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Reporting in from my first day.

All I can say is wow. Got to the show a little bit later, around 11 AM, but had no trouble navigating. Prices are all over the place, booth to booth. I saw a 1953 Topps Mantle, that was slabbed an "a" that one dealer wanted $3000 for. On the flipside I saw another in an older GAI Slab for $1600. You definitely need to know what your looking for along with fair market value.

I was able to pick up some more low number 1952 Topps Commons, which I was happy about. Was also able to purchase a nice 1969 Topps Mantle, Yellow Letter, from Howard.

Used today as more of a scoping things out sort of day, with a couple of purchases. Definitely looking forward to tomorrow, when I get there bright and early!

Here are some photo’s from today

Sorry if any are sideways

Thanks for posting the pics, Jeff.
.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianp-beme (Post 2247028)

We resent being referred to as a former member. We would be careful if we were you. The last time we were impugned in such a malicious fashion, we threatened Archive with legal action, and that has kept said bottom dweller quiet. Not a peep from that burger flipping miscreant since.

Brian (I before We, except after C)

Holy crap!

Thank you for that belly laugh you just gave me Brian!

I really needed that!

Steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leon (Post 2247036)

Thanks for posting the pics, Jeff.
.

Your welcome Leon.

Others have done it in the past it was my turn and my pleasure to do it this time.

I left The National Show today so no more photo’s

Thanks all and hopefully others can add to this thread more experiences and photos

I love the dude in the Pokémon shirt and backwards cap. The face of the new hobby!! Probably an internet billionaire.

Yea, its the show of shows..no doubt...but the landscape is changing

Cash is indeed king at this show. I was able to reduce the asking price by $2,500 with the lure of cash. Finally bagged my white whale: T206 Cobb Bat Off PSA 4.5

Everyone and their sister tried to open a grading company. I cant even pass by with straight face thinking of some silly phrase for their amazing acronym they stayed up all night thinking of.

Pwcc both was DEAD, but I got a good chuckle. There was an older dude, about 5'2 350 lbs wearing a "security" shirt standing guard over whatever or whoever he was supposed to. He looked like a beach ball with hands. Any riots and he'd crowd surf!

How’s the SGC Pre Grade Submission ︃︃L︃ine ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianp-beme (Post 2247028)

Needs a photo

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...e/dorskind.jpg

And since they are dead they can't threaten to sue me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass (Post 2247070)

LOL. you know if he tripped and fell on someone they are not getting away. Heck Rickson couldn't get out from under that dude.:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobbycee (Post 2247068)

Cash is indeed king at this show. I was able to reduce the asking price by $2,500 with the lure of cash. Finally bagged my white whale: T206 Cobb Bat Off PSA 4.5

Congrats would love if you would post the picture here so we can enjoy it with you

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnorth (Post 2247082)

LOL. you know if he tripped and fell on someone they are not getting away. Heck Rickson couldn't get out from under that dude.:D

If he was in WWE his finishing move could be " the steam roller"

Seriously, the "more security guards then patrons" act was sad to see. Though I'm sure a few people would like to take Brent for walk outside.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrreality68 (Post 2246879)

