It is with Unimaginable Sadness that we have lost our Dear Ted Zanidakis

[edhans]

I had just emailed Dan last week to see if he had any news on Ted. Regret that I won't see him at the National again. RIP Ted.

[Johnny T]

So sorry to get this news. I spoke with Ted a few times at his booth with Dan at the Philly show. But it was always a quick chat. After one show, I stopped for a bite and Ted was there with his grandson. I said hello and we chatted some more...mostly about my admiration of his knowledge and collection. Real nice guy and genuinely interested in people and their collections. He will be missed. JT

[nolemmings]

Add me to the long list of those saddened by this news. I only met Ted once, at a National some years back when we was with Mark Macrae. We did not collect the same sets of cards, so there was not much in common there, but what I remember most is his love of the hobby generally, his desire to learn as much as he could on what interested him, and his generous sharing of information and experience. He was walking freeware for anyone he could help.

[bigfanNY]

Like most here I have enjoyed and learned from the many threads and Posts Ted shared. I make my way down to the Philly show mostly to talk Hobby and look for the odd scorecard. And a few years ago I tracked down Ted at his table and said hello. I was greeted by a warm smile and a handshake. Talked about the Philly show ( This year is 50th Anniversary ) and Hobby friends we shared. He mentioned his neighbor Phil Rizzuto and we talked Yankees. And I made sure to stop by usually with an odd piece of Rizzuto memorabilia from then on.
I am sure that for Many Nationls and Philly Shows Teds Name will come up and friends will smile and tell stories. And I am grateful that his many thoughts are preserved in his articles and here on Net54.
Rest in Peace and my condolences to his Family and Friends.

[TaxMechanick]

RIP Ted... Really sad news!

Glenn

[wolf441]

Deeply saddened to hear this news. Ted was a titan in this hobby, but he was also a really genuine, kind person. I traded many emails with Ted when my son passed away in 2015 and I will always be grateful for his words of wisdom.

You will be missed, Ted Z.

[Jewish-collector]

This is such sad news. I always enjoyed seeing Ted at the Philly show. He will be missed.

[Eric72]

Ted,

Thank you for all you’ve done and shared. As you pass into memory, know that those who knew you will never forget your kindness and compassion. You were a wonderful human being and you’ll be sorely missed.

[philliesfan]

Truly sad. I always liked reading his posts. May he rest in peace and condolences to his family.

Bob

[jp1216]

I've never looked at a 1948 1949 Leaf without thinking of Ted Z! RIP - your posts will always be here for us.

[danmckee]

Originally Posted by akleinb611

Damn

DAMN

damn.

This hurts. I've reached the magical stage in life when losing someone you know and cherish is, alas, not an unusual event. But losing Ted hurts big time.

I never met him (although I'm sure we brushed up against one another at some point). But his hobby expertise, his grasp of the history, and most of all, his kindness and generosity came through every time he posted - and every time someone else posted about him.

My closest hobby friend was the late Bobby Bostoff (may his memory be a blessing). I've continued to collect since his death, but I'd be lying if I denied that a lot of the fun went out of the hobby when he died.

The lesson - the cards are fun, but they're just cards. The people you meet along the way - they're truly what matters.

Alan Kleinberger

OMG Alan! Bobby Bostoff of Empire State Sports was the BEST! Bobby found the Original first R337 Strip with the advertising on it stating the issuer as The Eclipse Import Company! The top card on the strip had the Ad back! KILLER! I used to watch Bob and Joe Bosley riding the stationary bikes at the Hotel at the National. Great Memories there!

[danmckee]

As my Heart hurts, I would like to share my very first meeting with Dear Ted in the very early 1980's at Willow Grove.

My Dad told me the George C Miller Set was very tough and Rare and only issued in the NE area so I started walking the show and found a small stash of them. It was Ted's table. I was maybe 22 years old and Ted was seasoned. We negotiated for awhile and agreed and then I pulled out my check book.

Ted said "No Checks, Cash only" I am like OMG, I don't have that kind of cash on me.... What can I do I am thinking. So I go back to our table and Dad and Alan Rosen are there bull shitting and saw me moping. They ask what's wrong and I told them and Alan jumped up and said "Come on son"

We walked over to Ted's table and Alan said "Ted, take the kid's God Damn Check, I will cover it" Well that was the end of it, and Ted and I became excellent friends ever since. We shared a love of Rare oddball old cards.

