- Baseball card hobby pioneer, Lionel Carter, passed away early this week at the age of 90. In 1933 he bought his first pack of cards and never looked back. He eventually amassed one of the greatest and most envied collections in the hobby. He was noted for being a true collector as he cared little about the value of the cards. Last year, to his consternation, he sold his entire collection after being burglarized in 2006 (It sold for $1.6 million last April). Keeping his treasures at home had became unsafe.
“I sold every one of the cards because I didn’t want anything to remind me of them,” Carter said. “They meant so much to me (after) so many years of collecting. They were just a big part of my life."
Go here for some tributes 1 2 3 4 . Here is an interview with him from NPR.
- Only 600 fans showed up for a Marlins game this past Wednesday. Tatiana & Wax Heaven, the married card collecting duo, sound off.
- The 1983 Fleer Project picks up another Dodger autograph- Pedro Guerrero.
- Zach was at Dodger Stadium and has some incredible photos detailing how to snag some balls. He was also in Anaheim and San Diego.
- I had meant to point this out previously. The Trolly Dodger visits Manzanar Internment Camp and checks out the Baseball field. He also links to the hilarious Angel Berroa/ Manny Ramirez postgame interview.
- If you are a LA Kings fan check out Rich Hammond's full coverage of the teams "Breakfast with the GM" meeting with season ticket holders yesterday here. I was there and all I got to say is that I believe in Dean's mission to build from within.
- Are Baseball card price guides destroying the hobby? Are price guides even relevant anymore? Are they even accurate? Sportscards Uncensored puts it all in perspective.
I agree with the above completely. In my mind, guides like Beckett or Tuff Stuff depend on advertising revenue. Therefore, they are beholden to card manufacturers and dealers. So, I'm sure there is some pressure to make sure values are high in order to drive the market and pad their advertisers revenues.
As a collector always focus on what you enjoy, not what it is worth.