Old sports collectors' magazines.
 

Do any of you remember from back in the mid-1960s thru the 1970s any of the baseball card hobby magazines published. I published "The Sports Trader" from Sept. 1964-1970. The "big three" back then were my "Sports Trader". Dan Dischley's "The Trader Speaks" (inspired by my Sports Trader, including a takeoff on the name), Mike Bondarenko's "Sports Collectors News." I recently found out that copies of my 25-cent "Sports Trader" were selling on E-bay (and elsewhere) for $35 each, up to $60 EACH. Mercy! I can't afford to read my own magazine. lol Those were the good ole days when EVERYONE could afford to be a collector, including kids. Nowadays it has changed so much. I have a lot of catching up to do, to just get a hang on the business of trading/buying of baseball cards.

Hi Richard
Welcome to the forum. I, and several others on the forum, collect old hobby periodicals. Checking my list, I believe I have the following of your magazines...

The Sports Trader 1965 apr,july,nov,dec & correspondence, 1966 Jan,apr,may, 1967 mar w/offer letter, may,Aug-Oct, with much corresp.,1969 apr,july,aug,sep,dec.,1970 jan,aug,sep,oct,nov,dec., 1971 jan-july, sep-dec., 1972, jan-july large typed pages in binder sheets

Hi Richard,

I collect old publications as well and have a number of issues of "The Sports Trader" -- I'm not sure which ones offhand, but if there are any you want me to scan, I'm happy to.

I enjoy reading old hobby publications on weekend mornings with my breakfast. :)

Welcome to the board!

Cheers,
Steve

Thanks to you!
 

Hey Richard….. just a note from an old time collector……. thank you for all you did to sustain the hobby in the days when the “bucks” weren’t such a big factor…. you will be surprised in this site how many people still have that spirit of fun and helpfulness to fellow collectors just like it used to be. Again, thank you for your part in hobby history and so glad to see you are still around to see the good ( and sometimes the strange! ) in the hobby today! Rocky ( used to be in Silver Spring Maryland back in the 60s and 70s) .

I completely agree. The early publications were more an act of love than money. But their impact on the hobby is immeasureable. Thank you for your contributions.

Old Sports Collectors Magazines
 

.....January 3, 2025....THANKS to all who replied to this post of mine. Thank you for the very nice comments. I am trying to catch up and respond but am very active in other things at the moment. Thanks again!

Richard,

Out of curiosity, have you been out of the hobby for a while? If so, how long?

I think my first subscription to a publication was the Sport Collectors Digest (SCD) back in the mid-late 70's. I ran across the Trader Speaks back then also, but didn't subscribe. Those definitely were some fun times in the hobby.

I checked my archive and found 37 issues, ranging from September 1964 (Vol 1, #1) to June 15,1971 (Vol 7, #3). My run is not complete. I'm not sure how long THE SPORTS TRADER continued, but was an important part of the hobby's foundation. In the first issue I checked for recognizable names in the hobby and found one who is still around but not as active in the modern hobby; Andy Strasberg. Andy would go on to become a VP for the San Diego Padres . Thanks Richard for your contributions.

Leon: Glad to hear that you have some back issues. Those days were definitely different from today's hobby. I am amazed at what sports memorabilia sells for nowadays.

Thank you Steve, I am pleased to see there is a LOT of interest in the old sports hobby publications. Also I am amazed at the prices nowadays for collector items.

NiceDocter: Thanks for the nice comments. I am surprised at the interest in old hobby publications.

Thanks very much for your nice comments...

I've been out of the hobby for about 40 years but have kept track of it ever since. I remember for year-after-year, the two most expensive cards were the Honus Wagner card and from the modern era, the Pete Rose Rookie card. Rose card bounced from $400 to $1000 before the prices EXPLODED!

Thanks for the nice words, Mark. And a BIG thank you for your cooperation with writer George Vrececk who is working on an article about my Sports Trader (and other hobby magazines from WAY back) for the giant Sports Collectors Digest. In the latest issue of SCD I received there are about three or four names I recognize from "back then" -- Harvey Meiselman, Kit Young and "Larry Fritsch Cards". Larry passed away a few years ago but his son is carrying on the business. Larry was one of the first full-time baseball card dealers.

Richard,k

Welcome. Love reading all of the old publications. I completely understand why the prices for these vintage mags have increased. Good stuff.

Richard,
I had fun browsing through the pages of The Sports Trader yesterday following George Vrechek's inquiry. It was great to see a lot of names from the past that we no longer think about on a daily basis. As bad as the increase in price for your original copies of TST may seem (From 25 cents to $50-ish), the opportunity to buy a Mello Mint Wagner for $2.50 (In the late 60's) was one that most modern collectors would not pass up today, regardless of the pose.

When you sold TST in 1970, I'd forgotten who the buyer was. Reading through the pages of the 'transition' issue, it reminded me that Len Shapiro purchased it. Len is still involved in sports history as well as the Radio Hall of Fame. Although we still communicate through email and have countless friends, we haven't had an in-person meetup in a few years. Always a pleasure.


As you mention Larry Fritsch passed away almost twenty years ago and his son Jeff passed away about 8 or 9 years ago. It's now Larry's grandson that runs the business. Thanks again for helping to lay the foundation.