Friday national
 

Wall to Wall people
Prices higher than you can pay at auction
Teenagers walking around with 1000s of dollars
Buying and selling shiny
Dealers with the books of 50s and 60s commons are mobbed...people making sets like crazy and charging stupid prices...amazing
If u want regional and test issues and unusual
Nothing exciting
One dealer wanted 80k for a 66 punchout yaz koufax that was trimmed altered
Traffic is nuts..Will easily surpass the # of people from last year

Since it seems like you're reporting from the front lines via a telegram communiqué, I 'fixed' it for you. :D

Bullet Points!!!! Gotta love it, straight to the point!! Don't need to know what he ate or when he took a piss. Post of the month!!

Today....
 

Maybe just a rumor, but my son heard they ran out of parking spots this morning. Cars were parked in a grass field when we exited at 3 pm. Also, we weren't in a big rush to get there at 10 and we paid for it. Had to wait outside on the sidewalk in a line for half an hour to eventually get the wristbands. Crazy busy inside and out. Good for the hobby, I guess.

Sucks to be me.

I always miss out on the best shows.

I guess there’s always next year!

Got there just after noon and lot was full, I parked in the field.

Long walk all the way around the building.

Jam-packed inside, definitely 2-3 deep at the shiny stuff tables.

There were a few good deals if you were willing to negotiate.

Many of the old school guys still have the museum prices, many were knocking off decent amounts from sticker.

Was only looking for a few old cards, they were priced 2x from eBay so didn't pull the trigger.

Bought some shiny stuff, the guys I bought from were willing to sell at eBay and even a bit less, happy with those buys

Promoters dodged a bullet the past 2 days because there was no rain. The amount of people that had to stand outside to get in would have been a nightmare with alot of pissed wet people.

I dunno!
I'm glad I missed this one, there's lines to park, get inside the show,
to the bathroom, food concessions & its so packed, many dealers aren't
discounting, because there's a constant flow of customers.

You and I must be reading different threads.

Honestly, I had heard so much complaining, that I was dreading going today, but I've gotta say I was really impressed and had a fantastic time.
I got there around noon, and yes, had to park in the grass lot, but didn't have to pay for parking and after I got inside, I walked right in with no lines.
Its huge.
There was more vintage by percentage than I've personally ever seen in the past other shows (except Strongsville). The hobby is definitely not dying, and neither is vintage.
People are buying up vintage everywhere (albeit at 60-70%) and I was able to make a deal for some of my cards, and I bought a nice 1933 Delong Klein.
There was a ton of space in the isles between vendors.
It was much cooler in there for there being that many people.
The food trucks and drink stands throughout were really useful, as well as a lot of seats to sit down when you've been walking too much.
I didn't pay for autos but got to at least see Johnny bench, Dr. J, and Dennis Rodman, as well as several vintage baseball you-tubers.
I timed myself from the time I got in line for the bathroom, to when I left the bathroom, and it was 8 minutes. Not too bad considering the amount of people and how much people were complaining about it. I've seen worse in airports.
I for one, had a great time.

Cons- autograph pavilion was ran pretty poorly, my first one was cancelled 10 minutes before the scheduled time. Second one they went out of order and ended up being about 45 minutes later than the posted time. Extremely long lines for a lot of things - PSA pickup, food, etc… and I have no idea why they felt they needed to start a giant line outside to get through one set of doors when there were 20 doors that you could just easily walk into with no one stopping you.

Pros- met a lot of great people, some booths were willing to pay some fair prices for some cards I was looking to unload, really cool items on display especially in the Heritage/REA auctions

Friday was my third and last day at the National.

I was impressed with the changes made today to eliminate the issues from the first two days.

They did not charge for parking. That really helped make the entry process faster. I had heard Thursday afternoon that the had stopped charging for parking. Amazed that they filled all the lots.

They opened up access to the west side to use those restrooms. I did not use them but did walk back there for a bit. The west side has no permanent tenants and it looks like it could be used. I asked security if we could exit via the west and was told no.

My wait for the restrooms by the food court was five minutes both times I used and had no wait for the lower level restrooms

I got lunch about 1130 and had no line at the pasta station. Talking to the workers they said the head chef was not prepared Thursday and they had a lot more food ready Friday. One of the drink stations ran out of water. They had a Pepsi truck delivery mid afternoon to restock.


It was a different show for me. I bought a lot of raw vintage, mostly football and non-sports. I have about 270 items - cards, posters, ticket stubs and super balls. The most expensive card I bought was $40. Just the way things went.

Quite a bit of discounting on my items. One dealer asked me what I thought was fair when I bought 18 cards that were $20 each, 7 for $100. I suggested $250. He said how about $220. Deal.

My one disappointment was a lack of regional / food issues like Kahn’s, Sugardale, Hostess panels , Hires, etc

I am coming home with a lot more cash than I expected. I didn’t have many high end items that I was looking for and I struck out on those.

Overall a good experience that got better.

If you’re a vintage collector, stay in the main room where you walk in. The left room has done vintage but a lot more new shiny stuff

For some reason it was really hard to get my bearings straight. I seemed to wander back around the same tables over and over I spent well over half the day not realizing there was a whole second room of dealers .
There was one casualty when a veteran patron fainted and slammed his head on the concrete. Although it's hard to tell but I think he,'ll be okay. Medical personnel were on him quickly.