Having someone who pulled 1949 Bowmans and 1949 Leafs from Packs was just a gift to talk to. We would discuss, argue, and laugh.... I must say, I do not remember winning a single card argument but was very happy to be corrected by 1 of the best ever!

1 Final note, Thanks so much to all of you for all of the wonderful statements and thoughts and prayers. This board is special and very well run, and though it has been wounded here, it will continue to grow and be a great place for great folks.

Dan Mckee

[Tim Kindler]

Truly a great loss for mankind in general. He was so full of knowledge, but more importantly, such a kind and considerate human to humbly share with you that knowledge. I will miss talking to him and asking him questions at the Nationals. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. His contributions to our hobby and society will always live on.

Thank you Ted.

Tim Kindler

[painthistorian]

I started in 1975 and went to Willow Grove in 1976, he was always a very knowledgeable and kind vendor. His knowledge of cards, especially T206's will always be remembered. I am sure he was not only well respected and liked by much of the hobby but always was polite to new hobbyists. Many of us that still remember the hobby early days were blessed, but we are aging!. RIP

[sb1]

Count me as one of the many that will miss Ted.

He and I go back about 20 years and while we often talked cards, Ted was even more thrilled to talk of his family, first his daughter Zoe and later on his Grandson Ron, who I got to meet at the AC National. Ted was very proud of his family and of course his old T-Bird which has made its way into several of Ted's posts over the years.

So long old buddy!

[Touch'EmAll]

I never knew him. But all the responses - Wow ! Ted was a wonderful fellow, and truly great for our hobby !

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I recall that absolutely nobody welcomed me more strongly to this forum than Ted when I signed up so many years ago. Wow, two decades have passed?!

Prior to this, Ted's path had never intersected with mine in spite of our years in the hobby due simply to him being into cards and my being nearly exclusive to autographs. But many emails were exchanged and we certainly shared a mutual respect for one another's knowledge.

Such a friendly and welcoming guy ("Hey guy!") who was always wanting to make introductions between hobby people so that we'd all know each other. He was simply a rare caliber of person. No ego whatsoever in spite of all that data bouncing around in his brain.

Rest well guy!

[Mozzie22]

I think the number of replies to this thread, from members here that rarely post, is testament to this man's impact on the hobby, and to so many others personally. I never had the pleasure of meeting Ted but he was the only person on this forum I had ever traded a card with. I helped him complete his T205 Wolter back run and he overcompensated me for it. Sad news. RIP, Ted.

[rebelsart]

Very sad news. Rest in peace Ted Z. Thank you for your passion, knowledge, and friendship.
Art Martineau

[Just_Collect]

I really enjoyed talking to Ted and I believe he thoroughly enjoyed talking to all of us about baseball cards. I'm very appreciate and grateful to have made his acquaintance. He will be sorely missed. Prayers and love to his family and friends. RIP Ted

[npa589]

I wasn't blessed enough to have met Ted, but it has been wonderful reading everyone's stories and fond memories of Ted. I got involved in this hobby about 12 years ago once getting out of college, and though my only conversations with Ted were brief and on this forum, I am very grateful for the research and wealth of knowledge he selflessly shared for all to read. Lord knows that I spent hours upon hours reading his posts that were always meticulously laid out in astounding detail, and also were consistently updated with new findings. From the outside looking in, despite him most likely being the foremost authority on a ton of sets, he seemed to be a lifelong learner and always sought to share his knowledge with as many collectors as possible. The board will never be the same without him, but I am so grateful for the legacy and example he left for the rest of us to learn from.

[brunswickreeves]

Leon-could we start a Net54 Hall of Fame and induct Ted? Maybe it’s a section on the home page that contains folders for each legend which archives their posts and contains their picture and official Obit.

[FrankWakefield]

This thread reminds me of going to the funeral home for visitation when a dear old friend passes. People that I haven't seen in a while will show up, and it's sad, and it's heartwarming. Reminds me of Bang The Drum Slowly.

