“Over 20 years ago I inherited over 300 items of sports memorabilia. Not having a clue of where to start in selling off my collection, I contacted Small Traditions and with Dave’s understanding, diverse knowledge and perseverance in getting unusual items graded, Small Traditions service has been greatly appreciated. Several items have sold and I look forward to working with Dave and his team in the future.”
- Teresa S.

“I've known Dave Thorn for over a decade, since the days when he was a teacher, writing descriptions for the print catalogs of other clients of ours. It's been a pleasure to watch Dave grow Small Traditions with our SimpleAuctionSite software. I can attest to both his strong work ethic and his high standards for excellence. He's also very personable and approachable, always willing to brainstorm and share information. That drive to inform his customers as much as possible, I think that's still the teacher in him.”
- Bob Freedman, Founder of SimpleAuctionSite

“This is not an exaggeration. I sent Small Traditions my Derek Jeter collection for them to grade and auction. They did a good job with everything, but there was one card that really stood out. It was a 1995 Action Packed Franchise Gem card, which you can still buy on eBay for under $5. It was the regular card, no the 24KT gold version. Dave was excited to inform me that my example of this card actually graded BGS 10 Pristine, which is a pretty big deal. The card ended up selling for $1,367, and I was absolutely thrilled.”
- Peter Olsen

“I invited Dave into my home on several occasions to help sort some of my collection, which I've been accumulating for decades. We made good progress, and we became fast friends over several visits, sharing stories while sorting through old and new baseball cards, and even sharing sushi together at my favorite sushi restaurant. Dave has helped me auction 100s of tobacco cards and 100s of modern cards. He has a good understanding of both, and I trust he'll always give his best effort.”
- Dr. Gordon Berger

“I worked for a man who was an avid collector, and he left me some stuff that I wasn't sure how to handle. There was a World Series program that sold for $500, and I remember there was a yearbook from a Yankees minor league team that had a Derek Jeter rookie card in it. Dave told me that if he removed it cleanly it might grade PSA 10 and sell for as much as $1500, that he would try his best but couldn't guarantee any of this. I trusted Dave to do it, and the card actually graded a PSA 10, but I think it only sold for $800 or so. Dave communicated with me and explained how the previous higher prices were because so few of the card had been graded before, and how the price would continue to go down with each new PSA 10 graded. We were very happy with that.”
- Kathy Sicari

“I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Small Traditions at first, but now I hope we continue to do business together. I almost sold out my whole collection, but decided to hold off. Some of the offers that came in made me laugh. I may be a girl and that may throw people off, but Ive learned a lot the last four years and I learned a lot from Small Traditions. Thank you for that.”
- Jennifer Serotko-Vargas

“I've owned Bill's Sports Collectibles in Denver since 1981, and I've been an active hobbyist for over 50 years. I've bid in Small Traditions auctions several times because I've found some good deals there, and I got to know Dave when he would deliver my auction winnings to my store in person, since we both live in Denver. After several meetings, I invited Dave to look through some of the more unusual items I've accumulated over the years, lots of oddball and regional items like food issues and photo packs, some of which I acquired as long ago as during my own childhood. Dave assured me that if we realized the highest grade on some of the Koufax or Mantle or Clemente items, I'd be surprised by the prices. After grading and auctioning a small amount of material, we realized over $10,000 from just a handful of the better players from the photo packs, items which I could not have retailed for more than a couple of hundred bucks. I knew they were in great shape because they'd hardly been touched, but I was really shocked by the prices. It was a great experience.”
- Bill Vizas, Owner of Bill's Sports Collectibles

“At one point, I think I owned the finest Michael Jordan collection in the world. As an optometrist and hobbyist, I took great care to discover the absolute best Michael Jordan cards in existence, upgrading my personal collection each time I discovered one that I thought was better than the ones I already owned. Everyone knew me as DrPSA because of the scrutiny with which I examined cards. The hobby was much different back then, back in the 1990s, and certain cards like Jordan RCs were selling for small fortunes. This all changed in the early 2000s, when the price for a Jordan PSA 10 RC dropped to under $5,000. But by late 2013 or 2014, that price had doubled, and by 2015, some Jordan PSA 10 RCs were fetching as much as $15,000. I decided it was time to sell whatever I had left, and I chose Small Traditions to do this. I liked the look and feel of their auctions and the no-nonsense, research-based approach they applied to their descriptions. Small Traditions did a great job marketing my collection. My 1988 Fleer Sticker PSA 10 sold for $13,651, and my Jordan PSA 10 RC sold for a final price of $19,586, which was then the single highest price on record at VintageCardPrices.com, going all the way back to 2006. Prices kept going up for another year after that, but I like to think it was these big numbers that helped pave the way for the huge prices we saw plateau in 2016.”
- Stephen Hlis, O.D. (DrPSA)

“I inherited some items from my grandfather from his days as the president of the Phoenix Senators minor league baseball club in the early 1930s. There were a few old baseballs and newspaper clippings as well as a number of old tickets to World Series games and to other important sporting events. Dave graded everything with PSA for my family, and we realized about $5,000 from the auction, which was a nice price for what mostly seemed like a bunch of old papers. More importantly, Dave uncovered a lot of information about my family that I'd heard about but never quite knew for sure. He treated our stuff and our story like they belonged to his own family. He even located and visited my grandfather's grave in Phoenix. It was a unique experience for all involved, and I'm happy we chose Small Traditions.”
- Judee Flick

“I have consigned to Small Traditions for 8 years. Dave and his team make consigning easy. I have asked Dave various questions related to collecting and trivial questions and he has always answered them. As long as there is a Small Traditions I will be a consignor.”
- Tad Pedley

“I like to shop for nice-looking cards online and at shows and at stores whenever I can, but I don't do grading. Every couple of months, going back several years now, I send Dave and his team a big box of cards, which they filter through for ones that make sense to grade, and they return the rest. I trust Small Traditions entirely with my cards, and I enjoy following their auctions, especially when several of my cards have graded PSA 9 and PSA 10, which always seems to be the case. Small Traditions has helped make the hobby more fun and rewarding for me.”
- Jeff Bair, Gettysburg Basketball Head Coach

“I've consigned thousands of dollars worth of cards to Small Traditions auctions, and I've always enjoyed working with Dave and his staff. Whether you're a consignor like me, or a bidder with a question, or even just someone passing through with a random question, Dave will be happy to help you however he can. He's an open book, and he's full of information.”
- James Osborne

“I've enjoyed bidding in many auctions at Small Traditions. I'm a huge Yankees fan, and they always seem to be loaded with Derek Jeter and Mickey Mantle cards. I've had Dave Thorn over to my office in New York City, and I appreciate his passion for our hobby and for Small Traditions. Dave's been flexible on more than a couple of occasions with me, once even allowing me to submit a consignment instead of my payment for auction winnings. He's helped me to build a Yankees collection that rivals almost any other, and we've become friends along the way.”
- Bill Davidson

“I've been picking Dave's brain and buying Derek Jeter cards from Small Traditions auctions for almost a decade. I invited Dave over to my home a couple of times, and I even loaned him the higher-dollar highlights from my #1 Finest Derek Jeter collection to display at the National one year. Needless to say, he's earned my trust, and I've enjoyed the friendship we've developed over the years.”
- Cary Crane