Robert,
Most all dealers at the National are going to be willing to drop their price by some percentage, though perhaps not on the first couple of days. Depends on many factors.
Also, among the pivotal factors is what you are truly in the market to purchase for your collection. In spite of the gentleman's remarks insisting that you can get anything you want somewhere else, that is very true up to a point. How much time and effort do you wish to spend just to say you saved 10-50 bucks buying it on eBay? Hopefully your time is that frivolous and you will like the card once you get it, even with a good scan.
It's the old, "I bought it. I spent my time and gas to bring it to show you in person to sell it. I spent money to buy the display cases, perhaps have the cards graded, and then bought an expensive hotel room, table fees, meals---------and then you expect me to settle for 50 cents on the dollar of my sticker price?"
I'm sure some, if not many, of the dealers set their retail price with their overhead figured in. Walmart and any surviving retailer and merchant sure does.
No doubt about it, come Saturday or Sunday, if sales have been slow, they'll be much more willing to dicker, just to break even or establish a decent profit for the week.
I still go back to something someone else said that is so true, whether buying at a show or bidding online. If you see something you really like, and know it really pushes your "gotta have it" button, chances are very, very good that beautiful piece or card WILL JAM SOMEONE ELSE'S BUTTON AS WELL. They'll GLADLY pay the dealer's full retail price, and walk away with one of the highlights of his National experience. The regret that soon grips you will not be pried away by the hope you'll find another next week. Sure, finding as good of one happens. You might just even find a BETTER SPECIMEN. But, how often does that happen? So rarely a person will initiate a thread telling others to rejoice with him; meaning not very often.
Again, it depends on what it is you want. If our football collector likes Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams and finds a centered specimen graded PSA 7 / SGC 84 or better, he had better not wait 'til Saturday or Sunday!
The options for finding cards and coins is much different than it was when I was much more active 25 years ago. Regardless, the impulse and drive that moves us to pursue collectibles has not changed one iota. The creme still rises to the top. The better of the bunch gets the attention, the bids, and the eager buyers. The best of the best are still setting new records.
Here's wishing you a very sincere thrilling National experience. May you come away with at least three things that melted your heart.
---Brian Powell
PS--Robert, since you are a Ted Williams fan, you probably know what Ted's 1954 Wilson Franks means. If you do not happen to own one, as a regional / food card & coin connoisseur, my cheap advice is to go to the National with an aim to get a graded EXCELLENT or NEAR MINT specimen with crisp picture registry and no print spots on Ted. Should you be successful in procuring such a beautiful beast of a card, call your show over. The rich contentment of owning and gazing at your Wilson Weenie Teddy Ballgame will provide you with heaps of assurance you truly had an outstanding show. You won't have a penny left to spend, but that one purchase will bring you thousands of cards worth of satisfaction.
However, and this time I hate to add this disclaimer, in all likelihood any table that has that kind of Wilson Franks Ted Williams is merely displaying it for an upcoming auction. Here is a case where an owner or auction house would not dare setting a "regular" retail price based on Beckett, Krause's Standard Cat, PSA's price guide, or even VCP sales price analysis. They might be underselling it! This case requires the aforementioned studying, but in the end, it will be left to the market to decide what it's worth. The market has always liked that card, and almost always rewards the seller/consignor with a hefty hunk of scratch. I'm referring to NEAR MINT or better; an EXCELLENT you might find on the Bay, and save yourself the trip to the National to help fund it. A quick perusal of the Bay did not turn up an EXCELLENT. Naturally, if you're willing to settle for a lower grade with good eye appeal, then I'm wasting my time with this appeal. Now I'm getting off on other tangents and discussions, or just plain verbosity----time to shut up!