Oaks Show question and pick-ups...

[tlwise12]

I was planning to attend the show, but decided to wait until the National to travel to a show! I understand that SGC was providing on-site grading and encapsulation... At the National, I am thinking about submitting my first cards to be graded and was wondering about the fees for on-site service? Roughly, what are their fees for on-site vs. mail in???

Also, feel free to post reaction to the show and post your pick-ups!

Thanks
Travis

[Jay Wolt]

SGC's on site grading is $35. And yesterday at the Oaks they had $20 coupons
to use towards your on site grading fees.
Perhaps they will have a similar special for Chicago?

[chaddurbin]

so $15 for end of show grading? that's a great deal! can you pick up or will they have to mail you back the cards? (extra shipping fees)

[bbcard1]

If anyone is in the Philly area, traffic has been slower than anyone would have anticipated, and I'd make a trip today. I think a lot of dealers would be willing to be flexible in pricing. As for myself, I have had an outstanding show. I got to meet Leon, made a pretty big wholesale to Lelands...who I recommend...I was generally pleased with the offers I was extended and we simply saw things differently on the things on which we could not come to an accord on and things were handled efficiently and professionally...thanks Louis. I consigned a couple of items to Baggers...and I moved A LOT of bulk, which was my intention. I even picked up a half dozen cards for my collection including a beater Dahlen Brooklyn T206.

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by chaddurbin

so $15 for end of show grading? that's a great deal! can you pick up or will they have to mail you back the cards? (extra shipping fees)

I got the coupon when I entered at 2:00 on Friday and gave them a Buchner Tip O'Neill on the spot,
and had it returned slabbed within 90 minutes. Though I'm sure the grading time changed as the day went on.

[judsonhamlin]

I was at the show on Friday and had a chance to meet a few Net54er's including Leon - thanks for the E90's, btw. I made some decent pickups - E90-1's (including a Seigle) and Batter Up's mostly, and the prices seemed better than Valley Forge. Foot traffic was pretty minimal (3:00-6:30) but even some of the dealers weren't set up at that point. I will definitely keep going to Oaks and would encourage anyone who is used to Valley Forge to support this show as well.

[x2drich2000]

I was at the show yesterday and thought I'd share my views.

I had a good time speaking with several dealers, particularly Leon and Chris Buckler. I thought most dealers were helpful and proactive trying to find stuff for customers, even had a few direct me to other dealers who they thought might have what I was looking for. However, it seems a few dealers continue to not understand that customer service, even if it doesn't result in an immediate sale, gives a lasting impression. Personally, I know I'm not going to bother inquiring about an item if the dealer is talking on his cell phone, has head phones on, or is sleeping, all of which I saw dealers doing throughout the afternoon.

The attendance seemed slow throughout the day and from my conversations, I got the impression it was even slower Friday. Not sure if it was the weather, too soon after the last Philly show, or what, but if people don't attend, they can't expect the dealers to come back. I would also point out that the aisles seemed more widely spaced then at the Philly show and this may have made it appear even less crowded than it actually was. On the positive side, the room layout provided plenty of space for everyone to move around, including the families with strollers (of which their seemed to be quite a few).

On the vintage side, I definitely think there was a good assortment. Prices ranged from just above Ebay to much, much higher. As previously stated, I agree that prices overall were a bit lower than the Philly Show and dealers seemed more than willing to drop their prices immediately. Many times I heard dealers say they could do better on the price before even showing someone a card or that the price listed was just a place to start talks.

Personally, I was concentrating on trying to make progress on my E93 set. While there was a larger selection to choose from then I've previously encountered at shows, either prices were way too high or they were players I already had. As a result, I came away from the show with nothing for myself. However, I definitely think the show has a lot of potential and could really grow. I'm planning to go to the next show and would recommend everyone who did not attend to go to the next show as well.

One last comment, one of the main complaints I have been hearing about the Philly Show is that it is becoming an "autograph" show. I don't have a problem having autograph guests, and actually think it can be a great way to get more people in the door. However, I know I have had trouble getting to dealer tables at the Philly Show due to the autograph lines. While there was definitely a presence of the autograph area, there was also ample room allocated so that it did not effect viewing dealer tables.

dj

[RobertGT]

Unfortunately this show was a disappointment overall, due to very light foot-traffic all 3 days. At times it felt as if there were more dealers there than collectors in the cavernous convention space. There were still deals to be made, but the volume just wasn't there. Many of those who were buying appeared to be cherry-picking for grading/flipping purposes.

My general thought is much more will have to be done in the way of promotion in the future to bring in the crowds and for dealers to justify setting up. Just my two cents...

