Chantilly or Philly show, which is the better show?
 

There is the Philly show at the end of September and the Chantilly show in October. I am planning on making a trip to one of them, but I can't make both. Any opinion on which is historically the better show?

I've never been to the philly show, but I've been to Chantilly a few times (live up the street from it) and its okay. I suppose it depends on what you're looking for...

Jason is right. It depends on what you're looking for.

Which was better for T206, Jason?

I've only been to Chantilly. I've picked up a handful of low-to-mid grade T206s in the past, but I've never seen a huge selection of them or pre-war. Ken Cohen's table had one of the best pre-war selections, but I'm not sure if he'll be setting up in October.

About half to 2/3 of the show are cards, most being either 50s/60s or modern shiny stuff.

The other 1/3 of the show is a mix of autographs, supplies, pictures, etc.

My interests now are pre-war obviously focusing on T205 and '34 Goudey. As well as HOF autographs.

I've also thought about the October White Plains show or Long Island National, but living in Pittsburgh those trips are quite a bit longer to make..

I've been to both and the Philly show had more vintage, pre-war dealers. It was much bigger, as well.

Philly is not what it was when it was in Reading a few years back, but just when you thought it was down for the count, it seemed to make a comeback in June. Go figure. So the Philly show is a viable option for you as long as it can duplicate what I saw at the June show.

I won't set up or go to the Philly show due to David Hunt telling dealers if they set up elsewhere (within some certain radius and time frame) they could not set up at his show. I didn't care for that strategy.

what Leon said
 

Coupled with my other negative Hunt experiences Ill keep my admission fee.

It's not much of a choice for me...Chantilly is 4 hours, Philly is 6 1/2, but I always have a good time at Chantilly and almost always find a few things. The lone exception is when the show hits within a few weeks of a Baltimore national...as it did this summer. That one really wasn't worth going to for a vintage collector. But for the most part, I like Chantilly.

I'm completely in agreement with Leon and Glyn. Unfortunately, the Oaks show so far has not been a good alternative.

For anyone not familiar with the situation, here is a thread about it: http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...ht=philly+show

dj

You need to remember that the Chantilly show is primarily geared for autograph collectors. The show is good for that because they have tremendous autograph signers. Autograph collectors do not care about cards, much less vintage cards on dealers' tables.

The Philly show has gone down hill since Hunt took over. It is a shell of what it had been in Ft. Washington and even in Reading.

I think if CSA and Hunt could combine their separate shows in the Philly area into one large one, it might work. It would draw both the autograph collectors as well as the vintage card collectors. Just a thought.

I've never been to the Philly show but like Chantilly a lot. I always find vintage cards between '48 - '70 I need but agree that pre-war stuff tends to be few and far between. Particularly if you're looking for football like I am.

jeff