The most amazing day in your hobby history

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Posted By: Rich Klein

I have many of them; however, one day I was thinking about today, was when I did a show in Virginia Beach in 1989 in which we were busy non-stop from 9AM to 4 PM. I never took a lunch break that day -- another day which was non-stop like that was the Friday of the Chicago National in 1983 in which I swear we went for 10 hours without a stop.

As the world has changed, I'm just wondering if you ever attended a show like that or set up at a show like Willow Grove (I know Ted Z did) and had a day in which you never stopped once or as a collector seemed to find everything on your wish list.

Regards
Rich

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Posted By: Chris Counts

The most amazing day in my hobby history was the first day. I was nine years old. My mom sent me to the grocery store to buy some brocolli or something and as I wandered into the store, I passed a display of 1970 Topps baseball cards. For reasons I can't now explain, I spent the brocolli money on a couple packs of cards. I'll never forget pealing open the pack and finding ... Ollie Brown. On the way home, I ran into my father, who was returning from work. I told him what I had done, and without skipping a beat, we drove back to the grocery store, where he purchased a sufficient quantity of whatever vegetable I was supposed to pick up. We never told my mom about the baseball cards. Thank goodness my dad is a big sports fan!

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Posted By: Brian Weisner

Hi Rich,
Willlow Grove was always that way... from before the show started till the end.... At least from 1987-93... Ted can probably fill you in on the rest. We played cards at night and went to AC before and after the show, those were the good ole days... Be well Brian

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Posted By: Jimmy

I have to say when I first started collecting prewar cards in 1999, I came across a few collections on the same weekend and was able to work with the dealers and they put them away for me. These were dealers I worked with for a long time. I just graduated from college at the time and was looking for a new trend in the hobby. I spent a lot of time in college B/S/T cards and collectibles, but never prewar cards. The next two years I would work with the dealers and purchase a few at a time until I had them all. I never looked back and was very happy that I was able to get them. The cards included about 300 T206s cards (many HOFs), a few T204 cards including a TTT back, Connie Mack Old Judge, some Cracker Jack cards and a group of Goudey cards which included some high graded. Most were sent to SGC and PSA, then I enjoyed trading and selling for a few years to help pay for my first house. Over the years I gained more experience and knowledge, but that one weekend seeing all those cards at once opened my eyes to a new beginning in collecting.

Jimmy

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Posted By: Jerry Rucker

It was 1987 and I was traveling somewhere in our little (at that time, not anymore) town of Conroe Texas. I looked over to my right and saw a small door set back in the edge of a parking lot that said BASEBALL CARDS. I turned in and parked and went in. I was immediately taken back to my childhood, he had 50's topps star cards in penny sheets pinned up on a cork bullentin board and I was hooked again after 30 years of not even thinking about baseball cards. I became great friends with the dealer and my collecting started again with his help. I think I went home with a some 59 topps hofers that day. It was a Great day.

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Posted By: Jason Carota

The day I acquired my first T206 (Bates, Boston Nat'l.) Before that day, my collection consisted of all modern cards (except a '75 Yaz.) Once I held that T206, I was immediately drawn to the history of the game and its players, as-well-as the cards that tell their stories. Even though I have since sold the Bates card, I have become obsessed with the prewar era (most notably, Red Sox cards.)

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Posted By: Dave Williams

I remember the day my dad about 1973 or so brought me home about 100 cards, nearly all stars and HOF'ers from the early 60's.

He had a friend from work over, and the friend found out that this 10 year old kid collected ball cards. His brother was a big collector, and sent me some of his doubles.

Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Banks, Clemente, Mathews, F Robby, among others.

I've still got some of those cards, all creased up, and with a big letter "D" written across the back.

I've been collecting ever since, and even today, if I find a kid who collects, I've got thousands of 80's and 90's cards to give them, but I always give them at least one 60's 70's player or a beater T 206.

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Posted By: bruce Dorskind

We have been purveyors of the rare and extraordinary for
nearly 30 years.

Whilst we have been fortunate to have many "amazing moments"
two in particular come to mine

Back in 1979, only our third year as a collector of rare material,
we attended our first "Willow Grove show."

We had made arrangements in advance to spend an hour with
a local teenage dealer with whom we had spoken on the phone.

Our conversations with this bright young man as well as his
friend from Chicago had convinced us to focus our collecting
efforts on rare cards in extraordinary condition.

