Thank You for the support!
 

A couple of years back I got the wild hair to start researching the 1949 Leaf baseball set. I got some of my best info from TedZ and members on this board, let's be honest, Ted took me to school more times than once on the board and through a ton of emails that happened behind the scenes. As the research came together and I started sprinkling my knowledge from the fine art and design side. Once again I got a wild hair and wrote a book about the set, the company and the cards. Steve B, Nathaniel G and others once again were HUGE resources in pulling these crazy ideas together.

I launched re:LEAF (reLEAFbook.com) in may of 2024, not expecting to set the world on fire, but to simply chronicle my findings and the story of a kid growing up as a collector in a small town in Central New York, and how this hobby, this set, created connections to people I would never have known as well as ties to my friends and family that are truly priceless.

As of today, I sold my 300th book, I have spoke with a ton of collectors and have been lucky enough to appear on podcasts, quoted in articles, and chimed in on radio shows to talk about the journey, which continues to this day. I wanted to take a minute and say thank you to the people on this board for being a landing zone for crazy ideas, open discussions and good ole' fashioned hobby talk. I contribute from time to time, but love having a place to turn to when the hobby throws a curveball.

You all are the best, thank you again.

congrats Brian! Amazing book and accomplishment. Love the praise its getting. I contributed 2 of the 300, but have since given them away to collector friends so I may come back for #3 ha!

Congrats on the book. It looks like it is available on Amazon, here's the link:

https://www.amazon.com/STORY-COLLECT.../dp/B0D3M271SD


Brian

congrats!

I'll have to get you a punch card with a free hoagie once you buy 4! Thanks for the kind words and support from the jump!

Thank you!

It is indeed, thanks for throwing the link on there, a marketing genius, I am not!

Hey Brian, hope you are doing well.

Congrats on the success you're experiencing. That's great! Also, wanted to thank you for joining us in one of our weekly OBC Zoom meetings with a presentation of the set and to discuss it and school us on the many nuances it has. That was great.

Here's to reaching 500 books sold soon. :)



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Good stuff!

:)

Just ordered my copy. This set has always intrigued me. Thanks for all your work Brian.

Billy

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions! Thanks for the purchase!

Andrew it was my pleasure and thank you for the invite!!

Completely disagree. I believe I already said it in the original thread, but that title alone is a work of extreme magnificence!!!!!!!

Ha! Thank you. It was originally going to be re:LEAF Pictures, but I was worried it was too abstract!

For anyone who doesn't already have a copy.

Get one. It's a good book. Both as a book and as a book about a sometimes very challenging card set.

Not heavy reading like some literature or novels. Just a well told story.
And more than enough info about the set for anyone that wants to get more deeply into it.

Thanks Steve, once again, you're the best!

Just ordered one, looking forward to it!

Amazing, thanks Bob, let me know what you think!

Congrats!

So, while you were writing this book and researching these cards, how many did you end up acquiring ?? Did you manage to get any of the big ones, like Jackie and Paige ??

By the way, check out this rare "LSD variation."

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/858AA...dG/s-l960.webp

Hello, my name is Brian and I am a LEAF addict.... I went deep, got the Baseball, Boxing and almost all of the Pirate set. I am now working on the 1948 football set. I will say that the Jackie and Satch I have were purchased a while ago, and pure luck. My Satch is missing all the borders, and has a dandy whoopsie on the face, but it is still a Satch. I told my wife it was all "research" and wrote it off as such.

On top of that, I chase the oddities, like your Jackie, which is a brilliant late print with an offset print issue. One step further it is what I classify as the last printing with Magenta ink. The print errors are a fun rabbit hole to run down, a lot of fun for sure!

Yeah, I know who you are. We've chatted on here before, no?? :)


I love the football cards! What grade are you collecting them in? I got a nice Bednarik sitting here if you want it!


What grade is your Jackie ?? You got the blue cap, right ??

Not mine. I found it on FeeBay. I had an AUTH ALTERED (trimmed) one that I sold on eBay and a nice PSA 4 that I sold at the Toronto Expo. I regretted selling the 4 and decided to buy myself another one from the REA Fall Auction! Thinking of getting myself another one cause' this card is so iconic!

Ha! We've chatted a bunch over the years, it was a bad attempt at humor. I'm tragically cheap, so the football cards are LOW grade across the board, I'm half hearted in them, but I picked up a pile at Strongsville last year for nothing so I thought I would chase it.

My Jackie is a 4, late print (blue cap) which was bought raw from an angry ex-wife of a card collector. I was nervous as hell until I got it in, after noticing the hat details were missing, I started to research the printing plate variations, which became the basis of the book. Iconic is 100% right!

Congrats on the project and your 300th book sold! Looks like a lot of fun (though my main interests lie a bit further back in time).

Thanks Leon! My next project will step back a little bit further, but I am just now starting to research it. More to come!

Print errors are rabbit holes???????

Wait here, I gotta call a few friends.


HA! Congrats on the book. How can I get a signed one??? If I'm gonna buy one, it has to be autographed by the writer. Especially if he is on this site!

Cheers,

Butch....

The info is worth WAY more than my autograph, but if you want one, I'm happy to oblige!

Shoot me a note at: bk@spacemonkeydesigns.com and we can get it all set up!

I never appreciated the set very much in my 15 year journey "back in the Hobby". That said, I changed my mind and nowe I love them. I wish wish I would have taken my own advice and "bought what I didn't like".

I purchased the book a few months ago and find it very easy to read. Not sure why I haven't finished it but maybe I'll have some time to knock it out next week at the Ontario card show.

Ted was such an asset to the card collecting community on this board. He is sorely missed. His Bond Bread thread making a comeback tells you everything you need to know about the issue. Too bad the grading companies can't figure it out.

I am honored to own a 52 Topps Mickey Mantle that crossed his path that was opened up and enjoyed by his best friend back in 1952!

Thanks for writing the book and help to stir up that passion in card collectors

Thanks for the kind words, I'm definitely not a writer so I love hearing folks say it is an easy read. Ted was a gem, and a great resource for the book. I wish I could have buttoned it all up before his passing, but alas, I hope it does right by him.

That '52 Mantle is a monster, you may have missed the Leaf train, but you're in 1st Class on the Mick Express! Congrats!!