2024 National Table Space

[Hankphenom]

It's hard for me to imagine anyone mounting the effort to provide a true alternative to the National, or offering a second "National," but if the unmet demand continues to rise, something has to give. Of course, the promoters only care to a certain extant who buys their tables and what they do with them. What's good for them and what's good for the hobby are not exactly the same thing. Priority dealers buying multiple tables to sublet to the same dealers show after show and thereby blocking out new dealers can't be a good thing, I wouldn't imagine. An allowance for some turnover and new blood has to be built in somehow. Quick story: about 20 yeas ago, I finally talked my buddy Kevin Keating, perhaps the biggest sports autograph dealer in the world by then, into setting up at shows. He applied to Bob Schmierer, legendary founder of the "Philly Show"--then operating four times yearly at Ft. Washington and pretty much at it's peak--and was accepted. When Bob came by to meet Kevin, they had a nice chat in the course of which Kevin asked innocently, "What do I have to do to get a corner table?" Giving Kevin the evil eye, Bob replied gruffly, "those are not for rookies," and walked away. Kevin and I have had many laughs over that in the years since, but the point is that the Philly Show stood out above all others for a reason: Bob Schmierer knew how to run a great show. The best dealers, orderly setups and breakdowns, no dealers leaving early, even on Sundays, etc. Whatever "policing" of table space and availability is required for the good of all wouldn't be that hard, it just takes the will to do it. Bob could show them how. Everybody may not have loved him, but they loved his shows. RIP, Bob.