The One Hundred Greatest Collectors of All Time

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Posted By: bruce Dorskind

Collecting rare baseball cards has been a vibrant hobby since the turn
of the 20th century.

It would be a fun and intellectually rewarding exercise to identify
the 100 most important collectors of all time and highlight a fact
about their collection and where they are now.

Bill Mastro, Dave Festberg, Lew Lipset and Rob Lifson would
be a great information source

Twenty five who warrant consideration for this list are:

Buck Barker
Lionel Carter
Jim Copeland
Richard Egan
John England
Mashall Fogel
Wirt Gammron
Dennis Goldstein
Barry Halper
Bill Heitmann
Scott Irland
Larry Kelley
Lew Lipset
Bill Mastro
John Kashmanian
Dr. Larry Kurzak
Don Macpherson
Charlie Merkel
Joe Michaelowitz
Frank Nagy
Lew Newman
Jim Nowell
Bob Richardson
Dick Reuss
Bob Thing
Sir Edward Wharton-Tigar



Who else should be on the list?


Best,

Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

I would think Jefferson Burdick.

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Posted By: leon

Jim Crandall....

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Posted By: MVSNYC

some names not yet mentioned, who i have dealt with and been inspired by:

manny gordon
michael wachs
don spence
don loucous

and my close personal friend, who has taught me so much about this wonderful hobby...

jay wolt

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Posted By: Jay

John Rumirez
Keith Olbermann
Richard Masson
Larry Fritsch
Chad Dreier
Bruce Dorskind (we-- counts as two)
Corey Shanus

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Posted By: Josh Adams

Al Risafulli
Me.
A handfull of collectors I know that have great collections, yet prefer obscurity. You don't need to be famous to be a great collector.


Josh Adams
America's Least Wanted List

Go Go White Sox
2005 World Series Champions!

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Posted By: Colt McClelland

My vote goes to Leon Luckey.

Jim Crandall would not be close to the top 100 in my opinion.

edited to say . . . nor would Dorskin.

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Posted By: barrysloate

I'm not sure why this is an intellectually rewarding exercise, but assuming it is, let me add two more board members: Jay Miller and Hal Lewis. And for the all-time greatest collection ever built, I will nominate Corey Shanus. He is modest and collects a bit under the radar, so most only know a little about what he has.

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

Just a suggestion - but what about the gentlemen whos names appear on the early cards? I can't remember them all by name, but isn't there a Squires (sp?). Certainly they warrant consideration as they collected during distribution. In fact, there is a sect (albeit small) who collect the cards once owned by these mystery writers simply because these early pioneers wrote their names on their collections.

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Posted By: JK

Mr. X

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Posted By: scott brockelman

John Esch, Don Steinbach and Jim Montgomery,

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Posted By: Scot Reader

For those like Bruce who value quality over quantity, I would think you have to give at least an honorable mention to Kirk Harris. A T206 set with 100 PSA 9s (including 32 HOFers), 350 PSA 8s and a couple PSA 10s thrown in for good measure. Just think about the breakup value in today's market.

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

I can only list the "Collectors" that I, personally, have had many enjoyable exchanges with,
who also have or have had significant collections.......

Frank Nagy

Mark Macrae

Barry Sloate

I am sure I can come up with several more....but these 3 are certainly in the top of my list.
There are also several more who would prefer to remain under the "radar"......and, they are
ocassional "readers" of this Forum; therefore, I respect their privacy.


TED Z

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Posted By: John S

Duke Hott
Bill Heitman
Jefferson Burdick

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Posted By: barrysloate

Thanks Ted, but I don't really collect anymore. If you add up all the things that I've had at one time or another, yes, it would be pretty impressive. But more often than not those items would get sold. But I'm glad you remembered Macrae. And let's not forget Gary Cypres, who not only has one of the greatest collections in the world, he also shares it with the public, especially school children. That in itself is worth some points.

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Posted By: Bobby Binder

You are missing a very big one and he basically owns the SGC registry..

Randyl Stuckemeyer

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Posted By: Joe D.

Jim Clarke's website.

so he has to be way up there on my list.


Leon, Steve M, Keith O'Leary, David Rudd (although I don't believe I have seen his stuff / just going by his knowledge), Bruce Babcock, and a bunch of others here on N54 that I apologize in advance for leaving out.

They would all be on my list.


Admittedly, I don't have the broad knowledge of the hobby and its major collectors enough to have a really good say about it.... but those are the people who I have seen incredible stuff from.

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Posted By: steve f

Though, any average schmuck of modest means, that can; Build a respectable prewar collection through buying, trading and selling, without compromising the family's money and social needs. Now that person, is the greatest collector.

Wondering how many of the fellows listed above suffered or caused a lot of spousal grief with their paper passions.

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Posted By: J Levine

First off, Scott B. mentions Jim Montgomery, a name I have not heard in a long while. Jim and I traded a few times about 10 years ago and as I recall he had a fantastic collection of pre and post war.

