Valley Forge Philly Show....Dec 4-6th....check it out

[ValKehl]

I drove, accompanied by another local collector, 3 hours each way thru rain and snow from No. Va. to attend the Phily Show on Saturday. And, I was glad I went, as I was able to obtain some cards for my type collection (see pics on December pickup thread). Granted, the current Phily Shows are mere shadows of the incredible Willow Grove & Ft. Washington Shows, which I long for as much as anyone else who ever attended them. But, other than the Chantilly, Va. shows, which are are notch or two below the Phily Shows with respect to having vintage material, there aren't any decent shows within a reasonable drive from my house to attend. And, despite all the vintage material now available online (auctions, eBay, Net54 BST, etc.), nothing excites me more than seeing vintage cards & memorabilia in person! I can understand where those who have world class collections (think Leon, whom I truly enjoyed meeting and chatting with ) might have been disappointed with the Phily Show, but such is not me. And, I enjoy seeing the choice items the auction houses bring to these shows; seeing the 1921 Baltimore Tip Top cards, for example, live and in person was a thrill for me, as I may never again see any of these cards live and in person again in my lifetime. So, I conclude by saying, long live the Phily Show, even in its diminished state!!

[tinkereversandme]

I made the three hour trek with a fellow collector for Saturday as he needed Mike Schmidt and was willing to pony up for a pair of tickets that cost him like $140. I am the guy who goes through binders and collect cards mostly on a budget.

I go to...6-7 shows a year (Chantilly as well) and I will admit that I am never disappointed as the appeal of these shows are the human beings. People I never met before are happy to talk about their collections and what they achieve and hope to achieve.

Shows will never be like what they once were, but it's extinction would be a sad chapter in the hobby, as already out of spite, I refuse to recognize the existence of a periodical I can spend a lazy Sunday shuffling through.

Regards,

Larry

[Jewish-collector]

I believe the focus in Hunt's opinion as the new promoter is to make it more of an autograph show. The show is becoming more like the Chantilly show. I remember the days when there was so much excitement waiting in a long line on the Friday afternoon to get in. Sadly, those days are long gone.

[danc]

I don't think it's so much about an autograph show since there are usually only a handful of guests over the weekend but the guests perhaps bring in people that wouldn't ordinarily go to the show. In March, when I last went, they had Mays, Robinson and McCovey on Saturday and the show was fairly well attended while the collectors stayed away from the autograph guests because of the unrealistic prices.

The old days were well attended because of the excitement over new current products. The Internet world has changed everything. Rarely will you go to a show like this and see something you haven't seen in a printed catalog before and if it is offered for sale, would you tackle that price? Especially since every dealer there has an "exit strategy" now, that they didn't before.

You used to be able to make a wild offer on a Sunday and maybe get a deal, but today, with eBay and auction houses, you can get that price down the road or even almost immediately with eBay. Shows are "In Person Buy It Nows" and Auction Previews. In saying all of the above, I still enjoy going and talking to dealers, sellers and friends.

DanC