What to expect at “The National”

[packs]

Expect nothing to be priced reasonably and to rage buy a card for more than you'd like to pay before you leave.

[oldjudge]

Expect crickets. My guess is that the National will be cancelled.

[notfast]

Unless you are expecting madness, dont think any predictions made for a National in this market will be correct.

The market is insane. We’ve never seen anything like it. A National will be unlike anything any of us have seen.

[JollyElm]

Couldn't even approach the door and get in to a small local show out here last week due to room capacity/social distancing requirements. Hundreds and hundreds of people stuck in line and going nowhere for the entire day. I can't even imagine what kind of Rip Van Winkle nightmare The National would be.

[Steve_NY]

Unfortunately when you ask a serious question like that you will get all kinds of answers. The facts remain that the National is essentially a huge card show where you can find all kinds of card and memorabilia. Will you find everything possible -- NO, but you will find a fantastic selection of sports and non -sports paper and non-paper items.

If you are looking for rare items, then do NOT listen to those that say wait until Sunday for the best bargain. The rarest of the rare will probably be sold on Day 1 or 2. Serious collectors come out on day 1 or 2 or even the set up day if someone close gets them in the door.

If you are looking for common or easy to find collectibles, then it's not necessary to get there early, and some dealers will have bargains on Saturday and Sunday.

After reading the Covid level requirements for conventions, it is quite likely that the National will be delayed until October unless there are some major results in May in Illinois.

I have not set up at a show since August 2019 and look forward to the next National, but if only 1,000 individuals can enter the convention at any one time, and over 500 are dealers set up at the show, it's counter-productive to have the National until Phase 5 is met (when there are no such attendance requirements).

I am planning on getting ready for the National this week so I can be ready with a display that I am happy with.

BTW, I want to correct a misconception that many are making: This is NOT a time that we have never seen in the hobby. I have done card shows for 45 years and the hobby has seen many such explosions of collecting. In particular, the late 1970s and the mid-1980s, they used to throw money at us to get first dibs on an item.

But the hobby has never seen the kind of money that is currently being spent on rookies and limited edition collectibles.

The 2021 National should be interesting.

[the-illini]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Expect crickets. My guess is that the National will be cancelled.

I can see it being moved to October, but another cancellation would surprise me. Illinois is opening up.

That is always subject to change, but it is trending well here.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by the-illini

I can see it being moved to October, but another cancellation would surprise me. Illinois is opening up.

That is always subject to change, but it is trending well here.

I saw they gave the OK for the Chicago Auto Show July 15-19 in downtown Chicago. That is a good sign for the National to go off as planned.

[Rich Klein]

Here's the release referred to. No guarantees but a great sign!

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...kpLxrwJ1occtQk

[Johnny630]

If people can sit three deep, elbow to elbow, aboard a commercial aircraft for a 5hr direct cross county flight fully masked why can’t the National happen at Full Capacity.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

If people can sit three deep, elbow to elbow, aboard a commercial aircraft for a 5hr direct cross county flight fully masked why can’t the National happen at Full Capacity.

...with recirculated air in the plane, no less.

I've stopped counting the number of discrepancies and contradictions enacted within my home state. And despite this, the current infection rate here is higher than most of the free states which have far fewer restrictions.

[CurtisFlood]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

If people can sit three deep, elbow to elbow, aboard a commercial aircraft for a 5hr direct cross county flight fully masked why can’t the National happen at Full Capacity.

Illinois is way backward as far as events is concerned. Texas has been holding booming card shows for over a year with people shoulder to shoulder and everyone having a great time and wearing masks. Mall shows have been good, although they are not as heavily attended as the hotel shows. No restrictions on attendance that I am aware of. There is no reason for them to limit capacity other than those of the Fire Marshal in Chicago. It should go on with no restrictions unless they just want to control the masses, which is very possible.

[Steve_NY]

Rich -- Obviously, this is fantastic news, but for the National to actually come off, we would need the state to be in the phase 5 stage. The "bridge to phase 5" stage would not be practical due to the limits on attendance. Can the National Committee move forward with the show not knowing if phase 5 will be reached in July? Hopefully the June 1 indicators will point to a July phase 5 unlimited opening.

Rich, I am convinced that the National Committee has all of our interests and safety in mind. If we can reach phase 5 in July, let's have the best National ever held and break all attendance records.

BTW I am already preparing for this year's event and would be SO DISAPPOINTED if it has to be rescheduled.

Steve

[Santo10Fan]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

If people can sit three deep, elbow to elbow, aboard a commercial aircraft for a 5hr direct cross county flight fully masked why can’t the National happen at Full Capacity.

At this point, that's actually the goal. Pritzker, Lightfoot, etc. are all explicitly stating "full" reopening by July 4.

Strict mask regulations and cabin air filters reduce the risk of outbreaks on flights to almost zero. So my question to DSCC is what exactly is in place air-filtration wise. Didn't the legionnaires disease disaster back in 1976 force convention halls to upgrade HVAC systems? Everyone from the Village will make small talk, but I get ghosted when I ask about firm dates and maintenance work.