Lemke's Back

[Rich Klein]

This is c&p from a post on the PSA Boards.

Lemke Returns as Standard Catalog Editor
June 09, 2009

The return of Bob Lemke to the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, the hobby “bible” that he edited for most of its 19 editions, has been announced by Dean Listle, sports publisher for Krause Publications.

Lemke began laying the groundwork for a comprehensive baseball card reference catalog and price guide the day F+W predecessor Krause Publications entered the sports card and memorabilia publishing field in 1980 with the introduction of Baseball Cards magazine on national newsstands. The price guide for major baseball card issues from 1948 through 1980 that was included in that magazine introduced the hobby to a value guide that offered both buyers and sellers real-world price data. Previously available card pricing data often quoted values well below the current market, allowing the buyers who promulgated those guides to buy cards cheaply and resell them at large profits, or, conversely cited artificially inflated values to legitimize the prices quoted on sales lists.

The stated goal of the Standard Catalog since its first edition in the mid-1980s was to provide the card collector with a reference that would allow him to identify any card that he held in his hand, and learn its true market value. The “big book” grew every year as collectors and dealers embraced the concept.

In 1998, Lemke delegated his responsibilities in periodical publishing to others and devoted full time to editing the Standard Catalog. He continued in that role until the 2007-dated edition went to press, then retired. He continued to contribute additions, corrections and enhancements to each subsequent edition while the title was under the stewardship of editor Don Fluckinger.

Effective immediately, Lemke returns to the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards as editor of the vintage major league and vintage minor league sections of the book. In that capacity, he will be responsible for maintaining and expanding the database for all baseball cards and related collectibles produced from the 1880s through 1980, and overseeing the updating of pricing data in those areas. The modern-card sections will continue to be the responsibility of the SCD/Tuff Stuff price guide staff.

“I hope to quickly re-establish the dialogue between catalog staff and collectors and dealers around the hobby that have been crucial to the success of the catalog,” Lemke said. To achieve that, I’m making it a priority to reinstate the Standard Catalog Update”columns that were a frequent feature in Sports Collectors Digest during my earlier tenure.

“Of course in this age of electronic media, I’ll also be using an on-line blog to exchange information with contributors at every level.”

Persons with information relative to the vintage sections of the Standard Catalog can contact Lemke at scbcguy@yahoo.com. His online blog can be found at boblemke.blogspot.com. He can be reached by mail at P.O. Box 8, Iola, WI 54945.

[Leon]

Glad to hear our own Bob L is back at the helm of the big book, at least for vintage. I am sure Don F did a nice job but we have been with Bob for so long it feels good to have an old friend back. It doesn't hurt that the person in charge of vintage has a keen interest in it...We have added Bob's blogspot to our own collector links section too........best regards

[ethicsprof]

yes, this is very,very good news!!!
welcome back Bob L.


best,

barry

[Bob Lemke]

Rather than chase you to my blog for my personal take on it, here's what's written there.

After a three-year hiatus, I have returned to the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, at least on a part-time basis.

Effective immediately, I will be resuming responsibility for the "big book's" vintage major league and vintage minor league sections. Between May, 2006, when I "retired" as the book's full-time editor, and today, the job of maintaining and enhancing the vintage sections has been ably handled by Don Fluckinger.

My job with the SCBC will be in these primary areas of responsibility, in about this order of priority:
Co-ordinate the updating of pricing data that appears in the book. This will involve working with knowledgeable hobby collectors and dealers to solicit and co-ordinate input in their areas of expertise. I will also be doing my own market data analysis. The goal here is the same as it was when I compiled the first Standard Catalog data base back in 1980: to publish real-world pricing to assist the book's users in making informed buy-sell decisions.
Update all existing listings when new information, checklist additions, corrections, variations, etc., surface in the marketplace.
Create new listings when previously uncataloged sets are discovered. It still happens regularly as information becomes more readily available in this age of electronic communications.
Besides the additions to the print edition SCBC, I'll be enhancing the data base from which the book is drawn in preparation for possible future releases in the form of DVDs or other media that are better suited to the non-mainstream niches of vintage card/memorabilia collecting than an ink-on-paper presentation.

One of the best parts of my day-to-day involvement with the Standard Catalog during my 1980-2006 tenure as editor was the interaction with collectors. By facilitating the dissemination of the information they were so generously willing to share, we were able to provide a truly "standard" reference catalog that would allow even the most recent newcomer to identify any card he might hold in his hand, and to find a pretty good idea of what it is worth.

Through the contributions of collectors at all levels of interest and expertise we were able to maintain a lively dialogue in the form of "Standard Catalog Update" columns that ran regularly in Sports Collectors Digest. We're going to resurrect that forum on this blog as well as in the pages of SCD. Watch this space for news of discoveries, long-buried information about cards and their issuers and market analysis that is too hot to wait for the annual book to appear.

It is my fervent wish that all readers of this blog become participants in this dialogue, whether by submitting new information, or asking questions that will spark discussions here. Please feel free to use the "comments" section of any blog entry.

To contact me directly, I can be reached by e-mail at scbcguy@yahoo.com. You can reach me by mail at P.O. Box 8, Iola, WI 54945. Please understand that this is strictly an evenings and weekends job for me, so be patient if I don't get back to you in a day or two.

While my official duties are limited to the cards and related collectibles issued between the 1880s and 1980, your input on modern issues is equally welcome, and I will make sure it gets to the proper catalog staffer.

Thanks, in advance, for your participation.

[Bob Lemke]

I should have mentioned that the 2010-dated edition is currently in production, so no changes can be made.

My efforts will be directed toward the 2011 book. That seems like a long time in the future, but we generally try to "close" new input by about the end of April.

[Bigb13]

Hi Bob, Any idea where I can find a listing for this card? Rob http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=180351722453

[FrankWakefield]

Welcome back, Bob!!!!

I think our welcomes are just because of what a good job Bob did, and how well he interacted with us... from my perspective Don did well during Bob's absence.

The first couple of Standard Catalogs had some problems... those rough edges have been honed down so that now The Standard Catalog is a pretty good work. And thanks to those on the board who've helped over the years, and who continue to help.

Frank W.

[Bob Lemke]

Originally Posted by Bigb13

Hi Bob, Any idea where I can find a listing for this card? Rob http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=180351722453

I had the Susini and, IIRC, one or two of its deravitives in a file for a number of years in my last tenure. I just never made it a priority to list. Am I correct in recalling that there is at least one more baseball subject in that set? Or in a similar set?

[Wite3]

This is good news...I did like Don but it is great to see Bob back at the helm. Much luck and let me know if I can be of any help.

Joshua