I was there yesterday from just after 12:00 noon to 5:00 P.M. My perspective is from someone who's collecting 1967, 1968, and 1969 Topps Baseball in lower condition.
My goal was to fill in both sets with stars and a few commons. From what I could find, I was able to obtain some missing commons and a 67 Mays in good condition with nice eye appeal for reasonable prices. I was also able to upgrade commons, particularly for 1968.
There weren't too many ungraded cards that met my criteria- condition and budget. Several dealers maintained prices that went well-above eBay, i.e. 69 high number commons in ex-mint condition at $10-$12 each; 69 Earl Weaver in VG-EX condition at $30; an off-center 68 LaRussa also at $30 and finally a 69 Tug McGraw in VG-EX at $20. I can live with the ones that are already in my collection for the time being.
There was some vintage, mostly slabbed, at fairly stiff prices. I almost decided to upgrade a few of my 71 Topps with slabbed cards rated at 6, but I didn't see anything that was that much better than what I already had raw and purchased for a lot less money, so have some working funds for the Pasadena show in two weeks.
Visually, there were some very nice items to behold. One dealer had an array of Jackie Robinson material that stood out and pleasant to view. My friend who accompanied me was awed and spooked by a Sharon Tate autographed on a piece of paper, while I saw the Beatles infamous "butcher cover" upclose for the first time.
Most of the tables were manned by dealers with slabs in all sports and fantasy-type cards. It reminded me of a typical local show at Frank & Sons which occurs three times a week monthly. I don't see the appeal and many of those collectors don't get older sports cards and I don't think that'll ever change.
Happy collecting!
Phil aka Tere1071
1967 Topps Baseball 523/533
1968 Topps Baseball 582/598
1969 Topps Baseball 657/664
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