Wow! I did not know this...too much sadness for one day. I was friends with Bob on facebook and was used to seeing his posts about dogs. :(

My condolences to Bruce's family and friends.


Jantz

Barry, regardless of what took place with Bruce here on the board, in private emails and PMs, as was the case with me, it is safe to say that none of us wished for Bruce's demise. I am glad to hear from some who knew him outside of Net54 that he was nothing like how he came across on the board.

Greg

+1

I only plan on making fun of Greg after he goes, all of the time. :)

RIP Bruce(s)
 

Sad to hear this new.

It's interesting that this is the first I heard of him (err...them) being a totally different person in real life. Bruce was completely misunderstood. It just goes to show how impressionable we are to everyones cyber-alter-egos. Often the slightest "tone" of an e-mail or a post can rub me the wrong way, even if the person behind the computer is the nicest person around. Glad to hear he was much different in person...I always thought he was a grumpy old man, but it sounds like he just wanted to stir the pot.

RIP Bruce(s)!

Very sad news. My thoughts and prayers to his friends and family.

RIP to both Bruce and Bob. I never traded with Bruce, but did exchange pleasant emails several times. I had several nice deals with Bob and although I didn't know him well, seemed like a really nice guy.

Andy

Well said, Barry!
 

I first met Bruce back in the 70s, when we were both young men. We were both pursuing the George C. Miller set and battled to beat each other to any R300s at the Gallagher Bros. New York shows, which attracted dealers from throughout the Northeast back in the days before Nationals. We weren't exactly friendly rivals, but we learned to co-exist and actually made a few trades over the ensuing years. I didn't realize it at the time, but Bruce was ahead of his time. His aggressiveness and narrow focus on rarity and condition went against the emphasis on collegiality and completeness that had been the hobby norm. I always respected Bruce's passion for the hobby, however, and will miss receiving his annual World's Toughest Wantlist, which he mailed me every year. RIP, compadre!
Bob Richardson

Glad to post after someone I admire in Bob Richardson.....Bruce was an interesting study. I disagreed a couple time with him and was assailed with emails that were unrepeatable here. Didn't like it but figured someone that intense had lots of issues going on. Hopefully the demons have taken a rest and the Bruce that some of you all knew is the one with the reins now. At least his last few posts were thought provoking and not napalm-like as many of the previous had been. When I read those early issues pf VCBC, I always wondered who that wantlist belonged to and after the board shenanigans, I knew! RIP Bruce....sorry to all the good men here who knew the real Bruce and mourn his passing.....

Sad to hear of Bruce's Passing
 

I'm saddened to hear of Bruce's passing. Thanks for showing the You Tube Video. It was nice to see a passionate Bruce.

Hoping Bruce has found his peace.

Patrick

I had only a handful of correspondences (phone and email) with Bruce over the years and met him once at the National. All of my interactions with him were very positive. He was surprisingly mild-mannered in person given his online persona. Few people were as passionate about baseball cards/memorabilia as Bruce. I wish all the best to his loved ones.
JimB

I started in the Hobby in the late 70,s and fondly remember Bruce from some of the Manhattan shows and the bi-monthly shows at the Golden Gate Motel in Brooklyn that I was fortunate to get paid to help set up and actually work at as a young teenager. I reconnected with Bruce about 6 years ago after he was getting bashed and I put in a good word for him and we met 3 times since then
Bruce was a great guy and I miss him.

I can say that when Bruce bought a couple pieces of my artwork, I was truly excited about it - to have my work in a collection like his was an honor.

I always enjoyed the knowledge and edginess he brought to the board - where that moron golfer punk (I forgot his name) made a fool out of himself when he would "bring the noise", I thought Bruce took his sometimes nuttiness to a classy level. The board was less fun to read and more serious during the time he was banned from posting. Perhaps it's easy for me to say that because I was never the object of his annimosity. Not only was it fun for me to laugh at his posts that rubbed others the wrong way, it was also fun to read the other members pile on him. I thought he took it as well as he gave.

Rest in peace Bruce. I will miss you.

