Does The National Still Happen This Year?
 

I remember back in May the National getting rescheduled to mid December. I understand that we are roughly 5 months away at this point, but with Cases rising in many states, I have a feeling that it might be unlikely. It would be very difficult to maintain social distancing for all those people. Unless of course a Vaccine appears sometime between now and then, and even if that happens, I'd imagine at a minimum we'd be mandated to wear a mask if we go. What does everyone think?

If I were betting on it.....
 

I don't think its happening.

My opinion hasn't changed since they announced the re-schedule. Not a snowball's chance in hell it's happening. Remember that they rescheduled to the middle of flu season. If we can't get our act together enough to cut the numbers while we have environmental advantages we are screwed when we are all forced indoors.

Signed,

Your friendly neighborhood predictor of doom.

It's one thing to permit a gathering of 25 or 50 or 100 people in a public place . . . quite another to allow 4 or 5 thousand people to mill about the same enclosed convention space.

And how many retired players would want to hop a flight and risk a potential exposure?

Not happening.

Nope. I've asked the same question of a group of collectors and dealers recently and no one said they would attend. For that matter, no one is even willing to commit to the 2021 show unless there is a vaccine or effective treatment. Face it, most of us are fat, middle-aged men with pre-existing conditions, so we are at high risk. Only an @$$hole dies for baseball cards.

Seems like the health risks posed by outside events are far lower. I'd certainly consider some kind of a show that was held in a giant open field kind of set up. And required masks.

Re: Does The National Still Happen This Year?
 

Dealers have until August 1st to commit to the 2020 show or defer until 2021. I was still hoping to attend, but I'm beginning to get a little skeptical.

Hey, I resemble that remark!


Dealers I'd say are probably past the middle age point on average.

And many are also past the point of just "fat" :D
I tease all our Net54 dealers.... now lower those prices!

I doubt it happens.. In the world that it does happen, I think attendance would be very bad.

Just received word yesterday from a Hall of Famer scheduled to do an event in August that he is not flying due to Covid and feels uncomfortable doing autographs at close range so he is staying home the remainder of the year.

Can't blame him, many of these gentlemen are over 70 now.

That's a deeply hurtful remark. Because it's true...

If it's in 95 degree heat with an approaching tropical storm, I know who the title sponsor would be...

Its going to be virtual like the Deans card museum listings

yes, should go on... mask for entry, tables set apart, social distancing not an issue in the cavernous hall... also if they can have all these protests and such without masks, national should be able to go on...now whether any one shows????

Dealers should sanitize their card holders after every single time they are touched. Is that really gonna happen? Sad to say, no way on National.

I think people are forgetting it’s currently scheduled to run Saturday to Wed...two weeks before Xmas.

Who would attend a show with this format on a Tuesday or Wednesday?

No chance it happens.

I really can't see any mass gatherings inside for at least one full year from now. It sucks but until there is a vaccine nobody is going to chance promoting or doing a show..

The last Dallas regional show in June was highly attended and buying and selling was very brisk, masks and all. There were people with dollars burning a hole in their pocket. I think the attendance at the National if held would surprise you. Not saying it will happen, just that if it does, business will go on as usual, perhaps even better. Most people have more money now than they did before the crisis and have not spent it, pent up frenzy, just like the card prices seen recently.

"Only an @$$hole dies for baseball cards"
 

Adam...
I am chagrined to report that my @nu$ has passed away!
:eek:

+1000

National
 

+1000 & I raise you!!!!

LOL - I got it!
 

Only if there was an open roof!

Well I stand corrected.. Here in CT and I would imagine the East Coast any shows have been cancelled or postponed.. It sucks..

Bruce,

They just cancelled Papermania at the XL Center which was scheduled for August 22. I am hoping the one scheduled for January 9-10 still goes on as it has been a few years since I have attended one. For those that do not know, Papermania in Hartford is one of the best paper collectibles shows in the country with Allentown, PA running a close second. Mostly paper dealers from the northeast carrying a spectrum of items. When I was going mostly looking for Civil War related signatures and ephemera I would always run across the signature of Baseball HOFer and former CT governor Morgan Bulkeley. I would see them for $20-$30 a pop. Having a large number of instate dealers it was always inevitable.

We already got our refund for our 2020 booth. I wonder what kind of financial shape the National is in. Without revenue this year will they actually be able to continue in the future or could this be the end?

Not sure highlighting the willingness of people to attend large events that took place in Texas (and many other states) in June is a harbinger of things to come. Last month was a magical era where pent-up folks felt like the worst was behind them and were comfortable going out. Most can see what that has led to. Have to imagine the optimism (and extra money) will be diminished moving forward.

There were multiple
Shows in Pennsylvania last weekend. They were not cancelled.

Where? The ones I’ve heard of in Pittsburgh and Greencastle have been cancelled.

And, if you have seen photos of that show, a preponderance of the people attending did not wear masks either while walking around or behind the tables.

And yes it was pent-up energy.

As a note, we have postponed our synagogue show until November and I'm 50/50 right now that will occur as scheduled.

