Going to my 1st National this year

[nolemmings]

One thing I have found over the years is that I now go for the fellowship more than the material, although it is a great eye-candy experience. When I first attended, I took x dollars and was hell-bent on spending all of it or it wasn't considered a worthwhile show. I found myself buying stuff I had no intention of buying, sometimes stuff I didn't even know much about, after my list of must haves either were unavailable or were too grossly overpriced. Then about the first Baltimore National I decided to just take in the area and the hobby friends I'd met online and had a great time-- Orioles game, great food, cool pier nearby, etc. Since then it's more about the experience for me than the cards. And don't be shy. I wouldn't know 95% of these guys if they came up and spit on me in the street (I get that a lot) but after an introduction or two it becomes pretty easy to mingle, even if you don't chase the same stuff as the next guy. Throw in the bar get togethers after show hours and voila.

You almost certainly will be disappointed by the pricing--many things you see on ebay regularly will be marked up from what you thought was a ghastly BIN price. Dickering is expected--each side can always say no. I have found that Sunday, the last day of the show, will garner some better deals, although many dealers have packed up by then so you run that risk (I've asked some on Saturday if/when they're leaving early if I think I might want to make a final run at them). I've even found a card at a dealer' table that wasn't there earlier because he just bought it from a walk-in (actually a board member here)-- he flipped it to me for a good price for both of us. My advice--be patient.

Finally and most important- Comfortable shoes are an absolute requirement.