[jchcollins]

On a slow, pre-Christmas Tuesday at work in between meetings, I must say that I have found these tales and their additions and updates endlessly entertaining.

I went to my first real show in 20 years earlier this summer. I can relate to a lot of what was shared here. It’s incredible how some things don’t change - it never takes long to figure out who the dealers are that are interested in moving cards - they will look you in the eye and engage you in conversation - vs. those who have a museum containing endless Allstate display cases full of imposing looking slabs with no price tags. These remind me of the “seated dealers” I remembered as a kid at shows back in the 1980’s and early 90’s - where if you happened to be lucky enough to attract the attention of a seated dealer (who was invariably eating, smoking, or busy reading the paper or watching a portable tv…) they would amble over with an annoyed look and squint at whatever you were interested in in their case - and without fail quote you a price that was roughly 700% of the spending money you had brought that day. “What did you say, ‘high Beckett’? Kid do you know how RARE this card is…?”

I must admit it was less pronounced at the one show I went to this year, but there were still a few of those characters there. The cigars and newspapers have been replaced by smart phones, but that age-old disdain is still there, and it’s not hard to spot.

Ah, memories.


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