Garages
My only experience is recounted in part in Love of Game's current and future auctions involving "the Texas Find". I am originally from St Louis but have lived in San Antonio since 1995. St Louis is a baseball town, San Antonio is not. I am a fairly serious post war collector with full Topps, Bowman and Fleer runs.
As Al C has related in his auction preview, my wife was in a church bible class and was telling a friend about a trip we were about to make to Phoenix this past March to see some spring training games with a group of fellow baseball card collectors who gather there each year. Another woman she did not know heard the conversation and related that her husband had died unexpectedly back in 2007 and left behind a "bunch" of baseball cards. She wondered if I would look at it and make some suggestions on how she could sell it.
Because she said he was a lifelong San Antonio resident I went not expecting much, but it took me. 3 days to wonder through it all. Some was well organized but because of his sudden death before retirement, much was spread out all over in boxes and suitcases. Most in a study, full to the brim with every wallfull of shelves full of cards in binders, and packed closet as well. Some was in the garage. Cards , autographed balls and photos, and publications.
A lot of stuff was post 80 and there were hundreds of older and newer minor league sets. But there was a full Bowman and Topps run and a large number of extra autographed 52 cards, including an autographed Campos black star card, some older basketball sets and a few oddball older baseball sets or partial sets.
In the end I put her in touch with a couple of folks, including Al at Love of Game, who the family ultimately chose to sell the collection. The whole event was a lot of fun. Because of the connection my wife and I developed to the family and the fact I recommended him, I can say how pleased I was with how Al Crisafulli handled the entire matter
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