Feedback from the 2015 National

[Vintagecatcher]

So...the 2015 National in Chicago has begun, and those of us unable to attend are curious as to how the show is going?

What's hot and what's not?

Let's see your big scores!


Patrick

[LuckyLarry]

copied from OBC club report:
Well the show hours today were 4 to 8PM as a sneak preview but somehow we were able to get in at like 8:45AM I suppose there are two options on how to manage your bankroll here at the National. Number one go slow budget and spread out your spending over the week. Number two plan on spending a lot on day one because things don't last well since we were in the show early I guess you could say I spent $500 at the first table I visited seven hours before the show even opened
First stop was at mark Macre and Ted Z table Ted is a legend on Net54 and T206 expert. One thing I learned about getting into these more expensive cards who you buy them from is important too. I bought a nice stack from Mark and one from legend Ted as well.
I started the show with 430 of the 518 T206 in the set so with the HOFers remaining I know this will be a long project.
Spent the first part of my day visiting the dealers I know and had good results. Taylor and I came to the same conclusion: as our collections have advanced visiting a dealer like Ron Estes I mean the guy has 1,000s of bargain prices cards real steals but what the heck I don't need even one card it's an interesting dilemma. After that I was able to walk each aisle of the floor and finish a couple of non sport sets. Taylor texted me to a table where I got another batch of T206 Taylor has a real knack for spending my money just kidding!
I'm up early Thur AM in the lobby as Roomies Spike and Taylor are still asleep so I can't really go through all the cards but I know I added 27 hits to my T206 incl HOFers and Southern Leaguers. It was quite the first day! Mac called me over to a $100 Cy Young T206 I had already bought a stack of T206 from this guy but missed the Cy a Young cause the name is chewed off from a mouse! I passed on the card just to much mouse and acid bath and card looked SO fragile I know I'll never see a cheaper one. So this continues another tradition Mac calls me over to a card I should buy but don't, then all year long I cry in my beer that I wish I would have pulled the trigger
Dinner at Haufbrau House was so good sausages and sauerkraut but the company was better!
Amazing Experience!
Guru

Sent from my iPhone

[LuckyLarry]

[Joshwesley]

Great reporting!


Let's see some pics of some crazy stuff out there...
Wagners/planks etc....

I'll be checking back often.

Thanks

[sayhey24]

Here's a video I just found on You Tube taken at the convention yesterday --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adG643BeiSc


Greg

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by sayhey24

Here's a video I just found on You Tube taken at the convention yesterday --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adG643BeiSc


Greg

I didn't want it to end. Just wonderful. Can't wait for the National to come to AC next year.

Tom C

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by sayhey24

Here's a video I just found on You Tube taken at the convention yesterday --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adG643BeiSc


Greg

That video is drool-worthy!!!

[Cozumeleno]

Originally Posted by LuckyLarry

Seeing this just makes me wish I had bitten the bullet and gone. /Facepalm

[vthobby]

Thanks for sharing that video. I'm bummed that I could not make the trip but AC next year is on my calendar! Thanks!

Mike

[The Nasty Nati]

Any of the younger crowd also hitting up lollapalooza too this weekend? Considering there's also a music festival in Chicago happening the same weekend makes me really regret not going.

[Luke]

Nice haul Larry!

[RTK]

Originally Posted by The Nasty Nati

Any of the younger crowd also hitting up lollapalooza too this weekend? Considering there's also a music festival in Chicago happening the same weekend makes me really regret not going.

I'm not "the younger crowd" any more but my wife and I saw Old Crow Medicine Show and Brandi Carlisle at Ravinia north of the city on Saturday, ( I live between Chicago and Milwaukee, about an hour away from the National). I did the show yesterday, while my wife shopped nearby. I should have posted something about the Cubs playing Milwaukee at Miller Park not too far away this weekend.

