Mount Rushmore of Industry Icons

[clydepepper]

Burdick, Lipset, Lemke & Beckett

but shout-out to three Net54 Members I've learned a lot from:

Barry Sloate
Ted Zanidakis
Leon Luckey

Thanks gentlemen

[steve B]

Lots of people mentioned were in what I figured as "hundreds of others"


Certainly if Beckett is in, Dennis Eckes should be as well.

I like the eventual hall of fame idea, The GBSCC did something like that for a while, I'm not sure if they still do. If I remember correctly it was a yearly award.


One of the stamp groups I'm in does something similar, at the yearly meeting they have someone sign the roll of distinguished philatelists. Considering some of the names on there, it's a major honor.


Going with a very modern look at things, I'd have to consider Scot Reader, Ted Z, and Pat R. Some of what they've done would be impressive in any hobby, and I think that someday their sort of more detailed look at complex sets will become more common.

(and I'm sure I've missed a few people doing similar things with different sets)

[Buythatcard]

I can't believe that everyone has over looked Leon Luckey.

I believe that the Net54 board has lifted the card market to where it is today. With its wealth of knowledge it had stirred up the hobby. Without Leon, there would not be a Net54 board.

[Robert_Lifson]

Lots of great and extremely deserving names listed. A few important names that have had immense positive impact on the field that I don’t think have come up yet:

Keith Olbermann,
Bert Sugar,
Brian Brusokas,
Michael O’Keeffe (writers wing!),
Bruce Yeko,
and definitely Charles Bray.

Few were as important to the field in the earliest days of the organized hobby (from the 1930s to the 1960s!) as Charles Bray. This is just off the top of my head. I’m sure there are many others that are extremely worthy of note by any criteria. I especially agree that the hobby publishers such as Dan Dischley and John Stommen (and in more modern high-tech times: Leon Luckey!) are among the most important contributors to the field, providing a way for collectors to communicate with one another, more easily learn about collecting, and just in general playing a huge role in helping the hobby be accessible and to grow.

[NiceDocter]

My Mom and all the other moms out there who despite the cards all over the basement and multiple DEFCON 1 threats......NEVER THREW AWAY MY BASEBALL CARDS! Thanks Mom!!!!

[trdcrdkid]

This is reminiscent of the Card Collectors' Hall of Fame, which Irv Lerner and some others created in the early 1970s. I wrote a post about it in May 2017, here: http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?p=1666561. I've pasted in that post below, including the nine people who were selected in the Hall of Fame's only two years of existence.

*********************
n 1970, prominent collector Irv Lerner, with the help of Bob Jaspersen (editor of Sport Fan) and Dick Reuss (co-founder of the Detroit convention that same year), published "Who's Who in Card Collecting", which listed names, addresses, and short bios of any collectors who wanted to be included. One feature of this book was a "Card Collectors' Hall of Fame", with elaborate rules for voting in new members each year. Six Hall of Fame members were listed in that first 1970 editon: Jefferson Burdick, Walter Corson, Charles Bray, Preston Orem, E. C. Wharton-Tigar, and Robert J. Payne. In the 1971 second edition of the "Who's Who", Lerner listed three new inductees: Buck Barker, Lionel Carter, and John D. Wagner. That was the last edition of the "Who's Who" to be published, and those were the last additions to the Hall of Fame.

Last year, I posted a longish article that Dick Reuss wrote in 1970 about the Card Collectors' Hall of Fame, and in the comments Leon posted the first few pages of "Who's Who in Card Collecting" (though not the pages about the Hall of Fame). That post is here: http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=218788. As I also mentioned in the comments, George Vrechek had written an article in 2011 about collector directories, including Lerner's "Who's Who" and its Hall of Fame, in which he provided brief summary bios of Lerner's nine inductees. That article is here: http://www.oldbaseball.com/refs/Coll...36_to_1971.pdf

Since I wrote that post early last year, several of the nine Hall of Fame members have been the subjects of my and Leon's hobby history posts. I wrote a lengthy post about Preston Orem, here:

http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=228930

And a similarly lengthy post about Walter Corson, here:

http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=232220

I've also posted many articles by Lionel Carter, including his obituary of Jefferson Burdick (published in Card Collector's Bulletin in 1963, and in revised form in Sport Hobbyist in 1973), and his obituary of Bob Jaspersen and Buck Barker, published first in SCD and then in revised form in the program for the 1983 National:

http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=224897
http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=219926

Leon has continued to post the hobby letters of John D. Wagner in this thread:

http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=207944

And just yesterday he revived this 2013 thread where he posted letters that E. C. Wharton-Tigar wrote to Buck Barker:

http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=166215

Around the same time that Leon started the Wagner letters thread almost two years ago, I posted an article about Wagner that appeared in the 1982 Sport Americana Baseball Card Price Guide (aka the Beckett annual guide):

http://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=207915

Also, in the recent REA auction I won Wagner's copies of the 1939 American Card Catalog and the first 30 issues of Card Collector's Bulletin (1939-1944), outbidding Leon, and from those I've been posting a lot of interesting articles by Burdick, plus some by Bray from when he took over the bimonthly card auctions in CCB.

