Th Top 10 Vintage Sportscard Dealers of 2002

Davalillo · December 25, 2002 3:38AM

The kids have opened their presents, my family is cooking Christmas dinner, and everyone is making their top 10 lists so I thought I would name mine for the Top 10 Vintage Sportscard dealers in my eyes. This ranking takes into account honesty, dealers who have my interest at heart, service, fair pricing, amount of help on the sets I am working on they can give me and proactiveness.

1)Steve Novella-Always puts my interest first, honest, constantly in touch, sells duplicates for no extra charge on ebay and top other dealers--has focused increasingly on high end cards in past year. A guy I will always go out of my way to do business with.
2)Keith Abrams-Just recently in the business but what a debut. Sends me cards every week based on set registry, sells my duplicates for no charge, wonderful service, drives to house to deliver cards, pricing is fair, great guy.
3)Chris Porter(Superior Sports)-Has done a spectacular job since taking over from Greg. Not only are his auctions tops in the bus. but this is another guy who checks his inventory as it comes in and calls me with what he has that I need at fair prices.
4)Kris Keppler-Does anyone have more cards up on his website than Kris? Good friend of Steve's which means he is a first class guy. Customizes e-mails to me with what inventory is fresh, flexible on price, delivers cards to house.
5)Jay Volt(Quality Cards)-Puts together sets or partial sets card by card and then sells to me for about smr. This works with me. Conscientious, honest guy who I trust.
6)Sports Cards Plus--What I like about them is when new inventory comes in they call me. However, prices sometimes high and they never refer to registry before they call.
7)Dave Forman-Veteran dealer. Young although has dealt since teenager. Most of stuff goes through Teletrade but he does e-mail me occasionally wioth inventory and he always has stuff I need at the big shows.
8)Andy Madec-Honest, sincere guy who in the past used to call regularly with inventory at fair prices. I still like Andy a lot but see him as having a link to GAI which I view as a minus.
9)Joe Drelich--(East Coast Sports)-Another guy who will get in inventory and call me with what he has that I need. Easy guy to deal with, fair prices,.
10)Roberty Earhardt-Maybe a collector/dealer but he has e-mailed me many times in past year with cards I can use. Thanks, Bob.

I did this off the top of my head so I may have inadvertantly omitted someone who should be on this. Who would others put on their top 10 lists?

Davalillo

RobE · December 25, 2002 3:41AM

Shoeless Joes & BBCEX have been outstanding.

bengineno9 · December 25, 2002 4:30AM

I'd like to mention Shoeless Joes also. Has provided me with many PSA 10 Ozzie Smith cards for my player set registry. THANKS!!!

Stump · December 25, 2002 5:04AM

Nice post Jim now how about giving me Kris's web address. Took some time today to look over some of your sets. Very impressive though I am sure you have heard this before. Good luck finishing in 8 and above. I am sure you will get there.

Thanks Dave

Davalillo · December 25, 2002 5:50AM

Dave,

Thank you. Happy to say something positive about Kris. His website is Kepplerenterpises.com and Kris@Kepplerenterprises.com is his e-mail address. Last time I checked he had close to 2,000 cards in inventory--most of which are in high grade.

Jim

KING KELLOGG · December 25, 2002 5:58AM

bengineno9...

Email me on Oz cards...emards4457@msn.com .

Larry

SUPERPUNK813 · December 25, 2002 7:33AM

1)peter lalos-champs & bums has always been one of my favorite dealers to buy from. very professional every time.

2)a.j and harvey at a.j. sport cards, excellent transaction every time and super fast shipping even from canada.

3)brian drent-mile high card co., brian always has a ton of high end vintage cards in all sports not just baseball!

4)steve pekovich-ebay id bauerfan, i havent spent very much with steve but i did just get five very high end psa 8 '62 yankees from him and all should have been in mint 9 holders! he always seems to have high end cards at good prices on ebay.

thats my top four dealers/sellers, they all just seem to blend together after that.

paul

BillBob · December 25, 2002 9:27AM

Davalillo, thanks for the list. Could you list the company names with your top ten please? I am not that familiar with who works where. I would really appreciate it.