Very sorry to hear this news. Bruce took a lot of grief because he liked to post with the first person plural "We," but I think he just did it because that's the exact same way Jefferson Burdick used to write when he wrote about the hobby.

Condolences
 

Very sad. I too enjoyed his posts.

My condolences to the families of Bruce and Bob.

My thoughts are with Bruce's family, 62 is way too young to pass and I wish them strength during this hard time.

Sad News
 

Bruce Dorskind was exceedingly helpful back in 2007 when Ann Meyerson and I were gathering artifacts for an exhibition at the Museum of the City New York,"The Glory Days: New York Baseball, 1947-1957." Rest in peace, Bruce.

john thorn

great story Corey. thanks for sharing.

My condolences to Bruce's family and friends.

I did not know Bruce personally, but the loss of any board member is a sad day.

One thing I can say for certain, is that when the physical dies, the soul does not. His journey has just begun.

Thank you Bruce, for giving us one of the funniest threads I've ever read on this board.

Sincerely, Clayton

No man is ever forgotten when he has friends. R.I.P. Bruce

Bruce Dorskind
 

I am saddened by the news of Bruce Dorskind's passing. I usually talked to him at every major card show we both attended. I found him to be very interesting, bright, and with a true passion for collecting. Though I rarely had anything off of his list- he was a pleasure to do business with on those occassions .I also enjoyed reading his diatribes on this site- as he was a master at stirring the pot......and creating discussion.

I'd like to express my sincere condolences to all of his family, friends, and collector friends on this site....

My condolences to all his friends here. Always found his posts entertaining, and his collection inspiring.

RIP Bruce. My sincere condolences to his family and friends! God Bless!

Just an update to my earlier post....

As polarizing as Bruce and his opinions were on the board it is very nice to see that so many people (myself included) who rarely post and mostly just view the boards have come out, so to speak, with nice stories and memories of Bruce. So much different in person, a true gentleman and hobby enthusiast (understatement).

It seems as though no man is afforded the luxury of knowing his true footprint of the world he walks in..... This many responses to a post regarding Bruce and pretty positive the whole way through really speaks volumes about the man.

Very shocked to hear this sad news. I had a few dealings with Bruce and he was always a man of his word. My condolences to his family.

Bruce
 

Agree with you Louis. I just read a nice article about Bruce:

http://aimgroup.com/2013/08/06/bruce...-long-illness/

...and I did not realize he played such an integral role in shaping Monster.com (job search site) into its present form. His funeral is slated for Friday. RIP Bruce...

Sad News: Bruce Dorskind
 

"My Bruce be at peace now"

Jimmy

Nice to hear that the irrascible, arrogant and elitist persona he portrayed on Net 54 was not the way he was in person.

RIP Bruces.

WOW...only 62 totally shocked. Since I started VCP from day one Bruce became a friend and he was a totally different person away from this board. Had many long talks with him on the phone. Met him a few times in person and had lunch with him last time I was in New York. He will be missed and was a great character.

Thanks for posting this Barry. I just returned tonight from a 3 week road trip and heard about Bruce's passing just prior to jumping on the computer. I met Bruce in 1984 at the Parsippany National. While he could be extreme and eccentric with some people at some times, our conversations and emails were always civil, and usually informative. Ted Zanidakis and I were just discussing the passing of many collectors recently, as well as several people missing from the recent National conventions. Bruce and Gerry Glasser are probably already debating which George Miller cards are most commonly found off center or in lesser grades. RIP Bruce

Interestingly Mark, Bruce and Gerry Glasser were very close friends. They spoke regularly for many years. Strange how it worked out for them.

Interesting article....according to the author he was a polarizing figure in the business world as well as the baseball card world.

There's a bit of a myth circulating that Bruce was quiet and soft spoken in person. Sometimes he was, but he was also loud and brash, and actually pretty driven. He was successful in business because of that drive. He could also be eccentric and odd, too. In spite of it all he was a decent soul. But behind the computer he was a different person altogether, one that was often out of control. Never quite figured out why he posted the way he did.

What kind of business was he in?