[tbob]

Originally Posted by LuckyLarry

copied from OBC club report:
Well the show hours today were 4 to 8PM as a sneak preview but somehow we were able to get in at like 8:45AM I suppose there are two options on how to manage your bankroll here at the National. Number one go slow budget and spread out your spending over the week. Number two plan on spending a lot on day one because things don't last well since we were in the show early I guess you could say I spent $500 at the first table I visited seven hours before the show even opened
First stop was at mark Macre and Ted Z table Ted is a legend on Net54 and T206 expert. One thing I learned about getting into these more expensive cards who you buy them from is important too. I bought a nice stack from Mark and one from legend Ted as well.
I started the show with 430 of the 518 T206 in the set so with the HOFers remaining I know this will be a long project.
Spent the first part of my day visiting the dealers I know and had good results. Taylor and I came to the same conclusion: as our collections have advanced visiting a dealer like Ron Estes I mean the guy has 1,000s of bargain prices cards real steals but what the heck I don't need even one card it's an interesting dilemma. After that I was able to walk each aisle of the floor and finish a couple of non sport sets. Taylor texted me to a table where I got another batch of T206 Taylor has a real knack for spending my money just kidding!
I'm up early Thur AM in the lobby as Roomies Spike and Taylor are still asleep so I can't really go through all the cards but I know I added 27 hits to my T206 incl HOFers and Southern Leaguers. It was quite the first day! Mac called me over to a $100 Cy Young T206 I had already bought a stack of T206 from this guy but missed the Cy a Young cause the name is chewed off from a mouse! I passed on the card just to much mouse and acid bath and card looked SO fragile I know I'll never see a cheaper one. So this continues another tradition Mac calls me over to a card I should buy but don't, then all year long I cry in my beer that I wish I would have pulled the trigger
Dinner at Haufbrau House was so good sausages and sauerkraut but the company was better!
Amazing Experience!
Guru

Sent from my iPhone

Glad you had a great time Larry. While Ted Z is very knowledgeable about tobacco cards, there is only one Mark Macrae who stands apart when it comes to West Coast card sets.
Tbob

[LuckyLarry]

Day two what hurts more my head my feet or my back? First stop Mark M and Ted Z table but after thumbing through their T206 cards I passed for now and began my day. And I made a mistake a "veteran" like me should not make. SCD is selling their new big vintage book for $10 it's a heck of
a buy so I pick one up. Well the mistake was, now I have to lug this brick around all day! Prob should have stowed the book behind someone's table better yet wait till I'm leaving to purchase but I'm not always so smart.
Mostly smaller purchases to start off with, although I did finish off my 1959 Topps Hockey set AND picked up a discount 1957 Topps Hockey Bucyk RC on the cheap. Also purchased a 1960 Topps Bobby Hull I am SO close to finishing off my Topps Hockey run!
I did pick up several '69 Topps football "4-in-ones" to push that set along and of course chipping away at my non sports wantlist too I finished my 1976 Happy Days set with a couple of stickers of Richie and the Fonz it's the little things in life right?
Took a much needed break at the in lobby Starbucks and had a nice convo with roommate Spike plus I got to set down my sixty pound backpack! Running into OBC members all day and met Geordie, Gary, and saw Jason sporting the new OBC t-shirts.
Went back to the off grade t-206 guys table and bought a few more and ended up with eleven more hits to my t206 list that's thirty-eight hits so far
After the show we took the train into Chicago for our traditional meal at Mother Hubbards sports bar met Ray L and his wife. Chicago is so beautiful and let me tell you the women are beautiful too! I ate WAY to much last night.....
I have a meet up scheduled today with some of the Net54 football guys at noon and then the Net54 party tonight. More OBC members rolling in today too, just look for the hats (although their are three versions of hats). Lots of activity in the pack busting area but at least there's not all that annoying cheering they did last year I don't quite understand what they do back there but they seem to have fun. Off we go for day #3!

Sent from my iPhone

[kevinlenane]

Becket posted a cool video of the BBCE table that's not well labeled so I'll post it here:

http://youtu.be/JI2VWyVQHgE

I'm on a plane from ny to chi to hit the national for a day trip - I'll plan on taking lots of video of the vintage tables and specifically old Red Sox stuff including Ted, Doerr, Jimmie Foxx, Smoky Joe Wood etc. If there are any Ted fans in attendance here. - id love to grab lunch. I'm new back into he hobby and have very few collector contacts.

