Following a fifteen year career as a Senior Grader with SGC, Bob has served as REA's head grader and vintage card specialist since 2016. Bob is tasked with reviewing all trading card consignments, evaluating candidates for professional grading, and preparing condition reports on all ungraded material. Bob has long been recognized as one of the leading graders within the industry and is noted for his wide range of card knowledge spanning the 1860s to modern day. His work ethic and attention to detail are praised by consignors, who have benefited from Bob's keen eye, and buyers, who appreciate his consistent and accurate approach to describing cards, alike.

As REA’s Vintage Card Specialist, you’ve examined hundreds of cards, some of which include the hobby’s most iconic pieces. What have been some of your favorites?

Three of our recent record-breaking results come to mind first: the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Rookie SGC VG 3 (Fall 2023), the 1909-1911 T206 White Border Honus Wagner SGC VG 3 (Summer 2021), and the 1909-1911 T206 White Border Joe Doyle Hands Above Head N. Y. Nat'l SGC VG+ 3.5 (Summer 2023). It’s always exciting when we are given the privilege of offering such iconic cards, especially when they provide us with the opportunity to market the cards and our auction beyond the hobby and into the national media. As a side note, I was a senior grader at SGC at the time the T206 Wagner was graded, so it was especially gratifying to see it become, at the time, the highest price ever paid for a trading card.

In your opinion, what has been the biggest catalyst for the increased interest in the vintage card market over the years?

The internet and third-party grading, in no particular order. Third-party grading allows newcomers to safely enter the hobby while still developing their own expertise. I’m not sure we’d have enough new collectors entering the vintage card market (to at least replace those that are departing) without it. Graded cards are also a far more liquid and priceable commodity than ungraded cards, a key advantage for those who see their vintage cards (at least partly) as an alternative investment. The internet catalyzes the vintage card market in ways we now take for granted, with most sales, networking, discussion, and education now taking place online. There are potentially some downsides to this trend, in my opinion, but there is no question about the impact.

You’re starting a new card collection. What are the five cards that you’d want as the cornerstones of your collection?

I’ve always been fascinated by the intentional extreme short-prints that made redemption prizes nearly impossible to win. In a con that wouldn’t fly today, a card manufacturer would include an offer for a tempting prize in exchange for a completed set of cards. Kids would spend all their money trying to complete their sets but would almost certainly fall one card short because of the one short-print. Judging by how few some of these cards exist, we now know this was a very cruel trick indeed. With this collecting theme in mind, I would start my collection with the following five cards: 1923 Maple Crispette #15 Casey Stengel, 1924-1925 Maple Crispette #15 Sprague Cleghorne, 1932 U.S. Caramel #16 Fred Lindstrom, 1932 U.S. Caramel “Presidents” #24 William McKinley, and 1935 Schutter-Johnson "I'm Going To Be" #4 Strong Man. Hopefully this dream scenario would make access to these cards pretty easy because most collectors go a lifetime without seeing one of these (or even knowing that they exist!).