[Ray Van]

For what it's worth, the Canadian Sportscard Spring Expo was held a couple weeks ago in Toronto. I attended Friday and there was a long line to get in, longer than previous years (show is 2x per year but did not run during covid, though there was a fall 2021 show that set attendance records). I would say this show was less busy than the fall 2021 show, but still busier than pre-covid shows.

The show up here is 80% modern and 80% hockey, so it's not quite an apples to apples comparison with The National, but it's the closest we have up here. I've attended multiple Nationals so I am familiar with the mix of sports and vintage vs modern vs auction house setups. I collect mostly soccer, but also look out for vintage hockey and baseball.

I spent a good deal of $$ at the Fall Show (albeit mostly soccer cards), but barely purchased anything at the Spring show this year. People were still buying this year, but it looked down from the Fall Show, and it seemed there were more customers wandering around trying to sell or trade their cards.

So if this is any indication for the National, expect high dealer prices and mostly tire kicking going on (no surprise). Not to say there aren't diamonds in the rough to find (that's the fun part), but it's tough slogging to find them.