Planning on traveling to shows in 2020?
 

I thought this would be interesting to see based on where people are from, what shows and how far they are willing to travel to find vintage cards for their collections. Which shows are you planning to attend in 2020 and how far away are they? Do you have a favorite show?

Other than the National in AC this year, I feel the Philly shows are typically the most consistently impressive shows in the Northeast.

In 2020 I'm planning on attending the following shows:
Philly - 6 hours
Strongsville - 13 hours
Wilmington - 1 hour
Atlantic City - 7 hours
White Plains - 3 hours

The Philly Show is less than an hour drive for me. So I’ll definitely be there.

The three shows at the Chantilly/Dulles Expo Center, an hour away in Northern Va.

The three shows at the Chantilly/Dulles Expo Center, an hour away in Northern Va.

I'll probably hit one of the Chantilly shows (3 hours) and am planning on at trip to AC (6.5 hours) this summer for the National.

Really, the entire southeast part of the US is generally skipped over as far as shows. Nothing from Chantilly to Florida (except for an occasional show in Raleigh) and heading west, you'd have to go to Cleveland or Cincinnati for a decent show.

Wilmington show ??? Is that any good. Is it in NC ? Not Delaware.

New Orleans
 

I travel to shows in Dubuque and LaCrosse, which are 90 minutes one way. Madison and Davenport 2 hours. Eau Claire and Milwaukee 3 hours. I doubt that I will attend shows in Chicago or Minneapolis, which are around 4 hours away. I have tentative plans to go to the New Orleans show again, which is about 16 hours. New Orleans is a surprisingly small show but the gumbo makes up for it.

I remember when we had a show in my hometown, and a dozen or so shows within 40 minutes of my home, but those days are long gone.

I would guess Mass from the travel times.

I hit the two TriStar Houston shows each year. Last year I made the trip to Dallas to the show Leon co-sponsored which was the first time I'd actually traveled to an out-of-town show since the Nationals in Arlington in the 80s.

Lately, I've given some thought to making the Atlantic City National. I grew up and still have family in the NY/NJ metro area. I may try for a 'kitchen pass'. ;)

I will attend all the Chicago Sports Spectacular shows in Rosemont...I live near Madison WI, so only about 2 1/2 hour drive

We have it pretty good in Western MI. There are several shows with in 45 minutes of where I live. For the most part there is a decent mix of cards from the 50's to present, which works out well for my son and me. Every once in a while there will be pre 1950 cards. Muskegon, Holland, and a few different venues in the Grand Rapids area. There even more options with in 3 hours over in the Detroit area.
That being said my son and I get to several shows a year.

Strongsville
 

Is Strongsville that great a show - 13 hours travel??! I've never been.

Definitely hit Philly 1-2 x (2.5-3hours)
A/C - 2.5-3 hours
White Plains - 1 hour
Hofstra - 25min (only because its so close)

I have to go to AC this year! Missed the last couple of National events. Other than that just some local shows in Jax.

I'm surprised people aren't jumping in their cars for a road trip. Avoid taxes and negotiate better deals in person with cash. Ebay and auction fees increase their asking prices and if your buying a couple big cards together you almost always get a package deal.

Is Strongsville that great of a show? For vintage selection, yeah it's a decent little show of around 130 tables. Decent mix of raw vs graded selection but it's an all vintage show! I don't have to walk by any tables without looking. Is it worth a 13 hour drive, absolutely not but I usually combine my road trip with a few shows on the way back home in PA, NY, or NJ. Also, the football hall of fame in Canton is a short ride from Strongsville.

Wilmington, MA has two shows per year, April and November. The fall show is the one worth traveling to. I wouldn't travel more than an hour tops for the spring show.

I went to Chantilly April '19, I was told 4-5 of the larger vintage dealers went to Strongsville so that was my mistake. Just go to Strongsville if any show overlaps the schedule. My thoughts on Chantilly are that it could be a decent show with the vintage dealers on site. Great food in the area though!

For the MI, MN, WI guys who responded, nobody mentioned the Shakopee show, anyone ever been? Is it any good for graded vintage or more of a collector grade show? I'd love to take a road trip out there and hit up smaller shows you mentioned in Dubuque, LaCrosse, Eau Claire, etc. Never traveled up that way and for that reason alone it's worth a trip.

There isn't much within 300 miles of L.A. I will be missing the National this year for the first time since 2004, but AC just sucked last time and it is hard to get to for me: ends up being a 12+ hour trip each way with either a single flight and a very long ground leg or two flights with a shorter ground leg.

I won't be traveling out East for any shows this year. I may head to long beach or Frank and Sons if I take a Saturday off but that's it. I do enjoy shows but would rather take the money I'd spend traveling and pick a card up at auction.

