Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Gordon
Paul Fusco was easily my favorite promoter. I had to prove to him that I was a vintage dealer before he would let me set up. I loved how he would walk around the room and yell at dealers to remove modern cards from their tables. His wife and daughter did a fantastic job operating that last show in April 2019. I am concerned that Leland's is going to ruin the show. Unlike Paul, they are allowing dealers to sell modern cards. In my opinion, what made this show so great and unique is that there were no modern card dealers during Paul's reign. It is a five-hour drive for me and this may be my last year attending. I can set up at a show alongside modern dealers 20 minutes from home, why drive five hours for a show that is no longer great and unique?
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Absolutely, Paul's wife Debbie is fantastic, and always a main fixture at the live auctions he was constantly putting on as well. If you ever had a chance to attend one of his live auctions, they were great. And he normally bought food and beverages to share with everyone. And he wasn't just a card/memorabilia dealer/auctioneer either. He also ran tons of antique and stamp auctions, handled art, furnishings, coins, estates, real estate, you name it and he was involved. He used to come across some real rarities from time to time. I remember one of the rarest items I'd ever seen and bid on in one of his live auctions was a complete Snap Shots candy box with all four of the W555 cards intact and in great shape. Have never heard of or seen another complete box, before or since.
And on a sort of sad note, I was at the last live sports collectibles auction he ever had, right near the end of 2018, and just a couple months before he passed away. The sad part was, at the auction he was telling us he was going to retire, and this was probably going to be his last ever regular sports collectibles auction. He said he planned on running a few more auctions in 2019, but that was going to be to finish clearing out and selling off all the stuff he had personally accumulated since 1981, when he had first gotten into the business. Sadly, he never got the chance to retire and spend more time with Debbie, his wife.
And as you said, he was not a modern card fan, and strove to make sure he continued the legacy of the guys that started the show back in 1978. There was a local Leland's rep (don't know his name, but know him on sight) that was always at the auctions and shows, and knew Paul very well. Probably a big reason Leland's was a co-sponsor of the show for many years, and why they were at the front of the line to take over the show. I have a lot of faith the show will still be vintage dominant as Leland's makes it a point on the show's website to mention this as being the longest running vintage card and memorabilia show in the US. I doubt they would intentionally want to ruin that reputation and streak. But won't be surprised if some more modern than usual stuff does turn up.
And maybe Debbie will be there so I can say hi again and see how she's been doing. Hoping for a great show.