Feedback from the 2015 National

[kevlewis]

Originally Posted by 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!

Hey there Robert. Did you stop by my photo table and say hi????

[mrvster]

you had a GREAT show

[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]

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

[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.

[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!

[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.

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by rats60

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?

Fair to good grade. I'm not saying they weren't fair prices. I only recently decided to work on completing my set ( already have the hofers, just decided to go for the commons as well) and I gave myself a $$ limit per card. Almost all the fair/good commons started at twice what I had seen on eBay . There were one or two dealers who weren't a lot higher than my limit but I wasn't in the mood to ask for a discount and still be paying my max price .

I even told a couple of dealers that their prices seemed to be in line with everyone else and I may need to raise my self imposed limit.

[mrvster]

trust me.....try on a T206

[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?????????

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by kevlewis

Hey there Robert. Did you stop by my photo table and say hi????

Kevin, I made it by a couple of times, but each time you were literally surrounded! I did speak to a young man (your son?) who was helping you. Business must have been good!! I had a great time. Several hours disappeared in a hurry!

[Gradedcardman]

Kevin Lewis is a wealth of knowledge and eager to share it. What a great opportunity for me to hear a little about the photo part of the hobby !!

[RTK]

Originally Posted by mrvster

trust me.....try on a T206

I have all of one T-206, bought on a whim at an antique store years ago for $10-$12, I'm fighting the urge. There are so many cool vintage pre-war cards. I may pick up one or two here and there someday just to have examples but I'm fighting off the urge, I light candles, chant and burn incense to chase away the impulse to delve into complete obsession in compiling sets...that's Jim Jones craziness.

I'm not very knowledgeable on the really old stuff but it seemed to me there was enough of it around to satisfy any collector seeking any condition, amazing collections really. As for prices, I don't know if they were good or not but I negotiated on everything I purchased. I'm not sure about the pre-war market.


Have to add; I also picked up four signed B/W photos, 1934 Ray Berres Brooklyn Dodger photograph from Wide World, ( my wife, a nurse, took care of him a couple times, said he was the nicest guy, told great stories), a Cubs 1950's Hank Sauer, Dee Fondy, Phil Cavarretta, Ted Lyons signed in ink pen, a Berra/Larsen 1956 World Series perfect game photo. I'll frame them and hang them up in the baseball part of my finished basement.

[buymycards]

I didn't see any scrap, but then again, I wasn't really looking for it. I wish I had been thinking about that, but I think I would have picked up on it if I had run across one.

[Touch'EmAll]

Wish I was there, sounds like a blast!

Anyone notice or talk about the price difference/demand between SGC and PSA for major and semi-major cards?

[bcbgcbrcb]

Any Negro League Baseball stuff? I know there were plenty of T206's, aren't they at every single show throughout the country?

[mrvster]

come to the dark side!!! you will love 206!! trust me......you can collect so may ways.....you can email me anytime, I will help.....they hold their value overall.....Wagner holds the set in high demand......trust me, a blue chip issue

Rick!

I have been bothering everyone for the scrap report......2 sighted at the whole show not even a blank back available!

ANYONE SEE ANY??

[rats60]

Originally Posted by 100backstroke

Wish I was there, sounds like a blast!

Anyone notice or talk about the price difference/demand between SGC and PSA for major and semi-major cards?

I bought t205s from 2 dealers. One only sold PSA except for 1 card which was priced as a PSA. The other only brought his PSA and said he sold SGC for a little less. Nothing like the 1 grade difference that people were saying. The second guy also took my SCG cards at a fair price in trade, although I did spend quite a bit with him and have bought from him off Ebay. The registry must be a powerful drug.

I also graded some cards. I ended up going with SCG and their grading was very strict, but for the most part fair. A couple cards were .5 to 1 low IMO. I also did a few modern cards with BGS and found the same (I got the min grades that the cards were) although the subs seemed a little low. I don't know if it was just the show or the TPGCs are all tightening up their grading because of threads like the one on here.