Click the link that Zach Wheat posted at #107. That will explain it better than I can.

It's a negative phenomenon of the internet - it has allowed people to split themselves in two. I'm not a card-show goer, so I met 50 or more Net54 people last week in Chicago for the first time. Almost none of them matched up with their internet personas (all being equal or much better in person). It was very weird in some cases - a couple of people who I thought were caustic bastards ended up being soft-spoken wonderful people. At this point I would encourage people to forget about the forum Bruce and remember the nice things people have related in this thread.

I wish I had met Bruce in person so that I could have re-evaluated my opinions and said something nice to him, and I hope to someday meet the handful of others on this board who fall into a similar category. I'm sure the opinions we have of each other will change.

It's true Scott. The computer has allowed us to create a new persona, one that is different from the one we use in our everyday interactions. Bruce took that to the extreme. I tried countless times to get him to tone down his comments, but admit that I failed. I didn't even come close.

I agree with Scott on his opinions meeting Net54 members in person. I, too wish I had met Bruce in person. I wish he had gone to a net54 dinner.

I suspect that if anything most people try to create a more favorable impression online than they might make in person, because it's easier to hide flaws; because one can write and respond more deliberately, etc.

I'm the same jerk in person. :)

Can we have some confirmation on that John? ha ha jes kiddin :) Dave.

I'll confirm that.

Maybe, but Chris and I were hoping to see you prove it in person - seriously, sorry we didn't get to see you at the National.

This is just my opinion and my perception from reading Bruce's past threads, but I think much of it was done to get noticed so he could fill that wantlist. If you are going to advertise on the internet, you have to stand out among the crowd, even be a bit brash. Bruce may have even learned the value of this with his experiences in recruitment advertising.

By using this posting style, and being a polarizing figure, Bruce's threads took off and the views racked up. The more people that knew about Bruce and his wantlist, the better. Sellers wouldn't care if he came across a certain way, as long as he paid.

After a quick search of the topics Bruce created, it's fairly easy to see his ulterior motive for starting many threads was finding rare cards or finding people who had these cards.

In the meantime, he did bring some entertainment to this board. It's just a bit unfortunate (for us) that he did not share the same amount of knowledge here on this forum that he seemingly shared with so many in person.

Hopefully he is at peace now.

I disagree. One, let's be honest, very few people on this Board, much less anywhere, have the sort of material Bruce was looking for. Second, if your objective is to maximize your odds of finding what you want, alienating people and getting repeatedly tossed is not a rational way to accomplish that goal. We may never know what motivated Bruce to convey the internet persona that he did -- apparently in contrast to his much more likeable in person side. But I doubt it was rationally calculated to further his collecting goals.

I didn't get to meet the wonderful Brucii that folks are talking about here. What I got were really vile emails, to which I ultimately responded in kind.

I guess that whoever is in charge of sending souls where they need to go will get it figured out. Wherever he goes, I hope he gets the karma to which he is entitled.

Barry- did you realize that article had a link back to this thread you created? interesting, they are using this thread to demonstrate how big of a collector he was.

As i mentioned earlier- RIP Bruce.

Wow, a strange loop! I might send a link to Doug Hofstadter.

I am a johnny come lately, so my opinion doesn't cast much weight. In the few months I've been here I found his posts repulsive. I am learning that many more collectors saw him in a different light. Fine with me. I am sorry for his early demise and wish him eternal happiness in heaven. I still thought his posts were extremely rude and argumentative. Insecure attention seeker.

I, too, never met the Bruce described by many here.

I did, however, receive a lovely email, detailing Bruce's wish to sodomize my wife, while my son watched.
I think he's already received the karma to which he was entitled.

TRUE!!!! Wouldn't have it any other way. Hobby needs more "characters" like John, keeps things interesting and fun.

