Bob Lemke

[Rich Klein]

I usually don't post the podcasts I'm on with Dr. Beckett but we were fortunate enough to chat with T.S. O'Connell about Mr. Lemke and it ran in today's Beckett Insight Podcast.

https://beckettinsights.podbean.com/...nd-rich-klein/

Regards
Rich

[sportscardpete]

thank you for sharing - really enjoyed this!

[FrankWakefield]

Thanks for posting the link, otherwise I'd have missed that.

I exchanged a bunch of emails with Bob back when he was working on the Standard Catalog. Had a few phone calls with him, I wish I had met him. I recall the foolish feeling I had as I sent him a card that he'd not seen and was reluctant to list anything he didn't KNOW existed. If might have been a Green Joyce card. Anyway, a few weeks later the card returned to me. I maybe sent about half a dozen to him. Tickles me to see a picture of MY card in the catalog these days. We'd not be where we are now in the vintage hobby without having followed along the path he blazed. Thanks Bob.

[Leon]

That was a very good podcast, Rich.
Bob and I got along great. I always appreciated his attention to detail. He would always send me a free catalog for the little help I provided. He is sorely missed in the hobby.

[Kevin Savage]

Rich- That was fun to listen to. As an SCD advertiser since 1981- I knew Bob very well- and really appreciate you guys doing a tribute to him. TS did a great job. Keep up the good work!

[19cbb]

Can't believe it's been already 5 years since Bob died. A huge loss for our hobby.

[Baseball Rarities]

Thanks for posting that. Bob did so many great things for our hobby. Proud to say that I knew him.

[Northviewcats]

I got into the hobby too late to know Bob, but I refer to his 2011 Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards nearly every day. The cover is almost worn off. So much easier than trying to find things online, I've used it so much that my thumb goes directly to the page I am looking for.

I enjoyed listening to the Pod cast and learning about his contributions to the hobby. Thanks for posting.

[Leon]

Every thread needs a card...

[oaks1912]

Thanks Rich,
Nicely done & hope that the generations to come appreciate the foundation that he..... and Beckett.... built with these checklists and publications

[icollectDCsports]

I also liked his "cards that never were" and purchased a few of those. He is missed.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

Thanks for posting that. Bob did so many great things for our hobby. Proud to say that I knew him.

+1 agreed

Thanks for sharing the podcast

[marzoumanian]

That was a wonderful listen. I remember reading his columns in SCD and being amazed at the details he would go into about different vintage sets. Your brain really has to be wired a certain way to pull off those columns AND all his work on the catalog.
Years ago SCD had a "we'll estimate the value of your items for free" booth at a National, as I recall. Guess who did most of the estimating? Yep, Lemke. I brought in some Baseball Hall of Fame copper plaques that the HOF ended up cancelling after six sets of nine. Lemke gave me a fair estimate, as I recall. The guy oozed wisdom and kindness.
I knew he was in a wheelchair BUT I had no idea he suffered in so much pain. We all should be thankful that he was born to serve the hobby the way he did. Thanks, Mr. Lemke, for all your contributions. I only wish there were a baseball card HOF. It was meant for people like you.

[skil55voy]

Thanks for posting it was a joy to listen to. I knew John Stommen from the shows he set up at in Michigan. I remember talking to him about the sale of the digest to Krause. He was excited about it and felt that it would be better in a new home. I met Bob Lemke at a show but it was so long ago I don't exactly remember the year or where. I remember him walking with a cane. Great guy.

[sealmark2]

Hello N54ers.

A lot said but clearly not enough about this
"hobby" icon Bob and I communicated over many years most especially weird stuff that I came across after 70 or so years of collecting. He was actually more than an icon to me but also a great friend from far away.

I recall us discussing Globe Printing cards before they were commonly known but more especially the 1948 Montreal Royals team issue photos.

All of his work can still be found and enjoyed on his many blogs which I look at regularly.

I know he is resting in peace and knowing Bob is probably bored with all the superlative comments about him so I will close.

Sealmark

[tombocombo]

Was great to recognize Bob Lemke for all of his accolades and specifically his genuine interest in growing the hobby. Imagine cataloguing and determining so many obscure cards and sets was a tremendous labor of love. Bob had to make many decisions on variation vs. error before they would go into the catalog. Just very grateful for Mr. Lemke and his body of work.

[bnorth]

Thank you for the link.

Like many I have a Bob story.

Many years ago when I discovered his custom cards I bought some of his custom Jello boxes that I still have. At that time I wanted to learn how to make custom items. Nobody back then would share any of their secrets on doing it. Not Bob, he was always very helpful whenever I had any questions.

Not the boxes from Bob but Bob inspired practice boxes I found recently when cleaning in my card room.

[cardinalcollector]

Add me to the list of Bob Lemke admirers. I shared a lot of information with him on un-cataloged oddball baseball issues. He was always receptive. The Charlie Peete avatar I use is my tribute to him.

[egri]

Thanks for posting. Hard to believe it has been five years already.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by cardinalcollector

Add me to the list of Bob Lemke admirers. I shared a lot of information with him on un-cataloged oddball baseball issues. He was always receptive. The Charlie Peete avatar I use is my tribute to him.

Bob sent me this same exact card just out of the blue as I was collecting Nebraska minor league cards and memorabilia at the time and Peete was a batting champion with the Omaha Cardinals. He was the nicest guy this hobby has ever seen. RIP Bob.

[BeanTown]

Bob was a great person and took the hobby to new heights. I wish I could find old archives of his articles in the weekly SCD papers from the 90s. I don’t think they exist. Enjoyed many conversations with him and he was the main reason I started collecting 19th century baseball currencies..

Thanks for posting the pod cast

[Leon]

Originally Posted by BeanTown

Bob was a great person and took the hobby to new heights. I wish I could find old archives of his articles in the weekly SCD papers from the 90s. I don’t think they exist. Enjoyed many conversations with him and he was the main reason I started collecting 19th century baseball currencies..

Thanks for posting the pod cast

Bob really knew so much about vintage. It was great when he did the big book as he would put verified nuances in there... I am not sure there is any book as all inclusive, for vintage, than his 2010s ones., They were huge!
.

[Rich Klein]

One thing T.S. pointed out was Bob got just as much pleasure of knowing the new stuff as he did pre-war. Trust me when I say this, Bob kicked butt on all cataloguing old and new

I also sent this thread to Dr. Beckett to read and see who commented and he was very pleased at the engagement and the knowledge of the people who have posted in this thread. It's nice to see good things in this hobby.

[t213]

I emailed with Bob a number of times adding cards to various checklists. I spent an afternoon with him at the old Richmond Tuff Stuff Show reviewing my W590 set which expanded the checklist and was the inspiration for one of his SCD articles, which I happen to have found this weekend cleaning my basement.

Andy