1557 - Tribute: Jack Smalling, Baseball Address List

Dr. Beckett dedicates the episode to hobby giant Jack Smalling, who died last week at age 85. Beckett reflects on his friendship with Smalling beginning in the 1970s Midwest show circuit and credits him as foundational to the through-the-mail autograph hobby through his exhaustive baseball autograph address list, built to be encyclopedic, inclusive, and constantly updated with debut years, addresses, and death dates. He describes Smalling’s ties to publisher/distributor Denny Eckes and later bookstore distribution via Edgewater Books, notes Smalling’s career as a teacher, coach, and insurance professional, and shares obituary highlights including Jack's 1964 single off Satchel Paige and national recognition in 1988 as a top autograph expert. Beckett discusses how collectors used the lists, the ethical pitfalls of misuse, Smalling selling his collection through Heritage, and offers condolences and thanks to Ben Bram for the notice.

 

00:20 Tribute to Jack Smalling

01:31 Book Trading and Denny Eckes

02:20 Obituary Highlights and Parallels

05:18 How TTM Autographs Worked

07:43 Publishing Connections and Edgewater

08:57 Cataloging Mindset and Accuracy

09:32 Heritage Sale and Ethics

10:44 Using the List to Value Autographs

11:41 Personal TTM Routine and Changes