National Card Dealers - any interesting...

Stone193 · September 18, 2007 12:09PM

stories in dealing with them.

I'm not talking about overgrading, high buy prices or high shipping costs.

I mean have ya met any characters? Or dealt with someone that was a few chips shy of a stack?

Mine has to do with "Broadway Rick" and the Strike Zone.

Anyone have any "fun" dealings with Mr Mint?

How about ebay dealers?

Mine was with Kane04 - totally resolved now - but at one point he kept referring to me as "Sparky"

mike

milbroco · September 18, 2007 12:44PM

I know a lot of people don't think too highly of Alan Rosen but this was my only dealing with him.

It was about 20 years ago when I was completely new to the hobby. I had a 1966 Topps high number Tigers team and Twins team. These are two of the harder cards to find as you guys probably know. They were both raw but no doubt are now probably residing in PSA 9 holders. They were near perfect. Anyway, the slob he had working for him at his table asked me if I was sellng anything and I showed him the two cards. He asked what I wanted for them and I told him... (can't remember what it was). He gave out a sheesh and a smirk and showed Alan Rosen the cards and said "he wants $XX.XX for these....haha". He was very ignorant and rude (not Rosan). Alan handed me the cards and said no thanks not interested. As I put the cards back into my backpack Alan turned to the slob and said "Hey those are his cards and he has the right to ask what he wants for them". He also said something else that I was not able to hear but it was nice to hear him say what he did.

Bob

illini · September 18, 2007 12:56PM

For years I always hear negative stories about Alan ( Mr. Mint ). I must either be a lucky one or take life and other peoples actions different who knows. I have dealt with many times mostly around 18 years ago. I did a few big trades with him. I recently got back into the hobby after a long 17 year lay off from the hobby. I got my old stuff that I got from Alan out of my safety deposit box. So after 17 years about a month ago I decided to give him a call and ask him some questions about some of the items I got from him. One thing that I got is so obscure he remembered exactly who I was and the trade that took place. We spoke for over an hour and he was as nice as can be and very helpful. Like I said I know a lot of people don't care for him and I see how some may get offended by him or think of him however they want. All I know is the guy couldn't of been nicer to me every single time i dealt with him. I was very surprised that he remembered our transaction but the items were the only time he ever had them he told me and he has never had them since.

Josh

Stone193 · September 18, 2007 12:56PM

Nice story Bob.

I never had a conversation with him.

Now for one of the nicest guys I've ever had the pleasure to talk with on the phone - sometimes for close to an hour?

Steve Novella when he worked for Greg Manning Auctions.

Polite, great knowledge and makes sure you get what you want. Now his own biz? Wow, his prices are higher than Levi's I think?

mike

Griffins · September 18, 2007 12:57PM

Kind of the other end of the spectrum. I was at the SF Labor Day show about 4 years ago, and handed my wantlist to Wayne Varner of Shoebox Cards. He looked it over and said "I've seen this card today, lets go find it". He left his table alone and walked up and down with me for about 5 minutes until he found the dealer that had the card. He then disappeared back to his table.
I bought the card ( a '57 Topps Bakep error, not easily found) and went back and offered him a finders fee- I never would've seen the card. He declined, as well as my offer of a starbucks run or something of the like. He just said he was happy to help.
Wayne and Bill are definitely 2 of the good guys in the hobby.

Stone193 · September 18, 2007 12:59PM

Josh

Also, a good story.

For another interesting character?

The infamous Alan Hager aka the Godfather of the 10 pt grading system - aka AcuCard - aka ASA.

To be honest - I liked him. He knows tons - is nice to talk with but many have said he couldn't be trusted for a second?

mike

Stone193 · September 18, 2007 1:01PM

Good story Anthony.

There are many, many good guys in the hobby.

Some only if they stay on their meds.

mike

Stone193 · September 18, 2007 1:11PM

I just remembered this - I made a few very, very modest purchases from Michael Gidwitz. He treated the purchases with all kinds of respect - as if I had just bought something rare and valuable! In fact, he even threw in an extra item as a bonus on my second purchase!

For those who don't remember - he's on the T206 PSA 8 Honus Wagner food chain.

Specifically, between the Walmart Lottery Winner, Patricia Gibbs - who sold it to him for 640K via Christies and Brian Segal who paid 1.2 million for it.

mike

rbdjr1 · September 18, 2007 1:25PM

<< <i>stories in dealing with them.

I'm not talking about overgrading, high buy prices or high shipping costs.

I mean have ya met any characters? Or dealt with someone that was a few chips shy of a stack?

Mine has to do with "Broadway Rick" and the Strike Zone.

Anyone have any "fun" dealings with Mr Mint?

How about ebay dealers?

Mine was with Kane04 - totally resolved now - but at one point he kept referring to me as "Sparky"

mike >>

Broadway Rick used to be located right here in Palm Beach County (Boynton Beach, FL). I bought a nice stack of PSA material from him some years ago. He was easy to deal with!

rd

Griffins · September 18, 2007 1:45PM

I just bought a few things from Mike Gidwitz and got a really nice email thanking me. Seems like a good guy.