Here, I look through the posts and see folks who posted years ago, but not very often, nowadays. People that knew him better than me, people that knew him just barely, through the board... and in between. It's touching to see the old guys' posts, and the new members.

We on this board are his family... all of us.

[spec]

What an immeasurable loss to our hobby, and this board in particular. Let's honor Ted's memory by resolving to emulate his special qualities: his passion, his kindness, his generosity in sharing the vast hobby knowledge he amassed through research as well as experience. I've learned so much from Ted's posts about the sets that intrigued him: E90-1, 1947 Bond Bread, 1949 (yes, 1949) Leaf, 1949 Bowman and, of course, T206. I'll never look at my 1947 Bond Bread set (which still includes a few square-cornered interlopers) without thinking of Ted. My condolences to Dan, Ted's family and others who loved him.
B0b Rich@rds0n

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by danmckee

As my Heart hurts, I would like to share my very first meeting with Dear Ted in the very early 1980's at Willow Grove.

My Dad told me the George C Miller Set was very tough and Rare and only issued in the NE area so I started walking the show and found a small stash of them. It was Ted's table. I was maybe 22 years old and Ted was seasoned. We negotiated for awhile and agreed and then I pulled out my check book.

Ted said "No Checks, Cash only" I am like OMG, I don't have that kind of cash on me.... What can I do I am thinking. So I go back to our table and Dad and Alan Rosen are there bull shitting and saw me moping. They ask what's wrong and I told them and Alan jumped up and said "Come on son"

We walked over to Ted's table and Alan said "Ted, take the kid's God Damn Check, I will cover it" Well that was the end of it, and Ted and I became excellent friends ever since. We shared a love of Rare oddball old cards.

Having someone who pulled 1949 Bowmans and 1949 Leafs from Packs was just a gift to talk to. We would discuss, argue, and laugh.... I must say, I do not remember winning a single card argument but was very happy to be corrected by 1 of the best ever!

1 Final note, Thanks so much to all of you for all of the wonderful statements and thoughts and prayers. This board is special and very well run, and though it has been wounded here, it will continue to grow and be a great place for great folks.

Dan Mckee

Thanks for sharing that story. It’s so sad that he’s passed.

[Bigdaddy]

I only knew Ted through his posts here which were always informative and gracious. Like many have said, not only his knowledge, but his willingness to freely share that knowledge, will be missed greatly.

Rest easy, brother.

[robw1959]

I think maybe my favorite post from Ted Z was the one in which he recounted how he had located the exact building that once housed the American Tobacco Company that printed all of those T206 cards with the assortment of backs. He politely asked a security guy if he could have a self-guided tour of the place, but the guy looked at him like he was a lunatic and told him to move along. It just shows the passion Ted had for the hobby.

[Ted Abernathy]

Ted had came to our office a few years back to do a few deals, and along with Jim Fleck and myself we had spent the afternoon just bsing. Being that he lived only 20 minutes or so from our office he was on a very short list of people who were entitled to come and visit. Now that Ted and Jim are doing shows in the Heavens, there is a lot of things that will never be the same. R.I.P. Ted and may your family enjoy the memories. Ted was truly a great man in many ways.

[tombocombo]

Ted once claimed I'd bought a card from from every show. From setting up at many shows (even the little Cooperstown VFW HOF show) and long talks, always great times. Ted would find his way to shows via trains and that alone showed his love and dedication to our hobby. Very trusting as he laid his cards out with no showcases, just pick them up and negotiate. That in itself would turn into a conversation which led to Ted with his encyclopedic knowledge of the card and life history of the player. Dan McKee I know it's hard you were booth-mates at Philly and on occasion Leon joined in. A great loss of a wonderful and kind minded man.

[Stonepony]

A real bright light in the hobby. RIP and my condolences to family and friends.

[pete zouras]

Sad news. RiP fellow Greek card collector. We met once at Fort Washington show were he gave me a good deal on a T206 Duffy with Sovereign back from his find of such cards. His table always had a bunch of people surrounding it. His posts exuded his love for the hobby and generosity of spirit.

