Nice Article in SMR on Photo Collection of Board Member

[glchen]

The current SMR magazine (Oct 2014) has a nice write up on the photo collection of Forever Young here: Link. Beautiful photos!

[gnaz01]

Ben is a great member and collector, I feel honored to know him and I trust him fully!!

[prewarsports]

I read the article and it is informative and well done (despite the horrible Hat Ben is wearing ! Well worth 10 minutes of your time to check it out!

Rhys

[Leon]

Yes, except for Ben the article was great .... nice job Ben...

[ethicsprof]

great story about Ben with incredible photographs.
well done.

all the best,
barry

[drcy]

Congratulations. I should have asked for Ben's autograph at the National while I had the chance. Next time I see him he may be charging.

[GKreindler]

A GREAT profile of a GREAT dude.

I've known Benny for around five years now, and he's exhibited nothing but kindness to me in my own endeavors, and has been a great friend in the process. So, perhaps when I'm talking about him on a personal level, it's a bit biased. Especially since he lets me have my chicken fingers and Coke without giving me too much sh!t.

But in regards to the kind of enthusiasm he brings to his corner of the hobby, I think anyone who knows him can say without hesitation that he's one of the best ambassadors out there. He has a great collection of stuff that he's always refining and retuning, which I think is pretty evident by the article. I think that his passion for photography as art really comes through in the interview too, especially how the medium is able to transcend the world of collectibles and communicate much in the same way artifacts in museums do.

Maybe the best thing about having someone like him as a face for baseball photography (and though it was touched on in the article, but not entirely), is that he's incredibly kind and generous with his time and helpful to those who are new to collecting. Of course, we all know that he can be direct and isn't one to take any crap, but that's just who he is - deep down, there ain't a better dude. I'm sure this board is filled with people that have dealt with him in that manner and would agree.

Whether it was PSA doing article or someone else, I think it was a great piece about someone who's really an asset to the collecting community.

Graig

[thekingofclout]

It's been quite some time since I last posted here, but I gave up collecting baseball memorabilia, and now I've put all of my emotion, passion, energy, and dough, into collecting Beatles photography & memorabilia only.

But I do browse, and when I saw this thread about Ben, I felt compelled to post. My sincere congratulations to you Ben, for putting together one of the most remarkable vintage original Baseball Photography collections extant!

I met the big guy the same way I met our mutual friend/genius Graig Kreindler... on ebay. I thought I was a passionate collector. Then I met Ben. As Graig pointed out, Ben has ruffled a few feathers along the way, (especially mine!) but so has many others. However, Ben is a man of strong convictions, and once you get past that armour, he's a loyal friend, and a down to earth guy, that cares deeply about what's important to him. He's been very supportive, positive, and uplifting of my spirits, (as have a couple other guys here ) due to my medical issues, especially over the last year. But, that's the kind of person Ben is.

I felt the need to elaborate here as in the two days that Gary was kind enough to start it, (Hi Gary!) just a half of dozen people took the time to congratulate Ben on such a terrific honor. I guess being honest and straightforward isn't as admirable as I thought it was. I know for a fact that Ben has helped countless people here on the board, and in person at the Nationals for the last several years.

So, I want to say "thank you" for paying it forward, Ben. You took the handoff and broke new ground for this exciting sector of the hobby. And everyone that collects photos should be grateful for what you, and a few other fellas here, have done to advance the hobby. Well done big guy! And... North Dakota Football RULES!

[GrayGhost]

I may have sold Ben a couple small items in the past, one thing that is so obvious here is that with the comments herein, someone obviously is admired and respected. Congrats on the great items and article Ben.

[Scott Garner]

I finally had a moment to read this great article on Ben Weingarten, one of net54's good guy contributors.

I'd like to personally extend my congratulations to Ben for the amazing collection of vintage Type I photos that he has amassed. It's truly one of a kind!

Ben, just remember: "Watermarks" (inside joke). LOL
Good job, buddy!

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by thekingofclout

I felt the need to elaborate here as in the two days that Gary was kind enough to start it, (Hi Gary!) just a half of dozen people took the time to congratulate Ben on such a terrific honor. I guess being honest and straightforward isn't as admirable as I thought it was.

I would not read too much negative into this. It's the internet and there are plenty of non-malicious reasons why communication might not go as expected. Many times I have been astounded when my friends here did not support me for whatever reason, but I have learned that often they either didn't notice the thread, were taking their time so that they could post something more useful, etc, etc.

In the photo section, more than any other, hobby friends tend to communicate by phone or email. There tends to be a lot of useless 'noise' and angst in this sub-forum.

...and...Very good to see you again Jimmy!