• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Editor's Blog / Hobby Time Travel: Photos from a 1973 Baseball Card Show

Hobby Time Travel: Photos from a 1973 Baseball Card Show

January 31, 2018 By Rich Mueller

Before top loaders and display cases and cards encapsulated in plastic with holograms…there was the ASCCA.

Among the first sports card collecting groups, the American Sports Card Collectors Association held shows in the New York City area where a small, but avid group of adults and kids gathered a couple of times each year to buy, sell and trade.

ASCCA baseball card show 1973 New York

We recently acquired a set of photos from one of those gatherings, certainly among the earliest three-day weekend “conventions” ever held.  The location was a large union hall– District 65 at 13 Astor Place.

They paint a quaint picture of the hobby as it was 45 years ago this May.  Tables are stacked with 1960s and early 70s cards held together by rubber bands (!).  Check out the photo above and you’ll also see what appears to be a gigantic stack of autographed 3×5 index cards.  New England collector Jack Webster tells us via Facebook, “The seated gentleman was Conrad Anderson of Billerica, Massachusetts. I worked with Conrad at General Tire in Reading, Mass. At work the guys called him “Whitey”. He graduated high school with my father and he and his wife (seated next to him) remained friends the rest of their lives.” 

There are plenty of publications on show tables. 

Lots of pennants. 

Bumper stickers. 

Back then, with only one main set to collect, most people collected “other stuff” too.

1973 ASCCA baseball card show

The photo above shows Staten Island dealer Stan Martucci with a Topps vending case being used for transporting inventory.  We’re not sure of the year, but it’s likely from the early 1970s and even the empty case today would sell for at least several hundred dollars, if not more. 

There’s a 1969 Topps Mantle sitting on the table in front of the Wholesale Cards booth, run by a well-known dealer of the time named Bruce Yeko.  The cardboard sign proclaims they have “15 Million Cards in Stock.”

Bruce Yeko 1973

There’s also a photo that shows a kid holding an uncut sheet of 1949 Bowman baseball cards talking with three other youngsters behind a table.  I figured it must have been a reprint and didn’t give it much thought. 

I figured wrong. 

sports card show New York 1973

I had reached out to Rob Lifson, the founder and former president of Robert Edward Auctions.  As a long-time collector from the NYC area, I was hoping to see if he could help nail down the year and the location for the show.  Rob did just that–and also thought he recognized a few of the people in the photos including the youngster with the Bowman sheet.  He checked around and confirmed the kid with the Bowman sheet was indeed…himself.  An avid and knowledgeable collector by age 13, Rob got a ride to the shows from his dad.

Speaking of dads, in the first photo in the gallery below, you’ll see a man in a sport coat and slacks standing next to a guy with a beard.  The well-dressed visitor is Keith Obermann’s father Ted, who chauffeured the young KO to shows.  Keith told me he’s somewhere in the crowd gathered around one of the tables, making a deal.  He also pointed out collectors Stan Martyn, Ron Greenwood and Tom Wickman in the crowd of folks behind or in front of the tables.  And…Keith, age 14, even wrote a story on the show for The Sports Scoop, an early hobby publication.  Greenwood wrote an article as well and you can read both in the gallery below.

The ASCCA events were operated by the collector/promoter Mike Aronstein along with Yeko, Bob and Paul Gallagher (a couple of the Gallagher kids are the ones in the photo with Rob).  They produced pin back buttons featuring baseball greats to commemorate each show.  One of those buttons is pinned to young Rob Lifson’s shirt and we were able to place the definitive date of the show as the weekend of May 25-27, 1973.  It was the first of many shows to come for the group and considering the coverage it received (New York’s CBS affiliate and the New York Times each did extensive features), it was probably one of the most important events in hobby history. 

Check out all 12 photos in the gallery below.

1973 ASCCA baseball card show
ASCCA baseball card show 1973 New York
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Notes: Topps Cartoons at the Hall; Topps Plant in ’91; Lakers Ring Ceremony Gear, Zajac Night Auction Baseball Card Coverage from 1960 Reveals Interesting Info on Market Why Baseball Cards Came Out a Tad Later in 1964 Sports Collecting’s Real “Boom” Was in the 1970s SCD ad 1982 auctionEditor’s Blog: When Auctions Were Done with Pen, Paper and the US Mail Ramblings: Few 70s Teams Resonate More Than Big Red Machine George Brett 1975 Topps rookie1975 Topps Baseball Set Brought the Color

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].

Filed Under: Editor's Blog, Popular Stories Tagged With: 1970s, Bruce yeko, hobby history, Rob Lifson, Stan Martucci, Topps history

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Pristine Auction October 2023 Daily, Weekly and Featured Auctions
  • Alt Liquid Auctions Current Auction Ends October 12, 2023
  • One of a Kind Collectibles Rare Autograph & Document Auction Ends October 12, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window