Rich

Everyone who thinks that the show will take place is forgetting the most important thing : AC in December. Blech!

Perhaps the virus will cause a re-thinking of the National and the manner in which it has evolved. If it can't continue financially, maybe a new group with new methods can build upon the strong base built by the original National officers and a National, more devoted to the collector than the corporate sponsor, could prove to be a positive outcome.

I was thinking the same. Would LOVE to see a new group emerge from this, who can make the Show more collector-friendly (as it was in its early days).

And more equitable geographically... with a Show west of the Mississippi to occur once every 3 years or so.

I nominate Joe Drelich

Lancaster at the farm
Show and there was one in Harrisburg area. There is one in delegate somewhere tomorrow I believe it’s at a fire company.

Good luck getting the DEALERS to attend far west shows. Many of the dealers are located in either the east coast or the mid-west and they would rather go east than west as there is a higher population of collectors there than in the west.

I expect the National to be cancelled for 2020 and to resume in 2021 in Chicago, 2022 in Cleveland, etc,...

+1

There is a 50 table show scheduled just south of Baltimore for this Saturday. It will be the first show here since February.

With people dying across the country, with schooling being made virtual, with teams playing to empty stadiums, if at all, how can anyone be thinking about a baseball card show? If there is a vaccine by then,then that changes my thinking, but otherwise I hope the National is cancelled, if for nothing else than to save the idiots who might attend from themselves.

Where ?
 

Which city and can we get there whilst avoiding Baltimore and D.C. ?

..

Arthur Slade?

Hope you’re talking about something different because that show is extremely lacking normally.

If there is a show (which I doubt whether it will be approved by local and state), as an exhibitor, I would attend ONLY if everyone would be required to wear masks. If that would be mandatory, then I would set up in December in AC.

While many will NOT attend, I suspect that the attendees will see more of the items that would normally have sold on day 1 or during the setup day. More of the sales would be spread out during the week. Historically, I make most of my sales on setup day, day 1, 2 and 3. By day 4 and 5, I could literally be ready to break down, but sometimes I do okay on those days, waiting for the end of the show to drive my SUV in on Sunday.

Either way, whether there is a show or not, whether you will attend or not, STAY SAFE and wear a mask.

Steve

This.

Baltimore was a great show. I loved that I could walk, indoors, from the hotel to the show, had lots of close restaurants and bars, and could watch semi-pro baseball (it is the Orioles after all) from the deck in the hotel. Seriously, Camden Yards was a really pleasant park to sit in and watch a game, though i wasn't wild about Old Bay on my hot dog, and it was literallu across the street from everything. It was also a super-easy and very pleasant train ride down from NYC with a short cab ride from the station to the convention/hotel complex. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to that venue for a National, assuming of course that the plague is over.

Then what happened? Historically, Anaheim has hosted many of the largest-attended shows ever on record. I bet San Diego, Las Vegas or a hub like Denver would do even better.

The existing ownership group has not given it their best effort. Survey the people here, and you'll probably have less than 15% say that Atlantic City is an accessible (or even acceptable) venue.

Once every 3 or 4 years West of the Mississippi is not asking a lot.

The Baltimore convention center executives want to be able to tell the National committee in May or June that they want the show in their facility that summer. But the National committee needs a few years in advance for planning purposes. So, the National will never go back to Baltimore.

It's entirely possible that, after the elections in November, the virus will magically just "disappear"...
Although it will be too late for a National, perhaps some larger regional shows will be well attended shortly thereafter? Let's keep hoping. I'm so eager to attend a big event. I miss it.

That's great news. I bet all the folks dying in Brazil will be surprised as hell to find out it was all just a political scam in another country.

uhh.. anyone who has already died cannot be surprised about anything...

Yes, the dying can be surprised, the dead probably cannot be surprised. Believe that's how it works.

And anyone actually "dying" is not concerned with any political garbage whatsoever...

Re-Incarnation....like the canned milk company ...
 

..uhhhh , obviously it's been a while since you've last read " The Search For Bridey Murphy" ??

Sorry, I'm interested in things more credible and believable like werewolves, Thor, a flat earth, the Abominable Snowman and an honest media :D

Come November, there will be a "rhino" virus more contagious than "swine " flu

Because I live in Jersey
 

hoping so!!

social distance me some T206:D;)

The show should go on IMO...

Make masks and social distancing mandatory to appease those who are scared.

There are a bunch of steps that can be taken:

-Limit the amount of touching cards from dealers and attendees...
...unless you want to disinfect them after each time
-Don't do the autograph sessions
-Do pre-sell tix only
-Limit the amount of attendees per day to an agreed upon %
-Have time slots for attendees
-Space out the aisles and tables
-Take everyone's temp before they can enter

Welcome those who want to come and follow the rules. For those who are afraid we will see you when you have been vaccinated.

In your list of conditions and ideas you don't address how on earth the promoter could possibly make a profit. That (and possibly the state not allowing it) are the real reasons it won't happen.

It ain't gonna happen. Too much potential liability and a terrible location during a dreadful time of year. Most collectors would take a pass, as would any potential autograph signers.