[Jewish-collector]

I did not attend this show, but will try to get there next time. You need to remember that this show is the promoter's (CSA/Marco) first time trying something outside of Chantilly (and previous Richmond show some years ago). It depends on what direction Marco wants this one to be. Does he want to concentrate on autographs or does he want it to be more cards & memorabilia ? The old Philly show, which concentrated on vintage material, seems to be dying, so perhaps Marco can make this one more for vintage cards & memorabilia as opposed to autographs. Time will tell.

Alan

[Bobsbats]

Having attended almost every Willow Grove/ Ft. Washington/ Valley Forge Show over the last 30 years, I thought that the show seemed to have a smaller crowd than the Valley Forge show....BUT, I can see huge upside for this venue. There was a ton of space there and Dealers looked like they had ample space for all of their inventory. I saw some vintage stuff, and managed to pick up a fantastic Spaulding Auto model Bat of Bresnahan from MHGPro at the show. The aisles were wider for walking, the dealers semmed generally nicer, BUT the one thing that drives me crazy is when Dealers complain about slow sales, than at 4:30 ( closing time 5:00 ) they have either their tables covered already or packed up.... I get it, it was a slow day, but you never know when YOUR customer will be walking in the door.

Overall, I think this show has a huge upside and I hope the slower sales from 1 show, don't stop people from giving it another shot.

Bob Hamlin

[danmckee]

I had a GREAT show!! I haven't set up in the Philly area for about 2 years now and did very well! National type numbers! Thanks to everyone that stopped by and chatted.

Traffic was light (customer traffic) but dealer attendance was huge! I hope the dealers come back!

It was great to make a little money and not have to give it all to the Show Promoter!!!

This show is a keeper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to Hank Thomas for the killer Walter Johnson items he sold me.

Dan Mckee

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by danmckee

I had a GREAT show!! I haven't set up in the Philly area for about 2 years now and did very well! National type numbers! Thanks to everyone that stopped by and chatted.

Traffic was light (customer traffic) but dealer attendance was huge! I hope the dealers come back!

It was great to make a little money and not have to give it all to the Show Promoter!!!

This show is a keeper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to Hank Thomas for the killer Walter Johnson items he sold me.

Dan Mckee

Ahhhhh...so you are the lucky winner of the Johnson sweepstakes! Congrats, I hear it is a major piece...the dealer who was telling me about it nearly wept because he didn't get a shot at it.

I set up by Ted Z and. darn, I had fun. Ted also aided and abetted my quest for a low grade T206 set...

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by Bobsbats

BUT the one thing that drives me crazy is when Dealers complain about slow sales, than at 4:30 ( closing time 5:00 ) they have either their tables covered already or packed up....

Bob Hamlin

First, I have to admit I didn't have the problems most dealers have. I am liquidating a collection for a friend SOOO I just need to worry about getting a decent/fair price and I don't have to worry about making a profit or replacement value. But while a lot of guys were whining Saturday evening, I popped an $800 sale...it was pretty much wholesale, but that's still a nice sale given the state of the economy. Honestly though the guys who were around me, even those who did not have a big show, were great, friendly and I feel fortunate to have made their acquaintance. This was my first show I have set up at in 15 years and I had such a blast I am thinking about coming back in November if I still have any inventory.

[JLange]

I attended Sunday and it was very different from a Philly show indeed. The foot traffic seemed lighter than I am used to seeing, but instead of dealers grousing or complaining to me a customer (as I have had happen countless times before at other shows) dealers instead went out of their way to chat and learn more about my interests. I talked more about baseball and cards than I have for a long time. I even had some folks ask me what I knew about some of the cards and pins that they were offering, so they could better serve ANOTHER customer (which I felt was a positive). I regret not meeting folks like I had hoped (maybe next time, Leon!) but I will come back and I will tell my friends to go. Now, I sure hope the dealers come back because that would be my major worry if it was indeed lightly attended and if they did poorly.

[tlwise12]

Did anyone notice any Zeenuts, Negro League stuff, or Cuban stuff???

[JamesGallo]

This show was pretty slow. There really seemed to be even less customers then at Hunts shows. Sunday was just plan bad. The show was supposed to close at 4pm and pretty much every dealer was gone by then.
I was open on time and stayed till the end on Friday and Saturday, but it seemed the sales just weren't there for me.

Many dealers I spoke to had good shows because they had regular customers come in, that is great but it does not show a growth of the hobby or a draw that other shows didn't have.

I did talk to a far number of Net 54 folks and I was set up behind Ted :-)

Chatted with Leon, Val and a few other folks from the board I had not met before.

