Recent brick and mortar experience

[ullmandds]

I'm back east for thanksgiving visiting family. I like to cruise my home town where I grew up when I can...new milford, nj...and while doing so this time I went to bergenfield where there used to be a few card stores I'd frequent as a kid.

One of them...mainly a coin and collectible shop was still in business. The owner has been there 40 years. The sign on the door said open by appointment only but I saw people inside so I walked in. I asked the proprieter if he had any old baseball cards...he said nope...all gone but I do have a mantle rookie. I asked bowman or topps. He said bowman. I said lets see.

He walked to the other end of the store then back and dropped a top loader down with a 51 mantle...vgish. I looked at it...and said it looks fake to me. He didn't seem that upset and I proceeded to take it out and show him why it looked fake to me...color was wrong, not crisp and clear image...back looked dark. He said he got it mixed in with a stamp collection...I said that makes sense.

That's my brick and mortar experience of the weekend!

[58pinson]

Although living in a central jersey gulag at the present I grew up right next door in Dumont. Used to do almost all my business with Dennis at MDM in Bergenfield. He was a real nice guy, but like most of the shops in the '80's to '90's heyday the game was buy wholesale and sell retail. Nice business model when things are cooking. The poor guy and his wife were robbed on more than one occasion by kids who had eyeballed a Jordan card they wanted and he finally called it quits. Don't know if you ever went down to Steve's in Teaneck/Bogota but he is still hanging in there and has more stuff in his shop than I found at the White Plains card show yesterday after spending $60 for tolls, gas, parking and admission.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by 58pinson

Although living in a central jersey gulag at the present I grew up right next door in Dumont. Used to do almost all my business with Dennis at MDM in Bergenfield. He was a real nice guy, but like most of the shops in the '80's to '90's heyday the game was buy wholesale and sell retail. Nice business model when things are cooking. The poor guy and his wife were robbed on more than one occasion by kids who had eyeballed a Jordan card they wanted and he finally called it quits. Don't know if you ever went down to Steve's in Teaneck/Bogota but he is still hanging in there and has more stuff in his shop than I found at the White Plains card show yesterday after spending $60 for tolls, gas, parking and admission.

good to know...next trip I'll check steve out...thanks for the heads up!

[hangman62]

Yes, Steve in Teaneck is pretty good vintage store

[Leon]

I have had dealers look at me like I was crazy, or in disbelief, when I tell them they are selling a fake. I remember very well one of the crappy looking game card series reprints being sold as legit. It wasn't. I even went over it with the dealer as to why.
He just left it in the case the way it was, like he wasn't even told. What can a guy do?

[pclpads]

You're lucky he didn't bounce you out the door. Most dealers can be very sensitive when a customer calls them out on a fake.

[ocjack]

I love all the New Jersey references. Growing up in Englewood in the 50's, all I had was Jake's - a soda fountain, liquor/tobacco store with comics and toys. But it had all the new wax packs when they came out. I miss walking up Palisade Avenue opening 1957 baseball packs.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Leon

I have had dealers look at me like I was crazy, or in disbelief, when I tell them they are selling a fake. I remember very well one of the crappy looking game card series reprints being sold as legit. It wasn't. I even went over it with the dealer as to why.
He just left it in the case the way it was, like he wasn't even told. What can a guy do?

Plastic Surgery -- You need an honest face.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Leon

I have had dealers look at me like I was crazy, or in disbelief, when I tell them they are selling a fake. I remember very well one of the crappy looking game card series reprints being sold as legit. It wasn't. I even went over it with the dealer as to why.
He just left it in the case the way it was, like he wasn't even told. What can a guy do?

Yeah, I had the same thing happen in Denver at the Bronze Armadillo or somesuch named antique mall. It was a 1933 Sport Kings Jim Thorpe that I said was likely counterfeit and I recommended they mail it in to PSA if they were sure it was real.

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I do have a mantle rookie. I asked bowman or topps. He said bowman.

Really? On Net54, on the MAIN PAGE, nobody is going to call out the REAL reason for this post - to start a MASSIVE dead-horse-beaten debate?!

Mantle only has one rookie and it's the Bowman.

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

Really? On Net54, on the MAIN PAGE, nobody is going to call out the REAL reason for this post - to start a MASSIVE dead-horse-beaten debate?!

Mantle only has one rookie and it's the Bowman.

Or the 52 Topps....

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

Really? On Net54, on the MAIN PAGE, nobody is going to call out the REAL reason for this post - to start a MASSIVE dead-horse-beaten debate?!

Mantle only has one rookie and it's the Bowman.

Well...if you want to get TECHNICAL....the 1947 Exhibits he is on predates the others :-p

[Rich Klein]

For at least 15 years after I left NJ, my photo was still on Steve's wall. Nice to see he is still hanging in there. I'd definitely recommend a visit --- very old school store.

Rich

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Well...if you want to get TECHNICAL....the 1947 Exhibits he is on predates the others :-p

1947-1966 exhibits? poor argument!

[bobbyw8469]

Hence the tongue

[Fred]

Pete, you should have offered him $100 for the 51 Mantle... just to see the look on his face.

There's a coin shop by me. The owner has a few baseball items and they are all a bit expensive. He has a complete (maybe not all the variations) P2 set. I think the asking price was about double what it's valued at.

There used to be a few really good card shops where I live but only one is still around and they mostly do mail order.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Fred

Pete, you should have offered him $100 for the 51 Mantle... just to see the look on his face.

There's a coin shop by me. The owner has a few baseball items and they are all a bit expensive. He has a complete (maybe not all the variations) P2 set. I think the asking price was about double what it's valued at.

There used to be a few really good card shops where I live but only one is still around and they mostly do mail order.

he may have taken it....then I'd be out $100!!!!!!