Dealers (or fellow collectors) who lit the fire

[Theoldprofessor]

Two guys whose patience and generosity are surely worth mentioning:

-- Max Nanney, retired principal of Mooresville HS, Mooresville, NC. Max and wife Beth would set up at the local "big" flea market once a month. I still own the first T206s he sold me. Two Cobbs, red and bat on, in Ex-Mt. $150 each, which was about right in those days;

-- Chandy Greenholt, whose knowledge of cards was (and I hope still is) matched only by his friendly and helpful approach to selling them.

If either of you happens to read this, thanks from an old guy who stilll hasn't learned enough.

[GrayGhost]

When I was a kid, I bought cards in the late 60s/mid 70s, but threw them out, and some were lost.

Vividly, when I was about 12, my friend who lived across the street and I had a "Joint card collection". We pooled allowances, and went to a small antique shop here in town and got a HANK AARON rookie w a corner crease for 7.00. long time ago. I remember that card not like I got it near 35 years ago, but yesterday, Sadly, our collection was lost in a basement flood in his house in 78. I then bought more packs, the 78 wax packs by the bushel..haha.

After sliding again, in the middle 80s, I met Famous Neil Sakow, who had a GREAT Mantle and Howdy and JFK collection and museum here in CT. I had won a gift certificate to his dad's store a few years earlier, and Neil had a display there, and I got a 1956 Whitey Ford, But, in the 80s, Neil sold me a lot, and I gained a lot of knowledge from him.

Over the years, financial reasons have cause my collecting and dealing days to be curtailed a lot, but those are some of my fond memories, and I still have love for the hobby, especially the old memorabilia.

[Writehooks]

For me, it started with mailing $8 (Canadian!) to a guy in Detroit for a four-issue subscription to The Sports Hobbyist, circa 1974. I remember the price, because he sent a note with the first issue, commenting on how "cool" the Canuck $2 bills looked. It was a pretty amateurish publication, but fascinating nonetheless.

As I recall, the only professional-looking ad was for The Card Collectors Company in NYC. When I received their first catalog, I spent the whopping sum of $40 to acquire complete Topps hockey sets from 1962-65. I subsequently acquired a couple of dozen T206s (which I later swapped for more hockey cards) and began corresponding with some of the classified advertisers. Subscriptions to The Trader Speaks and SCD quickly followed, and I've been hooked ever since...

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by Writehooks

For me, it started with mailing $8 (Canadian!) to a guy in Detroit for a four-issue subscription to The Sports Hobbyist, circa 1974. I remember the price, because he sent a note with the first issue, commenting on how "cool" the Canuck $2 bills looked. It was a pretty amateurish publication, but fascinating nonetheless.

As I recall, the only professional-looking ad was for The Card Collectors Company in NYC. When I received their first catalog, I spent the whopping sum of $40 to acquire complete Topps hockey sets from 1962-65. I subsequently acquired a couple of dozen T206s (which I later swapped for more hockey cards) and began corresponding with some of the classified advertisers. Subscriptions to The Trader Speaks and SCD quickly followed, and I've been hooked ever since...

In 1974, I was 13 years old and had been collecting with every penny I could find, including searching for pop bottles. I too saw the Sports Hobbyist and couldn't believe what was available. 1952 Mantle was $75.00. I worked all summer to get the funds and my dad told me I was crazy when I gave him the money for him to write me a check.

Mickey never came. I received a 1955 Sandy Koufax, a 1956 Campanella and 1955 Jackie Robinson. I think they snuck in a few others like Spahn and so forth and.....a friggen $25.00 credit. Memo. Probably didn't order too much through the mail again. Makes for a great Story though. I believe they were selling a Wagner for $1,500 at the time. Glad I didn't end up with a $1000.00 credit memo.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Theoldprofessor

-- Chandy Greenholt, whose knowledge of cards was (and I hope still is) matched only by his friendly and helpful approach to selling them.

I've bought a ton of stuff off of ebay from Chandy. He is TOP SHELF...for sure.

[sando69]

weren't goepner & nacho partners?
i just cannot picture bill at the moment...
did you ever attend gregg hara & george grauer's scottish rite temple shows (first friday of every month)?

[Steve D]

Mark,

Yes Bill and Nacho were partners (and brothers in law...Bill's wife Connie was Nacho's sister). Bill owned San Diego Sports Collectibles on 5th Avenue downtown (about a block or two from Balboa Park). I actually worked for him there for a time, while going to junior college.

I never attended any of the Hara/Grauer shows, as I left San Diego in January of 1985 to join the Air Force, where I spent the next 24 years of my life . I do remember Gregg, as he set up at shows, but didn't begin running his own shows until after I'd enlisted. The only shows we had prior to that were monthly shows at the old Parkway Bowl in El Cajon. That's where I met Steve Brunner, Tony Galovich and a few others from the L.A. area. There were also a couple of big annual conventions called "The San Diego Show" held down at the Town and Country Convention Center. I saw and bought my first 19th Century cards (N28 Clarkson and Keefe) from Larry Shane at one of them. He'd come out from Philadelphia for the show. I also went to a couple of shows up in Anaheim.

Back to Bill Goepner, one interesting anecdote...his father was in the Navy in 1941, and was the man who fired the U.S.' first shot of WWII, on the Japanese midget submarine that was caught entering Pearl Harbor prior to the Japanese fleet's arrival.


