Will anyone be giving a blow-by-blow account from the National this year?

[Howe’s Hunter]

Know in the past there has been a thread set up to do that. Sorry if I just missed it, but since I can't be there, would like to see any uploads of photos or videos shot while there.

Thanks, attendees. Good luck.

[Stonepony]

Yeah I'd like to see/hear if there's anything interesting.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by Stonepony

Yeah I'd like to see/hear if there's anything interesting.

Ditto!

The Bill Simmons reports from his Grantland days are good reads!

http://grantland.com/features/2014-n...rs-convention/

[Tennis13]

Alright, so here is a brief (i mean long) summary of tonight and what I saw in a quick 2 hour tour (new baby, so getting out was a homerun from the wife). I usually spend nearly 2 full days browsing, this was 2 hours:

1). I collect 1933 Goudeys and 1934 Goudey Gehrig's, but have learned so much from you all the past year, so I was more up to speed on stuff I saw. Overall, very disappointed with the overall 1933 selection. One guy, though, had the market cornered on the medium end 1933 and 1934 Ruth/Gehrig, with a few higher end ones as well. I bought a 1934 Gehrig from him. Aside from him and the auction houses of course, i saw one 1933 yellow Goudey Ruth 7 for sale and that was it. Last year I saw 1 Gehrig sgc 7/84 1934 which I bought on the last day. Outside of auction houses, this higher end stuff harder to Find, I have to be honest, in 1933/1934 Goudey.

2). I saw one guy who just owned the Caramel Cards. The red ones. He had a lot of them, so if you are looking for those, they will be there. Same with the 206 stuff. I saw those a lot. I sort of feel like an outsider not collecting those on this forum.

3). There is a very big dealer who has a very big table every year. I was very disappointed with his Gehrig/Ruth selection from my 2 years to now. He must have sold most of his stuff and is unwilling to replenish at current prices. Also it seems like the 1933 Gehrig isn't appreciating at the lower-mid range like some other cards. I dont love this card, hence my move to 1934 ones.

4). Lots of chatter--remember I was there for 2 hours so it's relative-- about the increase in price of some Koufax and Clmente and Mantles. Like the guys that have been around a long time --not me obviously-- are sort of dumbfounded. Not sure how many of those guys are you guys on the board. (I was wearing an obnoxiously bright orange Rafael Nadal shirt today, in case I met some of you. ). So i am not sure if they echo your sentiment, or it was your sentiment expressed in person.

5). I wanted to pull the trigger on some modern wax boxes: 1983 topps baseball and maybe 1985 fleer baseball. Because 83 was one year before I started to collect, and I always liked 1983 and 1984 topps cards. It seemed that that early to mid-80s stuff is sort of getting into a sweet spot. It wasn't cheap, but not expensive either. But i would venture to guess it has appreciated as well recently. I was surprised how much I wanted this stuff, but I didn't buy any of it. You could convince me to spend like $10,000 on this stuff and vault it for 7 years and double or triple your money as guys like me get nostalgic.

6). I don't know how the modern guys do it. My eyes glaze over, and there is just no way to easily display everything. As a Cubs fan, I wanted a Contreras and a Baez card, but I was so confused as to why something was $15 vs $60 vs $100 and didn't even grt into the 4-figure stuff. Its also so damn hard to display that I cant find anything easily. It's like a supermarket where the beer is shelved next to the swiffers and then the next aisle has the swiffer next to the pet food with the beer on the farthest aisle. None of it makes sense, and it's never in the same place twice. It gives me a headache to try to get to the bottom of it all and get organized. One guy has an awesome assortment of 2010-2016 baseball unopend boxes which I love, but I need someone to explain which one to buy to get a shot at my favorite Cubs best cards. Kris Bryant. Kris Bryant. Kris Bryant. It almost makes me want to barf how much stuff people have of his, except he's not a Yankee.......yet. So I will keep my food down for the time being.

7). People were dragging, wondering how they were going to make it to 8 pm I heard this on multiple tables. So not sure what their day looked like before 4 pm when it opened to public, but multiple people were tired by 7:30-ish.

8). Random story of the day: some dudes seemed to be travelling with a bunch of Joe Namath rookies. Not sure why. Only told this second hand, then I saw them and confirmed it.

9). This is my third national. Two years ago I saw so much of my dad's 1950s-1960s cards that I figured they'd never go up. So take these comments with a grain of salt. I will say that the third time around, I have gone from overwhelmed and bright eyed to a bit more of a steely assassin, and I don't know how I feel about that. I didn't buy a vintage Cubs pennant or a Northwestern University mini silk thingy and I would have in prior years.

