RIP Dan Busby Ticket Collecting Pioneer

[Scott Garner]

I'm very sad to report that a good friend of mine Dan Busby passed away on Wednesday.

I've known Dan personally for about 30 years.
Dan was truly a passionate baseball ticket collector.
His major ticket collecting focuses included Opening Day tickets, post-season tickets and early vintage baseball tickets for all teams.

Even though I never had a chance to see his collection in its entirety, it was massive and one of a kind.
The team that he favored the most was the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Dan was also an author of two ticket collecting hardback books that really are outstanding.
His first book, largely focused on Yankees tickets was entitled Before and After Babe Ruth.

He literally just released his second book which is entitled Before and After Jackie Robinson.
This book is a large hardback tabletop edition and is focused on the tickets and history of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
For those of you that are interested, it is now available on Amazon.

Dan passed in his 80's, so he had a full and rich life. He was an excellent religious lobbyist in Washington DC until only a few years ago.

Knowing him for many years and realizing that the ticket collecting world would benefit from his expertise, I encouraged him to write about ticket collecting. Perhaps 10-12 years ago, he flew into DET and I had dinner with him in Ann Arbor to discuss the possibility of collaborating on a book on vintage ticket collecting.
When I learned that he was a published author on other unrelated topics, I assumed the role of providing photos of some rare tickets that were featured in some of his book concepts and agreed to help review early drafts.

One time I asked him how he got started collecting tickets as a hobby.
He told me that he actually started collecting programs. In the 1960's he visited hobby pioneer Goldy Goldfaden's shop on Ventura Blvd. in the Valley (Los Angeles).
Dan bought an early All Star program that had a ticket stuck inside the pages.
It dawned on him that tickets were an interesting thing to collect and the rest is history...

Here is a picture of Dan at the 2018 Ticket Collector dinner at The National in CLE. Dan is the guy standing to my left in the photo and I am wearing the Ryan Angels T-Shirt and red hat.

RIP Dan, you will be missed, my friend!

[batsballsbases]

Sorry about your friend Scott... As we all age some of us have been thinking what to do with our collections... May your friend RIP

[Baseball Rarities]

Sorry to hear this news Scott. Dan was incredibly knowledgeable and his book on Yankee tickets is really superb.

[Al C.risafulli]

Dan was a lovely man, one of the most friendly and helpful guys I've had the pleasure to meet in the hobby.

According to his daughter he was the author of many different books, but his most recent, "Before and After Jackie Robinson," is one of the most beautiful books about the hobby I have ever seen. Dan completed the book during his illness, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it's second only to Richard, Jay and Joe's Old Judge book in terms of how beautiful it is.

You can get it here: https://www.amazon.com/Robinson-Broo.../dp/1732469113

Dan was kind enough to send me a signed copy, which I received while I was away recently. I wrote him to tell him how much I loved the book, and I was pleased to know that he did receive my message.

Just a nice, gentlemanly hobbyist, the kind of guy it was a pleasure to have met.

Condolences to his many friends.

-Al

[mr2686]

Scott, sorry to hear of your friends passing. He sounds like he was a great guy and important to the hobby. Thanks for passing along the info on his books...I now have them bookmarked on my list and look forward to getting them.

[mrreality68]

Sorry for the families loss

RIP

[ksfarmboy]

Sorry to hear Scott. Praying for his family and friends.

[Lordstan]

It is always sad to hear about someone who is important to us passing, but we must take solace in that thwy lived a good and full life that had meaning. From your description it seems like he certainly did that.
You and his family have my condolences on your loss.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[Casey2296]

Sad news, you did very well encouraging him to record his knowledge. So many long time collectors have a priceless depth of knowledge that sometimes gets lost when they pass. That's why this place is so important. RIP and prayers to the family, he seems to have lived a good life and that's all any of us can hope for.

[michael3322]

RIP Dan. Fittingly thoughtful tribute to a great contributor to the hobby. Thanks for sharing.

[Rich Klein]

May his memory be for a blessing

[brian1961]

The news of the death of Dan Busby is really upsetting. Indeed, he was a very strong Christian and family man, a man of deep integrity and honor. Sadly, I never met him personally. However, we had a few rousing conversations as he helped me on my book about immediate post-war regional / food issues.

You see, prior to his consummate interest in tickets, Dan was a passionate regional / food baseball card collector. Without going into much detail, one of the three cards on the cover of my book once belonged to Dan---a drop-jaw gorgeous 1954 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle. Provenance is important and fascinating to me, and Dan kindly conveyed to me the details of how he acquired that gem of a Mickey in a trade with fellow pioneer Jim Nowell at Jim's home in California. Dan and his family had taken a vacation from their home in Shawnee Mission, Kansas all the way to the west coast, visiting among others, Jim Nowell. This was the summer of 1969. at the time of one of the very first little card conventions that Mr. Nowell hosted.

Dan Busby also contributed his personal recollections when he was growing up in Kansas and avidly collected the brutally tough 1955 Rodeo Meats Kansas City Athletics regional. If it weren't for people like Dan, who gave of their knowledge and memories of the regionals, my book would have been absolutely nothing. I know many of you have expressed how much you enjoy hearing collectors' stories of when they collected as children or teens.

I would have liked to have met and conversed with Jim over many things, but knew he was very busy in his work, and didn't want to bother him.

May God comfort, console, and carry the Busby family at this most difficult time. I feel his memory will be held in high regard by many. RIP dear brother. --- Brian Powell

[Scott Garner]

Thanks Brian!

I just received my personal copy of Dan's newest book entitled Before and After Jackie Robinson.
I must say that it is truly AMAZING! 400 pages and packed with tremendous detail of The Brooklyn Dodgers and all of its early baseball NY predecessors.

A true labor of love! Check it out!

[icollectDCsports]

Sorry to hear of his passing. RIP, and condolences to his family and friends.

[whiteymet]

Dan and I had some correspondences back in the 70's. As an Ashburn collector I always remembered he had a 59 Bazooka card of Ashburn on his business card. Or at least he did on the one he sent me.

Great guy! Sad when another old timer with tons of hobby knowledge moves on to the next plain of existence.

Will be missed by all who loved and knew him

[jethrod3]

Scott, so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend Dan. Just last week I opened a copy of SCD and saw the ad for his new book, which I'm contemplating asking Santa for. We should all be so lucky to have an impact on the hobby like he did.