1970 Topps Football - Bill Haber

[JRumierz]

Bill Haber was a serious baseball scholar and one of the founding members of SABR. One of his passions was adding and correcting existing data on major leaguers-- making several player identifications or adding/correcting season statistics. Before his untimely death he completed some of the most difficult T and E card sets. As a Topps employee he was responsible for bringing much of the test/proof/error Topps material into the hobby. The 1973 Topps 1953 retro set was his skunk works project.
He gained a measure of cardboard immortality when he donned a football helmet to appear as the featured player on the 1970 Topps football box.
I remember him as a good friend and an outstanding collector.

[Tom Hufford]

Thanks for the story, I had never heard it before, and had no idea it was Bill Haber on the box. But, I'm not a football collector, so may never have even seen the box before.

Bill Haber was a very good friend of mine. He and I were two of the 16 Founding Members of SABR, at Cooperstown in 1971. Now I'm the only one left. Bill brought along his T206 set, in a binder, to the meeting. It hurt me to see the T206 Honus Wagner card. It was the same one that Wirt Gammon had offered me for $500 a year or two before. But I was in college, where was I going to get $500? Bill had a job - and $500 - so he got the card! I did get most of the rest of the set from Wirt over the years - but could still use a Wagner!

[byrone]

Great insight guys, thanks

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Tom Hufford

Thanks for the story, I had never heard it before, and had no idea it was Bill Haber on the box. But, I'm not a football collector, so may never have even seen the box before.

Bill Haber was a very good friend of mine. He and I were two of the 16 Founding Members of SABR, at Cooperstown in 1971. Now I'm the only one left. Bill brought along his T206 set, in a binder, to the meeting. It hurt me to see the T206 Honus Wagner card. It was the same one that Wirt Gammon had offered me for $500 a year or two before. But I was in college, where was I going to get $500? Bill had a job - and $500 - so he got the card! I did get most of the rest of the set from Wirt over the years - but could still use a Wagner!

great insight agreed and great story/memories on the Wagner. Wow $500 for a Wagner

[whiteymet]

Originally Posted by JRumierz

Bill Haber was a serious baseball scholar and one of the founding members of SABR. One of his passions was adding and correcting existing data on major leaguers-- making several player identifications or adding/correcting season statistics. Before his untimely death he completed some of the most difficult T and E card sets. As a Topps employee he was responsible for bringing much of the test/proof/error Topps material into the hobby. The 1973 Topps 1953 retro set was his skunk works project.
He gained a measure of cardboard immortality when he donned a football helmet to appear as the featured player on the 1970 Topps football box.
I remember him as a good friend and an outstanding collector.

John:

I never knew, or forgot if I did, about him being on the Topps FB box. I have written here in the past about a few dealings I had with Bill back in the day. Including the story of getting the three rare Current All Stars ( Roberts, Konstanty and Stanky) from him in a trade for some T200's.

Recall after he bought Jake Wise's collection going to his place on Staten Island with Mastro and buying a Tattoo Orbit set, some R306 Butter Cream's, and 1938 Foto Fun among other things he had to sell to raise money to repay his credit card for the cash advance he took in order to buy Jake's collection.

The three cards I really wanted from his collection are the INSANELY rare 1960 Topps BB of Faye Thronberry, Cimoli and Hadley with the different team logos. Wonder what lucky collector ended up with those? After all these years I have only been lucky enough to pick up one of them. The Hadley.

He also did research for the original Baseball Encyclopedia and all those who helped with the research like myself were rewarded with their names being included in the front of the book.

The other thing about Bill was the way he collected. He was maniacal about whatever he was collecting at the time. Then when he completed it he sold it and started on something else and did the same thing! I recall Seattle Pop Corn Cards and T200 being two of those pursuits

Good memories of a good guy!

[spec]

John,
I'd never seen that 1970 Topps football box with Bill Haber posing as a New York Jet. I second your sentiments of Bill being a "good friend and outstanding collector," as well as those of Tom and Fred. He used to visit me in Boston whenever he was up visiting his inlaws in Brookline, always bringing an album for show-and-tell, but we spent most of our time together brainstorming about pursuits of missing major leaguers. We collaborated on several player "finds," including Charley Fish (Fisher), who died in the gold fields of Alaska, and Frank Maher, who was seriously injured warming up for his first (and only) major league game. Bill and I shared a passion for Colgan's Chips, a set I am still pecking away at today.
b0b rich@rds0n