It is with Unimaginable Sadness that we have lost our Dear Ted Zanidakis

[painthistorian]

I started in 1975 and went to Willow Grove in 1976, he was always a very knowledgeable and kind vendor. His knowledge of cards, especially T206's will always be remembered. I am sure he was not only well respected and liked by much of the hobby but always was polite to new hobbyists. Many of us that still remember the hobby early days were blessed, but we are aging!. RIP

[sb1]

Count me as one of the many that will miss Ted.

He and I go back about 20 years and while we often talked cards, Ted was even more thrilled to talk of his family, first his daughter Zoe and later on his Grandson Ron, who I got to meet at the AC National. Ted was very proud of his family and of course his old T-Bird which has made its way into several of Ted's posts over the years.

So long old buddy!

[Touch'EmAll]

I never knew him. But all the responses - Wow ! Ted was a wonderful fellow, and truly great for our hobby !

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I recall that absolutely nobody welcomed me more strongly to this forum than Ted when I signed up so many years ago. Wow, two decades have passed?!

Prior to this, Ted's path had never intersected with mine in spite of our years in the hobby due simply to him being into cards and my being nearly exclusive to autographs. But many emails were exchanged and we certainly shared a mutual respect for one another's knowledge.

Such a friendly and welcoming guy ("Hey guy!") who was always wanting to make introductions between hobby people so that we'd all know each other. He was simply a rare caliber of person. No ego whatsoever in spite of all that data bouncing around in his brain.

Rest well guy!

[Mozzie22]

I think the number of replies to this thread, from members here that rarely post, is testament to this man's impact on the hobby, and to so many others personally. I never had the pleasure of meeting Ted but he was the only person on this forum I had ever traded a card with. I helped him complete his T205 Wolter back run and he overcompensated me for it. Sad news. RIP, Ted.

[rebelsart]

Very sad news. Rest in peace Ted Z. Thank you for your passion, knowledge, and friendship.
Art Martineau

[npa589]

I wasn't blessed enough to have met Ted, but it has been wonderful reading everyone's stories and fond memories of Ted. I got involved in this hobby about 12 years ago once getting out of college, and though my only conversations with Ted were brief and on this forum, I am very grateful for the research and wealth of knowledge he selflessly shared for all to read. Lord knows that I spent hours upon hours reading his posts that were always meticulously laid out in astounding detail, and also were consistently updated with new findings. From the outside looking in, despite him most likely being the foremost authority on a ton of sets, he seemed to be a lifelong learner and always sought to share his knowledge with as many collectors as possible. The board will never be the same without him, but I am so grateful for the legacy and example he left for the rest of us to learn from.