My Persepective and Thoughts on Peter Fritz it seems I have upset some people in regards my talking about Peter’s life. They were upset that I brought up Peter’s dining habits and his disagreement with Barry Goodman. I have a different viewpoint that these people on Peter than they do. My viewpoint was as a dealer not a collector.
My Persepective and Thoughts on Peter Fritz My Observation
I do not know when I first met Peter as it is so long ago. While we both dealt with plastic figures, he was more playsets while I was the parts man. We crossed paths many times. Sometimes very adversial at auctions. Other times it was friendly talking at shows. We did not talk on the phone or at the shows on playsets. It was more general things. For some reason I remembered him complaining on show ome hotel staff had written his name on James Bond slot car box.
He was quite a character. He wanted to be the star of the show. Peter came up with Toy a Day Auction. This was a successful idea of placing monthly ads in Toy Shop. It was the precussor of Ebay and could have been a rival.
I always love the story of someone going to his house and finding a stack of playset boxes in the one shower!
On the other side it was sad how Peter’s world crumbled. I don’t if it start after his problems with Barry or before. With the demise of Toy a World Auctions Peter faded out of the hobby. I heard that he was working at a post office as a jaintor. I finally hear frrom Bob Muelro that Peter was in poor shape. Bob would visited him and give me back reports. Both Bob and I knew it was not good for Peter. Now he is at peace.
My Persepective and Thoughts on Peter Fritz Final Comments
The reason I brought up on Peter’s dining habits was because of the comment from his son Marshal. I felt many people would not know what he was talking about. I felt best to reale a story about it.
On the disagreement with Barry, this was some part of his life. Peter could be very agressive which let to do problems for himself. This situation was something we all have to worry anymore in the world we live in. The larger comic cons have had to install security check points. We all just want to enjoy the show and relax not be on alert for trouble.
Peter in my final anaylsis was very interesting person. I did not agree with everything he said or did but he made the hobby interesting.
Paul, Thanks for clearing up who brought up the Goodman battles.
I do not appreciate being accused of something that is false.
Still waiting on the apology, Andy.
Sounds like an interesting character, sorry to hear about his passing.
As I’ve said elsewhere, we all know folks who were characters and talking about some of their antics and idiosyncrasies. I have old buddies and even family members who have passed and when folks get together we remember them fondly (usually). Telling stories about folks who have passed is a way of keeping them alive.
I normally would feel uncomfortable about talking or reading stories speaking poorly of the dead, but I didn’t get a particularly malicious tone in any of the posts – just remembering a curmudgeon who made the hobby an interesting place. Sad will be the day when all the “characters” are gone, everyone “behaves” and there are no more funny or even interesting stories to tell.
I often say at funerals that the person in the coffin has already preached his eulogy. Peter has preached his for better or worse. He sounds like he was one in a million. I might not have liked him (but I might have) – but I sure regret not getting a chance to meet him. Thanks for remembering him for those of us who didn’t get the chance.
I think we could use a few more colorful characters, most of the guys are pretty boring.
I wouldn’t say that anyone actually said anything bad about him, more like honoring his memory.
Amy You’re father was two different people. One drunk and one sober.
Sober..a great guy to talk the hobby with. His knowledge was beyond the pale. He knew so much about mint playset contents and parts and pieces it was incredible. Sober, he would talk to you and take the time to explain things. Nice as pie.
Drunk he was arrogant, brash and just plain rude.
Unfortunately, he was stewballed most of the times I ran into him.
I’m not sure getting the girl was any prize. The common denominator between them was booze. She liked a taste, too.
Amy, if I may, can I ask bout Peter’s time in the Service. I got two different stories from him, about where he was stationed and I would like to know the truth.
If it was true what he told me, then I can understand why he turned to the bottle.
There were plenty of characters back in the day. It wasn’t just Peter.
I had to pull John Stengel off a NJ Tax Collector when they confiscated his van full of stuff at Hackensack, for not having a tax certificate. John was lucky that I had a badge and was able to talk the cops out of locking him up.
Bill Murphy threatened to kill a well know New England collector
over a warehouse fiasco. He meant it, too.
Murphy was/is a Viet Nam jarhead, who (back then 1980 or so) would have ripped this guy to pieces, if he had caught him that day.
There’s lots more stories of fights and feuds.
I’m sure Paul knows more than me.
Grudges and backstabbing were not uncommon.
You guys missed all the fun
Bill it really was not fun for the games that have and are going on. I just want to enjoy the show. I hope to see a few friends and find a few items. Afterward if Laurie is along have a good meal on the way home. I don’t like if I have to watch out for certain people who have an agenda to cause problems. No hobby needs it but it goes on. The major comic book cons now have to have security points with metal detectors due to an incident in Phoenix of an idiot who was going to cause harm. The show have enough problems with attendance they do not this.
Let’s move on to other things.
I hope Peter is pleased that we are still talking about him. It seems quite a few of the members here knew of him, but only a handfull actually knew him. Paul, Bob Muelro, Al Striano and I are about it.
But it should give the family comfort, that people that only knew him by reputation, took the time to pay their respects.
It shows just how big a Giant he was in this hobby.
