Lionel Carter was an enigma. Truly, he helped found and promote our hobby. He was a prolific, tireless writer. I loved his stuff. Extremely opinionated, as I, but his opinions were always worth reading, pondering, and carried a great deal of weight.
A pit bull of a hobby watchdog, who had long sharp teeth, and never backed down. God bless his memory.
Where he and I would intensely disagree is the commercialization of the hobby. He would still have the cards penny ante, because he bought and built his massive collection penny ante, and via constant trading. Please do walk in his shoes a mile before you castigate him, guys.
Greed did rear its ugly head, as Mr. Carter feared. However, I saw some of it as a normal progression of an adult hobby. For a while, old Ferraris were back-markers in club races. Then, something happened, and they began to appreciate in value.
Poor Vincent van Gogh. His brother was his sales agent. He tried, and tried, and tried, and tried, to sell his paintings.
He sold one.
Only near the end of poor Vincent's life did a renown art critic come out and express enthusiasm and say van Gogh's work was distinctive, important, and should very much be considered a noteworthy addition to any art conisseur's collection.
For a time, old marbles just sat in bags and boxes, essentially forgotten.
For a time, old Barbies were just old Barbies.
For a time, old comic books, beer bottles and cans, etc were just keepsakes.
Now.......jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!!!!!!!!!
Lionel Carter could not handle his hobby when the value of the cards he collected for pennies got to the point where each of them was worth more than dinner at Olive Garden. That just fried him.
Mr. Carter helped me greatly in the hobby as a late teen. I will ALWAYS be indebted to him. I will ALWAYS hold him in high esteem. I wrote respectfully in NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN of how he helped me with my collection in a major way two times in 1972-73. Those cards I am very happy to say I still own.
I just feel terrible he was not able to complete one of his life's ambitions, publishing his own book of his memoirs of serving our country in the cavalry during WWII. It was all print ready.....
Thank you, David, for printing this most significant article by Lionel of his obituary and memories of Mr. Jasperson and Mr. Barker.
---Brian Powell