What Are Your Earliest Card Show Memories?

[skelly]

I guess my two main memories ( we're talking about 1987-1989ish ) would be that you really didn't see much as far as 50's-60's football and hockey. I remember someone had bowman football cards and I was just in awe of them. The other thing was if you saw something it seemed like you should buy it immediately back then. Stuff would sell quick. Today, yes deals are done, but a table's inventory doesn't seem to change much throughout the day. Back then, dealers seemed to be in a perpetual pattern of selling and restocking on the fly as the day would go on.

[CurtisFlood]

Originally Posted by skelly

I guess my two main memories ( we're talking about 1987-1989ish ) would be that you really didn't see much as far as 50's-60's football and hockey. I remember someone had bowman football cards and I was just in awe of them. The other thing was if you saw something it seemed like you should buy it immediately back then. Stuff would sell quick. Today, yes deals are done, but a table's inventory doesn't seem to change much throughout the day. Back then, dealers seemed to be in a perpetual pattern of selling and restocking on the fly as the day would go on.

That is correct. I remember people watching me make a purchase from a walk up, then approaching to see what I had put in my cases. Many times they would say: I'll take that one. They were like vultures circling a kill! Fun times.

[TCMA]

My first card show related memory was posing for the program cover of the 1984 National with my cousin in my back yard. Don't remember if I was actually at the show or not. I was 6 years old.

That's me on the left:

[Goodsport40]

My first show was at a very small mall in my hometown.

I remember buying a Post Yogi Berra because my Dad told me about him. Wish I had kept that one.

I also remember buying packs of 1981 Fleer(!) They were all the rage. Good times.

[PowderedH2O]

I was 16 (in 1981-82 era) and I lived in the New Orleans suburbs. There was a card show announced and I was working at Wendy's and I had some money saved up. I was thrilled!!! I walked around the room (30 dealers?) and found a guy selling 50's cards. So, I started talking to him and asked to see some of the cards. He basically told me to pound sand and he didn't have time to waste with a teenager. I went to other dealers and eventually bought both 1954 Topps Ted Williams, a 1955 Ted Williams, 1960-1964 Yastrzemskis, and a few other star cards from the 50's and 60's. Overall, I had a great time, but the first card show dealer I ever spoke to was a jerk. Alas, he would not be the last.

[Leon]

As stated, but to elaborate a bit....I don't remember going to shows in the 1960s-1970s as a kid. When I went to a small, local show in about 1994-1995, in Dallas I was hooked. I saw beat up cards of players that were my boyhood idols for sale. I started collecting HOF rookies (and stopped unfortunately)....and progressed back to pre-war from there.