My plan is to spend about half my budget on vintage wax and half on the above posted Red Sox. I'm not a dealer so whatever i spend is SPEND so I'm going to try to keep it below 2-3k as I'm having a baby on Aug 19 and it's just the principle of doing that so close to birth that is holding me back from that 5-8 range. I'm so excited that I can't stop smiling - there are two of the tiniest card shops in all of Manhattan and one in Brooklyn and it's all Yankees gear so this is just going to blow me away. Anyway - more from the floor in a few!

[LuckyLarry]

[shernan30]

Everyone have a good Friday at the show!! Looking forward to seeing some more pickups and hearing stories today.

For everyone going to the dinner tonight, please have a beer in my name. I'll be cracking some in Columbus around 4:30 this afternoon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by shernan30

Everyone have a good Friday at the show!! Looking forward to seeing some more pickups and hearing stories today.

For everyone going to the dinner tonight, please have a beer in my name. I'll be cracking some in Columbus around 4:30 this afternoon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Stuck in Columbus? You poor bastard.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[trdcrdkid]

It was great to meet you too, LuckyLarry! I knew there were some people I was forgetting!

[Wildfireschulte]

Slow start this morning - not the usual flood of buyers. Must be a collective Net54 hangover?

[shernan30]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

Stuck in Columbus? You poor bastard.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

He lives!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[4815162342]

I picked up a raw E102 Bescher, but no E105s - as Danny said they were non-existent. There was a lot of great eye candy though as always!

[vthobby]

That left border on the Crawford is HUGE. Very cool oversized T206.

Mike

[bwbc917]

I think it's time for the National to embrace social media in a different format/use. A collector like myself can submit what he is most after, let's say an Oxford Confection Speaker and then this info is transmitted to all dealers in advance. Then when I come to the show I can open a site that says which table has the card I'm after.

I know, I know pain in the ass for the dealer, BUT WHAT IF, I put in my wants 2 weeks in advance. Each of us could have up to 5 posts. It would sure eliminate my walking the show and looking to see if the dealer had oldies or not. I'm sure I missed one somewhere because I'm sure I missed some tables.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by bwbc917

I think it's time for the National to embrace social media in a different format/use. A collector like myself can submit what he is most after, let's say an Oxford Confection Speaker and then this info is transmitted to all dealers in advance. Then when I come to the show I can open a site that says which table has the card I'm after.

I know, I know pain in the ass for the dealer, BUT WHAT IF, I put in my wants 2 weeks in advance. Each of us could have up to 5 posts. It would sure eliminate my walking the show and looking to see if the dealer had oldies or not. I'm sure I missed one somewhere because I'm sure I missed some tables.

I would think this would benefit dealers just as much if not more. How many get asked for something that they don't have with them but have back in their shops/inventories? I bet a system like this would increase sales across the board by 30%+

[tonyo]

Just finished my first national experience Thursday and Friday

Gotta say it was a great time. I picked up a few t206 back stamps , passed on a few also . Most everyone was very friendly only had a couple of dealers that were less than friendly. Added a couple of t207's that I needed.

I don't recall seeing any Oxford confectionaries, t227 cobbs, low grade cracker jacks. Although I was focusing on "stacks of t206's".

It was a challenge for me to walk the whole show in 2 days.

Johnny you are right the only t206 scrap I recall seeing was Leon's multi strike.

I was disappointed that I didn't grab any t205 commons. I was actively looking for them but never found any even remotely close to the price at which I've purchased 8 on eBay the last 2 weeks.

I did find a new interest in topps coins and seeing a lot of post war regional issues and topps non-base sets made me want to list Al Richters collection as one of the top three I'd like to see.

I'm slamming a couple of Stiegls now in prep for "double fisting corona's " ( as Leon put it) at the net54 dinner- which I hope tops off a great 2 days- so excuse the "stream of conciousness report.

In summary I had a great time and recommend the national to any card collector who hasn't been!

