The National: Is 4 hrs. enough on Wednesday?

[skelly]

It could be enough time, depends on the kind of shape you are in / how quickly you want to navigate / be aggressive as far as getting the attention of dealers. Also depends on how crowded it will be. You might want to play it safe and give yourself more time. To go all the way out there, you don’t want to have any regrets or thoughts that you might have missed something.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by skelly

It could be enough time, depends on the kind of shape you are in / how quickly you want to navigate / be aggressive as far as getting the attention of dealers. Also depends on how crowded it will be. You might want to play it safe and give yourself more time. To go all the way out there, you don’t want to have any regrets or thoughts that you might have missed something.

Pretty easy to identify whose selling vintage and not the shiny recent stuff.

[notfast]

No.

Not at all. I have a very unique focus and you need to look at every booth including a quick once over of the modern booths because they could have someone in the corner of a showcase.

[shoreball51]

If you want to not feel rushed as you look Ithink 4 hours is not enough time. Also keep in mind you may encounter a line to enter so you may not actually have 4 hours.

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Pretty easy to identify whose selling vintage and not the shiny recent stuff.

That does nothing but cut the show in half. Now all he has to do is look closely at around 500 tables for a needle in a haystack. He'll need all day....at least.

[JollyElm]

I can't get through a single table at a show in four hours, because I'm too busy talking people up and looking for cool cardboard adventures.

The more time you're able to give yourself, the better. Being overly rushed is not the way to go at these things.

[CardPadre]

I wouldn't think you need to spend a ton of time at each vintage table scanning for Thorpe stuff. Just quickly ask the dealer if they have any...that's something they will instantly know. Or carry a sign around that says "Thorpe?" and flash it to every dealer you pass and get a nod or a shake. EZ.

[Brent G.]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

That does nothing but cut the show in half. Now all he has to do is look closely at around 500 tables for a needle in a haystack. He'll need all day....at least.

Wow — I guess I have no idea of the scope. I’ve been to the November and March shows at Donald Stephens the last couple years since I got back into the hobby, and it’s a pretty quick.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

Wow — I guess I have no idea of the scope. I’ve been to the November and March shows at Donald Stephens the last couple years since I got back into the hobby, and it’s a pretty quick.

Not even remotely the same situation. The National dwarfs those shows.

[Brent G.]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Not even remotely the same situation. The National dwarfs those shows.

Thursday it is then. Appreciate all the insight.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Let us know how much time you actually required and what your plan of attack turned out to be.

Just as everybody's amount of time will vary depending on their purpose for being at the show, methods of operation will also differ from person to person.

As one poster brought up, you never know if some mostly modern dealer might have some vintage tucked away in a corner, but you have to consider how much time you actually have and calculate the very low odds of finding a pre-War Jim Thorpe card from someone who uses the word "refractor" in every other sentence. I wouldn't waste even a second in asking, while others will spend the entire week at the show because they can not help themselves in checking at every single booth. Yes, people have found good items because of such persistence, but I'd prefer to get out of a show as fast as possible rather than subject myself to that degree of tedium. Not for me. To me, that's equatable to going into a Tesla dealership and asking if they have any Hummers for sale. More power to anyone who finds their needle in a haystack that way; you deserve it for your hard work!

[Snapolit1]

Or you ask the dealer if he has what you are looking for.

Not exactly comparable, but if I am looking for Lou Gehrig type 1 photos I could
Cover the National easily in 4 hours.




QUOTE=OhioLawyerF5;2522452]That does nothing but cut the show in half. Now all he has to do is look closely at around 500 tables for a needle in a haystack. He'll need all day....at least.[/QUOTE]

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Or you ask the dealer if he has what you are looking for.

Not exactly comparable, but if I am looking for Lou Gehrig type 1 photos I could
Cover the National easily in 4 hours.

If that's how you feel about a show, why go at all? Just shop on ebay or auction houses. You'll find a lot more there. Most people don't go to a card show to do all they can to avoid looking at cards.