Whatever happened to these long-time dealers?

[jcmtiger]

Jim Hamon set up at all of the Detroit area shows and had a couple of stores 70’s & 80’s. And not dealers, but one of the 1st promoters of card shows in Detroit area.Husband & wife the Torpe’s. Jim Hawkins sports writer for Detroit Free Press took over their shows in the 90’s. Here they are.

[Steve_NY]

Alan,

I bet you walked around at more shows than Mitch and I set up at? We set up at over 1,000 shows between 1976 and 2010; over 300 of them were shows we ran in Bayside, NY; Riverside, CT; and Manhattan, NY. But I now just set up at the National every year and I have done 40 of them. Last year I counted priorities to set up at the National and there were only 22 dealers (on record) left with a higher priority than me. Stop by and say hello as always -- Booth 800 only 8 booths in the main entrance. My wife wants me to stop doing the National too, but as long as I keep making money and I maintain my health, I will continue to set up. See you in July.

Steve_NY

[akleinb611]

Originally Posted by Steve_NY

Alan,

I bet you walked around at more shows than Mitch and I set up at? We set up at over 1,000 shows between 1976 and 2010; over 300 of them were shows we ran in Bayside, NY; Riverside, CT; and Manhattan, NY. But I now just set up at the National every year and I have done 40 of them. Last year I counted priorities to set up at the National and there were only 22 dealers (on record) left with a higher priority than me. Stop by and say hello as always -- Booth 800 only 8 booths in the main entrance. My wife wants me to stop doing the National too, but as long as I keep making money and I maintain my health, I will continue to set up. See you in July.

Steve_NY

Sure, back in the Eighties and Nineties there must have been two or three NY-area shows per month, and I saw you at most of them. The rise of Ebay certainly knocked the wind out of most of the smaller shows. Collectors looking for non-rare items all depend on Ebay these days. I recently went to a relatively small show on Long Island and couldn't find anything I wanted to buy. I'm tempted to say that shows aren't what they used to be, but the truth is that my collecting goals have changed quite a bit as well. Back in the day, you'd arrive at a show and would be pumped to see ten year old Topps commons available.

Best of luck at the National; I won't be going, as I have neither the funds nor the energy to travel to the Midwest. If there's another National in Baltimore or Atlantic City in our lifetime, I'll be there!