RIP Dave Bailey
 

I am saddened to say that we have lost another hobby friend & figure, Dave Bailey. Dave emerged into the sports industry around metro-Detroit in the early 1990’s, and to say that he dealt in anything, is an understatement. The art of the deal was redefined by Dave, and he was always making people laugh with his charismatic personality. In addition to dealing in sports cards & memorabilia, Dave loved working with professional athletes & entertainers, getting them lined up for autograph sessions, or other marketing opportunities. Dave’s biggest accomplishment was merging his love for sports cards & athletes, getting Dmitri Young hooked on obtaining the “Best of the Best” for baseball rookie cards, and it is well documented on the magnitude & significance of Dmitri’s collection that Dave orchestrated.

Dave will be sorely missed by all who knew & dealt with him, and there is no way we could ever forget you. Our prayers go out to his family for comfort during this time.

RIP my friend -

Bryan Dec


The first photo is Dave with Kevin Savage & myself in Hawaii (1997)

Saddened to hear of this, Bryan. I never knew him but he sounds (and looks) like he was a charasmatic and spirited hobbyist. It is always sad to lose a good guy. RIP Dave...

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I didn't know him either. I agree with Leon, "It is always sad to lose a good guy".

Dimitri Young
 

Beyond that, Dmitri said that his plan is to continue to work on the collection for many more years and then turn it over to his children, 11-year old Owen, 9-year old Damon and 6-year old Layla. "I will ultimately pass it on to my kids – when they turn 30 – because if I give it to them when they turn 21, they'll turn it into beer money," Dmitri said with a laugh. "I don't want them to have it until they fully understand what it is and how rare it is. Today, they have no understanding of its worth in dollars and cents but what they do understand is what the collection means to me personally and sentimentally. Believe me, they do know what it means to me. I sit with them and I explain the cards and talk about the players. They know how passionate I am about these cards."

Funny how everyone is basically the same. Article was in 2010. Dimitri says was giving his cards to his kids...only 2 years later sells them off. The article shows how Dave Bailey was helping him with the collection.

Remember Dave quite well from the show circuit of the 1990's/2000's. Sorry to hear of his passing.

RIP Dave.......prayers to his family and friends....

Sorry to hear of his passing. I will say a prayer for his family and friends.

Many great memories of Dave from through the years. He always came up with one-liners that were incredibly funny and I'm really sorry to see this about his passing. RIP Dave Bailey.

Sorry to hear it, and condolences to his family and those of you who knew him.

Sorry to hear of Dave Bailey's passing, we will be praying for family and friends, thanks for making us aware Bryan. RIP.

Rest in Peace buddy
 

Dave Bailey was one of the more interesting personalities I have ever known in this business. He was very funny and had a golden tongue. He could talk his way into about anything and everything. He probably should have been a standup comic- but who knows why we all end up doing what we do for a living...

I met him in the 1990's at a Tri Star Show in San Francisco. He approached my booth- introduced himself- said he wanted to get to know me- and within an hour, we were buying a deal together. ( I recall calling my wife from that show- and telling her that I wasn't really sure what happened there...) He was like "raw material that needed some refining"- who initially really didn't know the stuff-and had very little formal education (He would often say "I ain't much for book learnin"...). Dave DID have a ton of street smarts- a keen memory- and could read people and situations- and ultimately could get business done. I have only ever taught 4 people how to write a check( I have 3 kids)- and Dave was the other one(that was after we got him a checkbook...). In the early days- He needed mentoring- and there were a few of us that kind of took him under our wing- and traded industry knowledge for lots of laughs- and some profits.

We did a lot of business in the 1990's until about 2010. He only lived about an hour from my home base - and he always said I was good at figuring the deals- and he was very good at negotiating. He would throw odd things in on deals to get them done (like pizzas, tickets to games, and even jewelry....).
Some of the stories are legendary.....

Unfortunately his poor health got the best of him over the last 10 years or so- and made it difficult to conduct business. Ultimately- this led to his untimely death yesterday.

Dave was a true friend, absolutely hilarious, and underneath all of his brash comedic personality - a guy who had a good heart - and a gentle soul. I will always remember him as a talented guy who achieved a great deal- and made this world a funnier place for anyone he met.

Rest in Peace Big Guy,

Kevin Savage

Kevin said it better than I ever could. Dave was a really fun guy to be set up next to at shows. You would certainly be entertained all weekend by stories, jokes, and antics. Sleep in the stars my friend.

I always enjoyed talking to Dave when I was with Beckett, he was always a fountain of information of which almost none I could actually write down and use for corporate purposes but great background on whom I needed to chat with.

When I saw that mention on FB yesterday, I did not know what to say but seeing these stories reminded much better of him and his bubbly personality

RIP Dave

Rich

Before this thread gets buried I would like to give a public shout out to Kevin Bronson and Bryan Dec, two guys that had been there for Dave over the years. These guys, along with Dave's brother Jason, exhibited friendship and compassion while looking out for the big guy when he needed a hand. Thanks to all of those who handle life when there is a need.