More on The National

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by John V

Question(s):
Also, do most dealers take credit cards or must everyone carry a bankroll?

I've wondered about that myself. This year will be my first trip to the National as well.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Assuming you don't try to do it all on Wednesday night, a really focused collector can see the whole show on any given day without rushing too much. Wednesday night + Thursday usually works out well for me and sometimes Friday just as a double check to make sure that I haven't missed anything the previous two days.

[Exhibitman]

You will have to truck pretty hard to get through it but there are some things you can do to maximize your time:

--Don't go anywhere there are carpeted aisles. Those are the corporate booth areas and there aren't any vintage cards for sale there.

--Don't submit on site grading or drop things off for grading.

--Purchase a VIP pass to get in earlier.

--Skip all auctioneer tables. Again, nothing for sale. Wait for the catalog.

--Unless something great screams at you from the table, give a table the once-over and quickly decide if it is worth looking at more in depth, then make a note of the booth number and move on. Circle back to those tables once you've made your initial pass.

--If you are well-acquainted with a dealer's inventory (as will be the case with certain nationally-known dealers with large Ebay stores, at least some of whom named their businesses after airplanes in Steve Miller songs), don't waste the time stopping at that table; you won't see anything new.

--Trust your first impressions of what a dealer has for sale. I roam the show for 4-5 days and my experience has been that perhaps 10%-20% of the show is pure crud, another 10%-20% is modern shiny crap or manufactured memorabilia that won't interest a vintage collector, another 10%-20% is vintage memorabilia that is interesting but of no use if you aren't a memorabilia guy, and another 10%-20% is devoted to sports other than baseball. Realistically, if your focus is prewar baseball it won't be worth your while even to stop at 1/3 to 2/3 of the tables.

--Don't get stuck at the mounds-o-crap type booths unless you have time to kill or see something really great on the top. Odds are that a table that is a mess is run by someone with no idea of what he has for sale and is a giant time suck. Come back to those if they seem worth exploring. Similarly, if a dealer tells you he doesn't know whether he has a type of item, walk away. If he doesn't know his inventory and gives you a box of crud to wade through, odds are you will waste a lot of time there. Again, if it looks interesting, maybe hit the table on a second pass.

--Have a 'litmus test' item from your want list but make it a broad category, like T206s or Old Judge baseball, and ask for it whenever a dealer asks if he can help you. It will be pretty easy to tell if the dealer has anything to do with that sort of material based on his response.

--Walk away, fast, from a table that has been left in care of a little kid or a frustrated wife. Nothing but misery awaits you there.

--Lunch is for wimps. Take a packet of nuts or a granola bar; don't waste time in line then sitting down sampling the 'cuisine' at the convention.

--Pee on your own time, not on show time.

As far as payment, cash is king. Don't expect many dealers to take anything except greenbacks or perhaps travelers checks.

[forazzurri2axz]

I have a table for the first time and I think I am near the Corporate area( booth 1909) and I will have 1000 vintage (only) cards);;; and

and it's also easier on your feet if the rest is concrete/hard floor

cheers, bill

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

--Skip all auctioneer tables. Again, nothing for sale. Wait for the catalog.

I'll add that this is true for just about every auction house's table. However, the ones that seem to be plagued by bidders who don't pay for their lots just might have something for sale at their tables -- heck, maybe from an auction that recently ended.

But I don't have a problem with any of them (or anyone or anything in the hobby, really). They've always been great to work with. Happy Father's Day.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

As far as payment, cash is king. Don't expect many dealers to take anything except greenbacks or perhaps travelers checks.

That's disappointing. How many muggings are there outside the gates?