[1952boyntoncollector]

I arrived on Saturday at around noon...bought tickets..there was zero line.....looked around for a bit.....card prices for 1954 topps big guys much higher than ebay...ended up doing a small deal for a duke snider card for 100 less in exact same condition as dealer one table over who wouldn't bude on the price.....took about 2 mins..one table down

the dealer I bought the card actually said 'well if I were to sell it on ebay I would net just about the same and you paying cash'

not sure why when paying cash dealers want more on some cards then they sell on ebay.....unless super super example of the same grade perhaps...

anyway, was fun ....

[1952boyntoncollector]

[QUOTE=rats60;1437244]I bought t205s from 2 dealers. One only sold PSA except for 1 card which was priced as a PSA. The other only brought his PSA and said he sold SGC for a little less. Nothing like the 1 grade difference that people were saying. The second guy also took my SCG cards at a fair price in trade, although I did spend quite a bit with him and have bought from him off Ebay. The registry must be a powerful drug.


The registry will only be non-important when you see the big auction houses not quoting POP counts for commons and not breaking sets and showing the registry ranking for the sets......let me know when that happens and I wont worry about psa grades...

[mattsey9]

On the way out of the show, I was passing a few last tables when my son started getting a little tired. A lady behind the table offered him a mint Oreo. He thanked her and started eating while I looked one more time at her case. There was a stack of 34 Goudeys!

I found one I didn't have, Larry French I believe, and snapped it up. Never would have seen it if it hadn't been for her generosity.

So to Genie and Marty Pritchard of Old Vintage Baseball Cards, thanks for the card and the snack!

[rats60]

[QUOTE=1952boyntoncollector;1437266]

Originally Posted by rats60

I bought t205s from 2 dealers. One only sold PSA except for 1 card which was priced as a PSA. The other only brought his PSA and said he sold SGC for a little less. Nothing like the 1 grade difference that people were saying. The second guy also took my SCG cards at a fair price in trade, although I did spend quite a bit with him and have bought from him off Ebay. The registry must be a powerful drug.


The registry will only be non-important when you see the big auction houses not quoting POP counts for commons and not breaking sets and showing the registry ranking for the sets......let me know when that happens and I wont worry about psa grades...

Some of us are actually collectors and not investors looking to put a set together and then sell through an AH. We can buy what we want and then let the AH strong arm PSA to cross them at the same level if we ever decide to sell. The key is to not buy over graded cards. I only see the registry as an ego trip.

[1952boyntoncollector]

[QUOTE=rats60;1437272]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Some of us are actually collectors and not investors looking to put a set together and then sell through an AH. We can buy what we want and then let the AH strong arm PSA to cross them at the same level if we ever decide to sell. The key is to not buy over graded cards. I only see the registry as an ego trip.

right I agree....but the OP was inquiring about the drug effect of the PSA registry..i just pointing out its real and here to stay...drugs are typically bad for you and offer a fake state of euphoria...and not real..implying the PSA desirability isn't based on any fact or real..... plus good luck trying to strong arm PSA into cross grading ......I just pointing out things that would happen for the PSA desirability to fall off....not talking about if as a collector you have to choose one or the other...

Most collectors do sell cards eventually.....and several sellers have different price opinions with buyers....some of these price opinions differ between SGC and PSA graded cards....just pointing out PSAs desirability over SGC in the selling market if a collector ever decides to sell.......but collectors are free to collect whatever they wish...that's the fun of the hobby.......

[DeanH3]

Thanks for the write ups guys. What about caramels? Where there a lot of E95's, 93's, 92's (Croft's Candy or Cocoa's) or 98's? In general, caramels seem to have been pretty flat some since their peak. Curious if there seems to be any type of comeback. I'm hoping not so I can still get some of the one I want before a spike comes around again.

