The Top 10 Collections of All Time

As we look back and celebrate our 35th year as a collector of rare baseball cards and memorabilia, we thought it would be fun for the long time collectors and dealers to post their votes for the top ten baseball card collections of all time.

Our list is alphabetical order. We had the good fortune to view six of these collections before they went to auction. Whose name (s) would you like to add?

1. Buck Barker
2. Jed Burdick
3. Lionel Carter
4. James Copeland
5. Barry Halper
6. Dr. Kersharac? Mastro and Lifson purchased this collection in the70's
7. Don McPherson
8. Frank Nagy
9. Corey Shanus (19th century) Marshall Fogel (20th century0
10.. Sir Edward Wharton Tigar

[slidekellyslide]

I'll bet there are collectors out there that we just have no real idea what encompasses their collection and they may even rival some of the collectors on your list.

Mark Macrae? Dave Eskenazi?

How about Donn Steinbach? He had a fabulous collection that included a T208 complete set.

Was the Southern Gentleman (from Mastro catalogs) Copeland?

[canjond]

Bruce - one I'd consider adding to the list is Larry Frisch.

[WarHoundR69]

Maybe the author of The American Card Catalog - Jefferson Burdick?

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by WarHoundR69

Maybe the author of The American Card Catalog - Jefferson Burdick?

He's listed at #2 as "Jed" Burdick

[barrysloate]

Corey Shanus.

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Corey Shanus.

He's listed at #9

[batsballsbases]

Barry he is listed #9

[batsballsbases]

Thanks Jay!!!!!!!!!!!

[slidekellyslide]

Keith Olbermann?

Hi Barry

As you can see Corey was listed 9th as our list was in alphabetical order

Richard Masson along with three or four others could certainly be added
to the list. But at 10, nearly all of the collectors are now gone. We didn't addThe Dorskind Group because our collection doesn't even make the top 25..although we hope that it will someday. However, rank, at least in this case, does not matter as much as taking a moment to recall the great collections of the hobby's early pioneers.

Best wishes to Judy and you for a good New Year!

Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List

[barrysloate]

Thanks Bruce for the holiday wishes, and the same to you.

Some of the collections you listed are long gone. At least in the case of Jefferson Burdick, his collection will remain intact forever (except for the pieces that were stolen). However, he wasn't a baseball card collector per se, but a collector of all cards and paper ephemera.

[hank_jp]

Another contender is the Gelman family. Woody Gelman was the creative director of Topps and had all the original proof sheets, first runs of cards and who knows how many copies of everything Topps made. He also started the Card Collector Company that ran ads for collectors for years until it was bought out by Larry Fritsch. Woody was also one of the pioneers of the early group of collectors mentioned in Bruce's top ten.
I remember Woody's son Richard telling me in the early 70's how excited he was to finally complete a set of tobacco cards from the early 1900's. He also sold about a half dozen T206 Wagners over the years if I remember correctly.
One of these days I'd like to see his collection ... it must still be amazing.

Hank

[barrysloate]

Hank- I bought one of Richard Gelmans Wagners in 1986...and sold it a year and a half later.

[sflayank]

1st of all u must separate memoribilia from cards

then we must consider rarity
so i would say the collector who has a complete set of 53,54,55 hunters, 54,55 esskays,53 briggs, 55 felins, 52 national tea labels sets of topps dice, 55 test stamps,66 punchouts,67 standups 68 discs 51 current all stars with the big 3....anyone with a lot of money can buy a t-206 wagner but ill bet he cant buy a set of any these...so find the guy who has these and he has the best collection
and im guessing none of the collectors listed had sets of these
except for woody gelman on the topps test issues

[Thrill-of-the-Hunt]

Mr. Randyl Stuckemeyer (RIP) check out his 1914 CJ (GEM MINT Jackson), and all his other amazing sets.