I've never been to a National.

After reading this thread, I doubt I will.

To paraphrase Yogi, I predict nobody will be going anymore, it's too crowded!

While a handful of show tables remain that reward searching, they're a vanishing breed (RIP Chandy Greenholt). This group of cards came from a dealer with about 20 3200-count boxes, mixed sports and eras, priced $1 each. Took about two hours to find 80 vintage cards worth pulling. Most of my actual cheap wantlist hits are to 1970 Kellogg's. Dealers otherwse pricing high to match demand and I assume they're getting it!

Last year in Chicago was my first National since 2004 as this is always a busy time of year for me. I had a great time, met some great people, and had planned to go again this year but had to cancel those plans a couple weeks ago due to work obligations. After reading all the show reports and watching several YouTube videos the last couple of days I feel much better now about not making the show this year.
My perks for missing the show: I saved $2k in travel expenses, instead of dealing with all the headaches listed above I was able to drive straight into my garage last night and park for free, had piping hot pizza for dinner and a visit from my sister-in-laws family with our four cute nieces, the AC was great in our house, there were plenty of bathrooms with no lines, not a Pelican case in sight, and as far as new cards go I'm positive REA will fill that void in about 16 days.

There's always a bright side to every situation.:)

Friday National
 

Indy Dave, Jim Todd (and others)- Thanks for the lucid, descriptive updates
that are the result of actually attending(!!). To the others who manage to
complain just for general principle- without attending of course- why not
simply start your own thread about the "joys" of emotionless accumulation
of cards without human interaction? I'm sure it will be thrilling to read. The
amount of gripers on this venue- who don't attend but still weigh in merely
to complain or purport superiority- is staggering. Maybe find another hobby?

To the folks actually attending Saturday, there are those of us who enjoy
news from the front line. Keep it up:)

Trent King

Remember, the JPRS guys are still new to manning this particular event. The fact that they implemented free parking and have tried to make corrections quickly and under immediate pressure from huge crowds tells me that the show is in the right hands. We already knew they were good guys and am happy to hear how they are trying to deal with these unforeseen headaches. Kudos.

I was there on Thursday, and it was more chaotic than any show I've seen--simply too many people in one place. Makes me think that they ought to hold this over an entire week.

It was the first National my buddy and I have attended since Chicago 2015. We were both shocked at the huge crowd, and we were extremely glad to be taking an Uber instead of driving. Regarding pickups, I struck out. But regarding meeting people and having a good time, especially at the Not54 dinner, it was a hit.

I expected it to be crowded, but it so much more than I expected. It was just so many people that it made walking in the aisle very uncomfortable, try not to run into people. Everything was a long wait - parking, buying tickets, getting the wrist band, restrooms, food lines, etc,... It's like Woodstock without the mud and rain. :D

I'm guessing the hygiene levels are also eerily reminiscent of the summer of '69.

Actually, after spending W-F at the show, the hygiene level of fellow collectors wasn't too bad. I remember smelling a couple dudes that might have skipped a couple days of showers, but that's about it. The a/c was working well in the big room, but the small room started heating up on Friday morning due to the body count and the lower ceiling. The B.O. factor was much more noticeable the last couple years in Chicago where the a/c couldn't keep up.

I'm cracking up at your factual account of this silliness!

The term "B.O. Factor" was put out there, and nobody will bat an eye. Just an understanding and sympathetic head nod.

Perfect!

I am a VIP at the Nationals.
Flipped so much 2018 -2020 Chrome.
I spent a ton of time with the other VIP's in the VIP lounge, where the REAL deals happened. Traded '33 Goudey's all night.
This was for us, the VIP's, only.

Since we've gotten into the smell factor, let me post this fetid 'Collectorisms' appraisal of last year's National... :D


1027. The Stench of a Thousand Buffalo (loosely translated Ojibwe)
The hot, putrid and stifling air quality inside of a poorly ventilated show venue.

See also: ”Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning” - an adage expressing the three most important factors in determining where to hold a large card collectors convention.

See also: Breaksweatus Operandi (BO) (Lat.) - the unchanging, odiferous mode of slobs who never think of taking their fellow showgoers into account as they once again leave their deodorant sticks back home and unused.

See also: Smellpox - the rancid haze that envelops and infects you as you stand tightly crammed in around the dealer tables.

See also: Tactfoulness - the purposeful use of your malodorous ‘fragrance’ to make people scatter and free up space around you, so you have more room at the tables to comfortably operate in.

See also: Flop Sweat Equity - although you regret your stink is affecting people, you know the gamey odors emanating from your body were earned honestly through your hard work in the card show trenches.

What he said.

Rick Haskins and I missed you. :D

Likewise! Family vacation got in the way this year...not to mention Hurricane Beryl (7 days no power...9 days no cable/internet) and Delta's meltdown. July has been a nightmare month. Slept in airports twice. In retrospect, should've gone to the National. Next year. How was the pennant scene? Haven't seen any pics.

For now...Onto the East Coast National. I always have a good time at the White Plains show. Really looking forward to it.