Who had a positive impact on your collection ?

[brian1961]

1. My dear Mother. My Mom was already a widow, but strove to get me to the big 1972 Midwest Sports Collectors Convention at the Troy, Michigan Hilton. It was my first big convention. That meant so much to me; I was 18 at the time.

By the end of that year, SEVERAL DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, I wrote to major dealer Larry Fritsch about the availability of a major dream card I wanted---a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. Larry wrote me a nice letter back. He had only one left, in near mint condition, and would hold it for me. The cost of $25 was high, he said. Somehow, I was able to convince my poor mother that this was the dream card I had long wanted. God bless her and her memory, she wrote out a check for $25 dollars and sent it off to him. I knew very well this was a sacrifice of funds for her, but I guess she sensed this might be my only time to get one. Long to short, the card was perfect to me, and in technically Excellent - Mint condition, but the colors and picture registry were perfect; there was not a mark or print spot on that dazzling beauty. The centering was about 37.5 - 62.5 both directions, which was fine with me.

You can best be sure I thanked and kissed my dear Mother after I opened the package and looked at the card.

2. Ron Greenwood. During the aforementioned 1972 Midwest Convention, Ron Greenwood, a college professor, had brought his album of mounted 1953 - 1955 Stahl-Meyer Franks cards for show. I had never heard of them before, nor seen any cards like them. It was love at first sight. He did not bring any of his Mickey Mantles; smart move on his part. Didn't matter, as I was awestruck with the card of Roy Campanella. I kept turning the album pages back to see Campy again. I must have stared at the card for an aggregate of 15 minutes, burning the memory of that masterpiece into my brain.

Mr. Greenwood had an extra chair at his table, and allowed me to sit and admire his Stahl-Meyers. That was mighty thoughtful and generous of him. As an educator, I think he appreciated my studious attitude toward those cards, as well as the good manners my parents taught me. Aside from the cards I purchased that glorious weekend, seeing Mr. Greenwood's Stahl-Meyers was the highlight for me.

3. Lionel Carter. I got to meet Mr. Carter at, again, that Midwest convention. I had read with the utmost fascination, and enjoyment, his article on the 1933 DeLong Gum cards that appeared in the fall, 1971 Sport Hobbyist. I hung onto every word. Late the following winter, I saw an ad in The Sporting News for a reprint set of the DeLongs. They were skillfully done by TCMA's Mike Aronstein.

So, when I met Mr. Carter, it was honestly as if I was meeting a hobby celebrity. Little did I know how major of a celebrity he really was. At this tender point in the burgeoning adult card collecting hobby, Mr. Carter invited me to his home to see his collection. At the time, I lived in close-by Elk Grove Village, Illinois, not far from his Evanston home.

I was EXTREMELY PRIVILEGED to make 2 visits to Lionel's home, and the Carters were wonderful hosts. His collection was the finest I ever saw in person. We exchanged several letters through the years. He was a dandy letter writer, as well as hobby writer. By no means did I always agree with him. He was able to build his collection back in the days when the cost of cards was minuscule; good for him.

If youse guys are still with me, you must like stories. I love to tell them, and my book on postwar regionals is stuffed with yarns and sea stories, 'cause there were numerous chaps who had a very positive impact on my collecting, and really, part of the reason I wrote NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN was to pay tribute to them.

Well, I best be getting back to my darling wife. Loved reading all your stories, guys. Keep it up.

---Brian Powell