Klein’s Korner: Finding New Reasons to Give Thanks – Forgive me, but this is very personal and emotional but I want to use this column to pen a few words. Earlier this morning I drove my wife and mother-in-law to the airport so, if all goes well, Dena will receive her long-awaited kidney transplant early next week. Yes, we got the word with very short notice and planning an emergency trip around the holidays is always a real thrill. Thankfully, her brother and sister-in-law did most of the heavy lifting in getting the trip prepared.
But I want to step back for a minute and started thinking about how this has transpired. Our Rabbi sent me an email about Renewal coming to DFW and having an event for a couple of people who needed transplants. After a few messages, and it was really cool to listen to the Brooklyn accent which reminded me of where I grew up. I don’t hear enough of these accents down here in DFW and I miss listening to those voices. But does this have anything to do with the hobby? Well, yes and no. Thankfully our hobby is not a life and death situation for all concerned but there is a message for our dealers here. If you are a store, show or mail-order dealer, and yes this is easier if you are a person who does things in person but remembering what items may be their passions can only assist your business. And how did our Rabbi know to send us the information? It was because we were involved in our synagogue’s community!
There are people who will look out for you and help you find the things you like. One of my favorite types of cards is the buyback cards. There are several collectors down here who look through the dime/quarter boxes and ensure I end up with them because they know how much I appreciate those cards.
This is an example of a really cool buy back card from the 7th series in 1969. I love those cards because they have to be significantly scarcer than the non-stamped version. That’s one example of how people look out for me and my challenge for the dealers is to get your collectors involved in your hobby community.
As we approach the holiday season, this is a new reason to give thanks!
For more from Rich Klein, follow him on Twitter @sabrgeek.
Klein’s Korner: Finding New Reasons to Give Thanks
- Klein’s Korner: The World is Not Ending - December 8, 2021
- Klein’s Korner: The Hobby is Truly the People - July 12, 2021
- Klein’s Korner: Record hobby history - April 6, 2021