Dealers from the 80's-90's
Yankees70
Posts: 908 ✭✭✭✭
After reading a thread regarding Mr.Mint it reminded me of the time I met him in Southern California in the late 80's or early 90's. He was selling cards at a convention I attended and I sold him two complete baseball sets: 1955 and 1960 Topps. He gave me $4600 which was close to current market value at that time. Back then a collector was lucky to get any offers over 50 percent of value. Both sets were top notch with 90 percent at least NM.
During this time line I purchased a lot of my sports cards from Tony Galovich. He had a Baseball Card store close to Disneyland and was always selling cards at every major card show in Southern California. He also wrote investment articles in baseball card magazines. He seemed at that time to be one of the most influential dealers in the hobby Does anyone know what happened to him? Is he still in the hobby?
Comments
I miss dealing with Joe
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Don't know what happened to Tony, but here's a good read from 33 years past.
https://www.postwarcards.com/the-1992-galovich-report-on-unopened-material/
Thanks I never read this before. He wrote a great article on investing in rookie cards - I think around 86 or 87 - for a baseball card magazine which was top notch. Tony was always honest and professional with me. He sold me a 1967 Tom Seaver in PSA 9 condition for $600 back in the day. Unfortunately I sold my entire collection soon after getting married.
Just read the article. Of special interest was the mention of the 54 Cello with Aaron on top. Tony had the cello and was trying to sell it at a sports card convention that I attended. Not sure if he owned it or it was on consignment but I remember discussing it with him as I had a 54 Aaron and was looking for another one at that time. The best card I ever had was a 54 Aaron in PSA 8 condition that I sold for $2,600 which was a good price to get during that time.
I remember reading tonys articles in tuff stuff for years. I also wonder what ever became of him. Others as well. Remember TJ Schwartz? He also wrote for tuff stuff.
Lots of other old dealers i remember buying from in magazine adds. Kit young, mark Murphy etc.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Yes I remember Kit Young and Mark Murphy for sure.
I was living in Laurel, Maryland from 1976 to 1982, working full time for the Air Force, but also putting in 40 or 50 hours a week at Coins of Laurel, a local coin shop. When I first stated we sold coins and stamps and pipe tobacco and accessories. We branched out into comics and in 1981 Wayne Miller joined up with us selling baseball cards. I remember breaking boxes of Topps, Fleer and Donruss to build sets on the 1981 cards. Wayne would bring in collections he'd bought, and he showed me some of 0the T cards he picked up, including a lot in top condition. He got me started collecting B-18 blankets and helped me accumulate a large collection. Later on, after 1982 when I moved to Greece we did everything through the mail. When I had extra money I'd send it to me, he'd pick out nice cards, usually singles of stars and send them to me. I accumulated a lot of cards that way.
I lost touch after that when I moved to Texas and while I visited the coin shop a few times in Maryland he was gone from there. I believe he left the card collecting world and became a professional clown, along with his wife. Wayne was one of the smartest card guys I've ever met.
Great story Klif50 thanks for sharing.
nice stories guys..really enjoyed reading your posts.
I used to love getting my monthly CPU magazine!
Tony first posted on here under username "Zippy" in 2006, in an entertaining thread involving several socal dealers from back in the day:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/482774/goodie-goldfaden-alive-amp-well
Last active 2013 on his profile. Can't find anything else on his whereabouts on the web, but obit searches turned up nothing, which is good. Web searches did turn up some great articles he wrote about card investing in the 80's and early 90's. Way ahead of his time, especially w regards to graded and unopened.
Unfortunately all the old time dealers I grew up with in central/northern Maine back in the 80's have all gone on to that big card show in the sky. I have great, fond memories of talking and learning from them. Most started out as coin dealers who turned to cards. Some included: down east coin and collectables, twin city coin, shiretown coin, brewer sports collectables, the strike zone, keys n things and many more.
Those were back in the days when Beckett was fairly new and cards were wrapped in wax paper! I sure miss those days.
I remember one day walking into twin city and he had a stack of 89 topps wax cases stacked nearly to the ceiling. I thought I was in heaven. I was on the lookout for Greg Jeffries at the time!
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Funny! Believe it or not I grew up in Maine as well, but being on a small island on the coast had little to no exposure to dealers of any size. Despite being in the hobby since I was 5, I have never have been to a card show in my life. Had a few card shops to buy singles and packs from a few times a year and on christmas and birthdays. These days there's a couple antique shops around here that have cards, most priced 300-1000% over comps. eBay and Facebook groups for 99.5% of my buying.
