Help at the National
 

I need some help at the National because I'm afraid I will be in over my head. I'm going to be there Saturday and looking for advice as to what booths I should go to for cards in the 50's and 60's? A couple of questions I have are:

Will they have prices on their cards?
Are they all competitive or is there a pretty big price difference from booth to booth?
Are there any "good guys" that you like to buy from?

Thanks for any help. Can't wait to see just some amazing stuff!!

Sounds like you will be in over your head.
 

But don't let that intimidate you. The best advice I can give you is to be an "educated consumer". Know as much about the cards you are looking for and the range of prices that they sell for (check ebay - VCP and Card Target before you go). Armed with that information you will make decisions that work well for you regardless of who you are buying from. If you communicate to a seller that you are an educated consumer - ie. "that card has sold routinely on ebay in that grade for $$$ - if you are willing to sell for that, I'm a buyer" or "VCP in a PSA 5 is $$$, I'm interested but at $$$"- you assure yourself that you will not be "taken for a ride". Depending on the integrity of someone who has a vested interest in making a sale is in my humble opinion a bit naive (That said there are a handful out there with that level of integrity - imho). Most of all - have a blast!

2 cents
 

Speaking as someone who has only been to a handful of Nationals over the last few years, here are my thoughts:
Being as you will only be there for one day, you will not see it all. It takes me the entire 5 days to feel like I have thoroughly gotten through the room.
Many dealers do not have prices on their stuff, and I generally avoid these dealers until the end (just me, I like to see prices).
There are deals to be had and prices will vary. But if you are under a time restriction, you won't be able to see everything and then decide.
The previous advice is sound - know what you want and are willing to pay. If you find it, go for it. Dress comfortably and enjoy it!
Good luck!

National
 

Check out booth 617 716... Uncle dick has a ton of vintage.

A guy I have bought a lot of stuff from over the years is Jack's Cards. Booth #1025 - by the ferris wheel. Its all raw and always reasonable priced.

I moved this from a BST section to elicit more responses for our board member...Good luck!!

Re: Help at the National
 

Please stop by booth 1425/1524. Gary Nuchereno and I have a large inventory of 50s and 60s. All cards are priced (competitively, we hope). And we're great guys. too.

Check out my booth #1129 (near ferris wheel) I am loaded with psa 1950's and 60's sticker price on all cards---thanks and good luck. Don Hontz

+1 on Gary Nuchereno and Ed Hans, plus others
 

There are a number of really great folks "who just happen to be dealers" and they will treat you right. I don't do that much with 50s and 60s material anymore so I will leave it to others to mention other folks, but I can vouch for these guys:

1. Gary and Ed are terrific.

2. Uncle Dick (DeCourcy) has a huge following among collectors and is a very helpful guy. Look for people lined up two or three deep, LOL.

3. Bill Henderson always has tons of postwar stuff in all grades and is reasonable to deal with.

4. Jerry Nelson and Kurt Tourdot - top-notch guys all the way.

5. J.D. Heckathorn also!

Have fun!

I second JD Heckathorn and add Wayne Johnson who sets up with JD

Check out Monster Cards (Tony) Table #s 216/220... I have dealt with him at the local show here in St. Louis. One of the good ones!

Thanks,
Scott

I have more than 60 boxes of raw baseball cards from the 50's and 60's. Each card is individually sleeved and priced in numerical order. The conditions range from good to near mint. I, All Marty's Stuff, will be in booth 1813.

I'll vouch for Marty, although he may consider my endorsement to be worse than no endorsement at all. :)

Three is no shortage of cards from the 50's and 60s (unless you mean the 1860s). Don't buy anything for the first half of the time you are at the show. Just compare prices. Take a notebook so you remember who had what and at what price. Hopefully, you will then know the market, and in the second half of the day go back to the best sellers and negotiate. On that kind of stuff, unless it is really high grade or really scarce, bid no more than 75% of their asking price as a starting point.

Todd Schultz IS a bad person
 

so don't listen to anything he says (Except for his opinion of Marty, which is fine)--

:p

PS: (I hope you can tell from this post that Todd and I are old friends...)

Pick up a free National program when you arrive near the show entrance. Inside the program, there is usually a map of the floor layout and all the booth numbers. This will help you remember tables with nice cards you are interested in buying and still be able to shop around and go back to those booths if you decide to buy more or feel the deals were better.


Jantz

I always buy from Dave Schroeder (sorry Dave if I spelled your name wrong) of Bagger Sports cards. My father and I have been loyal customer for years. We only spend a couple of hundred dollars each, and he treats as if we spend thousands. He and his wife are exceptional, fair people! If I find his table number I will post it.