Read This. Trust Me.

[Therion]

http://www.astrosatoz.com/#!mark-lemongello-runs/cuiw

Mark Lemongello. You won't regret reading it.

 

[Juan Gris]

Interesting but the end of the article was... unsatisfying/abrupt/confusing.

 

[Therion]

Hmm. How could I have summed it up differently?

I'm seriously asking. I love feedback.

 

[Juan Gris]

My initial reaction to the final paragraph was that it was a joke. I assume it was not and he really is a gypsy? It may just be me. My only advice would be to somehow expand on this gypsy rumor to make it seem more factual. Is he a gypsy that travels in a pack and lives off the land and locals or is he just a drifter?

 

[jaydub]

Definitely left hanging waiting for more to the story...

When I was a kid, 1978 Topps was the first set that I collected anything of and despite only picking up maybe 100 cards or so I do remember Mark Lemongello's card given that name. Never would have imagined his story including kidnapping!

Courtesy of COMC.com

 

[Therion]

He really is living the gypsy lifestyle. He travels in a group caravan and they move on when they are no longer welcomed.

I'll see if I can find a way to clarify it.

 

[mrmopar]

I know he is a tough signature because of his troubles, like a number of players, and most would surprise you because you just figure it doesn't happen to "celebrities". Rod Craig, Kevin Pasley, Byron McLaughlin and many others have wildly interesting stories about their decline after baseball and how some of them just disappeared off the face of the earth. I learn of many of these stories as i chase autographs and occasionally someone will know and share the story of why a player is so tough/expensive. It would be great if someone would do those "Where are they now" stories for the players of the 50s-80s, like you saw in the old card periodicals.

 

[predatorkj]

Yeah, he's a weird buckaroo.

 

[DeliciousBacon]

I know he is a tough signature because of his troubles, like a number of players, and most would surprise you because you just figure it doesn't happen to "celebrities". Rod Craig, Kevin Pasley, Byron McLaughlin and many others have wildly interesting stories about their decline after baseball and how some of them just disappeared off the face of the earth. I learn of many of these stories as i chase autographs and occasionally someone will know and share the story of why a player is so tough/expensive. It would be great if someone would do those "Where are they now" stories for the players of the 50s-80s, like you saw in the old card periodicals.

What happened to Kevin Pasley? I couldn't find anything about his current whereabouts, except for a reference to him not being in a position to sign anything.

Back in the mid 90's, there was a dealer at a large local show who specialized in autos. He must have about 30,000 different IP and TTM Topps autos, mid 80's back through the 60's. He did have a few Byron McLaughlins, said he actually tracked him down in Mexico to get him to sign a few cards.

 

[BrewerSuperCollector]

I don't know if its just me, but on my PC the youtube video is in the middle of the text. I missed the middle third of the article.

 

[Therion]

Yeah, it is supposed to be in the middle. It messed up on the mobile app and I'm not home to fix it.

 

[mrmopar]

Apparently he was arrested and jailed at some point. I am not sure if he is still in jail or not.

What happened to Kevin Pasley? I couldn't find anything about his current whereabouts, except for a reference to him not being in a position to sign anything.

Back in the mid 90's, there was a dealer at a large local show who specialized in autos. He must have about 30,000 different IP and TTM Topps autos, mid 80's back through the 60's. He did have a few Byron McLaughlins, said he actually tracked him down in Mexico to get him to sign a few cards.

Sounds like it was before McLaughlin supposedly fled to france or somewhere in Europe with no extradition.

It's funny, but I only care about some of those signatures because of a team or card they appeared on, otherwise most of them had careers that wouldn't justify paying much of anything for their signatures.

 

[DeliciousBacon]

Apparently he was arrested and jailed at some point. I am not sure if he is still in jail or not.



Sounds like it was before McLaughlin supposedly fled to france or somewhere in Europe with no extradition.

It's funny, but I only care about some of those signatures because of a team or card they appeared on, otherwise most of them had careers that wouldn't justify paying much of anything for their signatures.

I'm fascinated by stories like McLaughlin's, where you have an otherwise forgettable player with incredibly rare autos due to non-baseball circumstances. Rodney Craig was mentioned above, he ended up homeless and murdered last year. It's kind of a shame, if only some of these ex-players knew that they could make a few bucks signing their currently rare autos for collectors, they might be able to straighten out some of their personal issues.

 

[Therion]

The guys that become disasters are always fascinating.

 

[mrmopar]

Supply and demand will straighten that difference quickly. McLaughlin and the likes are only valuable because they didn't sign much. if they start signing, the prices drop fast.

Some previous toughies are starting to become more common now, like Bill Russell, Mike Marshall, Jim Ray Hart, Rich Coggins, etc. Personally, I'd rather have access to the signatures than have them be expensive. I watched a Ricky Wright fleer baseball card sell for close to $150 then a few weeks later, a 3x5 card went for $15! Problem is, I have his signature on a team sheet, but I need that damn Fleer card!!

I'm fascinated by stories like McLaughlin's, where you have an otherwise forgettable player with incredibly rare autos due to non-baseball circumstances. Rodney Craig was mentioned above, he ended up homeless and murdered last year. It's kind of a shame, if only some of these ex-players knew that they could make a few bucks signing their currently rare autos for collectors, they might be able to straighten out some of their personal issues.

 

[Therion]

This is the exact reason I won't pay for a Mike Marshall auto yet. $100 a pop is way too much. One of them will end up selling on eBay for $3.

 

[mrmopar]

That may take a while and I doubt they will ever be that cheap, only because he continues to demand a fairly high fee I'm guessing. Potter had him at 2 different signings for $185, but I have seen him offer some of his extras on ebay as low as $125-135 range although Ii may be off by a few bucks, but they are still well over $100. If Marshall started signing for free, they would equalize eventually, but that probably won't happen.

 

[Therion]

Someone that has one will eventually sell at a reasonable price. It may be ten years from now, but I have patience.