The other day, while I was taking my break at work and keeping up with some message boards, I noticed that long time dealer and collector Ted Zanidakis posted about the recent passing of long-time Philadelphia area promoter, Bob Schmierer. I actually never had my own table at the famed Willow Grove show Bob had such a large hand in running for many years, but I shared one with … [Read more...]
Ramblings: Past Not Always Better
We spend quite a bit of time talking about the "good old days" of the hobby but one should realize not everything was better years ago. Sometimes the past can’t compete with the present. There’s no debate that the dissemination of information is much better and more efficient than it once was. There was a time when everyone waited for the new Beckett magazine(s) to come out … [Read more...]
Rich’s Ramblings: More National Stories for My ‘Living Book’
When I first left Beckett in 2007, my “plan” such as it was, was to write a book about people in the hobby much in the way that Lawrence Ritter did in his masterful tome, “The Glory of Their Times.” Ritter, who wrote the book based on the assumption he wanted to talk to players of an age long ago whose numbers were dwindling. He did an absolutely masterful job with his … [Read more...]