[RTK]

Originally Posted by mrvster

come to the dark side!!! you will love 206!! trust me......you can collect so may ways.....you can email me anytime, I will help.....they hold their value overall.....Wagner holds the set in high demand......trust me, a blue chip issue

Rick!

I have been bothering everyone for the scrap report......2 sighted at the whole show not even a blank back available!

ANYONE SEE ANY??

Thanks

[Edwolf1963]

Originally Posted by DeanH3

Thanks for the write ups guys. What about caramels? Where there a lot of E95's, 93's, 92's (Croft's Candy or Cocoa's) or 98's?

Some, but not a lot, Dean .. at least in comparison to the T206s. I concur with the previous posters, seemed like every table had them. More of those than I have ever seen at any show - even tougher backs. On the caramels, I picked up a few E94's at some reasonable prices. Saw some E93s, but prices seemed more in-line with where they were during the last bubble. Noticed some E98s, E95s and E92s as well, but you had to hunt around some and ask.

Some other observations: More AH's now than I could ever keep track of! Seems like everyone has an AH now - signs up on several tables about buying or consigning with them.

Busy Thurs and Fri - every vendor I talked to said traffic and sales were quite good heading into the weekend.

707 had a big spread (as usual), but the few times I passed by (both Thurs and Fri) I didn't see anyone at their tables.

And to think up until this show I always thought "Panini" was a grilled sandwich

[bravesfan22]

I went on Saturday with my Brother and Nephew. This was my 2nd national. I had a good time. Bought a couple t206s for my HOF t206 collection. Most dealers I spoke with were very nice and helpful and always willing to negotiate. All in all from my personal standpoint it was a worthwhile trip.

As others have stated I did feel like it's as much as a place for auction houses to promote their next auction as much as it is a place for dealers to sell cards but hey that's part of the hobby as well and honestly I like looking at some of that stuff because 99.9% of it I'll never own so it's cool to atleast see it in person.

One thing I noticed that I didn't notice the last national in Chicago and I think is a positive thing for the hobby is the amount of kids and teenagers I seen buying cards, busting wax at the panini and topps booths and what not. Even seen some kids helping out running dealer booths. Seen plenty of parents both moms and dads helping their kids pick out cards or educating them on the hobby and I think that's great. There's always a lot of chatter about the hobby dying because kids can't afford to be involved or baseball cards don't interest them like they did us when we were kids but I think there's still a healthy amount of kids into the hobby. Sure most of them are more into the autograph cards and busting packs and stuff but hey gotta start somewhere.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by bravesfan22

I went on Saturday with my Brother and Nephew. This was my 2nd national. I had a good time. Bought a couple t206s for my HOF t206 collection. Most dealers I spoke with were very nice and helpful and always willing to negotiate. All in all from my personal standpoint it was a worthwhile trip.

As others have stated I did feel like it's as much as a place for auction houses to promote their next auction as much as it is a place for dealers to sell cards but hey that's part of the hobby as well and honestly I like looking at some of that stuff because 99.9% of it I'll never own so it's cool to atleast see it in person.

One thing I noticed that I didn't notice the last national in Chicago and I think is a positive thing for the hobby is the amount of kids and teenagers I seen buying cards, busting wax at the panini and topps booths and what not. Even seen some kids helping out running dealer booths. Seen plenty of parents both moms and dads helping their kids pick out cards or educating them on the hobby and I think that's great. There's always a lot of chatter about the hobby dying because kids can't afford to be involved or baseball cards don't interest them like they did us when we were kids but I think there's still a healthy amount of kids into the hobby. Sure most of them are more into the autograph cards and busting packs and stuff but hey gotta start somewhere.

Eh, I didn't see much of a future with the kids when they are just there with their parents who collect.....cause not all the collectors kids will collect..and that will result in a smaller group all together...the..future would be healthy if more kids whos parents DID NOT collect started to collect...than that would be a net gain......as opposed to a net loss that I saw...

