Midwest Card Shows?

[ILTBOC2]

I've mainly been an "Internet Collector" for the past 12 years or so. In that time I've discovered the joy of online auctions and online retail sellers of our beloved cards. However, I'm getting that itch to actually make it to a few shows and talk to people face to face. I'm located in the midwest so would mainly be looking at St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, and Chicago (or any cities within that radius) as my destinations of choice as they are all easily driveable. Getting to shows on the east coast, south, or west coast aren't doable for me at this time.

Are there any good sites that provide information on upcoming shows around the midwest? If I'm going to drive somewhere for a show, I'd prefer it be a bit larger and traditionally have a larger pre-war offering (to make the best use of my time). Are there any shows like this that some of you are yearly partakers of?

On the flip side.... would you consider shows a dying breed and just stick with internet purchases?

Thanks!
Andy

[Stonepony]

stlsportscollectors.com list dates, times for shows in STL. Shows nearly monthly and are pretty good small shows

[ValKehl]

I suggest you go to the National at least once - you won't regret doing this. The 2013 National was held in Chicago, and it is held in Chicago on a regular basis. The 2014 National will be held in Cleveland, which may work for you.
Val

[ILTBOC2]

Thank you both for the suggestions! The St. Louis site looks promising with the calendar and the National sounds like it may be doable!

[Tony Gordon]

Next to the National, the Sun-Times show in Rosemont, IL, will have the largest selection of pre-War in the Midwest. The next Sun-Times show is in March of 2014. Monster Cards, a dealer at the monthly St. Louis Sports Collectors shows, has a tremendous selection of pre-War. You'll find a smattering of pre-War at the Orland Park, IL, Gonzaga (Milwaukee), Serb Hall (Milwaukee), Nutter Center (Dayton) and the Canton shows. I've never made it to the Moeller shows in Cincinnati or the Columbus, OH, shows where there may be good selections of pre-War. I pick out the shows I'm going to attend via the show calendar on beckett.com. There are a TON of shows in the Midwest. I am able to hit one within an hour drive from my house every single weekend. Card shows are alive and well in this part of the country.

[cardsfan73]

I go to the St. Louis shows from time to time.. Pretty good little show!

Monster Cards does set up at most the St. Louis shows and has a great selection of pre-war and Topps/Bowman stuff. Super nice guy and great to deal with.

[Koufax32fan]

One more shout out for Tony at Monster Cards. He has helped me with many, many cards for my collection and has always treated me fairly. And, he is great with my young son and has treated him well over the years.

St. Louis also has several 3 day shows a year that attracts different dealers than the monthly shows.

[ncinin]

George Johnson (who used to promote the Chicago Sun-Times show) and Larry Murray promotes a three day show twice a year at the Doubletree Westport area in St. Louis.

The next show should be in February and the last weekend of October.

[MonsterCards]

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and plugs for Monster Cards. Very much appreciated!

Usually I'm content to sit back and stay quiet on these boards, soaking in the knowledge of members, but I'll throw in my two cents on card shows in the Midwest since it is a topic literally very near to my heart.

I'll second Tony's notion to seek out Beckett's show calendar. It's handy and sortable: http://www.beckett.com/venue_manager

PSA's calendar might also be useful, as they usually only send staff to larger shows, and those shows populated by vintage dealers: http://www.psacard.com/Resources/Shows/. One caveat - sometimes PSA is just on-site for purposes of autograph verification.

You also may find success latching onto a dealer's website to see the shows they attend. And not just mine! Sports Memories, 707 Sportscards, etc. Those dealers usually only travel to the 'big-boy' shows on the circuit, and thus would probably lead you to places that are worth your time.

I would lightly recommend swinging over to St Louis for one of Dave's monthly shows, but there are many more vintage dealers represented at the 3-day shows at Westport mentioned above.

To best fit your needs, the Sun-Times is a must-do event. And The National will return to Chicago in 2015. (National Schedule here. (http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/infield-dirt/national-convention-announces-locations-through-2019))


IMO, it is continually becoming tougher to find good shows to attend. Despite the fact that I love to get out and meet customers (and other dealers), the internet has become a great resource for transactions even though it's harder to form a relationship through scans, the USPS, and PayPal.

The attendance in St Louis is spotty - seemingly dependent on the time of year or who the autograph signers are that day.

Even Orland Park, IL, which 'supports' two shows/month, features a limited amount of customer traffic. And with the promoter unfortunately succombing to the effects of aging, I'm not sure if anyone would continue to carry on that show (would you, Tony?) if he gave it up.

Not to be disparaging, but from personal experience and anecdotal evidence, Springfield (IL), Peoria, Bloomington, and Indianapolis aren't going to feature the vintage you're searching for. I certainly wish that wasn't the case, as I would enjoy some more local-ish shows to set up at.

Good luck!
-T

[ILTBOC2]

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I have taken a look at some of the calendars you suggested and think I now have enough shows to fill out a year and then some! Great to know the National show will be in Chicago in 2015! That will be a "must attend" for me!

The help is much appreciated!

Andy