Some observations
1. The forum prep thread and what to do in Atlantic City thread was spot on
2. The convention center as a place is nice and location to the Casino’s for shows, entertainment, walk ability to convention was nice.
3. The convention center infrastructure not so good. From not enough parking, no easy alternatives, to no Wi-Fi or cellular service (saw many dealers and buyers doing deals outside the convention hall to get reception to transact.
4. Dealers were saying the convention center was trying to charge $350 for them to have Wi-Fi access for the 5 days
5. Cash is king need to bring more next time( not comfortable carrying a lot), checks were accepted by some with Id, and by others with References (luckily I had some that vouched for me). PayPal was the 2nd preferred method but not by all dealers and also depending on the reception issues mentioned above
6. eBay is making a big move trying to get into/expand in the hobby. Their “bags” were the Alonso bag for the VIP giveaways
7. The VIP lounge was functional but not necessarily useful. It was good to get fast access entry and avoid lines and good to sit and network with people when spending 8 plus hours in the place. The down side is the “lounge” had no real amenities for food and drink just a place to rest and separate bathroom from the non VIP. The downside it was at one end of convention in hall A so if you were at the far end of convention you had a long walk to get to the lounge
8. Great place to network, meet people from the forum( met many members including Pete C, Pete I, Darrell, Matt, Tony L and others. Great place to put names with faces from auction houses etc
9. Interesting watching kids and teens sitting on floors and in corners doing trades and show off what they got, traded for etc. next generation of collectors.
10. Interesting seeing the large number of people with suitcases of cards and cash(saw one guy casually take out over $200k to buy a mantle) and his suitcase looked stuffed with cash and cards.
11. The place was super packed with people
12. Football, hockey, basketball ball, and Pokémon cards all had huge presence this year.
13. Their was cards, stamps, memorabilia and so much more at every price point which means something for everyone.
14. The layout was ok and could have been better organized. It would have been nice for the masses if the place had as best possible organized by category ie all baseball in the same area or aisles, over by vintage a modern etc.
15. It would be nice if next to each vendor tables on the map or list it tells what their primary focus is. Just something to make it easier to find things.
-6. It took me approx 15 hours to hit everything and kind of get my bearings.
17. Making notes of items I saw, prices, location numbers and pictures were key so when I wanted to double back on things I knew where to go.
18. Need for control not to just buy the first thing you see because often I found the same item/card some other table at better prices or saw a more must have item/card at another table especially if working with a budget(and yes there were times I went back and the item was sold) but sticking to the plan left me with the funds to get what I really wanted that I would not have if in the first 2 rows I bought on impulse the items that caught my eye.
19. Key to have a good breakfast and then bring drinks or snacks do to long lines, limited food/drink options to both save time and money.
20. Time seems to go to fast. When I was 6 hours in on Thursday for example I thought it was only a couple of hours
21. When they want you out they push. The VIP lounge closed at 4 and they made announcements before hand and pushed you out. The convention closed at 6pm thru started announcements at 5pm and continued until you left by 6
22 getting out of the parking garage at 6pm plus looked like a night mare and no real help from police or convention center
23. Ubers and taxis where there but not enough for those that came out at same time(luckily the casinos were straight up the road and easy walk for many of us)

I am sure I missed something and hopefully the others can fill in the blanks

Jeff's assessment I think is pretty on target.

I saw a large group of mostly kids/teens trading between themselves between the Claridge and Bally's at like 10:30pm. The one thing I saw that really rubbed me was a 12-13 year old bought something for a few hundred dollars and he was just throwing the money toward the dealer one at a time in a big theatrical manner. I really hope this was just an isolated incident.
In the parents defense, he did make the kid gather the money up and hand it to the dealer afterwards. On the other end, I definitely saw a bunch of kids politely asking dealers if the bought stuff and the all dealers treated the kids very well even if they weren't interested.

The internet going out and the food service were definitely issues. Never had to wait for the restroom. The lack of trashcans though was definitely an issue. You can understand calling AC a dump when the food waste is literally piling up on the floor next to the overflowing trash can.

Walking to and from the boardwalk to the convention center wasn't an issue. Yesterday while walking to the show just before it opened I overheard a traffic cop telling people the garage was full. The traffic seemed like a nightmare. Definitely easier to park away and walk to the show rather than trying to park right at the convention center. I even managed to walk from the convention center to the boardwalk after 10pm without getting robbed, stabbed, run over, or sent to the hospital.

As for pickups, after 3 days, only got 1 item. And, big surprise, the dealer that told me to come back didn't have the cards in his case today.

My first National, after attending a bunch of regional shows.

Walked right up to PSA today to submit my Andy Cooper/Biz Mackey auto. Long line for slabbing, but nice to see they had separate lines for different services.

Got to meet Ben W (Forever Young) and Graig K today after a texting Ben for a few years about photos. Was able to grab something on the way out to make it A+ day.

Spent most of my afternoon looking for photos and Cuban/Negro league cards and didn’t have much luck. I am sure I missed a few areas given the size of the show.

Made sure to set my eyes on that Mantle. It is certainly a sight to see.

Attachment 527283

Looks like a fun show! Wondering if it’s worth taking my son to meet some of the Sandlot actors who he loves. Are there any other kid related or kid friendly things there?

My co-worker got Ham’s auto with his son. He got the ball inscribed with ‘You’re killing me Smalls”.

He said he could not be nicer, although he came later than scheduled. They had the same problem with Chipper Jones and unfortunately missed him.

