Come on Jim, you are only 78. You have 20 more left in you easy.

Rog that but by then I will have forgotten why I have all this stuff!!

We lost a great collector this week. My Dad passed away on Tuesday 3 months after his 95th birthday. He was a huge Detroit Tiger collector especially Al Kaline. He was a WW ll vet and a great American. I loved our trips to the National Convention and his last one was in Chicago in 2017. I took him to the Net 54 reception in his wheelchair and he had a blast meeting some of the members. He collected right up to the very end as we sat on his bed and looked at cards on the day before he passed. What a great hobby we have that brings a bond between a dad and his two sons. Godspeed Dad, going to the National next year wont be the same. So if you see a 57 year old guy walking around the National with tears in his eyes please stop and introduce yourself. Thanks!

So sorry to hear about your dad but, pleasant memories are there, and that is important.

So sorry for your loss. While there is bitter pain in losing your Dad I am absolutely sure you know how lucky you are to have had him with you so long and him be such a great influence in your life. And that he got some joy from attending a Net54 dinner makes me happy too. And if you were here right now you would see another 57 yrs old guy shed a tear for your dad. May he rest in peace and happy collecting.

Sorry to hear about your loss, Mike.

Your Father sounds like he was a great man!

Hey Mike,
I am really sorry. I hope you feel truly blessed and thankful that your dad lived to be 95, which means you got to spend a great deal more time with him than many, if not all, of us got to spend with our own fathers. That is really a huge gift.
Hang in there.

--elm

Attachment 350957I bought a lot in a recent auction that had a number of older hobby magazines etc. I was going through the box and almost fell out of my chair. My Dad is on the front of the Sport Hobbyist magazine from 1975 along with Gates Brown. I remember going to that show and getting Gates autograph. My Dad passed away last November and I will tell you that photo brought back a ton of great memories and a few tears as well. Four days after that box of magazines arrived I lost my second biggest supporter of my collection as my Mom passed away on April 13th. I can’t thank them enough for all of the encouragement they provided in my collecting pursuits.

Bill Latzko for sure!

There hasn’t been a post here in awhile so I thought I would revive it. Major influences from some of the “ hobby pioneers “. Earlier this year I won a lot of 138 different (1970-1983) Trader Speaks magazines from REA. I previously had read those magazines as a young collector along with SCD and after hauling them all over the country decided to throw them all away in the trash in the early 90’s. In the batch from REA there were a number of the issues that were addressed to Lionel Carter and John Stommen that must have come from their personal collection. For whatever reason I have been buying up older hobby publications and having a blast reading through them. Also, a big shout out to Dan Dischley for keeping the Trader Speaks running as long as he did and Leon for keeping this forum moving forward!! Who are your big influences in the hobby?

Steve Mitchell, Buck Barker and Dick Dobbins, Mark Macrae later on.

My great great uncle played ball dor the 1921 Yankees as their center fielder in the 1921 World Series so it was in my blood. Also I was a victim of the 1969 Cubs heartbreak that made me a lifetime fan or the Cubbies. Had to have cards of my idols growing up. In the 2000’s went to Cubs camp for 5 times and know many of the retired Cubs personally. Went to Lee Smiths induction into the 2019 class furthering my Cub extravaganza. That is how I got into and continue into collecting.

I really enjoyed reading through this thread. Always nice seeing stories like this.

My Dad, for getting me started first and foremost. Mostly Junk Wax and Modern Stuff at the time, then eventually into vintage. Telling me stories about who put what cards in their Bike Spokes growing up. Taking me to shows early on, starting off a very small vintage collection. Centered around Mickey Mantle, Carl Yazstremski, Willie Mays, guys he grew up seeing. Baseball is what connects us, I think I took appreciation of the hobby a little bit further than him because I'm a big history buff but he got me started.

This entire forum has been a positive impact on my collection, I've had some great interactions and transactions with all different people on here. I'm looking forward to making more, I guess you can say it's a positive impact on my collection but a negative impact on my wallet!

Specifically dealers, I would probably have to say George Mollyn and Ted Zanidakas. Ted I don't believe I purchased anything from you in the past, but you've been very helpful to me, never hesitating to answer an email. Ted also confirmed the fact that It was George I purchased from many years ago. George was very kind to a young kid and had no problem explaining the ins and outs of the cards I was asking about. I remember that interaction fondly.

I've seen some of the good things and bad things about this hobby, I can safely say though I've spoken to and met some great people. I'm looking forward to collecting for a long time, and hopefully passing it along to my children when I settle down.

Huge shout out to
 

Mark Macrae-

Probably the nicest guy I've ever met in the hobby, a fountain of knowledge that is super personable, and combines all of the passions of a long-time collector with the sensibilities of a fan and a dealer :). I've purchased so much from him over the years, and feel like I've learned so many things about the PCL and Zeenuts in particular by asking and learning - largely starting a little over a decade ago when our family moved from the East Coast out to the best coast. It's been a love affair of all things PCL since, from the stories to the players, and especially the cards. I am so thankful for everything Mark has taught me over the years.

And helping me find a few neat pieces, too :)

Bill Latzko: smart, honest and fair.

TedZ
 

Ted Z made me a 1949 Bowman fanatic.

Mark Macrae
 

I agree with this. Mark is great to deal with and has a lot of cool stuff and is very patient with buyers like me.

Terry Knouse

Bill Brodhead for all his T206 knowledge & good deals.