Personally, I have been extremely happy with Andy Madec and Levi Bleam. They are the only dealers I have developed a rapore with and both have been very helpful to me. I was surprised with the GAI comment on Andy, but I will have to ask him about it next time I see him. I would also give my reccommendation to Peter Lalos.

Mantlefan · December 25, 2002 9:39AM

It's great that we're saying nice about dealers. I guess that most of the lousy ones have washed out of the hobby. I've had good dealings with many of the aforementioned people. Levi Bleam at 707 and Bill at Polo Grounds have also been very accomodating to me.

FB · December 25, 2002 9:41AM

I have to go with the following:

1) Steve Peckovich - "doc" has more high end material from the late 50's to the early 70's than anyone else that I've seen. Fair pricing, easy to work with!

2) bbcexchange - Another fine "Steve"!!! Steve Hart always seems to have great cards at reasonable prices! Up on eBay every week and is lightning fast when shipping!

3) dslsports - always seem to have just what I need when it comes to late 60's, early 70's material!

4) Shoeless Joe - has a bunch of nice stuff and I don't know who is more fun to deal with (Joe or Tim!)

qualitycards · December 25, 2002 10:06AM

DAVALILLO - Thanks for placing me on your Top Ten list. With your high end collection, it is indeed an honor. I have a nice batch put aside for your Jan 3rd shipment. I hope to remain in your Top Ten list for the upcoming year as well...jay

Virtualizard · December 25, 2002 10:12AM

I don't disagree on any of the names I have seen here that I have personally dealt with -

Keith Abrams, Jay at Quality Cards, Robert Earhardt, Shoeless Joe's, Steve Hart at BBCEX, Peter Lalos at Champs & Bums, Steve Pekovich.

I'd like to add Joe Tauriello at Setbuilders Sportscards.

I'd also like to nominate some additional board members here that I've dealt with who are also top notch: Carlos Aponte, Frank Bakka, Larry Emard, and anyone else I forgot to mention/haven't had a chance to recognize on the boards yet.

Oh yeah, nobody mentioned Teddy's Ballgame

- Still waiting on 2 cards I won on ebay on 11/25 and 12/5. Oh well, horrible customer service and they only accept checks/MO, but you do eventually (emphasis on eventually) receive a nice card.

Happy Holidays everyone.

JEB.

braves72078 · December 25, 2002 10:33AM

I too enjoy Shoeless Joe's and I will also say that "King Kellogg" Larry Emard, is top notch as well. (Thanks for those 78's). Do any of you guys have any recommendations on nice raw cards, specifically 1974-1978?

MrKissKissBangBang · December 25, 2002 10:59AM

1) 4_sharp_corners
2) thefootballcardstore.com
3) mintstateinc.com
4) littledevildog
5) Shoeless Joe

Honorable Mention - Stonegate, prompt service, great product.

But of course, Im just a Football Buyer.

KKBB

MrKissKissBangBang · December 25, 2002 11:06AM

Teddy's Ballgame, oh my - is that one man operation for real????
Will anyone actually give this guy something to auction for them?

Nevermind - WOW - just the mention of him -

KKBB

Virtualizard · December 25, 2002 11:26AM

MrKissKissBangBang,

It is unfortunate to have to buy from dealers like Teddy's Ballgame, but if he has a card available that you've been looking for, you have to jump on it. I have dealt with him several times over the past few years and my opinion is: unless it's something you really need/doesn't come up on ebay often, don't bid. When I bid, I know I will have to wait about a month to get the card (longer around the holidays I guess from my recent experiences), but I will eventually get it. Just my thoughts.

JEB.

ydsotter · December 25, 2002 12:52PM

I primarily buy graded vintage BASKETBALL... I guess I'll use this as a thank you and a plug for dealers/individuals I enjoy buying from and who have made my collection possible. All of these people are friendly and professional. These are in no particular order...
Dealers..........
Kruk Cards
Rich Caan (icaancards)
Kurt Coltrane (Kurtz Kards)
Mint State Inc.
Terry French in Wallingford, CT... excellent raw cards
Quality Cards
Kirk Welch KWH
DLS sports
Steve Taft
Greg Fisher
kaisercards
omegalm@aol.com
individuals... not dealers... mostly ebay...
Kid4hof
Carkim
Factorjim
nuyauwka
jenkind
domenikbasketball
Wesley Lui
tonio
I am sure that I have left a handful out...

