Posted By:
Robert LifsonI have not heard anyone mention this, probably because it goes back so many years, but TCMA was originally named for the initials of "Tom Collier" and "Mike Aronstein," two of the great pioneer dealer/collectors of the early days of the hobby. When Tom Collier decided to not continue with the venture, Mike Aronstein kept the "TCMA" trade name and changed the formal name to "The Card and Memorabilia Associates" to keep the same initials. Tom Collier was one of the most important dealers in rare vintage cards in the 1960s and 1970s. In his day, at some time or another, he had everything - just about every rare 19th century card imaginable, practically every early 20th century rarity, pins, display pieces etc. There was no one who had his eye and knowledge for material back in his prime. I learned a lot from Tom Collier, and consider him one of the true "Hall of Famers" of collecting. Some of my fondest memories as a kid are the many times when I used to take a bus to go visit Tom in Maryland (long before I could drive), dragging a huge suitcase full of cards for trading (he lived in the middle of nowhere, in retrospect it's hard to believe my parents let me go). Tom Collier could also tell a story with the best of them. The legend about his wife destroying his card collection has several variations. Mike Aronstein has been very involved in the baseball collectibles field in many ways for decades. In addition to operating TCMA, he also helped run the early "District Center 65" conventions in New York, and was one of the most advanced collectors in the hobby in the 1970s.
Sincerely,
Robert Lifson
www.RobertEdwardAuctions.com