[chalupacollects]

Very sad, enjoyed reading his posts and learning from him… RIP. Maybe Leon can give his posts an archive tab?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RayBShotz]

RIP Ted.
Another hobby great and good person.
RayB

[yanks87]

I leaned on Ted for his first hand knowledge about 1949 Leaf issues. He was sharp as a tack and a great resource to have in regards to the research I was, am, doing. He will be missed, may his memory bring smiles.

[GoCubsGo32]

Very sad to hear this news. Always loved reading his posts & him sharing his expert knowledge. He will be greatly missed.
My condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace Ted Z.

[rsst206]

I have been away from the forum and just seen this.
Horrible News RIP Ted and my condolences to his family.

[aelefson]

I am very sorry to read this. I really enjoyed his posts and the few times he and I talked at shows.

Alan

[ethicsprof]

Very sad to hear this news of his passing. Such a great loss to the hobby as a whole and to so many of us who knew him personally. Rest in Peace,TRex.
'For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.' My deepest sympathy to all, Barry

[Moonlight Graham]

I didn't know Ted but I wish I had. I learned a lot from his posts here on Net54 though. Rest In Peace Ted.

Joe K.

[Joe_G.]

An absolute hobby legend. Always cherished our in-person and virtual interactions. His smile when discussing card minutiae was bigger than life. RIP Ted !

[Tony Gordon]

I learned so much from Ted. RIP

[Robbie]

As so many have already said, this a tremendous loss of of a special man and a hobby legend. Prayers to his family and loved ones.

[glynparson]

Rip

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

Leon-could we start a Net54 Hall of Fame and induct Ted? Maybe it’s a section on the home page that contains folders for each legend which archives their posts and contains their picture and official Obit.

I'm going to start a separate thread with the suggestion

[Seven]

Many posts later, and I think it's just incredible how many lives Ted touched here on the forum, I can only imagine the amount of people that were impacted by him outside of it.

I find myself checking the forum more often, than my normal once or twice a day. Feeling a little hollow looking at the posts and the active members, and not seeing TedZ as active. He was a constant presence. The knowledge and stories that he would always include in his posts always brought a smile to my face. In some ways I think I find myself checking in the hopes that this tragedy didn't happen.

Dealing with loss of a friend or family, has to be the worst part of life. By Far.

[brunswickreeves]

Originally Posted by hcv123

I'm going to start a separate thread with the suggestion

Thanks for the assist! Some may argue there’ll be arguing, but did that prevent Cooperstown??

[Yoda]

I dated for a short time Phil Rizzuto's daughter, Penny, in college. Ted, being a neighbor of Phil's, and I joked about it for years. Ted's astonishing knowledge of the T206 set matched anyones in the hobby. He rekindled my waning interest in the set when he pointed out the many vagaries and variations, particularly the different series and their importance. Now that knowledge is gone.

[samosa4u]

Look how many posts this thread has and currently almost 6,000 views. Ted's hobby impact was huge. He will be missed.

Being a hobby historian myself is what led me to connect with guys like Ted. With him being more than twice my age, I was really interested in his work on the hobby which he started before I was even born. Of course, our big age gap made it a bit difficult to connect well, but that's understandable. A few times he would misinterpret my questions as criticism and cut me off for a while , but his passion for the hobby was too great and we'd always hit it off again.

In honoring Ted, I think that all the work he has done over the decades needs to be made into a book. This would include all the articles he published in hobby magazines, personal journals and even his online posts (like Net54). This is obviously something that would take a crazy amount of work, but with the family's help, I am pretty sure it can be done. And finally, Ted always loved to use his collection in order to educate others. All his cards and variations should be scanned and integrated into this book. That would be just awesome!

[JeremyW]

I didn't know Ted on a personal level, but reached out to him a few times with hobby related questions. He never failed to respond & shared his knowledge that took a lifetime to acquire. I hope he knew how appreciated he was.

[VintageBall]

Just saw this. Sad news, for sure. While I didn't know Ted well, I knew him as a hobby friend, and spoke with whom at shows gong back over 20 years. He was a good person and a passionate collector, and the hobby will surely miss him.

He was a great contributor here and to the hobby, in general, for decades.

It was always great to see him at the National and other shows each year.

I hope his family is doing OK.

Robert
VintageBall