Basilone · December 25, 2002 2:28PM

My favorite dealer is Jay Wolt of QualityCards. He is fair, curteous, trustworthy, and has reasonable prices. Jay is one of the "good guys" in this hobby and I look forward to doing additional business with him in 2003.

John

qualitycards · December 25, 2002 3:21PM

JOHN - Thanks for the kind words. I hope Santa was generous and left many 1965 PSA-8's for you

...jay

FB · December 25, 2002 9:32PM

Wow!

With every post, I see more and more dealers that slipped my mind when making my own list!!!! Just goes to show you what a great place eBay can be and how many more GREAT dealers there are versus the bums!!!!

Davalillo - great post - nice way to honor the folks that have helped us all with our obsession!!!!

And JEB! Thanks for the plug! (I'll get your check right out! )

MickeyC · December 25, 2002 10:25PM

<< <i>My favorite dealer is Jay Wolt of QualityCards. He is fair, curteous, trustworthy, and has reasonable prices. Jay is one of the "good guys" in this hobby and I look forward to doing additional business with him in 2003.

John >>

I second the motion. Jay helped me start my 63 set, with both cards and advice.

My collecting activity will increase later in the year (got to find that job!), and I plan on making several more purchases with Jay.

Good to see the good ones praised.

Mark

toppsgun · December 25, 2002 11:27PM

One dealer I haven't seen named yet is Paul Starks from Starxcards of Colorado. I've been a customer of his from the show circuit for several years.

Steve (Bauerfan) Peckovich ("doc") and Joe (Setbuilders) Tauriello ("norty") are top notch. Where do they get their cards??????

I've also been a heavy recent buyer from Nick (zukeepr) Migliaccio in NJ.

In keeping with spirit of the thread and the season, I'll pass on slamming the t-u-urds of the hobby.

theBobs · December 25, 2002 11:52PM

Not really a dealer, but Zardoz and Gemmint have been true ambassadors with the 70 Kellog's cards. From sending out free cards to would be collectors, to trivia contests, to those damned annoying dancing things. Heck, they even got Dav to collect this set. At any rate, they deserve mention as being true benefits to our hobby.

Davalillo · December 26, 2002 1:13AM

BillBob,

Where I did not list the company, it is usually associated with the person's name such as Kris Keppler Enterprises or Andy Madec Sportscards. Many guys just use their name.

Jay, I am sure you will remain in my top 10 in 2003--you may even move up(ha ha)

A couple of guys mentioned by others fell out of my top 10 simply due to price. There are a couple of these guys who I really have to swallow hard to buy from as they price their cards so high. While this is their right, I try to buy from others who are more "fair". I am sure others know which 2 dealers I am talking about here.

Also, I am not a big ebay buyer(although this may change) so my list of top 10 does not have an ebay slant to it. Recent purchases from guys like Will Hays, DSL, Discount Sportscard and others have been very positive.

Lastly, some of the guys mentioned here I would consider collectors--not dealers. I will have another top 10 list of the Top 10 Collectors in 2002(obviously who have helped me with my collection).

This is a great hobby and almost all dealers and collectors are first class people.

Happy Holidays to all,

Davalillo(Jim)

aro13 · December 26, 2002 1:22AM

I dealt with Paul from starxcards for the first time this year and he went out of his way to make certain I was very happy with the transaction. From Canada I would like to add Platinum Promotions (Len Pottie) for hockey.

ydsotter · December 26, 2002 1:33AM

Whatever happened to WIWAG... when it was a game... I haven't seen or heard from these folks for a while? I liked buying from them. Are they still around?
-G

qualitycards · December 26, 2002 1:48AM

MICKEY C - Thank You, glad to have helped you get going on the '63's. As your cards increase and your $'s decrease, you may not be so thankful

YDSOTTER - WIWAG is off from eBay, be it a probation or permanent. And w/ that said, its like falling off the face of the earth. No exposure! I'm not sure what they did, but I've had no problems w/ any of my dealings with them, and wish a quick recovery back to eBay. Afterall, more cards listed, give us more choices and usually better bid prices...jay

gemint · December 26, 2002 4:30AM

I'd also nominate Gaspipe for supplying many low pop 1969's to myself and others building the set. There are several others which have already been mentioned in several posts. So far nobody has listed a dealer that I've ever had a problem with.

