The World According to Mr. Mint

[JohnP0621]

Well said. I hope I never get to that point. I still get giddy over the small purchases. I'd hate to lose my passion for the hobby in exchange for greed/desire to make money. Trust me, I ain't making anything when I sell stuff.
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There is a Big difference between The Dealers and Collectors. We Collectors get Giddy over the items we collect. The Dealers get Giddy from the Money they get from us Collectors.

JP

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by JohnP0621

There is a Big difference between The Dealers and Collectors. We Collectors get Giddy over the items we collect. The Dealers get Giddy from the Money they get from us Collectors.

JP

Where did you learn all this?

There is a big difference between good people and assholes - it doesn't matter what they do for a living, or for fun.

[Duluth Eskimo]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Where did you learn all this?

There is a big difference between good people and assholes - it doesn't matter what they do for a living, or for fun.

This is one of the exact reasons why I don't do shows anymore. Most collectors look at dealers as people who are only in it for the money and want every item for the lowest price they see something on eBay for within the last year. We were all collectors at one time too and continue to be. Dealers just choose to try to turn part of their hobby in to some business.

These same people assume dealers are makings tons of cash and just don't appreciate people or small sales. Exactly like they described assuming Rosen made made millions off of his 52 topps deal and that is why he can say he spent 5 million per year. If I remember correctly Mantles were only selling for around 3,000.

Like I said earlier, the guy is an asshole and it has nothing to do with the fact that he is a dealer. Also, as earlier mentioned by others he would cry like a little baby if he didn't get his front row table and extra attention. He also used to make promoters pay for his table and plane ticket if they wanted to have the Mr Mint draw at their show thus bringing in all the sheep that he loved to deal with. He probably carried a gun so people wouldn't kick his ass when he started running his mouth about how important he is or how much money he spends.

[aaroncc]

The last time I saw him at a show he was buying and selling beanie babies...

[whitehse]

Originally Posted by aaroncc

The last time I saw him at a show he was buying and selling beanie babies...

Ouch! LOL

[SAllen2556]

I met him in the late 70's at a big card show in Plymouth, Michigan. I was about 12 years old. I'm not sure how I knew of him - maybe ads in magazines, but I knew who he was. I walked up to him and asked him about wire photos and if they were worth anything. I had a bunch at home and I had never seen any info on what they might be worth. He actually couldn't have been nicer, and what I remember most was how he spoke to me like an adult and not some dumb kid wasting his time - which I was!

Whether you like him or not - the more that guy was in the news, the more positive publicity the hobby received. Personally, I wish he was more visible these days. Seems like today the only time you read about dealers is when they're being hauled off to jail. It gets old.

[ocjack]

Anyone in this hobby for any serious length of time has Mr. Mint stories.

At an Anaheim show years back he had his usual table in front right at the main door. Unfortunately, I believe the Fire Marshals made the promoter change the location of the main door to avoid congestion problems. Of course he made a "scene and a half" because his table was no longer at the front door and the promoter was unable to get his table changed to appease him. I'm not sure, but I think he wrapped up early.

He would make offers to people that brought their items to him. But if they did not accept his offer, he told them that his offer may no longer be valid if they didn't accept it on the spot. His reasoning: If you're going to walk around the show trying to sell your items and you end of bringing them back to me - obviously my offer was too high. Actually, not a bad spiel.

On the positive side, he did bring a lot of attention to the hobby which helped us all out by bringing more items out of the closet.

[Rollingstone206]

...

[Stonepony]

In the late 90s he spent a weekend in KC buying from my dad and I. He stayed at a hotel but ate with us. He didn't complain about my mother's cooking, and for that alone I'll give him a pass