10). There seem to be a ton of like 1978/1979 Topps baseball boxes. The white ones with red and blue. Was there some sort of case break in that in last few years? Lotsa authenticated boxes going from $1200 to $1600. I saw two 1986 Fleer Basketball unopened boxes.

11). Garbage Pail Kids are sort of my dirty little secret, and I only saw one Series 2 authenticated box about 10% premium to ebay prices. There was the occasional pack of Series 3 and 14, but not much else. I bet none of you give a flying you knw what about that.

Ok, sorry if this rambled. This is just my view from the cheap seats.

[Leon]

Thanks for the update, Tennis13. Much appreciated...

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Leon

Thanks for the update, Tennis13. Much appreciated...

+1 Thanks for posting, Tennis!

[HexsHeroes]

.

Tennis13, actually, your observation on item #13 (Garbage Pail Kids) was well received here, as I have a 11 year old godson who has been collecting them for the past 4-5 years. So he will appreciate the update. Who knows, maybe on my next return trip to a mid-west National, I will bring him along and together we can hunt GPK packs and cards :-)

[Tennis13]

Originally Posted by HexsHeroes

.

Tennis13, actually, your observation on item #13 (Garbage Pail Kids) was well received here, as I have a 11 year old godson who has been collecting them for the past 4-5 years. So he will appreciate the update. Who knows, maybe on my next return trip to a mid-west National, I will bring him along and together we can hunt GPK packs and cards :-)

One of my biggest regrets is not pulling trigger on a series 1 box on ebay in 2002 for $600.

[gnaz01]

Originally Posted by Leon

Thanks for the update, Tennis13. Much appreciated...

+2 great observations

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by gnaz01

+2 great observations

+3. I wonder what the Joe Namath "group" was doing?? Are they trying to sell them? How many did they have?

[Tennis13]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

+3. I wonder what the Joe Namath "group" was doing?? Are they trying to sell them? How many did they have?

I didn't personally see the stack. I saw the guys. I was told 30. But I don't have personal confirmation.

[Joshwesley]

Finally another tennis fan (I'm a teaching pro)..

Great account of the national and thanks!

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

+3. I wonder what the Joe Namath "group" was doing?? Are they trying to sell them? How many did they have?

id guess the joe namath group is doing the same thing as the sandy koufax group and the roberto clemente group!!!!

[Northviewcats]

A lot of effort went into your post, Tennis13. Especially after spending time on the floor at Nationals. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

Joe

[Tennis13]

Originally Posted by Northviewcats

A lot of effort went into your post, Tennis13. Especially after spending time on the floor at Nationals. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

Joe

No problem. I was a journalism major in college, so I just cranked it out in between waiting tables.......I love going to the national and given that I work in finance, I am so curious about the market segmentation that seems to be occuring. The ability to restrict supply in some of these cards is so intriguing to watch.

[mechanicalman]

I decided not to go for the first time since I got back into collecting four years ago, and I have a bit of regret, so I will have to live vicariously through these posts. Hopefully others will paint as colorful a picture as Tennis.

Interesting comment on the Goudeys. I've been trying to assemble mid grade HoF sets for both 33 and 34, and I'm finding the available supply to be a lot less comparable to other issues. Whether it's the major AHs, PWCC, or everyday eBay offerings, it just seems that not a lot is popping up.

That said, great pick-up on that Gehrig. Really nice looking for the grade!

[Huck]

I enjoyed the post. Ramble on!

[Steve D]

Great post; thank you Tennis13

Regarding the Namath RC, it's another card that seems to be being manipulated. Between PWCC, Heritage, Mile High, Memory Lane, and maybe some other recent auctions, I have never seen so many PSA 7/8/9s offered over so short a period.


Steve

[tennisguy]

Was there when it opened at 10 and left the show around 1. It was nice to see and chat with Glyn P.,Scott B., Richard M., and Bill Z. of Shoebox cards. Walked right by many tables of modern and 50' and 60' topps tables. I was only really interested in looking at 19th century and pre-war. Which there was a decent amount of I thought. When I say "look" that's all I did. Didn't buy a thing.

Enjoyed chatting with the boys at REA. Brian D. is always a class-act. He immediately handed me a Net54 pin, which is really cool and well done. I did find some dealers and some auction house employees rude. Especially, when you are considering consigning something and are asking them a question and they can't even focus on you. Even striking up conversations with passersby.

Definitely quality material of all era's of baseball on the floor.

[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by Steve D

Great post; thank you Tennis13

Regarding the Namath RC, it's another card that seems to be being manipulated. Between PWCC, Heritage, Mile High, Memory Lane, and maybe some other recent auctions, I have never seen so many PSA 7/8/9s offered over so short a period.


