Buck Barker

[brianp-beme]

Here is a sampling of Buck's penmanship when using the backside of cards as a notepad when researching the identity of players in issues like the Zeenut cards shown. As a note, the "Mitchell" card on far right of second row mostly has writing by someone else, but Barker added "Oliver" to it as well as the last name and two digits on bottom right indicating the person from and what year he obtained this card.

Brian

[Leon]

I wasn't collecting back in his day but here is a letter dated New Years Eve, 1956. (no doubt going to Walt Corson)

[spec]

I never met Buck in person but corresponded with him on both collecting and baseball research topics. He really liked W issues and was a fountain of knowledge on them, which he shared generously. This was back when the ACC was the only source otherwise. He schooled me on strip cards and we traded them. I recall him sending me a cigar box full of his strip card duplicates, saying, "Take what you can use," since it was so difficult to describe all the sets and permutations. As a SABR member, he was particularly keen on identifying the players in the T sets and sent around lists of the IDs of future/past major leaguers in T209, T210 and T212, which I can no longer find. One of the treasured portions of my collection is Buck's D311 set, on the backs of which he wrote each player's full name and playing history plus the name of the collector he acquired the card from as well as the year he obtained it. He was a truly nice man.
B0b Rich@rds0n

[Peter_Spaeth]

Will today's most visible collectors still be talked about decades from now? I tend to doubt it because grading has, what's the word, sterilized everything and taken provenance and individuality out of things, but who knows?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Will today's most visible collectors still be talked about decades from now? I tend to doubt it because grading has, what's the word, sterilized everything and taken provenance and individuality out of things, but who knows?

I don't know that answer, probably a few but not a lot. I have always felt when there is provenance to our collectibles, even cards, it makes them more desirable.

I was the 2nd "family" to have owned this Arrelanes and Melchoir, sold them in my first collection, then got them back in the BST section . No value add, but still kind of cool to know where they originated...

Same exact thing with the Weaver, but I soaked him because when I got him the first time (Trucker Boy find) he had a big blob of scrapbook paper stuck to the back.

[whiteymet]

I too did some deals with Buck back in the day. I was happy to just pick up the below with one of his stamps on the reverse. Brought a smile to my face.

[Rich Klein]

When he passed, I actually bought from Tom Reid some of the "remnants" of his cards. The tough series 57-73, an amazing group of Post Cereal Cards and a few other things. The cost was $1200 which in 1983 dollars was... well let's say a fraction of what that would cost today.

That purchase also moved me from a decent regional dealer to a dealer with NSCC worthy inventory. A couple of the Post Ceral cards had his information on the back and those cards are amongst the very few cards I wish I had never sold in any way