I guess the bottom line is that the prominent figures in the hobby’s resurgence in the 1980s are themselves getting older and beginning to pass away — Mr. Hamilton, Tom Terry, John Stengel Sr., and now Peter Fritz. Although I think it’s OK to join in light-hearted recollections of their individual foibles and/or colorful personalities, the emotion that predominates with me is still a general sadness, knowing that it was individuals like these who shared my childhood affection for toy soldier playsets, but who are now gone. It makes the world seem a lonelier place. The one I still miss the most — probably because he was the one I knew the best from the shows — was John Stengel Sr., but there are several others who have passed away that I felt the same about.
Don, that’s how I feel about Bill Hamilton. He was a great guy and very generous with me. He passed way too soon. Had a lot of laughs with him about “bottom feeders” wanting small fortunes for crap that neither of us would want for free. RIP, Bill.
I share same though w both Don and Andy.
I also feel very aling in future as last generation of collectors .
I don’t think is much from newer coming.
Incredible I had red in action figures and gi joes collectors blog s they too are loosing people.
Games , computers and technology had affect then a lot.
Unless gamers keep using the big sales more.They new producers and old vintage will loose field till not more.
Every time one old collectos pass, we loose a follower and a friend in this small brotherhood.
Their collections often end as lost or waste in many cases…
Their knowlodge is barrely pass on …
My thoughts
Best
Toy soldiers, GI Joes, comics, etc. cannot even come close to the stimulation and attraction of electronics. Techno devices are actually addictive in a chemical as well as psychological sense. My profession is counseling and Social Work – I won’t bore you with details, but people literally can’t stop using electronic devices. The chemical reactions are very similar to drug withdrawal. Scary stuff. Car accidents, etc.. Even Johnny Ringo figures can’t compete with that.
Well said, Bill and Don.
I had a good relationship with John and I managed to speak on the phone once with Bill. Both good guys and big loses seems lately we lose a couple each year and I expect that to continue. I never knew Peter he was just a rumor I heard about now and then. Since we are such a relatively small group every time we lose one it’s a big loss and seems to hit close to home. We have a number of guys now on the failing health list and every year I notice certain people at OTSN that are absent without knowing what actually happened to them. Those of us that are over 60 are on the down hill side of our lives, let’s just hope we can get as many good years in the sun that we can.
Stengel and I became friends quickly. We met at the first Reinekka brothers show near Kennedy Airport. John had the adjoining table to Al Striano and myself. We hit it off from the beginning.
We lived close enough to visit each others homes and I was at his home dozens and dozens of time over the years.
His passing hit me hard.
I knew Bill Hamilton and I looked forward to seeing him at Rothman
every years. His passing was a shock. But he lived closer to Canada
than he did to me, so I never got to build on that relationship.
You guys that knew John, did you ever meet a skinny little guy named Artie working at his tables or just hanging out with the Stengel family. He was a odd sort who still lived with his mother. He was John’s age.
Anyway, I head he passed away a few years after his mother died.
Does anyone recall him?
No, when I knew him he sometimes brought his son-in-law and a nephew named Bill, a giant of a man. He brought those guys with him for a few years and stopped a couple years back. He never mentioned Artie. Bill had a law degree but never took the BAR exam and John figured he’d motivate him into doing something by cutting him loose. He never worked the tables, he mainly sat on the hallway floor outside the room and played with his cell phone.
Srtie was from John’s neighborhood and would travel to Rothman,s. He would not haBayside and Westchester. Maybe some others he would not have been at OTSN.
Only local stuff.
I usually ran into John at the Indy show, the Texas show and OTSN. I have yet to travel to the east coast for any shows, although I do want to go up to Gettysburg one of these days. Don’t care that about the show, but I could catch up with Gary Dutko and check out the battlefield as I haven’t been there since 1981.
Like I said, I saw Peter this year on his birthday and we had a good time. I have seen the good side and the bad side with Peter. He would talk about his mother and he said if anything would happen to him, it would kill her. I will have Peter and his family in my prayers. We will miss you until we meet again. Rest in peace my friend, rest in peace.
Well I gave it some thought as to whether or not to respond to your thoughts as to the late Peter Fritz and decided to weight in after nearly 30 years of silence. I did not realize that my short term association with Peter would become the focal point of his life so many years later. I am almost flattered to see that this is the case in a life so filled with so many events! Believe it or not, I found out from my desire (also ironically his exwife) that he passed away. I need to say that I made my peace with him more than 25 years ago when he apologized to me for what he did to me. I forgave him as I was remarried and my life had gotten substantially better. I just admit it was a very entertaining soap opera fueled by my need for revenge at the time. The soap opera had it all. Love. Lust. Betrayal and most of all Greed. I actually have a lot to thank him for. He taught me the business, and inadvertently cost him his. I can take only partial credit for his demise, many other factors were involved. He relied on superior knowledge in the toy world, and once I surpassed just enough, with my work ethic he was easily toppled and vanquished from the toy world. I am sad to hear so many others from the toy world have passed. Thank you Peter for All the Lessons you taught me, where ever your soul goes!
Well said, Barry.