A Salute to Card Dealers
It has been a rough year for baseball card dealers who go to shows on a regular basis. I realize many, if not all, sell cards through the internet nowadays. But Covid-19 has temporarily put a knife in the hearts of those dealers who still find value in looking into the eyes of people they sell to (and sometimes even buy from). All signs indicate next year will be better.
I’m no longer actively collecting vintage baseball cards and in this current climate that’s fine with me. But now that I’m retired from buying I have been reflecting on all the wonderful card dealers I’ve met over the years. Some of them have passed away. Others have retired. But many still ply their trade and if you’ve attended any card shows at all in recent years (and bought vintage baseball cards) I’m sure you have purchased something from them too.
Without further ado, here’s my top 10 list. How did I formulate it? Simple. The dealers in this list were pleasant to conduct transactions with and fun to talk to.
1) The late Bruce Paynter was an industry icon who hosted the 1989 National Sports Collectors Convention, held in Chicago. I first met Bruce, who was a lawyer by profession, in the late 1980s. He didn’t do a lot of shows but you could count on him being a dealer at the National each year. Always a joy to talk to. We also both loved ice hockey. His favorite player was Marion Hossa, now a Hall of Famer. Just like Bruce.
2) Bill Henderson of Bill Henderson Cards. Great guy. He served in Vietnam and I remember he once told me how when he would give Cokes to the Vietnamese kids hanging around where he was stationed they would take that first gulp of soda and be shocked at how cold it was. In 1998 I took a bus from Chicago to Janesville, Wis., where Bill lived at the time, to buy cards for the 1958 Topps baseball card set I was working on then. He picked me up at the bus station. When I got to his home and walked down to his basement I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw shelf after shelf of baseball cards, floor to ceiling. I kid you not. Absolutely amazing. Bill went back upstairs and I proceeded to select cards. A few hours later I got tired and stopped. We easily agreed on a price for what I selected and then Bill drove me back to the bus station. A memorable trip.
3) Bill Zimpleman of Shoebox Cards. Bill served me very well throughout the 1990s when I was buying a lot of (raw) 1952 Topps baseball cards the old-fashioned way: through Shoebox’s mailed catalog. He was always cheerful and helpful over the phone. He was also honest in his assessment of the cards I was interested in. When I would see him (and his late business partner, Wayne Varner) at the National every year he always had a smile on his face. It was a pleasure to know Bill.
4) William Chappell of Chappell Cards. What a kind, thoughtful man. Easy going. For years I’ve been working on the aforementioned 1952 Topps baseball set, now buying them in PSA 7s. I’ve bought a number of them from William and when he finds some new ‘52s in PSA 7s he’ll email me. Thanks, William.
5) The late Wayne Johnson of Johnson Sports Collectibles. Wayne passed away of a heart attack a couple of years ago. So sad. A former teacher who was beloved by his students. Kind and easy going. Always willing to give card-related advice. Years ago I bought a raw 1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie card from him. He always remembers that.
6) Bill Nathanson of Polo Grounds. Calm, cool and collected. That’s Bill. Always has nice vintage cards and most of them are raw. He’s all about keeping the customer happy through superior service (and a discount). It keeps them coming back.
7) Paul Starx of Starx Cards. He’s extremely knowledgeable about tough-to-find cards and easy to work with. Great business instincts. Always willing to give you sound advice, even if you don’t buy any cards from him.
8) Bob from Set Builders. I forget Bob’s last name. He sold his business to Michael Milbourn (see below) and retired about 10 years ago. It was always a pleasure to visit his table, which often had other dealers circling around it because he had great-looking, raw vintage cards. I’m a big ice hockey fan. Once a year I travel to a city where the home team has games on a Friday and Saturday night. In December 2009 I headed to Buffalo, where Bob lives, to see the Sabres. When I told him I was going to be in his town he offered to pick me up and show me around town. A nice gesture. I took him up on it. We visited some Frank Lloyd Wright houses in the area and had lunch at a local pub. Thanks, Bob.
9) Michael Milbourn of Vintage Cardboard Collectibles. Mike always has a huge selection of nice vintage cards in plastic sleeves. And they’re raw. I loved grabbing a chair in front of his tables and going through his well-organized rows of cards while talking sports with Mike (who was at the Richfield Coliseum on May 7, 1989 when the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan made “The Shot” against the Cleveland Cavs in a playoff game).
10) Steve Werley of Steve’s Cards and More. My nickname for Steve is “Mr. Oddball” and I mean that as a compliment. Whenever I visited his table at a show I always took delight in checking out the vintage specialty cards, posters, inserts, and more. I dealt a lot with Steve, a retired teacher, when I was working on my Topps 1971 Greatest Moments baseball set. It is a hard-to-complete test set because of those black borders and very limited circulation. I loved the “history” aspect of this 55-card set because on the backs you could find local newspaper headlines of special moments in each player’s career. Steve was a major factor in my completing this set.
I thank all these dealers (and others too numerous to name here) for helping me to complete my many Topps baseball card sets over more than 30 years. I’ve been very fortunate. And if you have a favorite dealer you haven’t seen in a while, do me a favor. Give him a call or send him an email and thank him.