I was there Wednesday and Thursday. I had a great time. Yes, things were expensive, and I passed on many cards I would have otherwise bought in a heartbeat had they been priced even close to reasonable. That said, I pulled off two huge trades, and I found a few cards I wanted for prices I was willing to pay; I opted to drop loot on an E107 Plank, which was the only card I actually bought (vs traded). All that said, I judge the good vs bad of a show a little differently then whether I bought something or the prices were fair....
I view shows as a place to make friends, plant seeds, and lay the groundwork for deals that may take a while to consummate. I think face time and relationship building with other collectors is very important. I find making connections and then doing post-show deals to be a very viable source of acquisitions. Plus these connections often help me find hard cards (and I do the same for others), down the line. PLUS, you get to look at auction house cards in person, which is huge for me since most of what I acquire i get through auction houses (not shows or Ebay). To me, a show is much more than a place to buy cards - it’s place to make connections and plant seeds that bloom later - and the big shows like Chantilly and Philly have plenty of people and stuff to make the drive and admission worthwhile. The National is Chantilly and Philly on steroids, and so so worth the trip for the networking alone.
I made a ton of connections this year, and strengthened many more that I had already made. That is just icing on the cake to a show that yielded me an E107 Plank, an E220 Ruth, and a PSA 8, Allen & Ginters Cap Anson.
Great show.
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