Krause’s new auction setup means Lemke is back …

Even though I am not directly involved in the new auction business Krause launched recently, it’s still pretty exciting news that we are going to actually be in doing auctions rather than simply covering them.

I am confident that the crew of Collect.com will be able to make the new venture effectively complement our publications, both print and online. We’ve spent the better part of the last decade or so adapting to changes brought about by the dawn of the Internet Age, and so I’ve gotten better about accepting change, especially since the alternative would seem to be getting left behind.

Actually, I’m kind of envious of those who are going to be in the middle of looking at cool material consigned from around the country. Steve Bloedow, a KP staffer for 15 years, will serve as the auction director, and what makes it even better is the addition of my old pal, Bob Lemke, who has been named consignment director for the new project.

Lemke, the former publisher of Sports Collectors Digest and for many years was the editor of our Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, was instrumental in bringing SCD into the Krause family of publications in 1981. It’s hard to imagine another individual more widely respected in the hobby and more uniquely qualified to bring such vast expertise to this new division.

One thing I know: any auction house, whether brand-new or one of the longtime veterans, would be well served to remember all of the elements that brought together our hobby and auctions in the first place. That would involve providing equally impressive service to all segments of the hobby in an arena that represents the hobby in the best possible light.

Come to think of it, that’s what we’ve been trying to do for nearly 30 years with the various magazines and books (and now online stuff, too).