April 3, 2025: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/3/2025
This is truly an incredible archive of 1980s and early 1990s hobby history, a complete run of the legendary Old Judge Newsletters, the cherished brainchild of one of the most influential hobby figures from the earliest days, Lew Lipset, the author of the iconic three-volume Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards. Alongside some of the major hobby publishers like Sports Collectors Digest and Beckett, Lipset chronicled the hobby’s growth and expansion and did it with a flair and expertise that kept serious collectors informed and sometimes amazed as he covered National Conventions, hobby news and trends, prominent figures and even the odd controversy here and there; The Old Judge also provided an enormous amount of vintage card checklisting and updates, early price guides, hobby finds, news about variations, auctions and periodic surveys. The offered archive is a complete compilation of all 49 issues from that period, neatly presented and preserved with the 8 ½-by-11-inch issues carefully ensconced in a three-ring binder. Printed initially on a white paper stock and on an off-white newsprint for the final dozen or so issues, The Old Judge would typically run 8 to 12 pages. For tracking the hobby in that gauzy period, the insights and criticisms of the erudite Lipset is a truly incredible and unmatched resource, all neatly compiled here in an artifact that seemingly could lay claim to being the definitive artifact linked to the important publication and iconic hobby pioneer.
Amazing Run of Old Judge Newsletters From 1985-94 (49)
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