BobS · December 26, 2002 5:21AM

My TWO favorite sellers this past year are the two guys who sent me FREE cards: Paul and Jay, thanks again.

JH · December 26, 2002 5:22AM

My top ten for my '64 set for the last year would be:

1) Steve Pekovich
2) Peter Lalos - Champs and Bums
3) Natex Investments
4) Levi Bleam - 707
5) Kris Keppler - Keppler Enterprises
6) Gaspipe
7) BBC Exchange
8) Shoeless Joe's
9) WIWAG
10) Kurtz Kards

There are so many others that I just picked up one or two cards from: like Jay @ qualitycards, Lloyds Baseball Cards, Andy Madec, Superior Sportscards, Bill O'Connor, A J Sportscards, Mile High Sportscards, DSL Sportscards, and many more I'm sure I've missed...

Buckwheat · December 26, 2002 6:15AM

Great post Davalilo,

Some of my favorite dealers in no particular order:

Steve Peckovic--Super nice and fast service. Always willing to answer emails, and what an eye he has for raw cards to grade.

Andie Haley (Keith Abrams)- I hope he does well doing this full time now. If only he weren't a Mets fan!

John Blattner (Double Play Sportscards) As hones as they come.

Paul Starks (Starx cards)

Levi Bleam- A little pricey, but what an incredible selection, and he keeps his Web Site updated.

Marc at Vintage Sports Collections- One of the best collections of common cards at good prices.

Dan Schlatzeder (Zeder4 on Ebay) Is he still around?

Shoeless Joe

Bob Earhart- More a collector than dealer, but a great guy nonetheless.

Thanks to all of these, and some others whom I am sure I have left out.

dude · December 26, 2002 1:10PM

This is an interesting topic and I've seen some "interesting" names so far. Most of all that I've bought the last year has been on eBay, which is an auction format, so the seller's prices are not truly within their control. But regarding customer service and quality products, or dealing with them in person at shows, I'd have to go with these guys:

1. Bauerfan - Steve Peckovich
2. Set Builders - Joe Tauriello
3. Superior - Chris Porter
4. Baseballcard Exchange - Steve Hart
5. VSI
6. Starks Cards
7. Gaspipe26
8. DSL
9. Mintdr
10. Natex

LloydsBaseballCards · December 27, 2002 1:43PM

Marc Perna from VSI is a great guy to deal with either at shows or through his website.

pc · December 27, 2002 2:14PM

others rarely or not mentioned in this post but extremely
worthy of top ten lists include Lloydsbaseballcards,grays(ebay), theninthinning(Bob K),Bill Goodwin,Dan Markel,Rich Icaan and
Randy Snively.
my top ten this year
Chris Porter@superiorsportscards.com
Greg Schwartz(GRAYS)@botn.com
Steve Pechovich(bauerfan)
Levi Bleam and Jim @707sportscards.com
Bill Goodwin...goodwinandco.com
Peter Lalos@champsandbums.com
Lloyd from lloydsbaseballcards.com
Paul Starks (ebay and shows)
Andy Madec...andymadecsportscards
#10 is reserved for everyone that has helped
me this year who knows they are on my top ten.

Bingo33 · December 28, 2002 1:15AM

My top ten:

-707
-VSI
-Kurtz Kards
-Champs and Bums
-Kris Keppler
-Shoeless Joe's
-Steve Hart
-John Blattner
-Steve Novella
-Goodwin & Co.

In no particular order

EOMINT · December 28, 2002 2:07AM

My Top Ten:

1. Chris @ Superior Sportscards
2. JP @ Memory Lane (now off doing mortgages)
3. Dennis Skerbe
4. Natex Investments
5. Kurtz Kardz
6. Bob Earhart (thanks for all the 72s)
7. Goodwin
8. Mile High Card Co.
9. Andy Madec Sportscards
10. PC32 from ebay

EOMINT

Th Top 10 Vintage Sportscard Dealers of 2002

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