2019 Chicago National: Best attendance since 1991 in Anaheim

[byrone]

What does this day about the hobby/business?

Reps report this years Chicago National as having the most attendees since the mammoth 1991 show at the height of the boom?


https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...2020-date-set/

[oldjudge]

As someone who was there through Friday, it sure didn’t appear that the show was well attended. Maybe it picked up on the weekend, or maybe it was more crowded at the card company booths.

[Johnny630]

Loaded with Pack breaking gamblers and autograph guys.

[forceplay sport]

I went to Anaheim in 1991, it was nuts !!!

[Kzoo]

I was only there Wednesday and Thursday. I thought the crowd on Wednesday was strong and Thursday was definitely busier than past years.

[swarmee]

Had a bunch more FBI agents than normal.

[midmo]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

As someone who was there through Friday, it sure didn’t appear that the show was well attended. Maybe it picked up on the weekend, or maybe it was more crowded at the card company booths.

Strange. I was there all day Friday and walked the entire floor at least 4 times. It seemed busy almost everywhere to me.

[Vintagecatcher]

I think the question needs to asked...why do the promoters not
release specific attendance figures?

Furthermore, if they don't release the specific figures then where did Rich Mueller get the attendance figures he mentions in the article with regards to 1991 National in Anaheim?

Patrick

[Ronnie73]

I believe there are new collectors getting back into the hobby that left it in the early 1990's and that's why there are more attending the shows. Many of us were just kids or teenagers back in 1991. Now we are adults and can actually afford to visit a National show that we once only dreamed about. This is what I see at my local shows.

I think another bubble burst is coming in the next few years and that it's now leading up to that. I don't expect it to hurt true vintage much but we will take a hit. It's going to be mostly all this new sparkly stuff. I don't buy into them but I watch every new case break product that comes out. I have yet to see anything of actual long term value. Just last week I watched a new product case break and the case hit was a Roger Clemens Jersey Cut card. Maybe a $10 to $20 value coming out of a $1200+ case. Thousands of 1/1's each year being produced and people are acting as if they pulled a 52 Mantle. I'm already seeing many of the previous years chase cards loaded into $5 boxes at shows. These were the highlight cards that people were buying into a break for $40+ dollars. I just can't see this ending well. It's like we are in 1986 all over again except there are 100+ times the sets if you count the parallels. You can currently purchase autographed insert cards at shows for a dollar. It's already starting.

[topcat61]

Originally Posted by Ronnie73

I believe there are new collectors getting back into the hobby that left it in the early 1990's and that's why there are more attending the shows. Many of us were just kids or teenagers back in 1991. Now we are adults and can actually afford to visit a National show that we once only dreamed about. This is what I see at my local shows.

I think another bubble burst is coming in the next few years and that it's now leading up to that. I don't expect it to hurt true vintage much but we will take a hit. It's going to be mostly all this new sparkly stuff. I don't buy into them but I watch every new case break product that comes out. I have yet to see anything of actual long term value. Just last week I watched a new product case break and the case hit was a Roger Clemens Jersey Cut card. Maybe a $10 to $20 value coming out of a $1200+ case. Thousands of 1/1's each year being produced and people are acting as if they pulled a 52 Mantle. I'm already seeing many of the previous years chase cards loaded into $5 boxes at shows. These were the highlight cards that people were buying into a break for $40+ dollars. I just can't see this ending well. It's like we are in 1986 all over again except there are 100+ times the sets if you count the parallels. You can currently purchase autographed insert cards at shows for a dollar. It's already starting.

Honestly I'm okay with a market correction.I think the financial aspect of the hobby is getting in the way of collecting and pricing people out of the hobby. Certainly not what Buck Barker, Lionel Carter or Jefferson Burdick envisioned.

[CurtisFlood]

Originally Posted by midmo

Strange. I was there all day Friday and walked the entire floor at least 4 times. It seemed busy almost everywhere to me.

It was really busy most of the time from my perspective.

[brianp-beme]

Thought I would post link to the thread Mike Berkus participated in 2012 (I think 8 separate posts total in the thread) about the various reasons behind convention site selection. His comments start on post #14.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=114661

Brian