Steve

Didn't someone post a fake Namath Rookie on the board that was in a PSA holder? I'd be concerned if someone was offering me Namath rookie cards in high grade and large quantity. This same thing happened at one of the early National's when the Rose rookie was first hot and someone made some really convincing fakes. Several dealers bought them and were offering them at their tables. Later it was discovered they were fakes. Several dealers lost some pretty good money. I've seen some of these Rose rookies still floating around with FAKE stamped across the back.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by tennisguy

Enjoyed chatting with the boys at REA. Brian D. is always a class-act. He immediately handed me a Net54 pin, which is really cool and well done. I did find some dealers and some auction house employees rude. Especially, when you are considering consigning something and are asking them a question and they can't even focus on you. Even striking up conversations with passersby.

I'm a big customer service grumpy old man and Brian blew me away. I was talking via with him via email about consigning a T205 common in NM 7 with REA. I walk up to the table with the card out and Brian walks over and says "Scott Russell!" Like we're old friends. We've never met, he just knew by the card I was holding who I must be. Now how many people was he expecting to meet this weekend? I didn't have a time set up or anything, he just pays that much attention to customer service. In my mind I hadn't committed to consigning it until that moment. That was a deal-maker as opposed to so many in the hobby who treat you so poorly that it's a deal-breaker. AND he remembered to give me my pin even though I forgot to ask for it!

Kept missing Brent at PWCC, but talked to a couple other guys with them. I was helping a friend consign a gorgeous 86 fleer basketball set and 79 Topps hockey set a PSA 8 1965 Mantle and a PSA 7 Seaver Rookie. I had talked with Brent about it all via email, but the other guys at the booth were great. I gotta say they do seem honestly passionate about trying to do the right thing and they do understand that being the only guys who have ebay's ear is a very big deal. Felt very good after walking away from them

PSA had a huge line for submissions, SGC was looking for something to do.

Hmmm the only guy I know at SGC was at someone else's booth when I walked by. I called his name just to let him know I was there and he gave me the "just a minute" finger (I double checked because I often get the other finger) and that was fine, I didn't expect him to stop what he was doing to come talk to me. So I waited patiently. He finished talking to the guy and then turned his back on me and walked away. This is a guy who has been courting my business for several months now, trying to convince me to switch my grading from PSA to SGC. Guess not.

Bumped into a bunch of guys I know and even gave someone an intro to Net54.

All in all a good time.

[CharleyBrown]

For those that went today, how was the selection of Jackie Robinson cards/items? Was hoping to go today, but I wasn't able to make it. Debating on going tomorrow.

[scottglevy]

Scott,

I'd like to meet you. I'm Scott as well, last name Levy. My dad and I are more collectors than dealers but nonetheless would like to say hi. I'm at booth 900 tomorrow (at least until 2pm). Then I have to get back to my real job.

Best
Scott Levy

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Sorry man I was a one and done this time. Wish I had known where more N54 guys were.

Easy solution:

>WARNING SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT<

Do my show in Jim Thorpe this November!

>This concludes the shameless plug alert system<

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Tennis13

I didn't personally see the stack. I saw the guys. I was told 30. But I don't have personal confirmation.

i wonder what condition the cards were in...but i was surprised at the large POP for that card..i assumed it would be far less...

[brass_rat]

I've had a great time hanging out with collectors (net54 and non) thus far -- everyone is in great spirits. Wednesday and Thursday seemed a little slow, but it's sure to pick up with the big autograph names showing up for the weekend days. I'm not a (paying) autograph collector, so it doesn't make a difference to me.

The floor area is nice and wide open, although I wish booth numbers and dealer names were more prominently displayed...it helps for jotting down notes.

I've bought exactly one card thus far...for the most part, these are the highest prices I've seen at a National, but maybe it's just what I'm looking at. Several times I've seen cards I've wanted, but their sticker prices are literally 3x what the dealer paid for them either on ebay or a major auction house in the past 6 months. It's hard to start a negotiation when a real price is so much lower than the sticker. Then again, kudos to people that actually list prices on their cards?? Catch 22.

I've also noticed that PSA's line is literally an hour plus wait for the entire day...and SGC is a ghost town. Not a good sign for the state of competition.

One of the more interesting things I've seen is the dealer who had a stacked full case of 60's decade Mantles...all raw. He was happy that he had sold over 200 Mantles already, mostly to dealers. Doesn't seem to care that he's leaving money on the table...the collector that I was with explained that this dealer doesn't believe in grading. I'm sure the dealers buying those Mantles do though...

The Jumbo Wagner is on display...some people may think "seen one, seen em all", but I always enjoy seeing a Wagner...especially one so nice.

I'll write more tomorrow. Are there any particular details people would like reports about?

