Will anyone be giving a blow-by-blow account from the National this year?

[Mountaineer1999]

Originally Posted by kailes2872

12.) I had marked my list to see some of the Net54 folks and visit their booths. Unfortunately, I left it at the hotel and didn't have it to reference. If you saw a guy in an Austin 3:16 shirt and you were nice, I appreciate it. I am starting to get burned out on the hobby a bit. I always feel like I am the buy high sell low guy and I feel like a lot of these dealers would really stick it to me if they figured they could make a buck. If that is the way to get ahead in the hobby then count me out. I would witness the negotiation as they were going through material and buying. It was always discounting their collection, reminding the collector that they had plenty of inventory and would be sitting on it for a while, cherry picking the best stuff, giving a low ball take it or leave it offer, yet continually asking anyone with a backpack or a box in hand what they had and then going through the same exercise. If 70-80% of VCP is what I can count on, I shutter to think how much I would lose if I ever got liquid. Oh well, I collect for my personal pleasure - to buy up the stuff that I could never afford when I was a kid. I hope to pass it on to my boys some day. When I was a kid, I was often shoo'd away by the dealers as I was a low rent guy wanting to look at the big cards in their cases.

End of Rant, End of recap. File under TLDR, or enjoy if you were unable to attend and wanted a taste of what it was like. Probably not going to Chicago next year, as $60 for the three of us to walk through in 4 hours doesn't really justify it - but I will probably break down and go to Cleveland in 2 years if I am still in this collecting game.

Cheers,
Kevin

P.S. heard rumblings from a dealer that an autographed Mantle ball was swiped today.

Nice write-up Kevin, enjoyed reading. I've never been to a National, I did not know there was such a thing until a couple years ago when I became a member here. From what I have read, the common theme at The Nationals seems to be the over pricing of cards and the word 'rude' is used a lot. So I wonder why go? The money spent just to get there with travel, hotel and food etc. , then what does one get? Overpriced cards and rude dealers moving you along because he can tell you aren't going to drop $6K on a 1955 kids bubble gum card.