Although my time running SCD Authentic, a now-defunct grading company, definitely wasn't the highlight of my career, I did learn a lot about launching and running a business, managing employees and meet a lot of people. One of those people I got to know pretty well was Larry Fritsch, arguably the most significant dealer in our hobby, who passed away Saturday at the age of 71.

I remember our initial meetings with him and his son, Jeff, when we were considering launching the grading division. He could tell a story like few others. He had more cards, and more rare ones, than anyone on the planet and seemed to remember where he got every one of them. As we continued to work with them and I became more trusted and friendly with him, the stories continued to flow.

I was told about him buying railroad cars of 1972 Topps Football High Numbers for the cost of the freight alone. Topps couldn't sell them so they called Larry with an offer something like "you pay for the freight from Chicago to your place and they are yours". This wasn't the only time he did this as he capitalized on these deals long before most others even realized that the cards might eventually be worth something.

We'd hear about him hunting down some scarce food issue card or leaving 1952 Topps High Numbers under Jeff's pillow as the tooth fairy close to every day. It was a great way to break the stress of long workdays grading cards at their place when Larry would come in near the end of the day, say hello and usually give us some new story about his lifelong love of cards.

There were two days that stuck out more than any though. First, was one of the very early days of grading where we lowered several grades because, once in the case, they just weren't quite good enough to hold the grade they were originally assigned. Without getting into too many details, Jeff wasn't happy about the adjustments made and was voicing his displeasure loudly in the back, while I was alone in the lobby. Larry came out, trying to play referee and told me I'd better get out of there until he calmed down. Even before I really got to know him, he was caring enough to make sure I got out before anything too harsh was said. Everything calmed down in a few weeks and Jeff and I still laugh about that day when we talk about it. After all, the Fritsch's were grading cards before the hobby knew what the term meant. Of course, they weren't slabbed or anything, but they were assigning conditions for most of their lives so I understand why they had trouble with someone telling them their card was only NM/MT.

The other day I'll never forget at the Fritsch's is when a co-worker and I were there and Larry popped in and threw down a box of cards on the table for us to look at. The cards inside the box were worth more than my house, collection, cards and retirement. We got to look at his T206 Honus Wagner, Eddie Plank and two Doyles. And both of his 1932 US Caramel Lidstrom cards, which happen to be the only two that exist. Amazing stuff and just the tip of the iceberg. It was never that shocking to have him hand several 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards to you and say, "Which one would grade the highest?"

The last time I saw Larry was when he called me up at work to see how I was doing. I dropped by a week later with my one-year old and hung out in his living room for a couple hours, talking about work, cards and a lot of other stuff, while he played with my son. He was a great guy with hobby vision beyond any of us and will be missed.

There's virtually no better time of the year than right now for shopping in auction houses. Hunt's Louisville Slugger auction ended a couple weeks ago. Collectible Classics, Clean Sweep, HistoricLelands.com and have all recently ended. Then Dec. gets rolling with Grey Flannel, Memory Lane, Vintage Authentics, Mastro Auctions, Premier, Universal Rarities, ITPC and others. SCP Auctions/Sotheby's ends in late Jan. Like I said, it's a great time of year and a decent time to pick up some bargains too.

First, it’s impossible not to mention the Babe Ruth photo that sold for $26,349 in Lelands.com recent auction. It pictured Ruth surrounded by admiring fans in the 1920s and is the highest price for a photo that I can remember seeing. There was also a Josh Gibson photo that his $18,470, while the highest priced item was a Yogi Berra home Yankees uniform, which sold for $66,441.

Some of the major highlights in Dec. include:
• Grey Flannel Auctions is featuring a game-worn Jackie Robinson jersey in its sale that ends Dec. 5. The home jersey, from the 1951 season, carries a $50,000 minimum bid.
• Memory Lane’s current catalog auction ends Dec. 8 and features three Christy Mathewson-signed item, which I’ve mentioned in past blogs.
• Mastro Auctions’ will wrap up its current auction Dec. 13. Among the highlights is a box containing thousands of rare documents, letters and memos that supposedly detail events surrounding the 1919 World Series Black Sox Scandal.
The papers, examined by the Chicago Tribune, appear to contain documents from the 1921 criminal trial against eight White Sox players accused of throwing the 1919 World Series as part of a gambling scandal. The papers also include documents from a 1924 lawsuit in which some of the players sued the Chicago franchise for back pay.
• Vintage Authentics has game-used bats from Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, all graded by MEARS, in its Dec. 13 auction.

While none of these items will go for bargain prices, the fact that there are so many top-notch items all in the same month means that plenty of other items may fall into a more affordable range for consumers.