[bravesfan22]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Eh, I didn't see much of a future with the kids when they are just there with their parents who collect.....cause not all the collectors kids will collect..and that will result in a smaller group all together...the..future would be healthy if more kids whos parents DID NOT collect started to collect...than that would be a net gain......as opposed to a net loss that I saw...

That what I was saying though is that I was surprised how many kids I seen picking out cards for themselves or busting packs open, asking their parents to buy them this box or this card and being legitimately excited about the cards. I mean sure I don't know if that means they will be lifetime collectors but it seemed to me there was way more kids that seemed to be there for the cards and not just because there parents were. Im sure most of their parents collect as well so I'll give you that. But there's few people I know that pick up a hobby as a kid that wasn't influenced by someone close to them already being involved. on the modern side of the hobby I think their is a healthy number of kids and teenagers involved.

[trdcrdkid]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Eh, I didn't see much of a future with the kids when they are just there with their parents who collect.....cause not all the collectors kids will collect..and that will result in a smaller group all together...the..future would be healthy if more kids whos parents DID NOT collect started to collect...than that would be a net gain......as opposed to a net loss that I saw...

I'm sure there are lots of kids collecting whose parents don't collect. You can't judge that by a show like the National; I wouldn't expect many/any kids (especially young kids) to come to such a show by themselves, so they're pretty much always going to be there with their parents, whether or not those parents are collectors. I saw a number of father-son combos where both were obviously collectors, but I'm sure there were many noncollector parents who were there with their collector child. My parents sometimes used to come to card shows with me back in the early 80s, though admittedly they would also sometimes drop me off at the show and go shopping somewhere else nearby, if that was feasible. But I was a teenager, 14-16 years old.

[vthobby]

Originally Posted by bravesfan22

I went on Saturday with my Brother and Nephew. This was my 2nd national. I had a good time. Bought a couple t206s for my HOF t206 collection. Most dealers I spoke with were very nice and helpful and always willing to negotiate. All in all from my personal standpoint it was a worthwhile trip.

As others have stated I did feel like it's as much as a place for auction houses to promote their next auction as much as it is a place for dealers to sell cards but hey that's part of the hobby as well and honestly I like looking at some of that stuff because 99.9% of it I'll never own so it's cool to atleast see it in person.

One thing I noticed that I didn't notice the last national in Chicago and I think is a positive thing for the hobby is the amount of kids and teenagers I seen buying cards, busting wax at the panini and topps booths and what not. Even seen some kids helping out running dealer booths. Seen plenty of parents both moms and dads helping their kids pick out cards or educating them on the hobby and I think that's great. There's always a lot of chatter about the hobby dying because kids can't afford to be involved or baseball cards don't interest them like they did us when we were kids but I think there's still a healthy amount of kids into the hobby. Sure most of them are more into the autograph cards and busting packs and stuff but hey gotta start somewhere.

Adam,

Well said and a very good "show report". There are actually some of us on here that see a paragraph about kids being at the show and take a positive note from it. To find anything negative about that report is just plain baffling and I will not even venture into that quagmire. Some people just like to hear themselves type and then they like to listen to the crickets after........ chirp chirp

Thanks for the report and I also liked David's post above mine.

Peace, Mike

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by trdcrdkid

I'm sure there are lots of kids collecting whose parents don't collect. You can't judge that by a show like the National; I wouldn't expect many/any kids (especially young kids) to come to such a show by themselves, so they're pretty much always going to be there with their parents, whether or not those parents are collectors. I saw a number of father-son combos where both were obviously collectors, but I'm sure there were many noncollector parents who were there with their collector child. My parents sometimes used to come to card shows with me back in the early 80s, though admittedly they would also sometimes drop me off at the show and go shopping somewhere else nearby, if that was feasible. But I was a teenager, 14-16 years old.