All the more reason to enjoy Chicago in 2021.

How could it be proven that someone was exposed at the show and not elsewhere? If people are not forced to attend, then how could the show be liable for someone getting any type of illness...a common cold, the flu etc?

That sounds great. I'll tell my friend who lost his 55 year old father to COVID over the weekend and the lady I go to church with whose mother died.

forget it Todd
 

you can't fix stupid...

I drove past a Farmer's Market in the downtown of a small-medium city, about half the size of a football field was the festival.

Guessing it will be the same time every week. Everyone had their masks on, buying stuff from vendors.

Wouldn't be much different, a card show that is.

Hey have it outside in December......wind picks up, maybe a '52 Mantle blows into your hands, then you run like the wind!

Hopefully a vaccine will be available by next year, we are looking forward attending the National in 2021 if still scheduled in Chicago?

Bingo, I agree totally. I know there are a lot of east coast dealers than could fill tables, but I don't expect it to happen because of what Scott has pointed out. Hard enough to have a good show without so many restrictions and regs. People don't want to wait outside for their "turn".

Sheesh Todd, that is terrible. All the 70 year olds that I know that got it recouped their health at home with little to no lasting effects. Another 50 year old did fine, though she quarantined from her family and employees for the required length of time. Hopefully it will end soon, but I'm wearing my mask at all shows as a best practice.

Somebody will get rich off that vaccine. Not me unfortunately, but I do sleep well at night.

Shows in New Orleans
 

There was a show in this area, I believe it was May 30th. I didn't go, but the show did happen.
There's another show scheduled. I think It might be today.
Like a lot of us, I've lost track of the day of the week. Today is Friday. The show will be tomorrow, Saturday. Once again, I'll pass.
Hopefully things will be looking better by the time the next one comes up.

I did hear that small Arthur Slade show south of Baltimore did happen, but it was moved from the school cafeteria (where it's normally held) to an outside flea market and there were only 10 sellers and everyone wore masks.

The best part of the National is seeing Rich K (Hi Rich) and asking him how the hell he's doing :D

how you going to bring old retired baseball players in person to risk their lives for 25 dollar autos..

I don't know Jay. I've seen people put up with a lot of sh*t in this hobby for little pieces of cardboard and not bat an eye. Just another thing. T-I-C, kinda

No way in hell would I go for free.

Let's all hope for a party in 2021 Chicago-style!

+1 Planning on it. Might even have to do another Net54 dinner...not sure yet....

.

Wasn't this the week of National ?

Yesterday, and in particular today, was a real disaster in Atlantic City. This tropical storm hit the South Jersey shore with a vengeance.
It dumped up to 6 inches of rain in the area. The surrounding streets and highways look like "Venice" (you need a gondola to navigate
them). Plus, just south of A/C was a good size tornado. Power is out in several towns in Atlantic and Cape May counties.


TED Z
.

Ted,

I believe, under normal circumstances, the National was supposed to run from the 29th to the 2nd. So it would have just missed lining up with this hurricane. Scary stuff to say the least, I've seen a few over turned semi's, a few houses damaged by fallen trees. South Jersey seems to have been hit the worst by it.

Bucks Co PA (just north of Philly) got hit pretty bad in spots. Daycare in Doylestown:
https://scontent.fewr1-5.fna.fbcdn.n...43&oe=5F50D870

1000% agree.
Also would like to add/suggest, how many west coast dealers don’t go East currently?
Wouldn’t having a show on the West coast bring in new dealers? Ones that never make the voyage East because it’s too far.

Going forward, I would love to see the National come west, even just ONCE would be cool...

Thought about going when it was in Chicago a few years ago, but didn’t make it.

Further, I would never consider going to Atlantic City, it’s one of the most ghetto places I’ve ever been, AND I LIVE IN ALBUQUERQUE, haha. I spent two weeks there working as a first responder after Hurricane Sandy, no thanks! Strongly agree: Not easily accessible and far less Acceptable

West Coast National
 

I have been hearing about a West Coast National for many years, and I always thought that it was a great idea. I continually hear about the east coast dealers not wanting to go west, but that may be OK. It would be nice to see some fresh faces at the tables from west coast dealers who don't travel to the Midwest or East Coast shows.

This year, the National had 288 dealers signed up. 39 of these dealers were from what could be considered west coast states, and I am including the 11 dealers from Texas in that total. If the National would be held out west, I'm guessing that these numbers would triple.

48 dealers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri. Perhaps many of these dealers would travel west.

The biggest group of dealers is from the east coast:

New York 32, New Jersey 24, Penn 24, Florida 23, and North Carolina 21, for a total of 124. I wonder how many of these dealers would travel to Las Vegas, or LA, or San Fran? I would guess that most of them would make the trip.

I am betting that if a large enough venue could be obtained, the number of dealers could swell from the current 288 to 350, or 400, or more. Actually, the current location in Chicago could handle 400 dealers, and I'll be every spot would be sold out.

Why not an East Coast / Midwest National every spring and a West Coast National every Fall? Hobby has never been more popular. Seems like a no brainer to me.