There were some fresh dealers which is good for all, but I didn't have a ton of luck buying much for myself. I was happy to make a very late purchase (pretty much after just about everyone was gone) of a Schalk card that was a large upgrade. Beyond that I bought some comics, a Gandil blanket and some signed checks. I had a few things graded and sent off some other cards as well.

From a dealers standpoint when your sitting around for hours at a time, there isn't much to do, so I think when a show is this dead I would expect dealers to be on the phone or doing other things. That being said if I was on my phone and saw someone at my table I would ask them if they needed anything so I was certainly open to chatting and several times I put down my phone an chatted :-D

I think there is a balance of bored and unhappy and disinterested. I am never disinterested in talking to a customer, but when I am sitting for hours at a time I have to do something.

All in all I think the show was ok. The weather wasn't good, the weekend wasn't great, and the location can be a pain to find if you don't know how to get there. I talked to one person from Boston who walked everywhere and he felt it wasn't user friendly in that respects (which I agree).

I think this show will keep the dealers for 1-3 more shows, but if the attendance doesn't improve a lot it will get small fast.

James G

[kcohen]

I just returned from the show and came away with the feeling that it has promise even though the foot traffic was indeed slow. I nonetheless did pretty well with sales. I chatted with Marco at the end and he said he's planning the next show for the second weekend in November. That should be good timing inasmuch as it's long enough after the September Hunt show but beats the December show to the punch. I also think he intends to maintain the same more modest autograph guest model with the emphasis left on cards and memorabilia. The merchandise was overwhelmingly skewed toward vintage with very little new stuff in the room.

The downside was that I was set up across from Ted Z. and had to look at him the whole show. Actually, your most enjoyable company was great to nullify the soporific effects of the slow traffic and bad weather. Always fun talking cards and politics. Was great seeing and meeting other fellow Net54ers. Nice to meet for the first time Todd BBCard1, Bill Latsko, Dan Paradis, and Judd Hamlin. As always great to chat with Dan M., Leon, Big Fish, Tony, Mike Peich, Tim Newcombe, HankPhenom, Val K. and anyone else I may be forgetting.

Lastly,I got to meet and take a photo with one of my boyhood favorites, Jim Kaat.

[JamesGallo]

You know what I find to me very funny. Baseball is played in the SUMMER and yet they are few if any summer shows. I guess everyone does other things....?

I do think the modest autograph guests with maybe 1 or 2 bigger names is the way to go. I felt the free autos at this show were far better then the free ones at other shows :-D

James G

[Leon]

I will give my more detailed update later but want to give a quick thanks to John McDaniel, Dan McKee, Teddy Z and Brian Dec. All of these guys made it even more of a special show (for me) overall. I thought the show was a lot of fun with a lot of dealers and quite a bit of pre-war. The foot traffic will no doubt pick up in the future and the large area was one of the things that might have made it look a bit lighter than it was. There were a ton of folks I got to speak with and there is no way I can recall all of them but I do appreciate everyone who came up and chatted for a while. I very well might give some more thoughts later but here are a few of the pickups.... (Walsh got a sunburn from the future of this show being so bright ).

[MGHPro]

I deal in memorabilia, but the show was good for me too. While I agree with everyone else about foot traffic being slow, the weather Saturday was pretty bad and that could of kept people away. Hopefully, dealers give the show a second (or third) chance before writing it off.
Matt

[tedzan]

DITTO......to what Dan McKee said in his post.

Customer traffic was not as expected. But then, Saturday's weather was horrendous....heavy rains and strong winds all day, which resulted
in considerable flooding in many of the surrounding areas. I'm exactly one hour away from Oaks and it took me almost 2 hours to drive home
thru this storm Saturday evening.

I was very happy with this show, I sold considerably more cards at this show than I did at the past Valley Forge shows.....nothwithstanding,
the lighter attendance at Oaks.
Furthermore, I acquired quite a few cards for my collection. And this was because....as Dan McKee said..... " dealer attendance was huge ".
In the recent Valley Forge shows, vintage dealer's presence has been "Slim Pickens".

It was great to see Meadowlark Lemon, a legendary performer from back in my High School days.

Great seeing Al Atkinson, a Jets middle linebacker (10-year career) during the Namath era. From 1960's to early 1970's, I was an avid Jets fan.
Also, rooted for the Redskins (loved Sonny Jurgensen)....but, when the Jets traded John Riggins to Washington, I became a solid Redskins fan.