Steve

[pete zouras]

Purchased a few early 70s Topps sets and a 64 Topps giants set from Renata Galasso. Back then I wished I had found out about her earlier; it would have saved me a lot of money and trips to the drugstore. I didn't live near a card store, but several of the 41 playballs I traded/bought had/have "Bill Johnson" signed on the back--apparently the name of a card store (or card store owner) on the SW side of Chicago, which I never made it to.

[Northviewcats]

About eight years ago my wife and I stopped in Cooperstown on the way back from the Big Apple. I got to talking to an ex-yankee, Clete Boyer, that always hung out at Mickey's Place. I bought an autographed baseball from him and my wife took a picture of us in our Yankees hats. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at memorbilia at the museum and in the shops on main street. When we got back home I looking for autographed items on the Internet. Ebay and trading cards quickly followed and I've been hooked ever since. Now I have a whole room full of stuff and I keep looking for more.

[GaryPassamonte]

This was pre SCD, but Stan Martucci comes to mind. I still have an old receipt from him dating to the late 60s. My purchase was a 1955 Topps Koufax for $1.25.

[vintagechris]

-- Chandy Greenholt, whose knowledge of cards was (and I hope still is) matched only by his friendly and helpful approach to selling them.

If either of you happens to read this, thanks from an old guy who stilll hasn't learned enough.[/QUOTE]

Chandy had a card shop in Winston Salem a few years ago. Not sure if he still does. I live a couple hours away. Also use to set up at the show in raleigh regularly but I had not been to a card show in a year or so until I went to this last one and he was not there.

I'm sure he is still active.

[GasHouseGang]

I remember buying the new year's set quite often from Renata Galasso. You could get those great special sets that they always included with the new sets. I also remember getting many commons from Bill Henderson at several of the bigger midwest shows. He always had such a giant selection at good prices. But one place I used to order from all the time was Wholesale Cards Co. in Georgetown, Conn. run by Bruce Yeko. I would always send a list with alternates, include a check and sit back and wait to see what I got. I still have the last catalog I ordered from. I got a 1967 Topps series two for $7.95, a 1960 Fleer set for $19.95, and 1964 Topps Giants for $4.95. Those were the days! I also remember later on winning many nice mail auction items from Johnny Adams Jr. Is he still around?

[Griffins]

Not sure if Johnny Adams Jr. was at the last National in Chicago, but he was definitely in Cleveland in '04 and Chicago in '05, not positive about Anaheim but I think so.

[yomass]

Finally, someone mentioned Bruce Yeko! In the late 60s, early 70s, he was the man who helped fill all the old sets in my neighborhood.

[batsballsbases]

Yes Bruce Yeko. I still talk to Bruce from time to time. The last time was about 5-6 years ago. Bruce had a big barn in back of his house filled with cards. A very sad story ,he told me that the barn had caught fire and he lost most everything that he had left of his cards. The stories I could tell you about Bruce But I will save that for another time! I still have alot of his catalogs. I will try and post one. The prices will make you ill.....

[tedzan]

Starting in the 1970's......here is a list of BB hobby dealers (nationwide) who I have had some great deals with,
and shared some great hobby knowledge with. I returned to collecting sportscards in the mid-'70s....and, I can
thank my daughters, Debbie and Zoe for this. I brought them up to be avid BaseBall fans and Tennis players......

Frank Nagy....Mich
Mark Macrae....Calif
Bill White....Phila
Irv Lerner....Phila
Bob Schmierer....Phila
Bill Heitman....Calif
Kit Young....San Diego
Kevin Savage....Ohio
Charlie Conlon....Mich
Barry Sloate....NY
Dan Paley....Phila
Joe Dugan....Phila
Ron Oser....Phila
Rob Lifson....Phila
Levi Bleam....Phila
B. A. Murry....St Lo
Don Steinbach....Chi
Pat Quinn....Chi
Carl Berg....Kans
Rich Hawksley....St Lo
Jim Hawkins....Mich
Lew Lipset....NY
Bill Henderson....Wisc
Bob Lemke....Wisc
Steve Ellingboe....Wisc
Ron Gordon....Ariz
Bob Steinberg....NJ
John Broggi....NJ
Alan Rosen....NJ
Phil Specter....NJ
Steve Clark....Ohio
Roger Neufeldt....Okla
Max Silberman....Phila
Rich Klein....NY, Tx
Jim Beckett....Tx
Dan McKee....MD
Bob O'Leary....NJ
Bob Thing....ME
Don Flewelling....Cooperstown

Many are familiar names to most of you. They come to mind first, as I have enjoyed long time friendships
with them since 1977 (and the early '80s). When this hobby really got started....what a glorious time.

TED Z

[judsonhamlin]

to robedits:

I asked the same question about Howard's a while back. It seems like in the late 80's and early 90's they had a line on great collections and every mailer had more cards than the next, and were always pleasant to deal with. Probably 10% of my T206 set comes from them. If I recall, they even set up at some Philly shows. Now, their ebay store now is 99% coins and no vintage at all. I'm not sure if their personnel changed or whether other dealers just outmaneuvered them.

[batsballsbases]

Here is one I found! 1952 Topps complete set 407 cards 125.00
1953 complete set 20.00 1954 complete set 18.95 I wont put any more prices if you saw them it would make you sick...

[sando69]

anthony-
i saw both gavin, who was an exhibitor AND johhny, who apparently was not, at the 2006 anaheim national.

I visited Goldfadden's shop once but he wasn't very nice so it was only once.

adam-
anthony & i have similar stories... infamous for his "customer service," and for allowing only two in the store at a time, then LOCKING THE DOORS on everyone else, as they lined up outside to be allowed the privelege of entering!