I agree with Peter. Collecting is in good part a networking activity; you are only as good as your network of contacts and friends when it comes to tracking down items outside public sales. I had some items that matched some of the call-outs on the group's want list but 'they' were the last persons I'd ever have offered them to. I don't believe it is ever good marketing to associate your name with bad behavior. OJ Simpson got lots of publicity; I don't think it was to his benefit. Mussolini was world famous for all the wrong reasons. Now, am I saying the Brucii were equivalent to a murderer or a dictator? Obviously not. But to a large segment of the card collecting populace he was "that dick on N54 who refers to himself as 'we' and sends nasty emails to people." Not the epitaph I'd choose. A former boss/mentor once told me that it doesn't cost any more to be nice to people than to be a jerk.

Well, the funny thing about "America's Toughest Want List", in my opinion, was it really wasn't a want list at all. I can't tell you how many times I had something from the list that I offered him privately, and he passed; or had something in one of my auctions and he never placed a bid. In fact many of the items he wanted never even existed. For example, if the highest ever graded T208 was a PSA 5, Bruce would ask for "T208 in PSA 6 or better." I think at the end of the day that want list was there because he loved to be the center of attention.

Sure, he did put together a very nice collection, but probably did so the old fashioned way- bidding in auction like everyone else. The number of items he got from that want list were likely very few. But it did make him feel important, and that's what I think it was about. Bruce was Bruce, what can I say.

The key item on "America's Toughest Want List" was this:

Bruce desperately wanted to be one of the "Masters of the Universe" he so idolized.

He never got that one, either.

There was no excuse for his behavior like this disgusting email, which seemed to happen a lot around here from what I recall. I am surprised he has so many apologists.

I wanted to meet John (Wonka) at the National, but a friend of his said he didn't go. :(

I've tried my whole life to treat the people I meet, whether online, or in person, with dignity and respect. I don't judge a person until I have had a chance to hear what they say, but clearly how you act online is a part of who you are.

Whatever might have happened in the past should be left there. Bruce's family and friends will be upset by his passing, and we should be mindful of their feelings.

Speaking of Adrian, a quick check of his ebay ID reveals some big dollar purchases over the past month, none of which appear yet in his feedback.

Item Start End Price Title High Bidder Seller
111043622300 Mar-31-13 Jul-14-13 21:50:48 US $5,950.00 1921 E121 American Caramel Babe Ruth Series of 80 PSA 2 Good Purchased on:
Jul-14-13 21:50:48
See All Buyers jwilson6204

350835724455 Jul-16-13 Jul-20-13 21:19:54 US $1,100.00 1926 W512 Babe Ruth #6 SGC Authentic HS49 Purchased on:
Jul-20-13 21:19:54
See All Buyers tbh39

350825834776 Jul-01-13 Jul-20-13 21:20:14 US $1,000.00 1921 W551 Babe Ruth Hand Cut PSA Authentic LG5 Purchased on:
Jul-20-13 21:20:14
See All Buyers tbh39

380680002035 Jul-16-13 Jul-21-13 11:50:14 US $875.00 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron Rookie PSA 4 VG-EX 18633 Purchased on:
Jul-21-13 11:50:14
See All Buyers cookiemonster501

370859317776 Jul-21-13 Jul-24-13 07:57:37 US $2,649.99 1948 Bowman Basketball George Mikan Rookie Card PSA 5 1952toppsmantle (*) vintagerookies

310711889160 Jul-24-13 Jul-24-13 15:57:55 US $1,800.00 1984 Star Basketball Michael Jordan Rookie Card BGS 8 1952toppsmantle (*) vintagerookies


321178163290 Aug-02-13 Aug-05-13 11:17:43 US $7,500.00 1888 N403 Yum Yum Tobacco: CAP ANSON SGC Auth (tr & partially skinned) Purchased on:
Aug-05-13 11:17:43
See All Buyers the_coop

/shake shake shake, "magic 8 ball, will all those high dollar items be paid for?"

"Not a chance."

Wow. That's heavy.

At the end of the day, Bruce was contemptuous of ordinary collectors and far, far worse, responded to criticism in the vilest terms. Notwithstanding his personal charm and contribution to the hobby, he is not someone I would have wished to call a friend.

May he rest in peace.

There's no explanation or excuse for his board-related behavior and sadly that's his legacy to most collectors.