I would say the big booths for Topps, Fananatics and Zero Cool seemed like places that kids would love. I know Zero Cool was releasing a Stranger Things set, that had a cool display.

Whatnot has a boardwalk theme with a few games (like one of those horses races where you roll balls to make the horses move.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schlesinj (Post 2247190)

My co-worker got Ham’s auto with his son. He got the ball inscribed with ‘You’re killing me Smalls”.

He said he could not be nicer, although he came later than scheduled. They had the some problem with Chipper Jones and unfortunately missed him.

I would say the big booths for Topps, Fananatics and Zero Cool seemed like places that kids would love. I know Zeeo Cool was releasing a Stranger Things set, that had a cool display.

Whatnot has a boardwalk theme with a few games (like one of those horses races where you roll balls to make the horses move.

Agreed for the kids it is the autographs, the few games, the open of packs to find what is in them, there are the cards. There are no activities beyond the convention unless you take them to the boardwalk with the carnival and they have several arcades there also.

Great reporting and photos, guys. I was encouraged by the many comments about young collectors with cash in their pockets at the show with their dads. Probably not vintage freaks like us but fresh collecting blood for the health of the hobby.
I was intrigued by the amount of trading being done when it had been consigned to the dumpster for years. I suppose trading might be easier, if you have the right stuff, than walking the aisles looking for a Jordon RC with 100K in your backpack. Make me nervous, for sure. Not sure how valuations are affected by these off-the-books transactions.
Having been a retail dealer for many years, I was appalled by the attitude displayed by so many of them from indifference to near hostility to sincere customers, who just might buy a card and help with the mortgage. Just because you have some nice cards doesn't make you a standup guy.

Actually it was interesting how it was done. Several ways

1. They actually had a trading area in middle of the show where you could wait and see people and trade with
2. There were people walking around and then finding a dealer that had a certain card/card like Ruth and then the person offered to trade with the dealer
3. The person stood at the same table and as another person is looking at the dealers cards the person with the card to trade/sell starts talking with the other person and says I got this would you like to see it
4. Other times anyone carry as card carrier case they kept going up to each other asking what they had and would you like to trade.
5. And in the VIP area I also saw people spread cards out and wait for others to start a dialogue and then sometimes engage in trades.
6. I also did see a few people buy cards from one dealer and go to others trying for a quick flip/profit
7. Even at the hotels I saw trade and sale action going on

My son turned a handful of Pokémon cards into a few k at the SGC 10$ a card quick grade station. I was shaking my head both before and after...Ike really (going to spend 100$ on this...to wow that was profitable...)

I'm lost on these and the new basketball/football premium cards. They could be 1.00 or 1m and I would not know...

We'll maybe this one - son said was a legend...(see pic) for 10m...or a Seinfeld auto!
...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0a54ffe67a.jpg https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0a68fce123.jpg https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...60a343ca7f.jpg

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrreality68 (Post 2247299)

7. Even at the hotels I saw trade and sale action going on

There was a large gathering in the walkway between the Claridge and Bally's last night after the show. Some even took over the seating and bar seats facing the walkway in the little snack shop that is there. Guessing there was probably 100+ people. Most had cards laid out on the floor in front waiting for someone to approach. Others were in groups of 4 or 5 making deals. I glanced around pretty quick but all I saw was modern.

Everyone will have their own opinions about their experience, but it seems like the National has transitioned to a lot of buying, selling, and especially trading the shiny stuff. :D

The shiny stuff seems to be the trend but vintage was well represented

It was my first and I had a great experience (and will be better prepared for Chicago next year)

It was great meeting and networking
Great seeing all the great and assorted vintage cards and memorabilia
Amazing experience with the set up they had “on the blue carpet”
And enjoyed the evening time with my wife with the Dinners, show, a little gambling, and Board walk.