I always wonder what Jim is doing now.

As to top collectors...what makes a top collector? Someone who can find the ultra rare, someone who can find the best graded examples, someone who does it for the love. Personally my collection does not warrant a significant mention but I would assume I am a "great collector" being a stand-up guy, honest, knowledgeable about cards, etc.

Joshua

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Posted By: Steve M.

I consider myself to be an average schmuck but in no way should be included. (Thanks anyway Joe for the nomination). Now maybe if we had a Top 500 I might get squeezed in.

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Posted By: Keith O'Leary

I'd be kneeling down in front of guys like the above.

Thanks Joe, but what Steve said for me too .

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I remember an old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movie with an elderly rich guy who collected music boxes. A pretty woman asked to buy one of his boxes. He told her he couldn't sell it as a collector can never sell anything he collects. I was struck by his definition of collecting ... To end the story, the woman killed him and took the box.

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Posted By: MVSNYC

the woman in this story represents people in this hobby who are in it just as an investment...

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Posted By: bill

hey no one has mentioned alan rosen or that sean fella

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Posted By: Joe D.

yeah... I don't know enough about the 'big collectors' to make a proper homage.

but you guys are in my top 100.

but, to be truthful, I am guessing I know less than 100 collectors....
so I am not sure what being in my top 100 actually means

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Posted By: David B

As an aside to this topic, I would love to see some of these collectors and their collections featured in Old Cardboard articles. Not just a paragraph or two, but a nice article with photos detailing how they got started in the hobby, what their favorite sets are, how they acquired their cards, etc. Once in a while articles like that appear in publications, but unfortunately it seems it's usually after the person has died.

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Posted By: David Vargha

Screw the top-100 greatest. Who are the biggest smart asses in the hobby who serve little purpose other than to irritate people? I want a list that I can be a part of!

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: Brian McQueen

A question....what criteria goes in to deciding who is on this list? For example? Does making this list mean that you have one of the top 100 collections in terms of value for all time? Does it mean that your research led to several important discoveries concerning the cards we all obscess over? Or, could it mean that you're an all-around good guy who contributes to the hobby that everyone likes?

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Posted By: Mark Evans

the McKees. Mark

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Posted By: Dave Williams

What about James Beckett?

He was a collector, and his price guides changed the hobby forever.

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Posted By: Alan

I agree with Brian. You need to define what "greatest" means !!!

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Posted By: RC McKenzie

To David's mention of the Holmes movie, it's called 'Dressed to Kill', 1946, it was the last Holmes movie of that series and in my opinion, the best. I accidently saw it on late night cable when I turned to the channel thinking it was the dePalma film of the same title with Angie Dickinson and Michael Caine.

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Posted By: Steve

Adam Moraine


steve

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Posted By: Blach

Norm Brauer

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Posted By: Larry

Paul Gallagher-hobby legend, greatest show organizer and more rubber banded stacks of pre war than anyone...
Dan Dischley-the editor of TTS and controversial hobby figure
Lou Michitisch-beloved collector/dealer that protected cards in stamp albums before plastic sheets and always had great cards....
Rob Bruce-smuggled more 52 Topps High #'s in this country than anyone!

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Posted By: Orioles1954

Dr. James F Feagin pronounced like President Reagan.

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Posted By: Mark

I nominate - Bruce Dorskind.

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Posted By: Brian

Jon -
Gilliam Squires is the one you were thinking of:

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Posted By: Anonymous

This is the funniest manifestation of self-masturbative bathos I've ever seen.

Je t'aime Bruce! Puis-je te sucer la bite?

Minter

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Posted By: Cobby33

It's masturbatory and obscene, yet I'm drawn to it like moth to flame.

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Posted By: DMcD

Can we do it just 'til we need glasses?

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Posted By: Jeff Lowe

The whole card collecting hobby wouldnt be the same without people like Walter Corson , Gene De Nardo and Charles Bray . Also there were lots of cross over collectors who collected all sorts of cards we will never know their names .


Jeff

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Posted By: ramram

I nominate Harry Wright and Al Spalding. Two of the earliest great collectors.

Rob M.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Excellent choices Rob. Both had monumental collections. Of course they created them, which puts them in their own category. Harry Wright didn't collect Harry Wright scorecards- he wrote them!

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Posted By: leon

Nice ones. Those are 3 that have flown under the radar of discussions but are great choices, and from what I have heard, are in the group of original hobby pioneers. I take my hat off to men like that....regards

ps...from what I have heard your dad would be in the top 5 Post Card collectors of all time...much like Bray, DeNardo, Barker, and Burdick are to cards...

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

Can you imagine 65 years ago... some of the collecting pioneers shrugging their heads at those colorful 1941 Playball cards and telling each other "I don't want that shiney crap..."

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Posted By: David Hornish

David Cycleback?-Is that Black Flag cover I see on your post?