Biggest influence in my collecting was the Strongsville Holiday Inn Sportscard Show in Cleveland. I remember going to the shows in the 80s through the late 90s and being overwhelmed by the volume of different sets back then. Nothing like the shiny stuff now. I decided that rather than building sets, I would collect exclusively vintage Cleveland Indians/Naps.

I have had three major influences in my collecting life. First, it was my mother who took me to my first show in 1973 and never complained about my spending money on my cards while I lived at home and for giving me money twice to make major purchases.

There was a gentleman by the name of Wes Schleiger of Wes's Hall of Fame. At age 14 he took me under his wing and pretty much taught me the hobby. He gave me a job helping him sell at our monthly baseball card shows and at the conventions. I never made a lot of money working for Wes, but just the experience of being around all of those baseball cards. To this day, I was blessed by his acquaintance.

Finally, this gentleman has been forgotten in the hobby, but he was one of the big dealers of the late-70s and early-80s: Mark Christensen. If you have the first printing of the Becket Baseball Guide you'll see his buy ad. Mark wasn't into baseball and we gave him grief for that, but he hired me to help him with mail-order business and then with his store. At times the relationship was contentious, but he trusted me and I had the joy of working at several of his locations full-time until I left to go into teaching. A few bad breaks finally ended his sports collectibles business, but if he ever sees these words I thank him from the bottom of my heart for that opportunity.

Influence
 

My Mom was my biggest influence. She was a Detroit tigers fan and watched the games up until the day she died. I would go to the grocery store with her and she would let me pick out the Post cereal boxes. I could look at the backs and get the cards I needed. She also ate Raisin Bran which had some of the tougher cards. When I sold my collection (Topps 1955 to 1984) to buy a house with my 2nd wife, I kept the Post Cereal cards and restarted collecting later on.

That being said, I have met many great dealers and collectors along the way. Chuck Brooks, Lloyd and Carol Toerpe, John Stommen, Denny Eckes, Kevin Savage, Dr. McAvoy, Mark Smith, Johnny Hustle and JD Heckathorn. I have had a great many good experiences throughout my years as a collector.

With Thanksgiving here tomorrow….
 

Thought I would throw this thread back out. I would add Danny Phillips and “Hockey” Greg to my list. Both great guys and really knowledgeable collectors.

I see I responded in this thread 5 years ago, but this post is still accurate today. I haven't talked to Bob in quite a while but Matt and I have become good friends through collecting and have very similar tastes and interests. He completely changed the way I look at cards. Many do the same thing these days, but my ideal card may be lower grade than some would consider, but with centering and overall eye appeal that transcend the grade.

I should add that as for dealers, I've probably bought more cards from Don, of Don's cards, than anyone else. Including one today. He has certainly had a very positive impact on my collection, as have Brady and Jeff who were mentioned earlier, and Sean Bassik.

I would have to tip my cap to Lew Lipset, When I re-entered the wonderful world of baseball cards and bought a few cards from him, we became friendly. He really drew me into pre-war, since i was a Topps and Bowman 50's guy, and provided me with much helpful advise how to set up and run a proper retail dealership, which became full Count for those who remember it. He also advised me who to watch out for.
I still use his books as a reference tool.
Lost contact with Lew. Hope he is doing well.

+1 for THEE Old Judge, Jay Miller

I got into collecting Old Judge and other 19th century cards about 2 years ago...

I was researching Net54 one day and came across a post of his and reached out blindly not sure if I'd even get a response. When he did, I was ecstatic to see some of the impossible to find treasures he made available to me. But honestly what stood out more was how responsive he was to what I'm sure felt like some very basic questions at the time.

Jay is a tough SOB when it comes to negotiating ("ok...go buy the other one"...he says about cards with zero public sales ever haha) but a really good dude that helped me build a collection I absolutely cherish.

Thankful for you buddy.

Looking forward to finally meeting in person one of these days!

Happy Turkey Day all!

It's funny looking back on this thread.

In the time that I last posted, I hadn't had the opportunity to buy from Ted, and I fixed that at the Philly Show. Bought a very nice 1950 Bowman Phil Rizzuto.

Ted's great. Especially in person. Very pleasant, extremely knowledgeable, happy to talk cards, great deals, etc. He actually sold me the Hindu back Powers with the purple number back stamp in my avatar many years ago. It's the only Hindu I've ever seen with that stamp by the way. And he gave me a great deal on it.

I would say over the last 20+ years I've been collecting and learning about prewar cards, Ted has been an influence on me as well. Even if he doesn't know me that well. ;)




.

individual dealers from my beginings
 

Josh Evans and Rob Lifson with a nod to Mike Aaronson

Love of the Game
 

My parents instilled a love of baseball for me. Growing up, family time consisted of watching the Texas Rangers games while doing any activity. We may not have been fully invested in the game, but it was always a part of our night.

As far as cards go, ever since getting back into the hobby since August of last year, the Net54 community has been invaluable into my card knowledge, pre-war history, and helped fuel the card fire!

I've also been super grateful for folks like Mike Moynihan and the Benchclear media team for helping me understand general hobby knowledge. Being local, Mike was kind enough to meet me for lunch and let me pick his brain. I can't get enough of the vintage card YouTubers... amazing resources.

Thanks Net54 crew- hope everyone has had a great thanksgiving!

Matt

My wife. She doesn’t “get” the hobby, but she is supportive.