Todd (bbcard1) and I were at adjacent booths. During idle times, we had a ball Talkin Baseball and trading him T206's for some of his eclectic
assortment of cards.....They included an Allen & Ginter John Ward, 1933 Goudey stars, and a Fred Clarke / Bobby Byrne upgrade for my T201
set.
And, I really made Todd's day, when I gave him a really nice deal on the elusive T206 card of Bill Dahlen (Brooklyn).


Across from me was good ole buddy, Ken Cohen. Ken always has a vast selection of vintage cards, so I was able to pick up certain cards that
I've been searching for, for quite a while.

.... and, one of our most important deals was when Ken traded me a banana for a nicer looking T206 from my "junk-box" ....

The snack food concession at Oaks could be improved. I was hungry, and Ken had a bunch of bananas. So, Ken jokingly said...."I'll trade you
a banana for a T206"....and, I said "you've got a deal" !

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that there were some interesting "walk-ins" of sorts. Something that's recently been lacking at shows.


Kudos to Marco ...... he runs a great show. I look forward to his November show in Oaks.


TED Z

[DanP]

I didn't buy a single card, but still thought the show was great. I made it a point at this show to ask each person at the booth if they were a member of N54. I met Leon, Phil G, Dan McKee, Ted Z, Ken C, James Gallo and BBCard1 (forgot his name). All great guys (except I was a little disappointed that Ted Z forgot about the "free booth discount").

I went Friday and Saturday and agree with everyone else, the attendance was not that good.

My friends son was very happy. He's a Eagle's fan (we're from CT) and also a Michael Vick fan.

What I was amazed at was that a Michael Vick autograph was $100 and even worse he didn't even look at Griffin or even say a word. Wow! Why not say "What do you think of the Eagles chances next year?" or something. I've never paid for an autograph like that, so I was shocked.

Oh well, great to meet you guys!

Dan P

[wonkaticket]

All in all a good show I thought, I agree I think traffic may have looked lighter due to the size of the venue.

I had a great time at the show always good to see other folks and meet new ones.

Had a lot of fun hanging with Dan McKee, Jim Rivera, Mike, Leon and the guys from SGC are just great. (Long live Kevin Campbell….Scott and Joe if you’re reading this..LOL.)

Also great seeing other guys like Roger, Toby, Bill Goodwin, Bill Huggins, Blair, Mike P and others.

Many highlights, also special shout out to Hank Thomas I really enjoyed talking with you.

Got quite a few things graded at the show and picked up a few neat items as well. Thanks to Leon on the T212 panel, thanks to Dan on the missing red ink Wagner and BL350.




Also saw some amazing cards, Joe D’s Matty collection was insane and saw some very cool 19th stuff from a recent find that blew me away.

One really thing that made the trip worthwhile was the T215 of Murphy that popped up thanks to Dan and Brain for the heads up and thank you to Roger for selling the card to me.



This makes 21 different Murphy’s for me its official I have a Murphy problem or one serious man crush on a dude I never met.

Cheers,

John

[greenmonster66]

John,

Love the Panel and Broadleaf Young! Sweet cards!!!

[Jaybird]

Wow John,

That's quite a haul. Congrats on the great pickups. I'm green!

[Hankphenom]

I had a great time, and a good show. Attendance was VERY light, and the possible reasons have been mentioned. If Marco can fix that, this show will be on everyone's calendar from now on. If not, perhaps the time for a vintage card and memorabilia-focused show is over, and from now on they will always be combined with a major autograph lineup to make it work for the promoter, with most of the booths full of shiny stuff and supplies. I hope not. But except for a crowd, this show definitely demonstrated the potential to be a semi-annual meeting of the tribes of top vintage dealers, serious vintage buyers, and lots of interesting action between them. That anyone could have had a successful show given the sparse traffic is amazing, and yet from what I've heard so far, many did. The only explanation is that the people who were there were there to spend money, including the dealers.

Frank Prisco from Piedmont Cards and I bonded over our mutual love of old photos. John McDaniel told me some amazing stories, then disappeared into the twilight leaving my head spinning. We have much more to discuss, John. I did come across him later that day when I stumbled upon an excited crowd encircling Dan McKee's table. I walked over to see John covering the table with his collection of rare T-206 backs, the assemblage oohing and aahing with each new gem displayed. I got to meet Leon and thank him for all the entertainment his forum brings me. I haven't seen Mr. Mint in a while, and I forgot just what a creepy experience that's always been. So many old friends in the room, too many to mention but such a pleasure to spend a weekend with talking about the stuff we love. Speaking of Dan McKee, from now on I will always try to have something Walter for you just to see that fabulous smile spread across your face. Oh heck, maybe I'll just leave you the estate. Then the smile would never leave, would it? And Joe D, I had some things for you, too, but never saw your face. Were you really there?
All in all, fun weekend. And made some money, too. What's not to like? And a big thanks to Marco for trying this. Hope to see everybody again in New Jersey in June, there's bound to be more warm bodies at that one.
Hank Thomas

[bijoem]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

And Joe D, I had some things for you, too, but never saw your face. Were you really there?
Hank Thomas

Hank -

I wasn't able to make it. I was in Myrtle Beach.
I think John is referring to a different Joe D.