All this has made me think of the Card Collectors' Hall of Fame, and so I thought I would post the full pages about it from the 1971 "Who's Who in Card Collecting", including the bios of the nine inductees. All of these guys except for Edward Payne (who was a postcard collector) were very influential in the history of the baseball card hobby, and anybody writing about that history should know about them. Plus, the whole idea of such a Hall of Fame now seems like kind of a quaint relic of a bygone time in the hobby, when some people who had collected T206s as kids were still active collectors.

[barrysloate]

The question really should be posed: Jefferson Burdick and what other three hobby icons should be on Mt. Rushmore? Burdick is in a class of his own.

And for those kind enough to mention my name, I might be worthy of raking the leaves that fall on Mt. Rushmore, but that's about it.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

The question really should be posed: Jefferson Burdick and what other three hobby icons should be on Mt. Rushmore? Burdick is in a class of his own.

And for those kind enough to mention my name, I might be worthy of raking the leaves that fall on Mt. Rushmore, but that's about it.

That's the responsible thing to do to prevent forest fires.

[polakoff]

Amazing contributions. I have to admit that at first I thought the “old” card company founders wouldn’t stand a chance, as Frank Fleer and Enos Goudey were really just gum men. But we’ve gotten a good number of Jacob Warren Bowman nominations here and elsewhere and I am ashamed to say that I had no idea he was also behind Gum Inc/Play Ball prior to Bowman. Being the man behind two largely successful and influential card sets seems like it would carry weight. I’m still reading up about his history.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Burdick, Lipset, Lemke & Beckett

but shout-out to three Net54 Members I've learned a lot from:

Barry Sloate
Ted Zanidakis
Leon Luckey

Thanks gentlemen

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

I can't believe that everyone has over looked Leon Luckey.
I believe that the Net54 board has lifted the card market to where it is today. With its wealth of knowledge it had stirred up the hobby. Without Leon, there would not be a Net54 board.

NOT Everyone

[ALBB]

The floor... you gotta keep the floor clean

[rjackson44]

Lein luckey and barry sloat

[Leon]

Originally Posted by rjackson44

Lein luckey and barry sloat

Thanks for the kind words but assuredly I am raking leaves with Barry on this one. And I agree with Barry, there is Burdick at the pinnacle and then everyone else.

[JustinD]

I agree that no players should be on the list.

I have a very controversial one to add that I think we are leaving out.

David Hall

Many hate what the success of PSA has done with the hobby, myself included. However, I don't think the impact can be argued as to the build in values due to it creating a huge investment and prospecting market. Could anyone have argued that a 1982 Champ Summers could someday sell for multiples of hundreds of dollars if I put it in a plastic case as long as I don't put too many more in one?

[lentel]

Gar Miller

[RobertGT]

Mr. Mint, Alan Rosen.

He's certainly a controversial choice. But love him or hate him, Mr. Mint probably unearthed more amazing material (including 40+ pack-fresh 52 Mantles) for the hobby than anyone else.

Wherever those Mantles are today, I guarantee you they are the cornerstone of each and every one of those personal collections.

[talkinbaseball]

Frank Nagy, Lionel Carter, Larry Fritsch and a host of a lot more that contributed to the growth of the hobby.

John

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by rjackson44

Lein luckey and barry sloat

Octavio-The real Mt Rushmore has four great presidents. Are Barry and Leon in your top four hobby contributors ever, or are you drastically (very drastically) expanding the number of subjects for the hobby version?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Octavio-The real My Rushmore has four great presidents. Are Barry and Leon in your top four hobby contributors ever, or are you drastically (very drastically) expanding the number of subjects for the hobby version?

I think you have to nominate Jeff Burdick by acclamation. The other choices are tougher. I tend to favor recognizing innovation, and while they're not popular, for better or worse David Hall is largely responsible for the market penetration of TPG and that guy in Chicago, unless I am mistaken, pioneered the high end sportscard/memorabilia auction house.

[frankbmd]

We may need a larger mountain.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Also, and I wasn't collecting when he was first active, but my sense is that Alan Rosen played a huge role in the transformation of collecting from pure hobby to, shall we say, hobby with financial overtones.

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Also, and I wasn't collecting when he was first active, but my sense is that Alan Rosen played a huge role in the transformation of collecting from pure hobby to, shall we say, hobby with financial overtones.

