I just got back -- had to drop off some delicate items to be graded. It was my first baseball card show (really) and I'm wondering if it will now be my last. Very few prewar tables, maybe 3 or so. However, the dealers at the prewar tables were so laughably overpriced you'd had to have been an idiot to even consider paying for their cards even after they gave you their super special, bargain-basement deals. For example: one putz had an Orange Borders Tigers card in raw condition but not in great shape. I would say the card has sold any number of times in various auctions for anywhere from $250 to $350, never any more. Anyway, the guy was selling it for $950! I mentioned to him that he was dreaming with that price and he responded that the card "books for $2400." I'm thinking, "which planet is this book on?" He had another Mordecai Brown PC I was somewhat interested in but it had writing on the front and back. The card may have been worth $150 -- he had it listed for $650 but would come down to $500 for me -- after telling me it "books for $2000." Anyway, the guy kind of looked like Bill Goodwin so I made sure that my wallet was still in my pocket and my fillings still in my teeth and got out of there. Another dealer had a badly beat up Tigers team card from 07 with a sticker on it for $950. The card was maybe worth $100 as it had writing on it and paper loss after having been removed from a scrapbook. I laughed at the price and he knocked it down first to $450 and then $250. I walked away from that POS as well.
The question is: is the National the same way? Are the dealers just hoping that some imbecile throws money at them? Is the National similarly just a waste of time?
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