Observations from the Card Show Front Lines - UPDATED!!!

[Kutcher55]

I made it to the NorthEast expo show in Marlboro this past weekend. The entry fee for this show was $20 which felt like extortion (kids 12 and under were free), but the show was pretty crowded so I guess it's the going rate. Tons of deals taking place, too many teenagers running around acting like Alan Rosen Jr, too much Pokey-man, new crap and even Dragon Ball Z (wtf?), but also a good supply of vintage sellers, and many quality ones.

There's a vintage dealer I need to single out who sells the most fantastic raw vintage of anyone I see in these parts. This guy takes the time to put extra stickers on all the cards, even the commons, explaining the condition in great detail. I grabbed a few pack fresh 75 minis from him and complemented him on his craft and dedication. He explained that his process helped him get sober, for over a decade now, so we had a conversation about that. Dude is an absolute legend.

You also had Matt from Providence, who has become one of New England's finest. Funny he only had one table and had to stack his fantastic inventory six or seven high. Was hard to even get near the dude's table. He has a Youtube video with vlogger Wax Pack Wisdom that is a nice listen and kept my attention for 40 minutes which is hard to do. Also want to give a shout out to Steve Winnick who always has tremendous stuff and is a down to earth guy.

I didn't find anything that great, as my true want list is for phantom cards that you don't usually see (like 48 leaf Red Sox SPs, off back T206 Red Sox, a few others), but I did manage to corral a '52 Red Sox card to get me closer to completing that set, along with a pair of 49 bowman red sox for super cheap, a 68 Jose Santiago, a 1950 Bobby Brown (the former AL president, not the recording artist), a 59 Stan Musial with a bit of writing on the back, and a three pristine 75 mini commons from the aforementioned dude. Total spend was $45 but I left feeling like I was really efficient and filled a few needs. Playing the long game over here.