Overall more positives then opportunities (biggest Wi-Fi and cellular connections issues)

And of course I was able to get a few items for my collection

National summary

My quick summary , 5th national , first at AC

1- Hobby is healthy is an understatement
2- lots of modern, vintage , pre war, baseball and basketball
3- picked up some nice T206s and PSA 8 Aarons for my run down to ‘just” the 54
3- Great to meet Jeff K , AJ , Scott and a few others
4- dealers in general were great .. Cash is king for sure .. one dealer took $25 off a $300 T206 after I offered $300 cash…$275 done ..
5- lots of kids which was great to see for the hobby
6- AC is a bit dicey to say the least , we ubered at night - WiFi horrible at Conv center
7- Stayed at Sheraton .. super convenient and great staff. … parking and traffic a mess.. Frankly I think the police had bigger fish to fry

So now I leave the PHL airport but will have to Uber to EWR to fly home
When I went to board on American with my wife (and our 2 boarding passes) they notified me I was bumped off the plane (after they checked in luggage)… at least our luggage all went and my wife is home safe … Long ugly story with the AA, but could be worse … not sure how ….. still a great show overall . ill deal with AA next week…

Hope everyone gets back !
Darrell - dfletch00

Quote:

Originally Posted by dfletch00 (Post 2247354)

ill deal with AA next week…

They cancelled my return flight last year and it took me three tries to get refunded.

I attended my first National in 30 years yesterday.

Backstory: The last time I attended I had a booth with a couple of college friends selling our 50's, 60's and 70's cards to help pay for college (we had a substantial collection together and a connection for getting a booth) - so we were Atlanta-bound! At the show I made a trade for a "Honus Wagner" card... it was an e92 Dockman and Sons (hitting). It sat in my nightstand for 25 years until I decided to get it graded a couple of years ago and my desire to complete the Dockman set began!

I've added to the set by making some deals with DJ, Gary Nuchereno and even Leon. That was my quest for heading from PA to AC yesterday, filling in some gaps in the set, and seeing the spectacle that is The National!

My Experience:
* Arrived in AC at ~11 am, parked at Caesars, and made a 1-minute walk to the convention center. Speaking with younger kids and their dads along the entire trip - I got more pumped by their excitement, I'm not going to lie!
* A line of about 100 people at the entrance but worked through that in about 8-10 minutes. A good job was done having enough people putting on wristbands.
* By 11:30, I was IN! Methodically went aisle by aisle looking for my e92 Dockmans. Instead, kicked off my day by purchasing 73 Topps Schmidt rookie (geez, prices on these are REALLY reasonable).
* Saw an INCREDIBLE Dockman Matthewson (PSA 7) and just needed to stare at that for several minutes! Didn't even bother to ask with the dealer wanted, knowing the last REA had one go over $10k and I don't think that baby was a 7!
* Spoke to several dealers and overall their reactions were 'underwhelming' As the day drew on I was at a booth where 2-3 dealers were chatting about not setting up the next day? Wouldn't that get you blacklisted from attending again? Seemed odd but their booths were in a poor location, who knows. The show was packed the entire time I was there and their merch was unremarkable.
* As shared by others, not a ton of vintage, though of the vintage, there were a TON of t206's. Even at non-pre-war setups, I'd see a green or red back Cobb on at least 5-6 occasions.
* e92's nearly nonexistent! Dockmans, Crofts or Najda's - if there were 50-60 in total in the entire convention, I'd be floored! There were more 19th-century cards than e92's.... interesting.
* Reflecting tables (modern stuff) were easy to spot - a ton of people at these tables and brisk buying/selling.
* 707 Sortscards had a huge 4 booth setup and an impressive assortment of cards.
* No shortage of Babe Ruth's, Gehrigs, Cobbs or Mantle's. Also, Clemente's were being pulled out of several cases I was browsing by collectors. Spotted signed 52's Topps Willie Mays and Jackie cards! That was cool.
* Several video streamers broadcasting from their booth, pack-ripping stations and in the aisles.
* As described by others, many, many hard cases are being lugged around - I left in the minority by not having mine!
* Loved seeing kids making deals - trades, trade & cash, straight cash - saw it all.
* Visited a booth where they specialized in Mantle (pics included) -- WOW!

Overall, it was a nice experience. I walked the entire venue in 6 hours - 13,500 steps and saw every booth. I won't wait 3 years for my next National but can say, I wouldn't be making special trips to Chicago or the West Coast to attend That's just me..... and I'm a little spoiled having the Philly Show in my backyard as well.

Great recap Carl and thanks for sharing some photos

Interesting that some dealers were thinking about not setting up for another day regardless of location.
We might think a location is bad but even the back wall facing the wall those dealers were all packed with people.
I guess if they sold all their good stuff or if they only have “ unremarkable stuff” then they were not making money

That ridiculous collection of Mantles absolutely needs to be seen properly oriented...

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