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I also am experiencing my first National, and it has been great! I picked up some wire photos and type 1s of Teddy Ballgame...will post when I get home. What a great environment and experience!

[rats60]

Originally Posted by tonyo

I was disappointed that I didn't grab any t205 commons. I was actively looking for them but never found any even remotely close to the price at which I've purchased 8 on eBay the last 2 weeks.

!

I found 2 dealers with t205s that I thought were very fair. I ended up buying a big stack for my wife. I even bought a t206 for myself. It was a great show. What grade of t205 s were you looking for?

[LuckyLarry]

Great to meet Frank B, Steve D, trdcrdkid, Jobu, and others at the mixer last night thank you Leon! I'm still having a great time chipping away at all my sets and also picked up nine hits T205 and five more hits T206 including W Johnson and Cy Young thanks to Net54 member Mike P!

[mrvster]

thanks for the report! I heard there wasn't hardly any scrap there.....they are being held tight nowadays......I think a lot of collectors have become wise.....the little gems turn up hidden on ebay like a treasure hunt....I did hear of 2 particular scraps that were the only 2 spotted.....but they were huge cards wish I was there just to hold them.....I do not want to divulge what they were because they were so special......I heard the gentleman was going to hold onto them.... I would've too.......

glad everyone is having a great show those pick ups are great! keep 'em coming

Leon, I wish I was at the dinner also....

next year my friends! lock your scrap up, johnny will be in AC with the side show freak show "THE CIRCUS" on full display....

[atx840]

Only one pickup but still a great show for me. Favorite part as always is the great conversations on and off the floor. Big thank you to those who helped me.

[RTK]

It was an enjoyable day yesterday, not as crowded as I expected, overwhelming the amount of cards though. Considering I'm not a collector seeking high grade cards nor cards older than '57 probably makes it easier browsing. I can see where being organized and focused on wants and needing multiple days to browse would be beneficial for the serious collector. I did buy one graded card, a '57 Clemente, also from '57, Yankees & Dodgers sluggers cards and an off center Aaron. A grouped sale at a reasonable price. Three Mantles; '63,'66 & '68. At one table I piled up high number Cubs & White Sox mid 60's cards but also discovered early 70's Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito and Stan Makita cards deeply discounted as well as a Gale Sayers (creased slightly) but very cheap considering the market ( at least I think). A '66 Koufax and a '62 Banks, both non-graded, bought steeply discounted topped off my purchases. I know it's a quite modest lot I bought considering the crowd here but replacing or adding cards from my childhood makes me smile like a kid plus I got to hold Babe Ruth's bat...how cool is that?

Heaven help me if I get the T-206 bug.

My wife shopped at the nearby mall....and bought nothing.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Any cool Negro Leagues baseball stuff at the show? This is my first National missed in the past 12 years so not there to find out myself.........

[LuckyLarry]

Really busy on the floor Saturday but still had a fantastic time! I'm always looking for the next thing to go after, and being such a pre war novice a couple people thought the 1911 M116 Sporting Life might be a fun "affordable" way to go. I like the looks of them so I picked up a couple one of each back I am told and we will see where this goes My flight home is tomorrow (Monday) so I'll be at the show today to turn out the lights! Larry

[LuckyLarry]

My best find and best story involves finishing 1962 Post football set which I've chased for twenty years. If you don't know it includes a few difficult SPs and one EXTRA tough SP #93 Dave Baker. I'll share that story on the football side when I get home. Larry

[RelicSports]

I went yesterday, and I must say, I felt like there were more memorabilia dealers this year compared to last. I didn't pull the trigger for the most part, but did find something I just had to get. It wasn't out on the dealer's table, but he let me come back and shuffle through a few things and I found it...a 1941 portrait signed by Ted Williams. Unfortunately it is inscribed, but...my Grandmother is named June...so we will just run with that Congrats to all the dealers on a wonderful show!

[buymycards]

My wife and I were at the National all day on Thursday and Friday. I thought it was really great. My only regret is that we couldn't come back again on Saturday and Sunday.

