Posted By:
Hank LevyI believe that Richard Gelman belongs near the top of this list.
As the son of Woody Gelman, Topps' original art director, and owner of the Card Collectors Company for decades, before he sold out to Fritsch, I'm sure that he met all the hobby pioneers and had intimate knowledge of how many of the most popular sets in the hobby were produced. In fact he was responsible for many of the earliest reprints of sets including the T205 & T206 sets.
In the early 1970's, I was a customer of his, at a bank he ran in Flushing, N.Y., and I remember that one day he was so excited that he finally completed a small tobacco set from the early 1900's. I also seem to recall that in the early 1980's he once put up for sale a T206 Wagner in Ex/Mt condition for $25,000.
I guess it's time for me to revisit that bank, see if he is still there, and try to wrangle an invitation to see his collection.
Hank Levy