The National will be interesting

[Exhibitman]

I'd say more overload than malaise. There is so much opportunity for acquiring material, from multiple big auctions every week to eBay to resurgent local shows, that it just doesn't seem urgent to go to the National for the stuff. As others have said, it has become more of a social event, and the lack of a central hotel complex and a venue that is miles from anything else turns this year's show into a less-than-ideal situation for socializing. Add to that the costs and inconveniences of travel and quite a few collectors are giving it a pass this year. I'm heading to NYC instead for the weekend of the 16th for the East Coast National and the Fanaticsfest. Then I come home to work the Anaheim show the next weekend, and the Pasadena show two weeks after that.