Thoughts, observations and opinions on the National

[scooter729]

Although I had a great time, there were a couple of things which bugged me about the National. Nothing specific to the National, since they happen at all shows, but it seemed to be a constant.
- Some dealers really need to learn some customer service skills. I could count on my fingers the number of dealers who would greet me as I looked at their items at the table. Do they realize people are more likely to look a bit more if you have a smile or a welcoming remark?
- Can dealers learn to put prices on a card that is visible? Even if it is 3x what I want to pay, I honestly am more apt to look twice at the card with a price. On the front.
- For dealers who leave the table for extended periods, leaving a wife or someone who is unfamiliar with prices of items, you NEED to mark items with prices, rather than having the person tell the customer to come back later. This happened several times to me – I saw something of interest, asked how much it was, the person looked and saw no price, and told me to come back later when so-and-so was back at the table. At a venue like the National, there is a Blutarsky-esque 0.0% chance of me finding or wanting to return to that table later.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by scooter729

- Can dealers learn to put prices on a card that is visible? Even if it is 3x what I want to pay, I honestly am more apt to look twice at the card with a price. On the front.

I think dealers feel that if the price is on the back then you will have to ask and then be able to work something out. It sort of bugs me too. All of my cards had prices on the front. I don't think I saw another dealer with them on the front!! It just makes more sense to me but to each his own. AND I did remember what has been said on the board and tried to acknowledge and say hi to each and everyone looking at my cases. See, voicing your opinion does help.

Another short, sort of amusing story. I was in a hotel lobby watching 4 guys opening newer packs of cards...from the 70's to 90's. I am interested in all facets of the hobby so walked up and asked them several questions about what they were doing and why. They said they liked opening packs they opened as kids and were looking to pull 8's and better to help pay/offset their costs. It looked like they were having fun so what's not to like? One of the guys asked, "aren't you Leon?" from Net54. I said yes and then every one of the four said they know of me and read the board. Most of them read it daily. I think more people read the board than we even know.....

[4815162342]

I had a great time at my first national. Got to meet several Net54ers (Leon, Ted, Josh, Bill, Dave), met Brian Cataquet, went to the PSA luncheon, picked up a few T206s, went to the Thursday night Orioles game, and ate some fine crab cakes at Phillips.

[tribefan]

Originally Posted by Leon

Another short, sort of amusing story. I was in a hotel lobby watching 4 guys opening newer packs of cards...from the 70's to 90's. I am interested in all facets of the hobby so walked up and asked them several questions about what they were doing and why. They said they liked opening packs they opened as kids and were looking to pull 8's and better to help pay/offset their costs. It looked like they were having fun so what's not to like? One of the guys asked, "aren't you Leon?" from Net54. I said yes and then every one of the four said they know of me and read the board. Most of them read it daily. I think more people read the board than we even know.....

Thanks for the mention Leon, I was wondering if our meeting would make the board!!! I could tell that you are sincere about everyone enjoying the hobby in their own way. Plus how often can you get both bar servers to try a piece of 1970's Topps gum!

I'm from Cleveland, so I'm partial to having it in the rotation. Baltimore was great in every aspect, except the lighting inside the center seemed a bit rough to me. The location was perfect, with the hotel proximity, ballpark, and surrounding attractions.

Mike

[Leon]

Originally Posted by tribefan

Thanks for the mention Leon, I was wondering if our meeting would make the board!!! I could tell that you are sincere about everyone enjoying the hobby in their own way. Plus how often can you get both bar servers to try a piece of 1970's Topps gum!

I'm from Cleveland, so I'm partial to having it in the rotation. Baltimore was great in every aspect, except the lighting inside the center seemed a bit rough to me. The location was perfect, with the hotel proximity, ballpark, and surrounding attractions.

