What's the largest trade you ever made?

[spec]

Fred's reminiscences about his trade with Bill Haber reminded me of the many swaps I did with Bill, who used to visit me in Boston each time he visited his in-laws in Brookline, MA. Bill and I shared an interest in biographical research and he was particularly focused on acquiring cards of obscure major leaguers, especially those he was trying to find death records on. For that reason, his favorite sets were E107, V355, T209-2 and Colgan's Chips.
However, the most memorable trade I made back when the modern hobby was young (1970s) was with Frank Nagy. I had purchased a batch of tobacco cards (not an unusual occurrence in those days) that included some cards I couldn't identify. I send a photocopy to Nagy, who was always very helpful to younger collectors, and he identified them as D381s (Ferguson Bakery). He also said he'd like to trade me for them since he knew a collector who'd trade well for them. His offer was overwhelming in terms of my wants at the time, so I sent between 70 and 80 D381s to Michigan and received a 1954 Bowman Ted Williams, T206 St. Louis variations of Demmitt and O'Hara plus an entire set of R330 Double Play (75 cards, including Williams and Joe DiMaggio), all cards that are still in my collection.
In an interesting twist, I also have most of those D381s. The ones Nagy didn't trade wound up in his monthly auction and I won a lot of them for no more than $10 apiece. The D381s he swapped returned to the fold years later when the collector Nagy traded with, Harry Kenworthy, died and I purchased them from Bill Mastro and/or Robert Lifson.
By the way, I'm still working on the set and need two to complete, Fred Toney and Hugh Jennings, in case any of you can help.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Bo.b Rich.@rd$son

[sycks22]

It's a good football trade, but I remember when I was in Elementary school a buddy brought in his '86 Topps cards with a Jerry Rice rookie that was worth around $80 at the time. I pick it up for a couple Ken Griffey cards. The good ol' days

[jthorst75]

I'm with you Pete. In junior high I traded a 1960 Topps autographed Musial for five 89 UD Griffey rookies. I was trying to get his 86 Donruss Canseco when it booked for $100 but I stuck with Griff; good move on my part.

[dabigyankeeman]

Traded with a dealer once, I gave him a few thousand cards from the 1960's (assorted conditions, mostly commons and minor stars, some stars) for one card - a 1954 Bowman Mantle in really nice shape.

[brian1961]

Whiteymet, Thank you for taking the time and trouble to share your anecdotes of the ultra rare Current All-Stars. You were by no means boring. I could intently devour these kind of memories for hours.

Bill Haber was such a dear man. I miss him. You sure knew how to play him, all the way down the stairs!

Again, thanks. ----Brian Powell

[irishdenny]

Mr. Whiteymet & Mr. Bo.b Rich.@rd$son,

Stories such as yours should be gathered & placed into a Collector's Edition of Memories for those of us who would wear the pages out reading them over & over & over again!

My Dad loved Baseball enough to pass on all of his Grand tales of the Diamond Hero's from the 40's thru the early 60's that past through his life as a Bus dispatcher in New York City. A few articles & autographs to go along with his stories helped mold me into the Collector I've become today.

You Guys only rekindle his presents... A Dad who past 20+ years ago, remembered through your stories!

"Thank You Kindly, 2 the Both of You!"

[whiteymet]

Brian and Denny:

Thanks for the kind words. The only reason these stories by Bob and I resonate is probably because we are OLD HEADS! I have been in the "organized" hobby since 1963 and crossed paths with lots of the OLD HEADS that came before me.

Nagy, Egan, Gelman, McClure, Foxwell, Reuss, Wickman, Lerner, Greenwood, Blazina, John England, and many, many more.

Fred