New T205 Website with Master Checklist

[Leon]

Originally Posted by KrenBats

Leon, by no means was I questioning all the great things that you do by investing in this site and the other events. It is a tremendous site and I'm sure there is a significant financial investment hosting the site, the dinners, etc. I never said that you didn't give anything back. I was just making a point that most of us share our knowledge and info on the site and don't expect money in return. The success of the site is clearly attributed to your efforts and reinvesting in the Net54 community!

Thanks Mike. I know you understand most of what goes into running this site and the time it takes. Hopefully, as you said, the more we give the more we get. That has always been my philosophy. I consider myself very lucky to be able to moderate it, with the help of a few others. I enjoy sharing knowledge and helping other collectors. As I always say, when we are eventually on our deathbed, it won't be about what we have "gotten" but about what we have "given" and done. Take care and best of luck....and thanks for your participation and sharing of knowledge. Without our members, such as yourself, this site would be nothing (literally).

[Ease]

I think its a great start Ron. All you have to do now is fill in the blanks as far as the checklist is concerned, and that will come in time.

[Harford20]

A quick one I noticed missing. Not a pretty card, but the only one I have seen (although I know there are several more out there) and confirms the existence of the Frank Chance AB Green back for you.
Dave

[Wite3]

I totally understand where Andrew is coming from. Many years ago, I shared much of my t205 research with a fellow collector. Who then published it in a magazine article and took credit for all of it. My master checklist is currently nearly twice the size of of what is on Ron's shows. I could fill in a bunch of the holes. I am leaning towards doing this but I honestly do not know Ron well and am hesitant by being burned the last time. I might be persuaded still but at this time, I think I am just holding back because of my history.

Joshua

PS Edited to say that the webiste is very nice and I love the way the master chart is set up. Easy to see and read. Good job.

[egbeachley]

If T205resource.com was able to make some money for advertising, etc., and that's a big if considering it would get the same 20-30 people per month visiting, I bet it won't be enough to pay the webmaster minimum wage for the time spent creating and updating the site. Not even including the research part.

Looking at the master checklist and having been familiar with the set for nearly 40 years, I didn't realized how many "variations" were specific to a particular brand back. Loses the luster of being a "variation" that way.

[buymycards]

My guess is that if you look at the site expenses and the amount of time invested by Leon, he would make more money per hour by working part time at McDonalds than he makes on this site. I HOPE Leon is making enough money from this site to keep it going and to make his time worthwhile.

In a way, I can see Andrews point. It's kind of like outing auctions. If more people have information and are aware of the auctions or the rare cards then the prices will go up and the cards will become more difficult to obtain.

For some reason, this thinking doesn't seem to apply to T206's. It seems that nearly everyone is willing to share the T206 "secrets". Not so with T213's, T216's, and T205's.

Nice job on the T205 site.

Rick

[kilo]

in this age of information, must everything comedown to "compensation"? i though we were all here to help each-other?

--mike.

[Ronnie73]

Thank you for all the comments, positive and negative. I knew that not everyone would be happy with the T205 website but I figured the positives out weighed the negatives. Mainly sharing the knowledge of the set was a possitive to me. Everyone is welcome to help fill the checklist but not everyone has to. As far as me taking my own time to fill the checklist, I have followed ebay auctions and other sales for the past year and thats how I started with 1103 different front/back combinations. The website design was ready about a year ago and I put off making it live till I had some of the checklist filled. The idea was a website that was fresh that everyone could take part in building. As far as me making any kind of profit with banners, I have no clue as to what type of money banners even pull in. I have no plans to add banners, thats why I added a links page where everyone is listed for free just by asking to be added. I do realize that there are a few long time collectors of T205's that have been working on their own top secret master lists, and thats fine if they stay top secret. I'm sure with time and help from many of the other T205 collectors, the website will grow at a comfortable rate and be a success.

[barrysloate]

This is an interesting discussion about the value of information. Over the years I've studied various areas of this hobby in great depth, developing an expertise along the way. Once I became an active member of this site, I made a decision that I would share that information with other collectors.

One of my areas of speciality is rare baseball books. In 1995 I wrote a comprehensive article about them in VCBC. Many people told me at that time that they had never seen that area of the hobby discussed in such depth. It became a valuable resource for collectors from that point on. I never got paid for my work, and never expected much or anything in return. Likewise, if a queston about books comes up on Net54, I'm happy to help somebody in any way I can.

I'm still digesting Andrew's refusal to help with the project. I do understand that he has worked hard to learn about the T205 set, and to compile a checklist of all the known front/back combinations. And I realize that anybody can start a website, and then expect those who know more than them to fill in the blanks. I'm leaning towards the idea that information should be shared, especially for those who are active members of this site.

Collectors come here on a daily basis asking for help from other hobby experts, and I would hate to see people refuse to share what they know with others. Normally we help people with specific needs. Scholars write and publish articles all the time and anyone who reads them may use that information to further their own research.

So what's the answer? I don't know for sure. Maybe the OP needs to do a little more digging on his own and establish some credibility before asking others to fill in the missing information. But I'm a little uncomfortable with Andrew's hard nosed position too. Like I said at the start, this is about the value of information, and maybe each us puts a different worth on what we know and how we acquired it.

[Mikehealer]

Nice website Ron, it's nice to see you helping other collectors with an accurate checklist. I hope it keeps getting updated by you and other hobbyists.
You should be commended on the effort. I think that a website such as this could only attract new collectors to the set which has to be considered a good thing for the hobby.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Barry I read your post with great interest. Maybe I am just an old guy (which I am) but I miss th days when it was a great joy to spread the word of something you knew through the hobby.

I remember sitting for hours listening to John England tell me about various T & E sets. In the mid-70s I was collecting several tennis sets and I wrote to Edgar Tigar-Wharton and he not only responded quickly but sent me checklists of everything he had on tennis which I shared with anyone that asked for years.

I read your baseball book article in VCBC and was thrilled that the subject was broached. I scan this site daily hoping to see some book news from Max or someone else. My post on the Putnam series a couple of years ago did elicit quite a few great responses.

I do remember encountering several "I know more than you do" characters in the hobby in the 1980s but then again that was the era that really brought out many people that I did not enjoy being around at shows. That is probably the main reason I left it for more than a decade.

I too have had many things I have researched and written be used in print without credit, especially on deadball era spring training. Big deal, the word is out and I am sure that 99 out of every 100 baseball books ever printed do not make the author any money.

The fellowship whether it be face to face or electronic is much more valuable to me.

[19cbb]

Originally Posted by Hot Springs Bathers

Maybe I am just an old guy (which I am) but I miss th days when it was a great joy to spread the word of something you knew through the hobby.

+1

The Times They Are a-Changin'