Naxcom Hollywood Park Show

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Posted By: warshawlaw 

Attended the show over the weekend. Here are some thoughts:

It was great to see trevor and bob craik at the show. T keeps finding these insane OJ deals... why is it that the only things people offer me are creased 1987 Topps cards?

There were a lot of hookers at the show. Er, I mean porno models who rented a block of several tables and were taking photos and signing stuff for the truly desperate losers in attendance. I'm as red blooded as the next guy, but I really don't appreciate having nude photos and practically topless bimbos at a card show. There were a lot of kids there and I especially don't like the thought of having my daughter or my nephew potentially exposed to it, since I take them to shows sometimes. Quite a few other fathers at the show felt the same way. How do you feel about this sort of stuff being permitted at card shows?

A pretty nice selection of cards available. Got some obscure nonsports stuff for my collection (esp. 1960's The Good Guys And The Bad Guys cards of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and Doc Holliday and some really crispy Thunderball cards from the 1966 Swell set). I even picked up my first N2 Indian (Chief Joseph); they really are a great looking set.

My find of the day was a 1926 Exhibit Red Grange card from his brief movie career. Also got a ca. 1926 Exhibit of Tom Mix with his baseball team. It looks to me like there were PCL or MLB players in the background at one of the local LA area stadiums. If it made Exhibit cards it must have been a pretty big deal at the time. Anyone ever heard of exhibitions like this with Mix? Also picked up a Dan-Dee Al Rosen for a very dandy price.

GAI was onsite doing authentications and pregrading. I watched them handle a Ty Cobb gamer bat. Nice. Their slabs really are sharp looking, except for the ridiculous oversized plastic thing they use for T201s and other big cards. Looks like those plastic blister packs that razors come in. Yecch. PSA'S big holders were on display. Looked good. I can't wait for SGC to follow suit (I hope) and make a slab for T3's and other cabinets.

Autograph guests included Steve Carlton. I think we may be seeing a peak in show-based autograph costs. Carlton sat idle for alot of his signing time; too darn expensive was what I heard from a lot of people.

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Posted By: Julie

or, I think, cards other than sports cards at his shows. Seems like a simple rule--started with the Beanie Babies, remember? I remember an article in VCBC in which he wrote that he threw a dealer out who had ONE Beanie Baby on his table, and he was in the process of selling it to a lady and her precious little girl.

How does a show promoter get away with allowing hookers and near hookers into a show, when a single Beanie Baby can get a guy thrown out!!!

I'm MORE tolerant than the next guy, but some things just don't belong at a card show! You can't see "Angels in America" on HBO at 7 in the evening either, even though it's great.

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Posted By: RBCraik

Adam is right. The promoters rented a section of the show to scantily clad Playboy err...models who were selling their photos & autographs (or you could have your pix taken with them and have IT autographed.) It was not generally well received by most. I found it to be incongruous as several shows ago they asked a dealer who was selling X rated DVD's to remove them from display because they were trying to promote a "family environment" at the show. Many of the dealers also complained and the promoter agreed it was a well intentioned mistake and won't happen again. We shall see. Terry was not there so there was the usual dearth of pre war material. Trevor's awesome "All Old Judges All The Time" booth was fun to look at and I managed to pick up two killer N162's - Sullivan and Wild Bill Hickock (GREAT visual.) Don't know why exactly but I also snagged a beautiful 52 Topps Mays that GAI pre graded as a 5 (I think it should be a 6 or better & plan to send elsewhere.) That's about it.

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Posted By: Julie

" Not much, but given the state of the economy, I'm not surprised."

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Posted By: leon

When I ran into the card show over the weekend ( it was 4:30 and it ended at 6) I looked to my left and saw some floosy (sp?) with a breast almost hanging out.....good for me...bad for my 7 year old and wife.....we walked the other way.....well, they did, I sort of straggled over near the girl to see if I could get a Super Bowl peak (pun intended)....but alas, went back to looking for cards....then bought those two photo's and left.....managing one more peek going out of the door.....I agree with Julies' Bob......probably the state of the economy and the state of shows......if things were bustling I guess maybe she might not have been there.....no place for that crap though......later

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Posted By: petecld

Hey, don't bash the Beanie babies too much because they brought women to card shows and over the years I managed to get a phone number or two so be nice.

As for the "models", there are conventions where they set up shop and the whole convention is design for that type of stuff and is VERY much out of place at a card show. I saw this at a comic show and was really disturbed to see some dip-sh*t dad letting his 10-year old have his picture taken sitting on Miss Whatever-month's lap. The kid actually looked scared. Maybe he was afraid of silicone. That was truly a sad sight.

Have you seen the latest SCD? There is an ad for a private autograph signing with that pillar of society O. J. Simpson. Prices start at $69. Don't wait, supplies are limited!