Wharton Tigre is clearly the number two person. Buck Barker is number three. The Alan Rosens and the David Halls of the world don’t come close. BTW, David Hall didn’t start card grading, Alan Hager did.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Yoda

How about Dennis Purdy who. through his magazine VCBC, tried to point out some of the bad actors in the hobby? Anybody remember his articles about the slimy Alan Hager?

Haha...Alan Hager threatened to sue me back in the olden days of Usenet.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by NiceDocter

My Mom and all the other moms out there who despite the cards all over the basement and multiple DEFCON 1 threats......NEVER THREW AWAY MY BASEBALL CARDS! Thanks Mom!!!!

But we can thank all of the moms who did throw away baseball cards for making them so valuable today.

[rommesc]

I am completely shocked that nobody mentioned the guy who invented paper - Cai Lun. An argument can also be made for the Egyptians, but I don’t recall any cards being printed on papyrus.

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by rommesc

I am completely shocked that nobody mentioned the guy who invented paper - Cai Lun. An argument can also be made for the Egyptians, but I don’t recall any cards being printed on papyrus.

Cai Lun, isn’t that Bruce Jenner’s new name?

[rommesc]

Originally Posted by rommesc

I am completely shocked that nobody mentioned the guy who invented paper - Cai Lun. An argument can also be made for the Egyptians, but I don’t recall any cards being printed on papyrus.

On a more serious note, I think Lawrence Ritter also made a huge contribution with The Glory Of Their Times book/interview tapes.

[lumberjack]

Candidates for the HOF (although it would be better if somebody just wrote a book about all of this).

John Stommen and Dan Dishley. I remember hobby papers when I was a kid, they were done on the cheap and mailed out in this haphazard fashion. Terrible. Stommen and Dishley changed all that.

There are a lot of pioneers: You have to start with Burdick, the daddy of them all, but there are a number of guys, "Greatest Generation" types, whom most people wouldn't remember, like Buck Barker, Frank Nagy, Wirt Gammon and Elwood Scharf, who were the heart of collecting when it was pretty much underground. They always had time for novice collectors. "Come over," Nagy would say, "Come and look at my junk."

Ernie Harwell, who saved EVERYTHING, and then donated it to a library.

Lew Lipset published a smart newsletter and a reference book. He has most likely forgotten more about cards than the rest of us will ever know.

Goody Goldfadden probably had the longest running retail shop, which should count for plenty, and...

How about Brian Brusokas, the FBI agent who helped clean up the "hobby" in the 21st century.

It would be a good idea to keep out jocks and the shameless self promoters who made a lot of money but didn't add much to the conversation.
lumberjack

[tedzan]

OK, it's unanimous that Jefferson Burdick gets the # 1 spot on whatever mountain we sculpture his image on.

In another category (that of producing trading cards)…. J. Warren Bowman, and his genius behind the Bowman Gum Co. (initially GUM, Inc.), George Moll,
deserve a huge tribute.
They replaced Goudey in 1938 - 1942 as the foremost producer of Sports and Non-Sports cards in the country. And of course, they revived the hobby after
WWII by producing quality cards in 1948 thru 1953.

George Moll operated an Advertising Agency (Abington, Pennsylvania). He employed 12 artists who designed all the Sports & Non-Sports card that Bowman
produced from 1938 to 1955.


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[bijoem]

Archive.

Archive must be included in the list.

[polakoff]

I continue to be in awe at the names produced here.

One thing I would note is that I don’t think it has to be — or should be — all founding fathers types. After all, Teddy Roosevelt was “modern” at the time of Mount Rushmore.

And I will tell you that since votes are being sourced from all over, including a brick and mortar shop, there is sure to be at least one name some here would find a disappointment. But in the end the list will be a completely defensible one. The real debate brewing is whether there should be a player or not. That seems to be the flashpoint of discussion both here and elsewhere.

[rainier2004]

Burdick and Wharton seem like no brainers to me, the ultimate pioneers of the hobby amassing piles of cards driven by the simple passion of collecting.

I wouldn't include the sports figures or those whose greatest accomplishments had to do with business like Rosen, Orlando, etc. Someone like Lipset added immensely to the hobby in addition to running auctions and Id consider him much more influential.

I think the answers are based more on if its a hobby or a business. I don't care about TPGs, selling high grade cards or all the other stuff that goes with industry growth. I care about the research and compilation, bringing awareness and opening the doors to knowledge and bringing others into the hobby based on the DNA of collecting. So Im not sure who'd I name the other two but know who I wouldn't.

[Bram99]

Since the original Mt. Rushmore has a "Teddy" on it. I think the baseball card one should as well.

Ted Z!

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

If he hasn't been mentioned, David Hall. Like him or hate him, PSA has revolutionized collecting for a large percentage of the hobby.

I agree.