The World According to Mr. Mint

[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.

[Rich Klein]

Originally Posted by 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.

As a person who did a lot of shows back in the day, that makes more sense then you realize. Perhaps there are 1-2 cards in the lot that you know will pay for the deail and when the lot comes back, well some other dealer bought those cards. I know most people try to sell as a unit, but sharp dealers try to pick and choose what they buy

[Rollingstone206]

...

[drcy]

I've read his books and thought they were entertaining, had good stories about his famous finds and business and offered useful advice for collectors and would be dealers. I remember that in one book his definition of 'mint' was "Fresh out of the pack" and, thus, a mint card could be off center. Thought that an interesting concept. He wrote that he was a dealer to make money, it was his living, and, while he appreciated and enjoyed looking at the items he bought and sold, he wasn't a collector. I thought that fair enough. Especially back then before the internet, dealers performed the hobby service of getting cards and memorabilia into collectors' hands, often by buying the bulk (something a normal collector on the normal budget couldn't do or wouldn't want to do) and reselling it as singles. The average collector didn't, and still doesn't, want 150 1961 Topps #1s, or even two. He wanted only one.

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by drcy

I've read his books and thought they were entertaining, had good stories about his famous finds and business and offered useful advice for collectors and would be dealers. I remember that in one book his definition of 'mint' was "Fresh out of the pack" and, thus, a mint card could be off center. Thought that an interesting concept.

That has always been my take on a mint card also. So it is nice to see I agree with him on that

I have never dealt with him that I recall though, if I did it was a not memorable.

[drcy]

The first time I heard someone describe a baseball card as 'Gem Mint' I thought he was making a joke.