Cheers,
Steve

[Stonepony]

Interesting. Thanks Steve

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by brass_rat

I've had a great time hanging out with collectors (net54 and non) thus far -- everyone is in great spirits. Wednesday and Thursday seemed a little slow, but it's sure to pick up with the big autograph names showing up for the weekend days. I'm not a (paying) autograph collector, so it doesn't make a difference to me.

The floor area is nice and wide open, although I wish booth numbers and dealer names were more prominently displayed...it helps for jotting down notes.

I've bought exactly one card thus far...for the most part, these are the highest prices I've seen at a National, but maybe it's just what I'm looking at. Several times I've seen cards I've wanted, but their sticker prices are literally 3x what the dealer paid for them either on ebay or a major auction house in the past 6 months. It's hard to start a negotiation when a real price is so much lower than the sticker. Then again, kudos to people that actually list prices on their cards?? Catch 22.

I've also noticed that PSA's line is literally an hour plus wait for the entire day...and SGC is a ghost town. Not a good sign for the state of competition.

One of the more interesting things I've seen is the dealer who had a stacked full case of 60's decade Mantles...all raw. He was happy that he had sold over 200 Mantles already, mostly to dealers. Doesn't seem to care that he's leaving money on the table...the collector that I was with explained that this dealer doesn't believe in grading. I'm sure the dealers buying those Mantles do though...

The Jumbo Wagner is on display...some people may think "seen one, seen em all", but I always enjoy seeing a Wagner...especially one so nice.

I'll write more tomorrow. Are there any particular details people would like reports about?

Cheers,
Steve

sounds similar to last year....i know last day the line was fast to PSA..like a 5-10 minute wait if people stay that long....


as far as prices of dealers..its about not having to wait for an auction to a buy a card if in fact the card is available...dealers have to buy cards so they cant sell them for what they paid for them obviously...will always be a markup...

[Tennis13]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

sounds similar to last year....i know last day the line was fast to PSA..like a 5-10 minute wait if people stay that long....


as far as prices of dealers..its about not having to wait for an auction to a buy a card if in fact the card is available...dealers have to buy cards so they cant sell them for what they paid for them obviously...will always be a markup...

......in a bull market.

[Jewish-collector]

The show seems to have less dealers than usual. And the crowd so far has been less, but I did notice more young kids there than at other nationals. I didn't see the SCP booth, but the other auction houses were represented, although Heritage is not able to put their name up at their booth for legal reasons. They are giving free appraisals at their very large booth.

Anyone at the national is welcome to join us for dinner on Friday, Aug 5th at Wingcraft Kitchen & Beer Bar. It's right across from the convention center. We will be there soon after the show ends at around 6:30 pm - 7 pm. Just ask for the Net54 collectors group if you don't see/know someone from Net54.

http://www.wingcraftac.com/

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by CharleyBrown

For those that went today, how was the selection of Jackie Robinson cards/items? Was hoping to go today, but I wasn't able to make it. Debating on going tomorrow.

i looking for a nice mid grade 1952 topps or rookie leaf jackie robinson

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Tennis13

......in a bull market.

well as you probably know most of the dealers dont have to sell...they can wait for the next bull market if the market goes down...no reason to sell at a loss.....you can see listings on ebay for 10 years for example..

[dembums]

Originally Posted by CharleyBrown

For those that went today, how was the selection of Jackie Robinson cards/items? Was hoping to go today, but I wasn't able to make it. Debating on going tomorrow.

I heard a 1953 Canadian Exhibit Green tint was sold. Matt C. of The Post Game Show had about 75 Jackie items at his booth, which as a Jackie collector, was pretty impressive. Saw a couple Bond Bread Jackies: Running Down Basepath (with a fake signature in blue pen on the bottom left corner),a PSA 1 Leaping with Scoreboard in Back, and the fielding one where he's standing on the bag (forget the technical name off the top of my head).

Prices on Jackie were relatively high, but there were definitely deals to be had.

My first National, so totally overwhelmed, but I loved every minute of it. Especially talking Brooklyn Dodgers with the generation who lived through those golden years. So cool.

[CharleyBrown]

Originally Posted by dembums

I heard a 1953 Canadian Exhibit Green tint was sold. Matt C. of the Postgame show had about 75 Jackie items at his booth, which as a Jackie collector, was pretty impressive. Saw a couple Bond Bread Jackies: Running Down Basepath (with a fake signature in blue pen on the bottom left corner),a PSA 1 Leaping with Scoreboard in Back, and the fielding one where he's standing on the bag (forget the technical name off the top of my head).

Prices on Jackie were relatively high, but there were definitely deals to be had.

