muchto lurenewblood,hebelieves,adding
that longtimecollectorshave little interest
in today’s stars. “Theydon’t even consider
[guys likeHarper]abaseballplayeryet.”
Evenas thebusinessevolvedaway from
what itwaswhenhe entered it, Rosenpar-
layedhis success into low-grade celebrity,
taking out punny ads in
SportsCollectors
Digest
. One featured Rosen next to the
roadside spaceship inMars, Pa., with the
caption: “Iwouldgoanywhere tobuyyour
cards.”Many others featuredhis smiling
visageandahugewadofcashfannedoutfor
maximumseductiveeect.Unlikemanyof
hiswheeler-dealer peers, hemade friends
and admirers along theway, among them
big-leaguers likePeteRose,ReggieJackson
andAndreDawson.
“Alan’s a legitimate guywith legitimate
stu.Heunderstandsthecardbusiness,and
he’s agreat guywithabubblypersonality,”
saysRose,who can’t resist a friendlybarb.
“Sometimes I like to tell himhe’s apain in
the butt, but he’s a goodpain in the butt.”
Dawson agrees: “He’s got passion for the
industry.”
But business is not what it once was.
Rosen says that saleshavedeclinedeachof
the last 19years, thoughhe still does sales
ofabout$2millionannually.Formostofthe
1980sand1990s,Rosenattendedat least50
cardshowsayear;in2012,heattendedthree.
He talks about a recent trip toMaine that
foundhim rentingout aballroom for three
daysandentertainingallof twovisitors.
“I spent threedays away frommyphone,
awayfrommyfamily,awayfromthecomfort
ofmyownbed, tomake$2,500,”he recalls.
“Thatmightsound likeI’mbeingapigabout
it, but I don’t need$2,500 at this point in
my life.”
Though he remains a fan of baseball,
baseball cards have long since become a
commodity tohim. But rather than retire,
hewaits— still hopeful— for thenext big
opportunity.
“Itriedtoretireacoupleofyearsagoand,
boy, sittinghomealldaystinks,”hesays, al-
most cheerfully. “I guess I’ll diedoing this
somewhere,butthere’sstilltheaphrodisiac
ofwaiting forthenextcall.”
Rosen pauses, then adds: “You never
know.Thenextonecouldbethebigone.”
LARRYDOBROW
is a New York–based writer and a
lapsed baseball-card collector. He plans to take a huge
carton of his old, unearthed-from-the-basement cards
over toMr.Mint after this storypublishes.
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
APRIL 01, 2013
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