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Posted By: barrysloate

Alan Rosen did a lot to popularize the hobby, and I think that may be both good and bad. But on a personal level, outside his entourage of people who make money and get material off him, he is rude, nasty, and obnoxious and I think his conduct is downright embarrassing. Is he the showman he is to promote the hobby or to line his own pockets? Does he really care about the industry, or is it just a means for him to make a good living? There are so many nice people in the hobby who treat everybody big and small with equal respect; conversely, I don't think I've met too many people who have been rude to more potential customers than Mr. Rosen. As such, I find it very difficult to think of him as a hobby good guy. He is good to those who help him get ahead, rude to anyone who gets in his way. He's only in it for the money, and don't for a minute think otherwise. All of these grandiose gestures like autographed pictures and bobblehead dolls and pictures handing people wads of hundred dollar bills- and on the front cover of SCD no less- do not reflect well on our hobby. If our industry has a reputation to the general public that it is all about money, look no further than Mr. Rosen. He's a little too slick and a little too unctuous for my tastes.