My first National, so totally overwhelmed, but I loved every minute of it. Esplecally talking Brooklyn Dodgers with the generation who lived through those golden years. So cool.

Sweet, thanks for the heads up! Wish I was there for that Green Tint. Had one and sold it a few years ago. Incredibly tough to find. Might just have to make the trip down there tomorrow.

[kailes2872]

(long-winded recap coming below. One of my degrees was journalism as well - but I never really did well in the editing class)

After missing last year in Chicago, we did the National as the back end of a pseudo family vacation - it started in Secaucus Sunday night, meandered through the Yankees/Mets at Citi Field on Monday, on a boat out to the Statue of Liberty on tuesday, down to AC on Wednesday with a detour to the Borgata with a 10 hour session in the card room Wedneday Night/Thursday Morning and finally to the convention center today.

I really enjoyed Cleveland a couple of years ago. It was a day trip and it was my first one - so we spent 2 full days walking the show. Maybe the the newness has worn off after being to one of them, but it was much less enjoyable today.

1.) I spent the first 90 minutes in line for PSA. I had 3 cards that I wanted to get slabbed (55 Koufax, 54 Kaline, 55 Robinson). I have the PSA 6 Koufax but wanted the other one slabbed as well (probably 2.5-3). I think Kaline and Robinson would be 3-3.5. I know that it is largely a waste of money to get lower grade cards slabbed - but if it was ever time to sell them off, I prefered the comfort of knowing a solid price as I usually get flaws pointed out and lowballed when selling, and then the same card would have its centering and virtues emphasized when it works its way into dealer inventory. I'd prefer to take the guess work out even if it calls for some extra investment up front. I also had 2 cards that needed reholdered - 56 Red Shoendienst and 33 Goudey Lloyd Waner. Red fell in my safe and the slab opened up. Waner was damaged when I opened up the box from the submission - it was packed so tightly and so well that when I finally got the scissors in, they scratched the plastic - right on the face.

I waited for 90 minutes and had a nice guy who wanted to talk the entire time. And by entire, I mean every possible second. He was a low talker and I couldn't hear about 80% of what he said, so I just laughed a lot. Very nice fellow, just more line talking that what I was hoping for. The boys finally jumped out of line and went and walked the show because they were worn out by him as well.

When I finally got up there, I was informed that they would reholder Red, but they needed to regrade it as well for $40. It is a $25-$30 card in PSA 6. I told her that their holder popped open. She said that they are sonically sealed and incapable of opening - thus I must have opened it and they cannot be sure that it is the actual card - plus it might have been damaged when removed. I decided against it - so now, I need to either deal with it or find another one. What's worse is that there is an open PSA case that I was hoping to put back into their property, but when she accused me of trying to put the slide on a $30 card, I decided against grading services today (plus it was 48 hour turnaround and we are leaving tomorrow - so for $40 onsite grading plus insurance to ship back, it was definitely not worth it).

2.) whew, so 90 minutes in, a rough conversation wtih PSA and now time to walk the show. I agree with comments above, it did seem smaller than Cleveland - even though I believe that there were similar amounts of rows. I had a black Austin 3:16 shirt on today and I got a lot of fun comments. I am folically challenged, so I was getting a lot of WWE circa '96 references. Lots of good times! It was nice seeing Pat & Kevin Savage, Zimp & Wayne (and luckily they were right next to each other). I missed some of the dealers from 2 years ago. I like looking at the pieces from the auction houses, but it was just observation - it would be nice if they put them all together in one section.

3) Speaking of shiny stuff... count me as someone who doesn't understand the case brake phenomenon. They are continually at the mic chatting. People are excited and celebrating the "pulls" and I am not quite sure what the celebration is about. It just creates noise. The food court was always packed full - seats were hard to come by. But with the case break pavilion and the food court, it looked like about a fourth of the convention center was wasted before they actually started selling the cards.

4.) The manufactuers area in the center seems to be a lot of unprodcutive space. Again, because I don't do modern stuff - except for a new set for the boys every year (more on that later) - So, it is square footage that is unproductive for me - along with the AH displays and the case break area - basically 1/3 to 1/2 of the space I just gloss over and run right through -except for getting to make a baseball card with Topps.

5.) The material is always great. Besides seeing the lucky 7 4.5 Cobb and the 4 Wagner, the coolest table I saw was one that had tons and tons of T206 Cobbs, Matty's, Youngs, Johnsons, etc. He also had a bunch of 33 Ruths, Gehrigs, just beautiful, amazing inventory. He was selling the full Ruth run in PSA 6 for 58,000. He was selling a 4 Cobbs as a set as well. He had 3 52 Mantles with the PSA 5 going for 115,000. A different income stratesphere, but it was breathtaking for me looking at all of them there.

