1975 Collectors Checklists of Cards........Dick Reuss

[spec]

Originally Posted by whiteymet

Hey Leon:

Thanks for posting! I recall having one of these survey's from Dick.

Great memories of trading with lots of these guys. Funny, the things you remember. John England (had a BEAUTIFUL wife), Bill Haber, Stan McClure, Rich Egan, Eric Lange, Elliot Dock ( one of the few younger than me at the time. Still is I guess. He was BIG into R330 Double Plays), Frank Nagy ( spent a few nights at his place over the years, didn't want to leave the basement!! He only slept about 3 hours a night.), Dick Reuss and his traveling buddy Tom Wickman, Jack Wallin ( another Beautiful wife), Tom Collier, Irv Lerner, Joe Michaelowicz ( whose wife Karen was more into collecting than he was!! especially the T200 premiums), Bob Wilson, John Rumierz, Billy Mastro, Mike Aronstein etc. etc. etc.

Strange, I don't see the name of Stan Makowsy. A long time collector of Topps test sets and other stuff, because he lived in Brooklyn where Topps would "issue" their test sets. I recall visiting him and seeing his Dice Cards. He was a sports announcer known as Stan Martin on some NYC radio stations. Think he had a set of the Topps 3-D though not listed here.

Helps me nail down when I completed some of my sets that he does not list me as having on here. T200, T205, and T207 which I completed after my T206 set which he does note on the list. Or maybe Dick just wasn't aware at the time that I had them. Other sets as well.

So many memories. I recall Jack Wallin having a STACK of Willie Jones Sealtest cards at a card show ( I forget were, maybe Chicago, on the day Ken Norton broke Ali's jaw). John England was my first trade with an advanced collector through the mail. I traded him some 39 Play Balls. Nice guy! Visiting Stan McClure in Washington D.C. He kept his cards in bureau drawers. We went into his bedroom and he opened up drawer after drawer all with cards in them. Tom Collier. TOUGH to deal with. Heard a story, I never knew if it was true or not. One of his many wives got mad at him and tore up his Wagner and flushed it down the toilet!!

Thanks for posting Leon! Sorry to run on with the memories!

I notice no one has answered your question about if current collectors would participate in such a list now.

I don't have much anymore that would get me on a list of such exclusive cards and/or sets, ( well maybe a few in the post war) but count me in if someone wants to start one. Maybe one here and one in the postwar section!

Fred

Like Fred, I thank Leon for a trip down memory lane. I traded with most of the collectors listed, but was just getting started as a serious collector at the time. Still, it's a hoot to see I was listed once, for having an R319 Lajoie. The veteran collectors teased me no end for being the only person to have Lajoie before finishing the rest of the set (Harry McCurdy was my last card). I had been lucky enough to pick up a Lajoie from a man who as a youngster wrote Goudey when he couldn't find No. 106 and was rewarded with the now iconic card.
A couple of things I hope today's collectors note: 1, the thrust of this survey illustrates the emphasis that was put on completing sets back then (a collector was generally measured not by how many cards he had, or what they were worth, but by how many sets he had finished); 2, how difficult it was to complete some of the tougher sets in the days before eBay or even frequent card shows or abundant publications (Frank Nagy, for instance, had spent decades collecting and still had only 80 E107s; and no one had completed sets like R300 and R328 not even factoring in the impossible Andrews or Lindstrom cards).
Also note the focus on '40s and '50s regionals. Most of us younger collectors were drawn into the hobby by a desire to rebuild or complete the Topps and Bowman sets of our youth ,and the regionals featured familiar names. Furthermore, if you lived in an area when a regional was issued, a stock of duplicates was useful in prying vintage gems from the oldtimers.
Bo.b Ric.har.dson

[brian1961]

Thanks for posting this hobby relic, Leon. It sure was interesting.

As to whether anyone would participate in such a compilation today, NO.

However, methinks Mr. Reuss was prevented from posting a complete roster because it seems a decent bunch of collectors back then either refused to participate, or were unaware of the opportunity to divulge their holdings. Names such as Buck Barker, Ron Greenwood, Irv Lerner, and Doak Ewing are not present. Still, how refreshing that a bunch of major collectors chose to participate.

Fear of potential robbery must factor in, then and now. One of those responding was Eric Lange, whose collection was indeed stolen. However, the crooks tried to flip them to Mr. Dick Reuss himself, who recognized the collection as being Eric's. He played along with them, while also phoning the police. Happily, the culprits were apprehended, and Eric's collection was restored to him.