You make some valid points I didn't consider..........but we do know as a whole its not like its gaining steam with the kids so I guess im a bit biased on that issue....its not like there are baseball card stores anymore in most areas and most local shows are few and far between and not many people go too that ive seen......I not sure what kind of showing I was looking for from the younger ones to undo the bias...I guess when I say 'kids' im also meaning guys in their 20s- mid 30s......I also was there towards the back end of the show later in the day on Saturday as well so that could factor into it....

[ValKehl]

Rick,
Kindly allow me to finish your sentence - "There are so many cool vintage pre-war cards," OTHER THAN T206s!!!
Val

[DeanH3]

[QUOTE=Edwolf1963;1437405]Some, but not a lot, Dean .. at least in comparison to the T206s. I concur with the previous posters, seemed like every table had them. More of those than I have ever seen at any show - even tougher backs. On the caramels, I picked up a few E94's at some reasonable prices. Saw some E93s, but prices seemed more in-line with where they were during the last bubble. Noticed some E98s, E95s and E92s as well, but you had to hunt around some and ask.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I am 42 and actually was thinking about the age factor while I was walking around looking. I was pleasantly surprised to see many guys (and a few ladies) who appeared to be my age and younger. Not sure exactly what they were looking for, but it was nice to see. Also, I got a charge out of watching some of the crochety dealers trying not to interact with the younger collectors. Clothed in their exuberance at just being there, these younger collectors weren't aware they were being avoided. They just went on looking and innocently trying to do business. I will say, on the whole, I did encounter many pleasant dealers who were eager and willing to talk. I had a great time. It is easy to fixate on what might be broken, but there is so much that is still wonderful and captures the imagination. We must never lose that feeling. Friday and Saturday were both awesome! My wife and I drove round trip about 1,440 miles to experience the National, and I would do it all over again.

[trdcrdkid]

I didn't expect to get back to the show after Friday, but as it turned out, I was able to go back for a couple of hours this afternoon. I didn't get there until 2:30, and they let me in for $10 instead of the official $22 because it was so close to the end. Lots of dealers were gone and many more were packing up, but I was able to check out some tables I only glanced at on Friday, and go back to some favorites. I ended up getting nine more raw T206s from three dealers, all of them Net54 members, two of whom I also bought from on Friday. Thanks for the deals, caramelcard, edhans, and Wildfireschulte! My favorite pickup was this beauty of a Chance yellow portrait with an Old Mill back. It has what appears to be some glue on the back, but I'm hoping that (very careful) soaking might help with that.

I also got a Wiltse portrait (with cap) with a Polar Bear back. I've had that card with a Lenox back for more than 30 years, and I just bought one with a Piedmont Factory 42 back from Ted Z on Friday. Ted told me that I now have to do a back run for that card, since I have two of the toughest backs. I guess I'm officially starting it now! I'll try to post scans tomorrow night.

[travrosty]

most people today looking for the chase cards and throw the rest in the trash. they want the autograph or patch cards or at least the limited chrome, etc cards. the rest go in the wastebasket. its hard to see it changing from that and people collecting the full sets, etc. kids today seem to be caught up in it too. they do a box break on the internet and they skim through all the so called 'junk' to get to the refractor/autograph/patch. to me that is how card collecting got ruined.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by travrosty

most people today looking for the chase cards and throw the rest in the trash. they want the autograph or patch cards or at least the limited chrome, etc cards. the rest go in the wastebasket. its hard to see it changing from that and people collecting the full sets, etc. kids today seem to be caught up in it too. they do a box break on the internet and they skim through all the so called 'junk' to get to the refractor/autograph/patch. to me that is how card collecting got ruined.

I agree on that....its funny that the regular cards of today are what the bubble gum was for the packs in the past....something to throw out.....

in the past the stats mattered more because there was no internet or other easily available sources to learn information on the players....we are in a different world now....but at least they are collecting.....would be funny in 40 years from now all the junk cards become valuable from those refractor packs because they were thrown out while the refractor et all lose all value cause all are saved and graded and don't disappear...