6.) I am always impressed with the amount of material at Levi's table. I think that if I had unlimited funds and the ability to pay a super premium that would require me to take a terrible hit if I ever had to liquidate, I could probably fill every single thing on my current want list.

7.) I spoke with Scott at Just Collect. He is a super nice guy. I really wanted to say hey to Leighton as he gave Conner a T-Shirt and a T206 card a couple of years ago when he discovered pre-war, but he wasn't there at the time. It was probably something that he doesn't even remember but it left such an impact on me and Conner and I wanted to thank him personally. I saw Scott last year at the Robert Morris show in Pittsburgh and related the story - and he recalled it as I was explaining why I was looking for Leighton today. I hope that I never have to sell and I continue to grow my collection but those are the kind of things that make me want to deal with those guys if something were to ever happen - and it makes sense why they get such good material all of the time (and it was cool seeing the Plank from the fairy godmother find).

8.) My want list is pretty small right now as I am finishing up my 55 and 54 Topps ugrades. I am on the verge of buying a 63 fleer set and have a few other upgrades in the set run that I am hitting as I go along - but I didn't have a huge list of singles that I was going to sit at a table and go through commons trying to build my sets. This saved some time. I also bought a 54 Berra and 54 Billy Martin on Monday night, so I counted them as show purchases. I have set up a 63 Fleer and 64 Rose purchase with a very nice N54 member and am transacting that next week - so I am counting them as my National purchases - even though I didn't actually buy them at the show (they will be there when I get home).

9.) The one thing that I did buy was the boys' 2016 Topps sets that I get them every year - so that we have the set run going to current. Last time, I went to Steel City collectibles. They had them for $40. I took a flyer and asked if they would take $75 for two. In 2014 they did, when I asked, the immediate response was "NO SIR!" I told him that I would walk the floor and see what I could find and maybe be back later. I ended up finding a smaller vendor who had them for sale for $40. I asked if he would discount a multiple purchase. He said, "How about $75 for 2?" SOLD. I then went and spent $42 on sheets and binders. That was it. I should have waited until the end of the day because it got tiresome lugging them around.

10.) The boys were treated well, but now that they are 17 and 14, and are getting closer to me in size, it wasn't quite the free for all that it was in 2014 - when random people would pull them aside and try to give them free stuff. My younger son was asked by the Panini rep if he wanted to participate in the NBA kids case break at 4 with the Memphis Grizzlies. Alas, no Grizzlies were pulled, but he did get a nice consolation prize. The only problem was that we had walked the floor nearly twice by a quarter after 3 and we spent the next 30 minutes just sitting in the food court waiting until the break started at 4. As soon as he was done there, so were we. I would have never imagined not only finishing in one day (it was 2 full in Cleveland), but being done 90 minutes before it shut down.

11.) Prices were all over the place. I can usually look at 1-2 cards and have an idea of pricing strategy. One guy had a 68 PSA 5 Clemente for $250. He had other cards that looked to be about 3-5x the going rate. That was a quick walk by. Another guy had very strong pricing - a PSA 6 Kaline (albeit the first generation label and it looked like it had some marks in the border) for $700 - but had some room. I need to get it but didn't love the card. I know tht it was a $500 a few months ago, but $700 with some room seemed reasonable - and that was how his inventory was priced. Another guy had 33 Ruth's at a grand a grade, decently price low grade Ruth and Gehrigs, and other solid, fair prices. The 50's and 60's prices are heavy at the National - A PSA 6 Rose was $1400. I saw a PSA 6 Clemente that was not especially nice (off center, just meh) for $5500. They tended to run $4500-$6500. 5's are consistently $3000. I am so happy that I pulled the trigger for mine last March for $2200 - and it was $400 above SMR at the time and I worried about paying too much). Koufax PSA 6 was consistently $2000. Aaron was generally $3000 for PSA 6. There were deals to be made, I just had a pretty narrow list and I already had the 63 fleer set up, so I had to keep that in mind.

12.) I had marked my list to see some of the Net54 folks and visit their booths. Unfortunately, I left it at the hotel and didn't have it to reference. If you saw a guy in an Austin 3:16 shirt and you were nice, I appreciate it. I am starting to get burned out on the hobby a bit. I always feel like I am the buy high sell low guy and I feel like a lot of these dealers would really stick it to me if they figured they could make a buck. If that is the way to get ahead in the hobby then count me out. I would witness the negotiation as they were going through material and buying. It was always discounting their collection, reminding the collector that they had plenty of inventory and would be sitting on it for a while, cherry picking the best stuff, giving a low ball take it or leave it offer, yet continually asking anyone with a backpack or a box in hand what they had and then going through the same exercise. If 70-80% of VCP is what I can count on, I shutter to think how much I would lose if I ever got liquid. Oh well, I collect for my personal pleasure - to buy up the stuff that I could never afford when I was a kid. I hope to pass it on to my boys some day. When I was a kid, I was often shoo'd away by the dealers as I was a low rent guy wanting to look at the big cards in their cases.