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Posted By: Hankron

I remember when longtime Green Bay Packers radio color commentator Max McGee caused mild local controversy when he said the Packers shouldn't reconsider forming a cheerleading squad as he doubted that there were enough good looking women in the area

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Posted By: jay behrens

the 'braods' actually hace a somewhat legitimate place at comic shows since many are hired to dress up as a given character. And who can argue with a show that has Elvira in attendance.

Jay

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I saw the ad and had a laugh, but there are folks out there who will put up the bucks for that (alleged) killer's autograph. Since there are some rather sad people who collect murderer memorabilia too, he's probably going to do well on the deal. I just hope the Goldman family levies on the proceeds.

I recall during the whole civil case out here that there was real debate among some of my friends and colleagues as to whether to accept OJ in a golfing foursome. Someone I know encountered him at a public course and played with him. Kept the conversation to golf and football and there were no problems. I suppose I'd play with him too, but I sure as hell won't pay for his autograph.

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Posted By: runscott

What famous football player...

a) won the Heisman while playing for USC
b) nickname was the same as that of a breakfast drink

and...

c) cut off his wife's head?

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Posted By: jw

Back in 1984, I saw Elvira, in person, at Hivadex Video, in the tiny little town of Columbia City, Indiana. That was before band camp.

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Posted By: Aaron M.

"There were a lot of hookers at the show. How do you feel about this sort of stuff being permitted at card shows?"

I attended the show with my wife and commented within ear shot of the surgically montracized prostitutes, "why aren't your breasts that big?"

My wife (who is actually quite well-endowned for a non-porno freak) did a bug eyed double-take that even had the hookers themselves laughing.

My reaction was pretty much the same as yours: children attend these kind of shows and the attendance of at least 10 tables full of porno models and their assorted merchandise was totally inappropriate.

I would never bring my nieces or nephews to the Expo for this reason.

That said, as usual I didn't really find anything interesting at all (which is pretty much par for the course for this show).

I had arranged to meet Alan Getz (a very friendly rare program dealer) at the show and picked up a nice 1930 Philadelphia A's World Series program from him. Otherwise, the only thing I was seriously interested in was a GAI graded unopened 1950 Bowman wax pack. I would have paid a couple grand for it, but the dealer was trying to sell a whole collection of vintage Topps and Bowman GAI unopened packs for $200,000.

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Posted By: vintageball

Board members,

I would like to respond to Mr. Warshawlaw's post entitled Naxcom Hollywood Park Show. I too attended the show and although I would tend to agree with you on your views about allowing adult models at sports card shows to sell their wares, I do want to challenge you with a comment you made:

"There were a lot of hookers at the show. Er, I mean porno models who rented a block of several tables and were taking photos and signing stuff for the truly desperate losers in attendance."

Let's start with the term hookers. I'd like to know where you came up with this description. Did you go around asking the female models if they were hookers? Is this an assumption you drew up or is this just a derogitory term you decided to call them?

Mr. Warshawlaw, by no means am I "desperate loser" and I certainly did not go to the show for the sole purpose of seeing these models, but I did take a few minutes of my time to go around and meet each of these women. I'll have to say that I was very impressed in that all of these women were very polite, courteous and willing to talk to all passerbys! (There's a lesson that some card dealers and other "celebrity guests" could learn from. Gee, what a concept, be polite to a customer!!!???) Here's a good example of what I'm talking about. A friend of mine paid $55.00 for another guests' autograph at the show. This guy didn't so much as look up or say hello! I may not agree with their form of work Mr. Warshawlaw, but I didn't condem them for it either!

I also had the opportunity visit a board member (who shall remain nameless) that was in attendance. Oddly, the Network54 website came up in our conversation. It was both of our opinions that this board has gotten to be a bashing contest, and true to form, it has held up to it's reputation once again!

(To that board member, it was nice seeing and speaking to you again.)

-Vintageball

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Posted By: Kenny Cole

Dear Vintageball:

I missed all the excitement at the show, but am curious as to why you feel that discussion about the admitted fact that "models" (and I use that term loosely) were present at the show somehow equates to being a "bashing contest" on Network 54. That just doesn't compute for me.

Personally, I'm all for pretty girls getting naked. They're fun to watch. But, I'm not at all in favor of that happening at a baseball card show where there are inevitably going to be kids present. That's true even if the girls are engaging, will sit on your lap and wiggle as they sign autographs, have some degree of conversational skills, and/or don't act as if their only attributes relate to their physique and the uses to which they put it. In that regard, use of the term "hooker" is likely related to a perception, perhaps not wholly unwarranted, about the realities of those girls' economic support system. Perhaps that perception is mistaken, perhaps not. Perhaps, having been there, you have a better idea about that than I do. If so, feel free to share.