Dick Reuss's reputation in the hobby was already marked by honesty, a willingness to share information about cards, excellence in hobby writing, and a willingness to be a board member of the Detroit show. He made things happen in the hobby. His column was entitled "Rolling With Reuss", which fit him to a T. While helping a friend move, the man gave Dick a bunch of his childhood card collection. Amongst the cards was the rare 1949 Leaf Bob Feller, which turned out to be the first known Feller to our young hobby. Naturally, Dick wrote of the discovery, rather than keep it to himself.

Anyway, to the point, after instrumentally helping Eric Lange get his sizable collection returned to him, Dick Reuss was much, much admired, praised, and lauded throughout the hobby.

His tragic death to disease in about 1986-87 was very depressing. Long live his name and stature in our hobby.

Again, thank you Leon for sharing this most interesting hobby document.

Salute. ---Brian Powell

[E93]

Leon,
Thank you for posting this. THose who contributed their memories, thank you too.
JimB

[whiteymet]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Thanks for posting this hobby relic, Leon. It sure was interesting.

As to whether anyone would participate in such a compilation today, NO.

However, methinks Mr. Reuss was prevented from posting a complete roster because it seems a decent bunch of collectors back then either refused to participate, or were unaware of the opportunity to divulge their holdings. Names such as Buck Barker, Ron Greenwood, Irv Lerner, and Doak Ewing are not present. Still, how refreshing that a bunch of major collectors chose to participate.

Fear of potential robbery must factor in, then and now. One of those responding was Eric Lange, whose collection was indeed stolen. However, the crooks tried to flip them to Mr. Dick Reuss himself, who recognized the collection as being Eric's. He played along with them, while also phoning the police. Happily, the culprits were apprehended, and Eric's collection was restored to him.

Dick Reuss's reputation in the hobby was already marked by honesty, a willingness to share information about cards, excellence in hobby writing, and a willingness to be a board member of the Detroit show. He made things happen in the hobby. His column was entitled "Rolling With Reuss", which fit him to a T. While helping a friend move, the man gave Dick a bunch of his childhood card collection. Amongst the cards was the rare 1949 Leaf Bob Feller, which turned out to be the first known Feller to our young hobby. Naturally, Dick wrote of the discovery, rather than keep it to himself.

Anyway, to the point, after instrumentally helping Eric Lange get his sizable collection returned to him, Dick Reuss was much, much admired, praised, and lauded throughout the hobby.

His tragic death to disease in about 1986-87 was very depressing. Long live his name and stature in our hobby.

Again, thank you Leon for sharing this most interesting hobby document.

Salute. ---Brian Powell

Hi Brian:

FYI, Irv Lerner is cited. See R318.

You are correct about the others. Ron Greenwood especially was in our "group" back then. Don't know why he did not make it onto the list.

Fred

[brian1961]

Thanks for correcting me, Fred. I imagine Mr. Lerner would have had some pretty impressive accumulations regarding many of those sets. I remember at the time he had his whole collection inventoried/categorized on IBM data entry cards (I'm probably expressing the wrong jargon). His table always seemed to have a substantial and delectable array of Bazookas and Topps test products.

In the late 70s I remember he became very interested in World Series press pins. Finally, at some point later on, Irv began to collect championship rings, eventually taking the moniker, "THE RING MAN".

Much appreciated your memories of some of the collectors responding to Dick Reuss's survey. They, along with yourself, were in your own way heroes to me as a young collector at the Detroit shows in the early 70s.

Things were comical, too. I remember reading some of the comments on John England's wife, Patti. One scribe bravely depicted her as "delicious". It's been 40 years I suppose since I read that, and will never forget it. I can understand why the guy would appreciate her beauty, but to write she was "delicious" has such rousing connotations, all deserving unto him a hearty punch in the nose.

Fred, it's really neither here nor there. A lot of water under the bridge. However, when you wrote that you acquired your T-206 Wagner in Cincinnati, I believe you were mistaken. Now I'm being brave, I guess. I was there at the big Detroit show in the summer of '73 when Mike Aronstein's Wagner was auctioned in absentia. You won, and I remember the photo that dear Bob Jasperson snapped of you shortly thereafter, being congratulated on either side by another wonderful collector of the past, Mr. Elwood Scharf, and his vivacious wife. As you probably recall, Mr. Scharf was the hobby's Exhibits expert extraordinaire. I only live a dozen miles from where he once resided, La Porte, Indiana.

Well, it's late, and I'm getting verbose again.

Keep the memories coming, Fred. I think the lads like it. I know this old gray-haired guy does.

Wishing you well --Brian Powell