End of Rant, End of recap. File under TLDR, or enjoy if you were unable to attend and wanted a taste of what it was like. Probably not going to Chicago next year, as $60 for the three of us to walk through in 4 hours doesn't really justify it - but I will probably break down and go to Cleveland in 2 years if I am still in this collecting game.

Cheers,
Kevin

P.S. heard rumblings from a dealer that an autographed Mantle ball was swiped today.

[timzcardz]

Just wanted to say that you guys reporting here really suck!

For months I've been planning on going Saturday, but have been exhausted lately. Pretty much decided last night that I might not be up to the 6 hours of driving roundtrip. So, I got on the 5:26 train this morning, heading to work in Manhattan, tired and resigned to not going tomorrow.

Now reading the reports here, I'm reconsidering. Have to see what I feel like tonight.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Jewish-collector

... Heritage is not able to put their name up at their booth for legal reasons. ...

Huh?

[gnaz01]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

Huh?

I was thinking the same thing

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

I'm a big customer service grumpy old man and Brian blew me away. I was talking via with him via email about consigning a T205 common in NM 7 with REA. I walk up to the table with the card out and Brian walks over and says "Scott Russell!" Like we're old friends. We've never met, he just knew by the card I was holding who I must be. Now how many people was he expecting to meet this weekend? I didn't have a time set up or anything, he just pays that much attention to customer service. In my mind I hadn't committed to consigning it until that moment. That was a deal-maker as opposed to so many in the hobby who treat you so poorly that it's a deal-breaker. AND he remembered to give me my pin even though I forgot to ask for it!

Kept missing Brent at PWCC, but talked to a couple other guys with them. I was helping a friend consign a gorgeous 86 fleer basketball set and 79 Topps hockey set a PSA 8 1965 Mantle and a PSA 7 Seaver Rookie. I had talked with Brent about it all via email, but the other guys at the booth were great. I gotta say they do seem honestly passionate about trying to do the right thing and they do understand that being the only guys who have ebay's ear is a very big deal. Felt very good after walking away from them

PSA had a huge line for submissions, SGC was looking for something to do.

Hmmm the only guy I know at SGC was at someone else's booth when I walked by. I called his name just to let him know I was there and he gave me the "just a minute" finger (I double checked because I often get the other finger) and that was fine, I didn't expect him to stop what he was doing to come talk to me. So I waited patiently. He finished talking to the guy and then turned his back on me and walked away. This is a guy who has been courting my business for several months now, trying to convince me to switch my grading from PSA to SGC. Guess not.

Bumped into a bunch of guys I know and even gave someone an intro to Net54.

All in all a good time.

Great post. Very odd that the SGC guy did that. And they are wondering why they are losing market share.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

i wonder what condition the cards were in...but i was surprised at the large POP for that card..i assumed it would be far less...

That card probably has an extremely misleading report. I'm sure it has been cracked out numerous times.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

Huh?

I was told of this Heritage situation some time ago. If Heritage brought stuff there were some legal hurdles I just don't remember the details. It might have been a taxation thing. *(and I realize they aren't selling at the show but it was something crazy)

[Mountaineer1999]

Originally Posted by kailes2872

12.) I had marked my list to see some of the Net54 folks and visit their booths. Unfortunately, I left it at the hotel and didn't have it to reference. If you saw a guy in an Austin 3:16 shirt and you were nice, I appreciate it. I am starting to get burned out on the hobby a bit. I always feel like I am the buy high sell low guy and I feel like a lot of these dealers would really stick it to me if they figured they could make a buck. If that is the way to get ahead in the hobby then count me out. I would witness the negotiation as they were going through material and buying. It was always discounting their collection, reminding the collector that they had plenty of inventory and would be sitting on it for a while, cherry picking the best stuff, giving a low ball take it or leave it offer, yet continually asking anyone with a backpack or a box in hand what they had and then going through the same exercise. If 70-80% of VCP is what I can count on, I shutter to think how much I would lose if I ever got liquid. Oh well, I collect for my personal pleasure - to buy up the stuff that I could never afford when I was a kid. I hope to pass it on to my boys some day. When I was a kid, I was often shoo'd away by the dealers as I was a low rent guy wanting to look at the big cards in their cases.