Here are some of my observations:

On Thursday we arrived about 15 minutes before the doors opened. There were probably a thousand people already lined up waiting to get in, and by the time the show opened there were another thousand line up behind us. Everything was well organized and it didn't take us long to get inside at 10:00.

We saw, literally, 1000's and 1000's of T206's. Dozens of T206 Cobbs. Dozens and dozens of 1933 Babe Ruth cards. Prices were unbelievably high. I bought 2 cards for my collection at reasonable prices, but I passed up others that were 3-4 times ebay pricing. Dealers would negotiate a little, but not much. For instance, a T213-2 low grade common, which can sell on ebay anywhere from $25 to $40, was priced at $90. The dealer came down to $70, but I didn't want to pay that much.

Many of the SGC10 T206 and raw low grade T206's were in the $30 to $45 range. These are cards that would be $15 on the BST.

I did see some great deals at Deans tables. I expected his prices to be sky high, but he had a binder full of low grade tobacco cards that were reasonably priced. Maybe I should have bought the entire binder?

I saw 2 Magie error cards, 2 or 3 Planks, and the PSA 2 Wagner that was at Scott and Leon's table. One of the Magie's seemed to be priced reasonably at 6K, but that is way out of my league. I also saw a Peck and Snyder in one of the auction house showcases.

There were many, (several thousand?) T205's, and some of the dealers seemed to have some decent pricing on the raw, off condition cards. I asked just about every dealer about T213's. I saw 1 T213-1, 1 T213-3, and maybe a dozen T213-2's, of which 5 were Cobbs. I bought a T213-2 Baker and a Leach.

If you collect other sports, this would have been a good show for you. I was surprised that several dealers seemed to deal exclusively in vintage hockey cards. One dealers case had 40 Topps and OPC Gretzky rookies, ranging in grade from 2 to 9. The prices seems very reasonable to me.

Several dealers had vintage football, one had mostly boxing, (I think we know who that was ), and there was some vintage basketball.

If you are a non-sports card person you would have loved this show. There were 1000's and 1000's of non sports cards. There were many boxes of low grade $1 non sports cards to pick through, and some beautiful vintage sets.

There was a large crowd on Thursday, and many times it was impossible to get to a particular table to see what they had. Several times I went back to a particular dealers table, only to see many people standing there so I couldn't get close. Most of the dealers were friendly, although on Thursday it seemed like many of the dealers were more interested in chatting with their friends rather than taking care of their customers.

On Friday morning the crowd was smaller, so it was easier to engage the dealers and they seemed more inclined to interact with their customers. The crowd started to grow in size as the afternoon wore on, and by 5pm the place was crowded again. My wife and I (God bless her!) covered the entire show and nearly all of the 600 dealers on Thursday, and then we went back and did it all again on Friday.

If you collect modern cards, modern auto'd and gu cards, or open packs, there were an unbelievable amount of these cards at the show. There were a couple of dozen dealers who had nothing but box after box of $1 modern cards, and they appeared to be doing a tremendous amount of business. There were several dealers who appeared to have nothing except many boxes of 10 cent cards and one dealer with a lot of 5 cent 1980's baseball cards. Customers were flocked around these dealers and they seemed to sell a hell of a lot of these 10 cent cards, although I can't believe they would be able to pay for their show expenses and make a profit by selling dime cards. That works well at small local shows, but with the high table fees and travel expenses at the National, it doesn't seem profitable.

I was able to talk to several board members. Some were selling and some were buying. Two of the high points of the show were checking out Ed Hans Mothers Bread and Tango Eggs cards, and Rhett taking the time to show me a portion of his incredible Holsum Bread collection. It would be worth the trip to the National even if you did nothing other than spend some time at Rhett's table and see what he has.

I thought it was a great show, and I am already starting to think ahead to Atlantic City.

Rick

[mrvster]

...........stellar report! want to see you in AC next year...

I have been trying to get a gauge on the T206 scrap market/ availability and demand, since as you know, that's my focus.....DID YOU SEE ANY??

I have only been reported one legit card scrap spotted, and another purchased by my friend....but other than that NOT EVEN A blank back 06???????

wow....if that's the case, they are disappearing more than I expect?????????