[peterose4hof]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

You make some valid points I didn't consider..........but we do know as a whole its not like its gaining steam with the kids so I guess im a bit biased on that issue....its not like there are baseball card stores anymore in most areas and most local shows are few and far between and not many people go too that ive seen......I not sure what kind of showing I was looking for from the younger ones to undo the bias...I guess when I say 'kids' im also meaning guys in their 20s- mid 30s......I also was there towards the back end of the show later in the day on Saturday as well so that could factor into it....

We have two card shops here in Orlando and anytime I visit either one of them there are a bunch of kids ages 6-16. My boys are 4 & 6 and both thoroughly enjoy collecting/trading/sorting/playing with their cards. My 6 year old is especially into it. He gets a real kick out of watching the games on TV and saying, "Hey that's Mike Trout! I have two of his cards."

I'm not saying there are as a many kids collecting today as in years past, but I believe as long as there are kids playing and watching baseball, there will be card collectors.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by peterose4hof

We have two card shops here in Orlando and anytime I visit either one of them there are a bunch of kids ages 6-16. My boys are 4 & 6 and both thoroughly enjoy collecting/trading/sorting/playing with their cards. My 6 year old is especially into it. He gets a real kick out of watching the games on TV and saying, "Hey that's Mike Trout! I have two of his cards."

I'm not saying there are as a many kids collecting today as in years past, but I believe as long as there are kids playing and watching baseball, there will be card collectors.

yes...kids of an active collector as discussed........also the numbers of those watching baseball continue to dwindle when looking at Neilson ratings..

---going for the save----

[brass_rat]

Hey Johnny,

I picked up four yellow/browns that I'm sure you'll recognize (check out the pictures in the August pickup thread)...other than that, I didn't really see any scraps.

Dan McKee had a blank back T206, but honestly, I can't recall who it was...it was packed in with a bunch of other interesting stuff.

Cheers,
Steve

Originally Posted by mrvster

I have been bothering everyone for the scrap report......2 sighted at the whole show not even a blank back available!

ANYONE SEE ANY??

[brass_rat]

This was easily my favorite National in the last several years -- even though I didn't find as many cards that I needed (wanted).

I really enjoyed meeting a lot of Net54 members, as well as many others that aren't on the board -- I struck up conversations with a number of random individuals, and everybody was in great spirits.

Dealers overall were much more talkative and friendly than normal...I guess everybody was having a good show!

Thank you to everybody who took the time to talk to me, educate me, and make the experience so enjoyable. I wish I could have met more of you (it would have helped had I been able to stay longer at the Friday dinner)...

Cheers,
Steve

[Touch'EmAll]

Did you folks see many nice 1920's Exhibits, particularly HOF'ers? If you did, were prices little higher or lower than expected? Any dealers somewhat specialize in them, or just the random few here and there? Thx

[ullmandds]

I got into an argument with a guy(who was with his wife) at my hotel bar over whether the t206 cobb/cobb is a t206 or not. It got pretty heated...he was wrong!

Only at the national!

[mrvster]

WOW! I did hear you got them.......GREAT SCORE! I will check them out in the pick up thread...........

........you have some very special cards there sir, but I'm sure you know that

[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

[CW]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I got into an argument with a guy(who was with his wife) at my hotel bar over whether the t206 cobb/cobb is a t206 or not. It got pretty heated...he was wrong!

Only at the national!

Classic! I can just imagine the wife rolling her eyes the whole time.

[ElCabron]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Any Negro League Baseball stuff? I know there were plenty of T206's, aren't they at every single show throughout the country?

Phil,

I picked up a few Negro League items at the show. A 1940 Ethiopian Clowns broadside and a 1954 Edmonton team photo with Leon Day on it. Those were the only items I saw, except for some booth way back in the far corner that looked like it might have had some Negro League material, but no one was ever in the booth, so I doubt you'd have been able to buy any of it, even if you attended the show. See you in Atlantic City?

-Ryan