If I didn't have the schedule conflict - I would have loved to go. Sounds like it was a good show. Even if Wonka was there.

[wonkaticket]

Hank,

Likewise we still need to finish our chat, however I say the line waiting to hear stories and buy your wonderful book (that I can't put down!) and figured I better let you get back to work.

really enjoyed meeting you drop me an email sometime we can share info etc. I have your card I'll drop you a line today.

Hope the show was good for you.

Cheers,

John

[bcbgcbrcb]

As an interested buyer, I was somewhat disappointed with the show's offerings, although I collect mainly eclectic stuff and definitely not easy to find. My advice would also be to a few select dealers that were set up and have been mentioned during this thread to maybe focus more on customer service as opposed to ongoing dialogues with "friends" which refused to be interrupted by a customer (like myself) standing at their table.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

As an interested buyer, I was somewhat disappointed with the show's offerings, although I collect mainly eclectic stuff and definitely not easy to find. My advice would also be to a few select dealers that were set up and have been mentioned during this thread to maybe focus more on customer service as opposed to ongoing dialogues with "friends" which refused to be interrupted by a customer (like myself) standing at their table.

Not just attention, but pricing, selection, display, and every other thing dealers can do to make customers spend money and want to come back. Otherwise, we can just all get together at someone's house periodically and talk each others' ears off and forget all this trouble and expense of setting up at shows. But that's not the idea, is it? Thanks, Phil, for reminding us. You wouldn't think it necessary, but sadly for many dealers actually pleasing the customers seems to be a hard concept to grasp.

[wonkaticket]

Damn customers always ruin business.

[ValKehl]

I attended the Show on Sunday, only because family obligations prevented me from attending on Friday and Saturday, my preferred days. If the Phila. area weather on Saturday was anything like the miserable Wash., DC area weather was on Saturday, I can understand why show attendance would have been low on this day. In fact, due to the weather, I'm glad I wasn't able to drive up and back to the Show on this day.

On Sunday, it did appear to me that the dealers may have outnumbered the show attendees. What really peeved me is that many dealers started packing up shortly after noon (for a show that opened at 10 a.m.)!

Still, I truly enjoyed the Show. I talked with Ken C., James G., Leon L., Dan M., Jim R., Hank T., Ted Z., and I'm sure other Net 54ers whom I don't recognize. Also had a great chat with Dave Schrader/Bagger's. And, it was a thrill to see certain to-die-for cards live and in person that I have only seen online, such as the recently-discovered D381 Johnson in Heritage's Auction and Leon's E222s and T216 VEs.

Hank, please keep in mind that Dan isn't the only WaJo collector around, so please consider leaving half of the estate to yours truly!!

For sure, I'll be back for the November Oaks Show (but, not on Sunday!). I hope that all the vintage dealers and SGC also return.
Val

[mrvster]

John,


WOW

[Jewish-collector]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

I attended the Show on Sunday, only because family obligations prevented me from attending on Friday and Saturday, my preferred days. If the Phila. area weather on Saturday was anything like the miserable Wash., DC area weather was on Saturday, I can understand why show attendance would have been low on this day. In fact, due to the weather, I'm glad I wasn't able to drive up and back to the Show on this day.

On Sunday, it did appear to me that the dealers may have outnumbered the show attendees. What really peeved me is that many dealers started packing up shortly after noon (for a show that opened at 10 a.m.)!

Still, I truly enjoyed the Show. I talked with Ken C., James G., Leon L., Dan M., Jim R., Hank T., Ted Z., and I'm sure other Net 54ers whom I don't recognize. Also had a great chat with Dave Schrader/Bagger's. And, it was a thrill to see certain to-die-for cards live and in person that I have only seen online, such as the recently-discovered D381 Johnson in Heritage's Auction and Leon's E222s and T216 VEs.

Hank, please keep in mind that Dan isn't the only WaJo collector around, so please consider leaving half of the estate to yours truly!!

For sure, I'll be back for the November Oaks Show (but, not on Sunday!). I hope that all the vintage dealers and SGC also return.
Val

Val,
I'm impressed that you drove up for the day.
Alan