At Willow Grove, on a dreary night, we acquired four pieces for
what was then record prices for each. The cards were a Four Base
Hit, a Just So, a New York Kalamazoo Bat and a Philadelphia Kalamazoo
Bat. Three pieces remain in our collection some thirty years; two of
which are the highest graded specimens of their types.

We'll never forgot our initial meeting with Rob Lifson and his buddy,
Billy Mastro.

A year later, we were in the United Kingdom visiting our company's
UK affiliate when we were invited to a private catered dinner at
the home of Sir Edward Wharton Tigar and his lovely wife.
After dinner we visited the fourth floor of his elegant London
flat where we entered a floor with 2000 Old Judges, 500 Ramlys,
four Kalamazo Bat Team Cabinets and countless other cards.

Over the years, we developed a friendship with Sir Edward Wharton
Tigar and learned a great deal from our long conversations.

It is hard to imagine that we will ever have hobby moments quite
as amazing in the future.

Bruce Dorskind
The World's Toughest Want List

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Posted By: Rob Ray

Went to visit my moms uncle down south when I was very young one summer(Nap Rucker,early century pitcher). I really wasn't a baseball fan then (around 1969-1970);more into basketball since I was a tall kid.
Anyway,he gave me his old dodger's cap,told me a few old time stories and I was hooked at that moment on baseball history.
Got back to NY after visit down south,went to 7-11 to buy some smokes for my dad (would you believe they let 9 year olds buy ciggies back then?),and had some money left over for Bb cards. Scooped up a few packs. For some reason,I remember pulling Cito gaston and nate Colbert (2 Pads in one pack in NY? I definitely remember pulling Gaston,anyway). never looked back. Bought the 50s and 60s sets from Bb digest ads,and other sources, bought all the history boks I could find...and gobbled up early baseball history like a hungry hungry hippo.
I stopped collecting mid 70s....girls,school,playing sports,etc.
About 10 years later,my dad told me a former student of his had a card shop in our hometown (Lindenhurst NY). I went to visit Ronnie's store (great guy...RST cards...maybe still in business),and got hooked again ,bought tons of vintage from this guy,started going to EC nationals,Hofstra shows etc. Collecting baseball history was always in my blood.
Now if I only had Nap's Dodgers hat back!
Rob NYC

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Posted By: peter chao

In the good old days, while in 1st and 2nd grade, I would spend some of my Saturday mornings collecting coke bottles from around the neighborhood.

In those days I could get .03 per coke bottle and wax packs were only .05 per pack. So it only took 2 hours in the morning to find enough coke bottles to trade in for a wax box of Topps at the local grocery store.

Then I would spend Saturday afternoon trading cards with my friends at school. I traded to get cards of Giants and to complete a series of Topps cards.

The entire day I did not spend a dime, there were even days when I came out ahead because of all the coke bottles I found in the morning.

Peter C.

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

I will continue from BRIAN W's post......Absolutely, the greatest day(s) were at the Philly Show in Willow Grove in Pennsylvania.
We could probably run the longest Thread.....ever on Net54.....by posting some great stories at this Show between 1978-1993.
Although I'm not a "big time" dealer, I've had my fair share of tremendous deals at this Show since 1981. Some notable days.....

Walk-in.....Large lot of Old Judge's, Kimball's, N162's and N284's

Walk-in.....A 520-card T206 set (VgEx to EX)

Walk-in.....Two 1949 Bowman PCL sets

Walk-in.....Complete 1950 and 1951 Bowman sets (Ex/Mt)

Walk-in.....Complete 1952 Topps set (Ex)


Sold..........1000's of T-cards from my "junk box"

Sold..........Complete 1914 and 1915 Cracker Jack sets (Vg to Ex)

Sold..........Complete (252 card) 1949 Bowman sets....24 of them

Sold..........Complete run (97 cards) of the 1952 Topps Hi# series (Nr Mt)


But, what really made my days at Willow Grove, were all the fine people I have met all these years. Many of which have become
lifetime friendships.

TED Z

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Posted By: dennis

i think bruces posts should be read aloud by orson wells

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Posted By: Jason L

complete with the Darth Vader breathing apparatus hissing.

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Posted By: Jason L

that make me so green with envy, that I start to think that perhaps I should trash this hobby endeavor and concentrate instead on trying to find the next New Thing!...but thanks for sharing the stories nonetheless...the hopeless romantic in me still believes that I may happen upon a true "find" someday...

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

I get the impression that your are a young guy....so, don't get "green"....just spend your green-backs wisely and you'll
have a great collection. It took me many years of collecting to attain the collection I have....or have sold off.

TED Z