Sy Berger (and the people behind our hobby)

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Gary Dunaier

Topps also issued a Certified Autograph variant of that card.

In my book, those are worthy autographs to have.

In the mid-1980s, when I was breaking cases by the hundreds and drowning in commons (before Frank Pemper put me in touch with Larry Grossman,) I had the idea to try to market and sell card albums - simple 3-ring binders with sheets inside stuffed with minor stars and commons. I was under-financed and didn't have a distribution plan, but for fun I actually called Topps, asked to speak to Sy Berger, to ask if using pictures of Topps cards on such an album would require a license.

Sy answered and basically, I was wasting his time but what I remember is that he didn't treat me that way. He treated me like a valuable Topps customer and, frankly, like a fellow guy who loved being involved with baseball and the business.

I have thought about Sy over the years, what he must have thought. From dumping those cases of 1952 Topps into the ocean, to the mid to late 1980s, when he realized he could literally print money. I knew a guy who knew Sy around that time and I asked him what Sy thought and he said something about Sy smiling a lot, and loving the way the baseball card market was rocketing along.