Atlantic City sure isn't a convenient location for a National for anyone other then those already in the Northeast and even coming from MA and dealing with New York and Jersey traffic it isn't ideal. I'm actually surprised it's heading back there so soon, it's only been 4 years since it was there.

I've been to Chicago, Cleveland, and AC and of the three Cleveland was my favorite venue. That building is just massive!

I'm surprised that it's returning to AC for an East Coast venue. Seems like a much better choice would have been Baltimore or DC - both have large convention centers, plenty of hotels, are (fairly) easy to get to and have major league teams. But who knows what the criteria is when choosing a venue. Probably not any of the things I've mentioned above.

I think the only show we have around here is Rich's show in Dallas. Nothing in Shreveport, nothing that I know of in Waco. Those are the closest big cities.

That said, we're trying to get a show/trade day going around here soon. Shooting for mid-March if we can get a date pinned down and get word/advertising out. We're hoping the LCS lets us put a flyer in their store.

+1

Never been to Frank and Sons. Is it worth a look? Any vintage or is it all Pokemon and magic cards?

To be fair in the DFW area, Kyle Robertson runs a monthly show in Frisco and 2 big 3-day shows in Allen. I have cut back for 2020 because of my wife's recent transplant and the possible need to continue to assist in her recovery. As of today, I have

2 Adat Chaverim shows scheduled (March 8, September 6-7)

One show at Comfort Inn and Suites Plano East (June 6-7)

Regards
Rich

I stick to the Sports Card Expo in Toronto In May and November as that's the big one around here. Mostly hockey but always find some ok Baseball deals.
Would love to do the National one day but it falls on a week my company puts on a a big tournament so they are blackout days for us.

Colorado shows?
 

Just moved from Texas to Colorado. Are there any shows that routinely come to/are present in the Denver area?

We have three monthly shows in the Indianapolis area. The largest is within two miles of my house.

I want to get to the Spring show in Cincy at Moeller High School. That's just under two hours for me. The Fall show is tough for me on Thanksgiving weekend because I'm almost always travelling six plus hours to see family that weekend.

Not sure if I make any others this year. Columbus Ohio and Chicago are both three hours out, Would mind making JD's show at the Franklin County fairgrounds in Columbus sometime this year.

+1
The National committee needs to be replaced :).

Shakopee
 

I have never heard of the Shakopee show. They don't advertise on the Beckett Show Calendar or the SCD show calendar.

There are a lot of show promoters who don't take advantage of the free advertising from Beckett and SCD. It can make a big impact on attendance, and it hurts the dealers who set up at the show. It only takes 1 or 2 good customers to turn a crappy show for a dealer into a profitable show.

I'll miss the National but I am probably going to book a family vacation instead, so I probably will have to drown my sorrows in mai tais on the beach in Kona...

I usually make all The Philly Shows and this year I plan to hit The National due to it's location in AC

I'm considering making a summer beach vacation at Atlantic City for this year's.

Question for those who have been to the National recently: how were the deals there (especially for postwar vintage cards) compared to what you'd find on ebay? Better, worse, easier to negotiate?

I haven't been since Arlington in the early '90s when I was in high school.

Card Shows
 

We have 3 monthly shows in the Indianapolis area. All 3 are pretty good. I will make it to at least one of the Moellar shows in in Cincy. I would like to get to Columbus Ohio for one of JD's shows. Great venue at the fairgrounds and lots of dealers new and vintage. Not going to Atlantic City. Sick of all the nationals being east of the Mississippi. I agree with Leon, the National committee needs to acquire some new thinking.

show
 

National in AyeCee is going to be awesome

I have a friend who grew up in Baltimore and now lives in Bel Air. he told me there is currently a lot of political unrest and violence in the city. This may play into why Baltimore is being skipped over.

I went to the last 2 Nationals there and they were great and well attended. Outstanding waterfront. Also went to an Orioles game. It is an 8 hr drive for me but I would gladly go back there.

I will be heading to AC this year, havn't been to The National since the last time in Baltimore. Both are an easy drive for me. I found good bargains my last time in Baltimore !!

Don't believe the hype
 

Baltimore's violence issues are largely limited to specific areas of the city and do not impact any of the major conventions that happen here. It's a city like any other...there is lots of good and bad, with its fair share of political issues.

With that said, the National is missing out on a great location, as you know based on your quote. The area around the convention center has everything someone could want...great sports venues, casino, great restaurants, lots of hotels, the waterfront, etc. Not too far from the airport. Easy to get in and out of the city.

Hopefully, it will come back!

As a retired law enforcement officer I would never spend a dime again in Baltimore after the way the city administration treated the 6 officers in the Gray case. I know I am not the only one who feels like this.

Today was supposed to be day one of this weekends card show trip starting in Strongsville followed by Troy, MI, and St. Louis. An epic road trip with a buddy seeing 350 tables in a weekend. We have another multi-city trip planned end of September...until then we wait.