Sad News - Hobby Pioneer - Ray Medeiros

[Greenmonster]

I'm sad to post about the death this morning of my good friend, historian, collector, hobby pioneer Ray Medeiros. I'm sure many on this board had contact with Ray over the years, he was incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of the hobby, a class gentleman very willing to share his knowledge with anyone.

George Vrechek did a wonderful article on Ray a few years ago that can be found on the link below:

The cover photo shows Ray sitting next to his 9 volume scrapbook of Ted Williams material!

https://oldbaseball.com/refs/Ray_Medeiros.pdf

[Leon]

Always sad to hear of one of the early collector pioneers passing away. It must have been very different back then. RIP Mr. Medeiros
.

[vthobby]

Incredible passion! Sorry to hear of his passing! The almost 10,000 item Ted Williams scrabooks are amazing! So much history here and thanks for sharing the amazing article! He was a true hobby pioneer!

RIP Ray!

Peace, Mike

[bmattioli]

Wonderful article. What a true collector..

[RedsFan1941]

ray was a wonderful man who was always willing to help. sad news indeed.

[Kevin Savage]

I am saddened to hear of Ray Medeiros passing. He was a true hobby pioneer. Condolences to his friends and family-RIP.

[Exhibitman]

Certainly sounds like he had a great time collecting, as it should be. RIP

[trdcrdkid]

Ray was a great guy. A large chunk of my collection of hobby publications were originally Ray's copies, which he saved meticulously over the decades, and which I got via Lew Lipset. I knew his health was getting worse in recent years, but he was cheerful about it, just continuing to live his best life.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Leon

Always sad to hear of one of the early collector pioneers passing away. It must have been very different back then. RIP Mr. Medeiros
.

It was very different. It was less about the money. Much less. I wish it could be that way now, but I must face reality.

I did not know him, nevertheless sad, and condolences.

[Hankphenom]

Great article about Ray and other collecting pioneers. Thanks for posting.

[trdcrdkid]

I should note that Ray is the guy in the green shirt in my profile picture, second from right, between Lionel Carter (far right) and Ray Hess. Irv Lerner is on the far left. The picture was taken at the 1970 West Coast Sports Collectors Convention. Here is Lionel Carter's account of that gathering: https://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=221637

[LuckyLarry]

I've seen some pictures that listed Rays mailing address in Lancaster California (my hometown). Just think, this advanced collector was just a few blocks away from me as I scrounged around to find nickels to purchase packs of cards back in 1965. RIP
Larry

[John E Scott]

I'm from Lancaster as well. Ray GAVE me several 1939 Play Ball Brooklyn cards in the early 1960s. RIP Ray.

[BobbyVCP]

RIP and great article...I used to buy from Goody Goldfadden

[SteveMitchell]

Sad news. I recall seeing a story or two (with photo - a relative rarity in those days) in some early hobby publications I acquired from another old-timer (Harold Esch of Florida) more than 50 years ago. Finally got to meet Ray at a Washington State Sports Collectors Association show 3+ decades ago. He was a true gentleman and collector.

[topcat61]

Originally Posted by trdcrdkid

I should note that Ray is the guy in the green shirt in my profile picture, second from right, between Lionel Carter (far right) and Ray Hess. Irv Lerner is on the far left. The picture was taken at the 1970 West Coast Sports Collectors Convention. Here is Lionel Carter's account of that gathering: https://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=221637

That is hands down one of my favorite photos. Absolutely love it!

[Treakle23]

Ray was extremely generous with me. I read George’s article and sent Ray an email. He was kind enough to speak to me on the phone and even shared a list of postcard collectors’ contact information. Through Ray, I was able to build my collection and gain extensive knowledge of photo postcards. Even though Ray had difficulty typing because of hand issues, he would always take the time to answer my emails. I can’t thank Ray enough for all of his help. He is greatly missed.

[whiteymet]

Did some deals with Ray back in the 70's , Sadly never met him. West coast ( him) vs East Coast (me)

Class guy!

Class collector!

[tjisonline]

Thank you for sharing. Sad to hear about his passing.