GatorScott · September 18, 2007 9:45PM

Stone

Would love to hear your story about "Broadway Rick"

Morgoth · September 18, 2007 10:16PM

I remember trying to trade with Memory Lane one time and he rejected a 63 Fleer Mays PSA 8 in the trade because it had a crease. My dad and I looked at it and said to him "well that's too bad since we got it from you originally". He took it back and straight to PSA. Same show he tried very hard to sell me a PSA 9 Milton Bradley Clemente for 1000. I think I did well holding off on that one.

milbroco · September 18, 2007 10:22PM

Morgoth -
Just curious, what year Milton Bradley PSA 9 Clemente was he trying to sell you.
thanks,
Bob

Morgoth · September 18, 2007 10:40PM

1970 I think. It was back in 2001.

milbroco · September 18, 2007 10:45PM

WOW just unbeleivable. To think I recently sold a PSA 10 of that card for about $100.00. I guess you really did do well holding off.
Bob

Stone193 · September 19, 2007 1:56AM

<< <i>Stone

Would love to hear your story about "Broadway Rick" >>

Sure Scott

Around 1992, I answer an ad in SCD for a 55T Robinson card - raw - for 250$.

I get the card and it's in a heavy screwdown without an internal recess and the card appears crushed on the upper right corner. Now - I can't take it out since there's one of these "seals" - if ya tear it? Ya own it forever!

I contact them for a return - they give me a bit of resistance but take it back. I decided I just wanted a refund and didn't want to gamble on the card.

Well, instead they send it back to me in a semi-rigid - and the corner is definitely crushed. It's hard to remember all the details.

I send it back again - and ask for a refund - as per their policy which is backed by SCD.

It's saturday evening - just got back from eating out - it's around 9:30PM - I get this call from StrikeZone and the guy is going off on me!!! At first, I was shocked and couldn't speak. He gives the standard rhetoric: "I've been in this business for...." "I've seen thousands of...." "I've handled literally millions of dollars..." "Who are you to...."

I just tell him to refund my money - at this point that's all I want.

I hang up and get really pissed - back then I didn't have caller ID - so I call StrikeZone to leave a message; I'm really not happy at this point.

Well, to my surprise - someone picks up! It's Mr Rick - the same person I had just talked to. I tell him that I can't believe anyone would call me on a Saturday nite and then proceed to berate me like I was a child; whatever happened to treating customers with value. I then told him I had bought from many dealers and was not trying to pull anything.

He then kind of apologized and told me he was under a lot of stress - and I believe taking some kind of medication. Like what the heck does that have to do with me!!! I just told him to have a good evening.

A week later I get the card back again!!!

This time I call and tell them I was gonna go to SCD if they returned it to me again.

This is to the best of my memory - I don't think they sent it again - but it was an interesting moment in my hobby life.

baseballfanatic · September 19, 2007 2:42AM

Best dealings I've had with Broadway Rick was buying a bunch of the original photos from the 1961 Fleer basketball set that were in an old SCD auction.
He had come across 20-25 or so and had them in one of those great old telephone auctions which could last until 5:00 AM.
I guess this auction was short and sweet because they didnt draw much activity (except the Chamberlain and Robertson IA)
I bought a bunch of them for about 125.00 each and flipped them one at a time for about 800-1200 each in a couple of years.

Thank you Broadway Rick

fur72 · September 19, 2007 3:12AM

I cant remember this dudes name but if you were at the national there was a dealer with a cowboy hat on and his shirt unbuttoned down to his belly. His booth was near the Coporate area. He seemed a few picnic baskets short of a festival.

Morgoth · September 19, 2007 3:31AM

Anyone from Indiana/Michigan know this guy. He goes to all the mall shows. He only deals in prewar cards, all ungraded, he also has oddball stuff like penants, pins etc. He told me he had his own grading company at one time but stopped due to getting too many cards to grade

. He severly overgrades all his stuff and really nails your cards even if they are graded. All his stuff is in semi rigids with book and sale price stickers. He won't use the SMR for pricing of graded cards, he uses the SCD book. He also won't let you leave the table if you try and deal with him.

I once tried to trade with him for a T206 Evers in about 4 to 5 shape. He picked out all my prewar stuff (34 DS PSA 6 Pie Traynor, 33 Goudey Lloyd Waner PSA 5, 34 Goudey PSA 4 Paul Waner) and after alot of talking the deal he offered was all my cards plus around $200 cash. I was figuring trading the Traynor and about $100 bucks so I was shocked. When I countered he spent at least 20 minutes going over how my cards sucked compared to his. Wow what a waste of time (at least 2 hours). He is an older guy and wears suspenders. Man if someone could give me a name I would love to avoid him again at all costs.

Carew29 · September 19, 2007 4:39AM

I have dealt with Greg Manning auctions a few times and would rate them a class act. Very friendly and will carry on a conversation with you even if you aren't selling cards.

I had some great times at Laguna Sportscards Plus back in the early 90's. The two front guys were very knowledgable in the card business and even showed me and my buddy one day their Allen & Ginter set which was ungraded in just "cherry condition"!! But with the advance of PSA down the beach from them, the attitude changed and it became all about money. If you were to "look", they would just hang out in the back room until you left. And from patrons of their business as of today, nothing much has changed. A good example is they just bought a $2.2 million card and turned right around and sold it for a quick (large) buck.

larryallen73 · September 19, 2007 5:20AM

A good example is they just bought a $2.2 million card and turned right around and sold it for a quick (large) buck.

Is that bad? They run a business and want to make money?

National Card Dealers - any interesting...

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