Two Influential Dons
 

Don Steinbach was extremely important to how I collected. At the early "Nationals" I would ask him question after question and he always enjoyed answering them. The best thing he stressed was to gain as much information as possible! Watch auctions, read collectible magazines and listen.
We talked about dealers who had $5.00 items and wanted $500.00 for them! Others had $500.00 items and wanted $5.00 for them. That's how I make my living he told me.
Don B*****r, a very early table holder at the "National" from Atlanta, was the most knowledgeable person in collectibles that I ever met. He wasn't your typical dealer. He didn't haggle over prices. Pay his price or walk away. Didn't matter to him! He had typed lists of what he had for sale. He put those on his table. He didn't put the cards out! He put junk rubber banded cards on the rest of the table. Those that read his list went home happy! Most people just walked away! Don and I got along great and shared tables at the "National" for many years. Those that know Don will know what I am talking about.
Sam Majors

I know what you mean. I started focusing on centering more after seeing MattyC's stuff, but have picked up a few cards from Jeff and Brady as well. It makes such a difference. I end up passing on a lot of cards but it's nice when you finally track a centered card down.

I got back into vintage a few years before the internet, so for me it was the guys who owned card shops in downtown Boston -- Peter Leventhal and Kenny Tong (RIP) -- and the guy who had the best vintage at local shows and an early PSA guy, Peter Lalos.

I suppose an early neighborhood friend who got me interested in cards would be the #1 influencer. He and his brother moved into my neighborhood around 1977-78. They both had card collections and I am pretty sure it was them that got me spending my allowance on cards in general. In those days, I tried just about anything that came in a wax pack. I don't think either continued to collect must past those early days, but I am not sure. By the time I moved away in 1982, I was completely hooked on cards.

Most of my early buying was from retail stores. The Lynnwood Center store on Bainbridge Island, WA, where I formed my early collecting interests, was where I would buy most of my new packs of cards, candy and even some of those RC Cola baseball cans.

I didn't much venture into card shops early on, but somehow discovered the mail order catalogs of TCMA and Renata Galasso, probably from those Baseball Magazines they used to publish in the 70s/80s. I began to receive those catalogs and spent a lot of time looking through them, imagining what I would buy, sadly I never bought too much. I remember buying a bunch of those TCMA all time sets and those HOF postcards. I did start buying the 3 main brands of complete sets in 1981, I believe mostly from Renata's company. I continued that each year until leaving for the Navy in 1987. I remember a few others that I bought from through the mail, like Paul Marchant and Stan Martucci.

Besides a rare trip into Seattle to the Pike Place Market and a few neat old shops that sold cards, an early card store that I eagerly visited as often as my parents would take me, was Pacific Trading Cards in Edmonds, WA, owned by Michael Cramer. I don't remember if I interacted with Cramer himself or not. This would have been the early to mid 80s. I suppose he was probably there some of the time. They had catalogs I used to get and every once in a while, they would mail some neat postcards advertising a sale or a signing. I met Bob Feller at one such signing as a teen. His shop is what shaped my mind as to what a card shop was like. Like anything, I wish I had had more opportunity to visit (His shop was on the way to my sisters house, who we only visited a few times per year) and that I would have bought more stuff, like those X's out 1984 Topps football boxes he was blowing out for $5 each (but I was mostly a baseball collector, so I only grabbed a couple)!

Lastly, I had all but quit collecting cards while I was in the Navy. About a year before I was due to separate, a shipmate of mine and I got to talking about cards for some reason and he ended up showing me what he had been buying. I had stopped mostly around 1988-89 and it was now 1993. The cards he had were nothing like what I had collected before. They were shiny and used foils and such. They were much fancier. I ended up going to one of the stores with him and got myself hooked back into it immediately, buying boxes or cards from the years I had missed. I got back home in late 93 and started buying cards, hitting local shops and attending local shows with most of my free time.

In 1997, I was nearing the end of my college time and discovered the world of online card dealing. Beckett, message boards and then in early 1998, eBay. I have never looked back since.

Great stories and recollections, guys.

My biggest early influence would definitely be my Mom. Although my Dad was the bread winner in the family, he'd give my Mom a set allowance for clothes, food, and the basic necessities for the house. My Mom was sure to give me a few bucks per week to spend on baseball cards, provided I was sure to bring her back a couple Three Musketeers bars in return.

Thanks goodness my Mom liked chocolate.

For me, Aaron Seefeldt was a huge influence. Until we met, I had no idea the nuances of the hobby. I instantly fell in love with rare backs and pre war HOFs. I owe my love of the hobby to him and I am forever grateful. Thank you Aaron!

Dan Kravitz

All three of the Halls from Halls Nostalgia.

I moved to Arlington in late 77, and asked a couple kids about older cards. Discovered there was a full time shop right in town!

So I went, and started hanging out there after school maybe 2-3 days a week. They'd occasionally set stuff aside for me, usually totally wrecked stuff at amazing prices. Beckley T206 with a huge tear and tape, but only 20 cents. A Sweet Caporal pin, also badly damaged, but free. I did sorting/set collating for them in 78 and 79, and the damaged stuff cheap got me buying older stuff. Of course, I had widely varied interests and decided against buying some stuff, but did buy other stuff. (Wish I'd gone for even one of the 33 Ruths they handed me saying "you should buy this, it's $X " )

Being there so much I got a few early chances at collections that came in. Got a few poor R300s once, I'd just read the book of lists that had them as some of the rarest cards and a small collection of beaters had a few - actually had to call mom to bring me the money for them.
Another time someone brought in a huge box of RC cola cans and asked if they were interested. They said no but that kid is and pointed me out. So I got most of both sets plus a bunch of the football ones for $6....Another call to mom...Hi mom, I'm at halls and - "do you need money AGAIN?! - No, just a ride for me and a big box of cans.

Come to think of it, Mom put up with a lot of collecting, so I think she's got to be on the list too.

Thanks Chris and Jesse. Always a genuine pleasure talking cards with you guys.

My mom got me into baseball. My cousin got me into cards. So I thank them for helping me find the hobby I have enjoyed so much since boyhood.

My brother, Greg/GregC, and Joe T/Vintageclout really influenced my collecting philosophy of overall eye appeal being the North Star. Joe was also a tremendous guide into the PreWar space, always gracious with his time and vast knowledge. Sean Bassik has been a clutch voice of fiscal reason, reins me in, and makes it so easy when I needed to liquidate cards to obtain another.

Geez
 

I’ll say it if no one else will

Net54

My father didn’t give a damn about cards or baseball.

My mother threw out my childhood collection from the fifties.

My cousin who might have been a positive influence died prematurely.

My wallet tells me that a host of dealers had a negative impact.

Leon, if I’m wrong about the positive impact of this site, I gather that everyone who posted above me in this thread disagrees with me, since Net54 hasn’t been mentioned once.:eek:

this. except my mom threw out my childhood collection from the '80's. I'm still thanking her.