Posted By:
Mike PeichHello All,
I spent Friday and Saturday at the Valley Forge Show and had a wonderful time. While I can't speak from a dealer perspective (as Ted Z. has), I was not disappointed. I agree in part with Bruce's assessment that ultra-rare was not much in evidence, although I was impressed by a Federal League pennant for the Baltimore Terrapins, a fairly rare item.
Judson is correct, too, regarding prices. That being said, if asked most dealers were willing to negotiate slightly (although one was not interested in any conversation regarding price). I was able to add a few Old Judges, upgrade some T222s, and add a few Contentnias (both series).
The space is a major improvement over Ft. Washington and Reading, and getting there is simple. Parking is available, but one has to walk--that was always the case at Ft. Washington, too. Overall I felt the location was great.
I did miss seeing Terry Knouse, and a few other dealers weren't there (Roger Neufelt and Irv Lerner), but I rarely bought anything from Roger, and wasn't interested in what Irv sold.
The camaraderie was great and I had wonderful conversations with a number of folks including Kevin Cummings, Rob Giuffreda, Ken Cohen, Ron and Sheila Barrett, Dave Schrader and his wife, Ted Z, Paul Stark, John Goodman, the crew at Chuck Bluie's table--the list goes on and on. And, of course, the human baseball card encyclopedia, Tim Newcomb, was my house guest for the week-end.
I had a great two days, appreciate what Dave Hunt and crew have done, and look forward to the next show.
Cheers,
Mike