Who are our Hobby's Top Researchers?

[phlflyer1]

Although I haven't had a chance to read it yet, Erik Varons book on Philadelphia Caramel seems very thorough based upon what I know of it.

I think it will be a great contribution to hobby knowledge and worthy of his name being mentioned in this thread.

[bcbgcbrcb]

How about Lyman Hardeman at Old Cardboard?

[timn1]

as a researcher. He did a good bit of excellent spadework on the mystery Gold Medal Foods set before I took on the R313/R314 article, and was also extremely helpful on the other two (M101-4/5 and M116) I have been involved in.

I also want to mention Todd Schultz, who collaborated with me on the M101 article. Todd saw a whole bunch of stuff in those sets I would never have seen!

Thanks, Matt, for the plug-- good to see that somebody read those articles.

Tim

[slidekellyslide]

Lyman is underrated because he doesn't give himself enough credit..... "Old cardboard staff"

[brianp-beme]

I think certain aspects of vintage bb card research require at least access to quantities (collections, influx of cards as seen by dealers, etc) of cards being researched. That being said, I think the computer age has made it more possible to do cyber-research.

From the past I would like to mention Buck Barker, who did countless hours of research into the identity of players seen in such sets as Zeenuts--I believe Buck had a pretty impressive collection by the time he passed away, a good chunk of which he used as note-pads while researching at the archives of the Sporting News

Brian

[dennis]

george vrechek at the obc site has some great research articles.

[Rich Klein]

Are very important as well:

My former boss; Dr. Beckett really helped bring the hobby to everyone by making the original research palatable for a wider reach of collectors. Anything I ever did at Beckett was based on the work he had done previously (despite anything he will ever say )

Bob Lemke (and Dan Alpaugh before him IIRC and Don Fluckinger for those two years) also deserves a great deal of applause. The work he has done in getting new information out to the hobby should be very appreciated by all of us.

E&V gurus over the years such as Ralph Nozaki and Dick Gilkeson also helped in that venure and Sally Grace did a lot to alert collectors to counterfeit cards.

Lew Lipset's work is astounding as well. We printed some of his "unpublished" work in the old Beckett Vintage magazine

Scott Reader and my good long-time friend Teddy Z have done great things with T-206 building on the work of Bill Heitman.

I forgot Mr. Egan who did some of the best 1970's cataloguing.

If I think of more people; I'll edit and add to this

Rich

[FrankWakefield]

Mentioning Mr. Barker, who indeed is worthy of mention, begs for a Memorial list of those that went before us:

Jefferson R. Burdick.
Edward Charles Wharton-Tigar
Preston Orem
Charles Bray
Walter Corlson
Richard S. Egan
Robert Payne
Bill Haber
G. Lionel Carter
John D. Wagner
Jim Horne
Buck Barker
Frank Nagy

13 heavyweights...