As you said, the few card shops there were are long gone. There's still a card show at the Bangor Elks Club once a month. Maybe I'll check it out! Bet you see a lot of Pokemon and Magic there along with Caitlin Clark and Cooper Flagg. That's what's moving these days. If I was a betting man I'd say there's a hefty markup on Flagg stuff at that show!
Wow very K
L nostalgic REAL 80's 
stories and experiences here which I can relate to...As for me I was an entrepreneurial young teenager who set up at small mall and local hotel shows concentrating on HIGH grade rookies from the 60's 70's and 80's...Remember how the Beckett price guide would list most all shows in the USA by state...I even took out 1/8 page ads in Sports collectors Digest competing with the likes of Mr. Mint, Bill Goodwin, memorylane etc...Mark Murphy and Mike Parness had the cool unopened stuff which I always admired...Then I headed to college University of Virginia to major in engineering...While there I had the most pleasure of working part time in a shop run by Marco Rol (The Original Chantilly show promoter)...I learned alot about role condition plays in cards and collectibles...like real estate is location, location, location...cards, antiques and collectibles is condition, condition, condition...On a last note me and a senior employee at Southern cards went 50/50 (on our credit cards) on a most beautiful 1935 Chickle Bronco Nagurski rookie card with the intention of selling it at the national that year in Georgia...The card had close to mint if not mint corners but was centered like maybe 65/35...We ended selling it for a 50% profit I think...I think i have seen this card graded an 8 about 10-15 years ago sell for like $350,000 (we paid like $5250 or something)...There is another story that some of you may know about THE GREAT T-206 tobacco card find that walked into the store with the cards so MINT that some of the chips were still hanging of the cards form the early 1900's cutting technology...live for today because there is no guarantee of tomorrow and enjoy every minute of it...Rock on!!!!
I sold a sealed case of 80-81 Basketball to Mark Murphy and the check bounced. He did come by the next day and paid cash
Wish I still had that case, that was in the early 90s
Hey there!! A fellow Mainiac right here on CU! If you make it to the elks club show in Bangor, you will see me there!! I always rent a table and set up there! Come on down if you can. First Saturday in December.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
@West22, and yes, lots of Cooper flagg stuff at the show as well as pokemon. Its a fun little show though. About 100 tables and no entrance fee.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Sweet! I marked Dec 6 on my calendar, schedule will depend on my kids that day who like going to Bangor but definitely not for a card show. If I make it , I will PM you and will definitely stop and say hi, I remember you over the years from your posts in the NNOF thread and some other interactions around here.
Sounds good!! Let me know if you can make it. The nnof thread was peak CU! I still have one of my NNOF's. I let the other go a few years ago for a bowman chrome Brady rookie
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I always wondered what happened to Perfect Card Company. I've brought their name up occasionally on here over the years but nobody seems to have ever heard of them. They used to set up at shows on the West Coast in the 1990s. They had boxes of vintage unopened from the 60s and 70s and even a few 50s packs. They used to buy full boxes from a guy who had a stockpile and would sell them a small quantity at tax time every year. Every pack I bought from them graded out with no problem. It was an older gentleman and his wife. I think their last name was Billman or something along those lines.
I bought some 59s from Polo Grounds. He advertised in scd. He listed cards as mint and some as mint(beauty). All graded 8 or 9. I also bought a 1956 Ted Williams. For 600 dollars . It graded 9. A beauty which I still have .
one of the dudes I used to buy from in 80's popped by my office a few weeks. He lives about a 1/4 mile from my office. He just retired and is helping take care of his elderly parents and wife's parents He said he has many 1970's sets. Said he will get back with me when life settles down. Great dude!!
I remember them well. Good company. My partner and myself took a trip to a little farm town outside of St. Louis back then. Our host lived in a home in the “middle of nowhere”. We went there to examine an enormous accumulation of beautiful cards from the 50s and 60s, a collection unlike any we’d seen. Multiples of all the stars, rookies, etc. We made what we felt was a very competitive offer to buy the whole shebang. For cash. We spent the entire day with this guy and the cards, then retired to our Motel 6 for the evening. Next day we get the call. Sorry, guys, another company wants to pay more. A LOT more. It was Polo Grounds. 😭
Ya win some, ya lose some. That was our Game 7 defeat in a walk off. Oh well.
Polo Grounds is still in business. Google polo Grounds cards . Great guy .