The death this afternoon of Barry Halper, 65

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Posted By: Josh Evans

I have just learned of the death this afternoon of Barry Halper, 65, a great
friend, a great person, and probably the world's foremost collector -
before it become so popular - of baseball memorabilia. He had a joy for the game
like few others, and for 20 years, joined Bill Madden and myself for an
annual "Hot Stove League" dinner after the World Series to officially wrap up the
season with a night of baseball talk.

Barry was a great benefactor of the burn center at St. Barnabus Hospital in
his 'hometown' of Livingston, NJ, although he and Sharon had moved to New
Vernon NJ a couple of years ago. There was a great birthday party for him there
last December, with Yogi and Scooter and lots of friends, which turned out to
be, unknowingly, a farewell. He became ill from complications of diabetes
not long after and spent most of 2005 in the hospital and at home, with a poor
quality of life.

The auction of The Barry Halper Collection at Sotheby's in 1999 was national
news, and a portion of his great collection landed in the Baseball Hall of
Fame, with a special room bearing his name.

Joe DiMaggio spent many a night watching TV at Barry and Sharon's home, and
scores of players and baseball officials visited his great collection over the
years. Barry never tired of telling stories of how he came to obtain such
interesting material.

I understand from Bobby Murcer that there will be a funeral at a synogogue
in Livingston on Tuesday at 11 am, and while this is too soon to know what the
family wishes, I am sure that he would have wanted contributions to the burn
center at St. Barnabus or to B.A.T. But this is rather a 'bulletin' email,
so don't mark any of these particulars in stone just yet.






Marty Appel Public Relations

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Posted By: .

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Posted By: pete ullman

how sad. I've known of him since I was a child and was somewhat bewildered when he sold his collection. I guess I didn't realize he had health issues. He was quite a collector and a very nice man I understand. He will be missed!

pete in st paul

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Posted By: barrysloate

This is truly sad news, and it touches me personally. I, along with Rob Lifson, Don Lepore, and many others, catalogued Barry's collection for Sotheby's during most of 1999. Barry was always proud of my strong interest in 19th century baseball and encouraged me to continue studying the early game. It was the only opportunity I ever got to interact with him personally. He was very passionate about the game of baseball and it is hard to imagine a more dedicated collector. I send his entire family my condolences and know how much he will be missed.

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Posted By: Daniel Bretta

RIP Barry.

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Posted By: leonl

I didn't know Mr.Halper but I sure knew of him. He will be missed in the hobby. I am proud to have a few minor pieces of his collection in mine. They take on a more special meaning today. Everything I have ever heard of Barry has been positive. May he rest in peace.

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Posted By: Jimmy Leiderman

A sad day for the hobby community...
Rest In Peace, Barry.

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Posted By: Alan Zimmerman

thoughts and prayers...

there is some comfort in knowing that barry halper's legacy will live on through the hall of fame exhibit and through the numerous pieces that now reside in private collections. a true pioneer of the hobby, he will be missed.

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

think I'll give it a look now. Thanks for everything, Barry.

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Posted By: Bob C

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
I never Knew him but I knew of him.

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Posted By: Dan Koteles

We can all thank Mr. Halper for enlightening us
with his collection. Alot of joy came to us
through him.

Our prayers be with the Halpers during the holidays
and always.

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Posted By: Anonymous

May all true fans prayers be with him!

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Posted By: Danny Cariseo

As a young collector, I sent Barry a "fan letter of sorts" and in return, was a phone call. We chatted for several minutes and I always pictured in his basement a bunch of old ball players sitting around that he had to get to so I didn't want to take up much of his time.

I tried to emmulate his collection as best as I could on a budget (I was working at McDonald's at the time) as I memorized the famous Cabin Fever tape, concentrating on the unique story of a young collector in Halper approaching the aging Cy Young with Young's pipe falling from his mouth and Halper asking for it and getting the legend to sign it. I'm proud to say that I own that pipe and is the centerpiece of my collection.

After the famous auction, we kept in touch after an interview I did with him. He shaped me as a collector and was truly one of the kindest men that this business (in the old days, would have said "hobby") has ever seen and you could say was ahead of his time in a collecting manner. I'm simply sad that I never tried to catch up to him over the last couple years.

I am better off in life having known Barry as little as I did.
My heart and prayers go out to the Halper family.

Regards,

DC

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Posted By: Josh Evans

He passed away at St. Barnabas in Livingston this afternoon. He had turned
66 earlier this month. He weas admitted to the hospital a couple of days ago
suffering from pneumonia.

Funeral will be Tuesday, 11 am, B'Nai Jeshurun, 1025 S. Orange Ave, Short
Hills, NJ.

The family will be sitting shiva at Barry and Sharon's home, 33 Kennedy
Lane, New Vernon NJ, on Tuesday evening, Wedneday all day and evening, Thursday
day and evening, and Friday until 2 pm.

Marty Appel Public Relations

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Posted By: jay behrens

Very sad and shocked to see this. I was lucky enough to meet Barry and see a portion of his collection in person.

He may no longer be with us physically, but he has a left a mark on me, and that last a lifetime and he has left his mark on the hobby that will last forever.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: Howard W. Rosenberg

Barry was one of the nicest people I encountered while doing the bulk of the research for my Cap Anson books. He kiddingly liked to refer to Cap as "the KKK Guy," and his favorite unheralded 19th-century player was Jack Glasscock. He also had a great appreciation for Mike Kelly, and also got a kick out of De Wolf Hopper and Digby Bell, early actors who performed baseball skits or songs. Besides giving me photocopies of Anson-related items that he had auctioned off or which he donated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which, incidentally, I think has a section that is devoted to his stuff, he tracked down a long document he once had that I had no other way of obtaining and which he could not easily find. He also gave me copies of some original items that have Anson's stamped (and thus not his true) signature from around 1900.

To me, Barry exemplified the great bond that collectors and authors can have. May he rest in peace.

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Posted By: Mike Campbell

I have one piece from his auction. He will be missed. Will anyone ever be his equal ? I think not.

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Posted By: Craig

Mr. Halper did have a fantastic collection, but I think something needed to be pointed out from the Cap Anson post. Mr. Halper did not "donate" anything to the BB Hall of Fame. Major League Baseball paid Barry $5 million for a portion of his collection and in turn MLB donated it to the Hall.

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Posted By: Howard W. Rosenberg

Thanks to Craig for the correction, especially because it reminds me of another story relating to one of Barry’s most treasured holdings. I guess I had been under the assumption that Barry had mainly donated stuff to the Hall of Fame, and had asked him once whether he might try to use his influence to get the Hall of Fame to downplay its embrace of Abner Doubleday. Well, obviously since he sold his stuff mainly or entirely rather than donated it, then he wouldn’t have as much clout as I had assumed.

I raised the point about Doubleday because one of Barry’s favorite possessions was an old baseball that had been from the possessions of New York Knickerbocker Alexander Cartwright (Cartwright being someone who is at least a lot closer to the true origins of the sport than Doubleday). Cartwright is the person with the earliest year of birth (1820) to be a member of the Hall of Fame. If I recall correctly, Barry visited Hawaii to get the ball and he had an interesting story about coming across the item.