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Jeff ObermeyerBob Jaspersen was the publisher of Sport Fan from 1951-82 - it probably could be considered the longest running hobby pub ever. Of course, it wasn't published on anything even resembling a regular basis. However, Bob always had some interesting things to say in his newsletter, and he published annual collector directories in the 1950's in which a collector could purchase an ad which discussed what they collected - he then sold these for $0.50 each.
Bert Sugar is in my mind the most entertaining boxing writer ever. He also was the "editor" of all for editions of the Sports Collectors Bible, the book which really started it all as far as annual guides and checklists are concerned.
Dan Dischley was the publisher of The Trader Speaks from 1969 through the early 1980's, and it was THE monthly hobby pub during much of this time. It had great articles and tons of ads in every issue. All this while working full time as a cop. Oh yeah, did I mention that he's one of the 12 founding members of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) too?
Brain metions Renatta Galasso... good call there. In addition to her mail order business, she also put out a magazine for a while and did a bunch of reprint sents, including T206.
I included Fritsch because he is arguably the first person to ever make a living at selling sports cards in the secondary market. He also has a truly amazing collection of cards which I'm certain rivals almost anything out there (at least it did until he started having it graded by SCD and selling it). If you've only been in the hobby the last 15 years or so, it's hard to appreciate the impact Larry's mail order business had for collectors.
Kit Young is kind of the same deal - he's been around forever, has a good reputation, and was one of the guys who used to travel from city to city on buying trips long before shows were common. There's also his annual trade conference in Hawaii, which is a LOT of fun!
I certainly agree with the inclusion of Rosen - doesn't matter if you love him or hate him, he is a publicity machine and has had some huge finds. I've had the pleasure of meeting him on numerous occassions, and I've always enjoyed his company (which probably puts me in the minority).
Jeff Obermeyer