End of Rant, End of recap. File under TLDR, or enjoy if you were unable to attend and wanted a taste of what it was like. Probably not going to Chicago next year, as $60 for the three of us to walk through in 4 hours doesn't really justify it - but I will probably break down and go to Cleveland in 2 years if I am still in this collecting game.

Cheers,
Kevin

P.S. heard rumblings from a dealer that an autographed Mantle ball was swiped today.

Nice write-up Kevin, enjoyed reading. I've never been to a National, I did not know there was such a thing until a couple years ago when I became a member here. From what I have read, the common theme at The Nationals seems to be the over pricing of cards and the word 'rude' is used a lot. So I wonder why go? The money spent just to get there with travel, hotel and food etc. , then what does one get? Overpriced cards and rude dealers moving you along because he can tell you aren't going to drop $6K on a 1955 kids bubble gum card.

[tennisguy]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer1999

Nice write-up Kevin, enjoyed reading. I've never been to a National, I did not know there was such a thing until a couple years ago when I became a member here. From what I have read, the common theme at The Nationals seems to be the over pricing of cards and the word 'rude' is used a lot. So I wonder why go? The money spent just to get there with travel, hotel and food etc. , then what does one get? Overpriced cards and rude dealers moving you along because he can tell you aren't going to drop $6K on a 1955 kids bubble gum card.

Understandable.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Leon

I was told of this Heritage situation some time ago. If Heritage brought stuff there were some legal hurdles I just don't remember the details. It might have been a taxation thing. *(and I realize they aren't selling at the show but it was something crazy)

I guess I understand a possible tax problem. It's a shame though; they always brought great items to the National. Seeing the BSF E98s there was a highlight.

If they don't have any Heritage signage, and they don't bring stuff, what do they do at at their booth?

[Snapolit1]

I've been in the room for about 7 hours and didnt meet a single person I'd consider rude. Overwhelming people seem almost giddy to be in a room with so much cool stuff and so many folks with same hobby.
As they say, your mileage may vary ....

[Snapolit1]

PS. I don't consider someone rude for not negotiating on price. I may not appreciate it but it's their prerogative.

[kailes2872]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I've been in the room for about 7 hours and didnt meet a single person I'd consider rude. Overwhelming people seem almost giddy to be in a room with so much cool stuff and so many folks with same hobby.
As they say, your mileage may vary ....

I apologize if I came off as saying they were rude to me. In most cases, quite the contrary. At worst, they were indifferent and there is no harm there. I was only speaking to the collection/card buying process from patrons as I witnessed a half a dozen of these transactions. Admittedly, I have deep scars from a transaction gone wrong at a show when I was 9 years old that I won't rehash here - so I always view with a skewed eye, but the general walking of the floor and interaction was pleasant.

[Leon]

It's all about knowing when to play and having the right piles. Very straightforward, actually. (at around 2:12 there is some serious strategy going on.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09TSwVSl3ZM

Originally Posted by 4815162342

If they don't have any Heritage signage, and they don't bring stuff, what do they do at at their booth?

.

[vthobby]

I have a friend who is at the National AC with a roommate and so far the roommate bought a 1953 Topps set for $4500 and about $2000 in singles from various years.

My friend has spent $5500 on cards (mostly top rookies) and still has around $2500 left to spend.

These are just 2 folks walking the floor who admittedly are not afraid to spend some cash but can you imagine how much money is changing hands down there?!



Peace, Mike

[irv]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

PSA had a huge line for submissions, SGC was looking for something to do.

Hmmm the only guy I know at SGC was at someone else's booth when I walked by. I called his name just to let him know I was there and he gave me the "just a minute" finger (I double checked because I often get the other finger) and that was fine, I didn't expect him to stop what he was doing to come talk to me. So I waited patiently. He finished talking to the guy and then turned his back on me and walked away. This is a guy who has been courting my business for several months now, trying to convince me to switch my grading from PSA to SGC. Guess not.

If I was there with my cards looking to get them graded I wouldn't have hesitated getting SGC to grade them.

Of course, not knowing the situation fully or the time frame, do you think it is possible he simply forgot about you as I am sure he, like everyone else has a ton on their minds?

Originally Posted by vtgmsc

I have a friend who is at the National AC with a roommate and so far the roommate bought a 1953 Topps set for $4500 and about $2000 in singles from various years.

My friend has spent $5500 on cards (mostly top rookies) and still has around $2500 left to spend.

These are just 2 folks walking the floor who admittedly are not afraid to spend some cash but can you imagine how much money is changing hands down there?!



Peace, Mike

WOW!

I can only imagine the money that is changing hands around there!

I am sure Brinks trucks are making frequent visits?

Sucks to hear a signed Mickey Mantle ball was swiped.