[jethrod3]

Just back from a wonderful 2 night excursion to Chicago. Spent all day Friday and Saturday at the National. As several have already mentioned, this year's Chicago show was probably the largest---certainly the largest I can remember, with a couple of extra large rooms accommodating many more tables than last time in Chicago. All told, I walked about about 4 miles within the confines of the Convention Center each day!

Probably could have left the hotel earlier to beat the traffic around the show, but didn't have any problems getting in; folks flowed from the staging area to the show floor without any problems that I was aware of. Yup, it was hot on Friday (as reported by others) but I think they figured out how to get the air handling system working better on Saturday thankfully!

I should point out that my main priority was to buy at least two 1955 Topps baseball star cards that I needed as I worked to complete my set, and also to drop off some items for grading/slabbing and authentication. Secondary priorities included tracking down and purchasing some commons from the 1962 Salada Coins issue to fill out my Salada set, and some cards for some oddball or non-sport sets I've been working on. Other secondary priorities included consigning some of my Tacoma Giants minor league cards to an AH, and getting some information from kind dealers and AH personnel that I've come to know and trust over the years. Lastly, I wanted to pick up a couple of boxes of new product so that I could put together my yearly set of base cards and participate in the wrapper redemption program one of the companies was offering (this dates back to when my kid used to accompany me to Nationals).

On Friday, upon entering the show floor, I went to a TPG in one of the side rooms and dropped off a ticket and an autograph. Waited in line about an hour (towards the end of the day, I visited another TPG to drop off some 1954 All Star photo pack pics). But with my wanting to concentrate on picking up vintage cards, early on in the day I made my way to the main room and started visiting booths in Aisle 100, knowing that many of the dealers I'd want to visit had priority and would be located toward the front, as I wanted to see what they had first. BUT...except for purchasing a couple of boxes of new product so I could open the packs at the hotel room later that night, I made no other purchases. It was largely a scouting mission; I had visited half of the tables and I saw plenty of the 1955 Topps cards I'd wanted, and felt reasonably sure many would still be there the next day. I did come across a booth with Salada coins, and knowing that I might not see another dealer with a nice supply of them, I went through what they had but came up completely empty. Didn't find 1 coin out of the 25 or so that I needed! Major bummer!

On Saturday, I visited most of the remaining tables vintage. I then pulled the trigger on a 1955 Topps Robinson, in slightly better condition than I initially expected I'd take home. I'd negotiated what I felt was a fair deal for both myself and the dealer. Except for a slight tip-of-corner surface crease which you need a bright light to detect, my card looks much better than than a PSA 3.5. A few hours later, I visited the booth of one of our hobby giants and negotiated what I felt was a more-than-fair deal for a 1955 Ted Williams in a PSA 5 holder. Nice card with really just one corner that sticks out a bit. This may have been the first card that I purchased from this gentlemen, at least the first purchase in a VERY long time, and it really was a pleasure talking with him and buying this card. Later that day, I found a dealer that had brought a ton of non-sport cards to the show, and I bought the last 2 cards I needed for my 1964 JFK set! I also learned a lot. I'd stopped at a couple of tables and AH's and got some needed information about some boxing items and some Type 1 photos I brought with me.

So...personally, for me, it was a great show. With my 1955 acquisitions, I now just need commons and minor stars. Finally completed that JFK set! I was a little disappointed that I couldn't make progress with my Salada set---I never saw another dealer with more than a couple of coins. But a lot of dealers had a lot of oddball sports and non-sports items that satisfied many customer's wish lists! As in years past, you're always guaranteed of seeing pieces of memorabilia you've never seen before and likely won't see again!

Yes, there were a few dealers that I'd found that were charging more than 20% over comp sales in the past month. In some cases they knew this but either could not or would not budge. But even in those cases, the visits and negotiations with the dealers I didn't buy from were always cordial and I left their booths feeling that the dealer appreciated my stopping by, even with the throngs of people in the building. There were a couple of dealers whom you felt you were inconveniencing by pulling them away from their phones, but these folks were in the most minor of minorities---most of the dealers were great. And most of the customers were also friendly and patient. Moreover, I heard many vintage dealers say that they were doing very well this year. Most customers and dealers alike seemed to be happy to be there!

In summary, besides the ventilation issues on Friday, I had a great time and can't wait until next year's show!