I've received plenty of vile emails from forum members who are still living. I didn't save them, and if I outlive any of them you won't hear anything about it. It's sad that some people feel the need to win internet arguments through attrition.

I wonder why! :)

Give up David. I'm not dead yet.

Don't worry. It comes to us all.

I'm sure Bruce is smiling wherever he is now that this thread has gone negative. :D

"The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones."

"Bruce the Cleanser"

I don't know. Barry made a good effort and I think most of us took something positive away from the interaction in this thread. I will still buy David a beer when we someday meet. I have to believe he's generally smiling when he types this stuff.

You're on, Scott. Perhaps next summer in Cleveland.

And I will buy you one too my friend. :) Dave. (Guiness, perhaps?)

Never met Bruce but he did tell me in an email or a post (can't remember) that I was not worthy of scrubbing his toilets. I loved it. I feel Bruce talked the talk because he had what I call "The bravery of being out of range." I feel he would never say anything in person to anyone he had a disagreement with because he was a gutless turd. RIP Bruce.

Looking for 1988 Donruss PSA 4 or higher.

Eric Miller

Comparing Bruce and Adrian is an apples to oranges proposition, in my humble opinion.

Just my two cents.

Best Regards,

Eric

What I find frustrating is that it seems that a lot of people here got hate emails from Bruce, but he never sent me one hate mail. Was I not important enough?

In fact, I have never received a hate mail from anyone on this board in spite of the fact that I tease people relentlessly. What am I doing wrong?

Not a single person on the entire board has said that they'd like to sodomize my wife. I'm not married, but if I were, I'd imagine there'd be a few people who ought to be interested.

Maybe it is a case of "be careful what you wish for". But I am just trying to stay relevant here... where's a good insult when you need one? Somebody help me out here!

Eric, there are plenty here who agree with you, but...

These 'out of range' internet guys do actually meet up with their nemeses from time to time. It is almost always a friendly event. The rare occasions when the two meet face-to-face and both still desire to carry their internet battle into reality, are very sad. I've only heard of three cases where it happened and two of the three involved jail-time. Those two were both at conventions. Happily for our hobby, one of them was a different hobby, but the internet venom was just as potent. On the third occasion one of the two would not bite. The event was caught on film and and has entertained others in the hobby (not ours) for over a year, much to the embarrassment of the guy with too much testosterone.

Based on what those who knew Bruce in person have said here (and I have plenty of respect for all of them), I'm guessing he would have been friendly in person, even if you were on the bad end of his internet persona.

I like to think of Bruce as the Howard Cosell of Net54. I never met the man but his death made me sad; yet, I can't honestly say that I will miss his posts. Wherever he is now, I am sure he is at peace.

Will you look at that, we are closing in on 11,000+ views. I've easily been responsible for at least twenty. Just for grins, I looked up the page views on Joe Pelaez Ne54 death thread = 6,105 (views)...............Lionel Carter's death thread = "365" (views).

The sheer number of views and comments in this thread, probably reveals something about us. What that is I am not sure, but if old Bruci's online persona had not been so mean & controversial, this thread would not be hovering around 11,000+ views.

Lovely Day...

Scott,

Thank you very much for your reply to my post. It is truly appreciated. I value your opinion quite highly, and find a great deal of sense in what you say.

As it pertains to Bruce, I share the respect you have for those who have weighed in with positive comments on his behalf. Especially considering his recent passing, I think we all (that means everyone here on Net54) should focus on the positives, as it pertains to Mr. Dorskind.

Although I, like you, did not have a history of personal interactions with him, his reputation (the good and the bad) preceded him. All things considered, I believe that his contributions were beneficial...and that counts for quite a bit, in my opinion. He may not have been Jefferson Burdick; however, he gave immeasurably more to our hobby than Adrian; which was the only point I was trying to make.

As for the occasions when Internet rivals meet, face-to-face, Bruce and Adrian will obviously never meet again...if they ever did before.

I sincerely hope this finds you well.

Best Regards,

Eric

Eric72, I believe Scott was responding to Ejm1 (also named Eric), not you. Thus, the quote about "out of range" from that post.