear you. That means Mint."

[riggs336]

Sometimes the last series of a Topps issue just wouldn't make it to my little town. I bought the last series of 1959 Topps from Card Collector's Co. for I think $7.00. I would have said they were straight from a vending case if I'd had any idea what that meant. Still got 'em.

[Mark17]

Sometimes the last series of a Topps issue just wouldn't make it to my little town. I bought the last series of 1959 Topps from Card Collector's Co. for I think $7.00. I would have said they were straight from a vending case if I'd had any idea what that meant. Still got 'em.

Back in the day, if you got 100+ cards, or a full series, from a major dealer and the cards were mint with no wax stains, it was safe to assume they came from vending.

[jakebeckleyoldeagleeye]

I remember ordering complete Topps sets in the 70's from them and Topps and OPC hockey cards. If I knew then what I know now!

[toppcat]

Woody, circa 1977

[brianp-beme]

I believe rubber bands were invented specifically to hold together stacks of cards, such as seen with the 1975 Topps in the photo.

Brian

[rats60]

Sometimes the last series of a Topps issue just wouldn't make it to my little town. I bought the last series of 1959 Topps from Card Collector's Co. for I think $7.00. I would have said they were straight from a vending case if I'd had any idea what that meant. Still got 'em.

I bought the last series of 1967 Topps from them for about 8.00. The Seaver and Carew rookies were .10 each. The Brooks Robinson was .25.

[swarmee]

Would you say they've sold over 3 million cards in their career? ;-)

[toppcat]

Guess what this was:

[68Hawk]

Guess what this was:

5th place at the 1972 USA Topiary Games?

[2dueces]

I remember ordering from Fritch back in the day.

[toppcat]

5th place at the 1972 USA Topiary Games?

Took the bronze actually. Woody Gelman's house, i.e. CCC HQ back in the day. Updated for sure but it gives you an idea of the scale.
EDIT 8/18-right resident but after the CCC house. Oh well.

[brett 75]

That smiling picture of Gelman was what started my interest in baseball card collecting. I still have the article that goes with that picture from the magazine. I cut it up and made my own scrapbook so I don’t recall the magazine. 8 year olds don’t think about those things. Yes I also put cards in my bike to make it sound cool!
The article lists the price for a Sports Kings Ruth @$ 20- 30, and a Wagner for an astronomical price of $4000. I would have been smiling too if I had a 52 Mantle and Robinson sitting in front of me. Stuff like this is why I like being a member of Net 54 hearing the stories and learning about the hobby history from those who lived it.
Brett

[toppcat]

That smiling picture of Gelman was what started my interest in baseball card collecting. I still have the article that goes with that picture from the magazine. I cut it up and made my own scrapbook so I don’t recall the magazine. 8 year olds don’t think about those things. Yes I also put cards in my bike to make it sound cool!
The article lists the price for a Sports Kings Ruth @$ 20- 30, and a Wagner for an astronomical price of $4000. I would have been smiling too if I had a 52 Mantle and Robinson sitting in front of me. Stuff like this is why I like being a member of Net 54 hearing the stories and learning about the hobby history from those who lived it.
Brett

It was called Super Mag - check it out: http://www.thetoppsarchives.com/2020/08/woodys-angels.html

[toppcat]

Don Lepore, who actually ran the CCC operations for Woody Gelman, invited me to see the operation at the site one time. It was as one would expect, women seated at tables in front of mountains of cards filling orders. After the fire Don conducted business from an office on the main street in the village of Franklin Square, NY.

This is the earliest date I've seen Lepore formally associated with Richard Gelman, December 1978 Trader Speaks ad. That is a New Jersey phone number for him. Richard Gelman lived in Manhattan I believe and had his own successful career. Woody's widow must moved out of the house at some point, which was sold in December of 1979, close to two years after Woody's death, which might explain the office on Hempstead Tpke (also nearer to Franklin Square PO) popping up.

Richard Gelman opened the Greenwich Village Store some time in 1983. As noted here and elsewhere, his inventory was not the same by then. He had blown out a ton of vintage and rare stuff before the move in several amazing ads.