In any event, I'm not quite sure how voicing an opinion that the presence of scantily-clad women at a baseball card show is inappropriate equates to a Network 54 "bashing contest." Do you contend that is appropriate? Please enlighten me, because I am very confused about that. What's your beef?

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Posted By: Trevor Hocking

Ok here I go when I promised myself I wouldn't.

The Naxcom show has been the only show I have done for years. I am a privet collector who loves to buy Old Judge's, and 19th century material. Most of my transactions with my "friends" have been done at the Naxcom show, which has been a great venue for everyone in the long run. This show, Naxcom made a big mistake which will not be done again, according to the shows promoters. I personally think that no woman should have to sell her body in any shape or form for monetary gain. I can understand how a promoter is trying to make a buck to keep our venue open but this was definitely WAY out of line. I do feel confident that this show will be back to the good old show it has become know for. I do recommend that if you are in the L.A. area in February or June you should come buy and say hi. Any board member, well for that matter anyone has a place to sit for a while behind my table anytime. Just find the guy with the OJ's you can't miss me.

It was great to see some of the board members. I'm really sad I missed Leon, but was very pleased with the show and people I met.
Trevor Hocking (snider4prez)

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Posted By: Aaron M.

"Let's start with the term hookers. I'd like to know where you came up with this description. Did you go around asking the female models if they were hookers? Is this an assumption you drew up or is this just a derogatory term you decided to call them?"

Well, one of the "models" in attendance was a fairly well-known porn star named Taylor Wane. She's also fairly well-known as a professional escort who books time with her clients directly from her website.

Reviews of these "sessions" are plastered over the Internet from many satisfied customers.

Obviously I'm no prude, but like I said, you don't have tables full of not-even-half-dressed prostitutes and their merchandise at a baseball card convention that is supposed to be kid and family friendly.

This shows incredibly poor judgment and says something extremely negative about the business practices of Naxcom. Are they that desperate?

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Posted By: MW

<< I'll have to say that I was very impressed in that all of these women were very polite, courteous and willing to talk to all passerbys! (There's a lesson that some card dealers and other "celebrity guests" could learn from. Gee, what a concept, be polite to a customer!!!???)>>


That's great, but if the guests truly had concern for customers and were truly courteous, they might have thought to dress appropriately for a family oriented show. Modest attire at such a venue does not seem like an unreasonable request.

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Posted By: runscott

We had a discussion previously about researching i.p. addresses to prove who a poster is. Here's a case where three different board members have the same one in the same thread, and I think all the postings are legit. (This post isn't meant to have any evil intent - just educational).

Warshawlaw
Aaron
MW

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Posted By: Julie

we immediately get suspicious of warshawlaw, Aaron and MW.Those IP addresses are insideous. The badmouth in the chat room usurped Ben's IP, as well as his name, and the first time I saw him using it, I thought, "Good grief, is that BEN freaking out in there--he must be SICK"

I HATE 'em!

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Posted By: VintageBall -- RobertS

Just a quick post to point out that now Network54 is allowing people to use the same names.

My ID here is VintageBall, as it is the URL for my website. The poster above, vintageball, is not me, who many of you know as RobertS.

I guess vintageball is considered a different name because my ID has two capital letters.

Anyway, moving forward I guess I'll identify all my posts as RobertS, or ask the other vintageball guy to change his ID.

Strange...

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Posted By: TBob

Hey as long as Taylor Wane brings some E94s and T207s that she found in her grandfather;s old trunk, it's fine with me

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Posted By: runscott

Perhaps "TBoob"

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Posted By: Julie

with the trunk? Gee, guess you can have everything...

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Posted By: jay behrens

I don't know about Taylor, but J-Lo has got some pretty good junk in her trunk.

Jay

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Posted By: warshawlaw

Re "Hookers": While I used the term jokingly as Jim Rome would (if you've ever heard "The Jungle", you know what I mean), these women sell sexual favors of the voyeuristic variety for money. Someone else has remarked that one of the women who was there actually does porn and sells herself over a web site for "escort" services. You sell sexual favors for money, you are a hooker. The term fits.

Re "Bashing": No. Bashing would be an ad hominem attack on a person, like if I called you an ass for having expressed a viewpoint that I find to be asinine. I merely expressed my opinion about the impropriety of having scantily clad women offering naked pictures of themselves and cloying pseudo-sexual physical contact to strange men for money at a family oriented event.

Re "losers": Again, my opinion is that anyone who feels the need to buy autographed naked photos and/or get jiggly with a strange woman for money is a loser. It was not directed at anyone specific, merely at people who need to get their sexual jollies that way.

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Posted By: runscott

It is necessary to have hookers at baseball card shows, to teach the dealers how to be polite...hmmm

I guess we really should have some of these polite hookers everywhere - they could sit in the back of elementary school classes as role models for teachers.

...or in the back of school buses, with their clients - children could then see how happy loving couples behave.

But I think the exchange of currency should be kept private.