Mike

Hey Mike
I doubt I could pick you out from the 3 other guys you were sitting with but that's ok. I am poor on remembering names but pretty good on remembering faces. I do enjoy the hobby a lot and enjoy watching others enjoy it, in their own way. Who cares if it's shiney stuff, old stuff, plastic, non-slabbed etc...? As long as you aren't hurting anyone and having fun with friends it's all good. It brings me back to the days of the late 60's and early 70's when I collected as a kid. Those were the days. So carefree and innocent.....listening to the Astros on the radio, with the next door neighbor gentleman, in the front yard, spitting out sunflower seed shells.....

And Joe D- that is what makes the National great. I go there for the cards and friends and show......MOST others are sort of like yourself in that they like to take in some other things. One small thing is that you mentioned you go there to meet up with friends....well, that is just about as important to me as the cards. So we do have that in common. It was nice hanging out with you and downing a few. Hope to do it again next year!!! regards

[bbcard1]

It's funny...I think you have to go organized or totally not. I don't know how many of you guys know Chandy Greenholt, one of my favorite guys in the hobby...but the man basically pulls in a dumptruck load of stuff and has collectors go at it...and they seem to love it...

[birdman42]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

It's funny...I think you have to go organized or totally not. I don't know how many of you guys know Chandy Greenholt, one of my favorite guys in the hobby...but the man basically pulls in a dumptruck load of stuff and has collectors go at it...and they seem to love it...

Was Chandy the guy with the pile of cards in the middle of a table, anything for $1? I've never seen anything like that at a card show--all loose, just jumbled up, cards, postcards, Exhibits, anything you can imagine. People were rooting through that pile like the sale table at WalMart the day after Thanksgiving.

Bill

When It Was A Hobby

This was our 16th National Convention. However, it was our first convention in nearly five years. During that time, we had two major battles with a life-threatening illness, a personal family tragedy, and a key employee who stole a great of money from one of the firm’s accounts. Thanks to a group of incredible doctors and nurses, and the support our friends, we are well on the road to recovery. The employee is under investigation, and is likely to be “out of touch for several years to come.

We always enjoy the NATIONAL because it provides us with the opportunity to catch up with dealers and collectors with whom we have corresponded or worked over the past three decades.

Without going into all the old stories when one could buy 100 T202’s in excellent to mint to near mint condition for $400 or THE NATIONAL where we purchased a Just So (now graded 6) from Bill Mastro for $1000, we recognize that skyrocketing prices, highly visible public auctions and the transparency provided by the Internet and services like Vintage Card Prices make it unlikely that an exceptionally rare, graded baseball card would be sold rather than auctioned.

We did manage to acquire three cards for America’s Toughest Want List as well as two extraordinary pieces of memorabilia.
We enjoyed the show because it reminded us of the days when it was a hobby. While Goody Goldfaden, Frank Nagy, Buck Barker and others are only distant memories, it was great to see a few legendary collectors like John Rumeriz.

We have loved this hobby for more than three decades. Although we collect a old cardboard, we appreciate that the market will continue to evolve. We accept and embrace that fact.

However, two days at the NATIONAL did remind us of how much fun we had when “it was a hobby.”

Bruce Dorskind
bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com
America's Toughest Want List

[BearBailey]

I thought the National was Great! Been to 5, 93,94,95,03, and this year and I feel as far as location and proximity to other things, Camden Yards, Food, Aquarium, Museums, etc. This was the best. If you took your family like I did, there was plenty to keep them as occupied as I was at the Show, and then we all went to the O's games every night. Show was great and if you looked around you could find real bargains. It was also nice to see Boog Powell walking around and looking at some of the tables. I hope it returns to Baltimore in the future.

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by birdman42

Was Chandy the guy with the pile of cards in the middle of a table, anything for $1? I've never seen anything like that at a card show--all loose, just jumbled up, cards, postcards, Exhibits, anything you can imagine. People were rooting through that pile like the sale table at WalMart the day after Thanksgiving.

Bill

That is signature Chandy...he is a hoot. I always try to catch him in Chantilly. He is an absolute prince of a guy, never haggles, but hard to get to talk to because his table is ALWAYS busy.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

It's funny...I think you have to go organized or totally not. I don't know how many of you guys know Chandy Greenholt, one of my favorite guys in the hobby...but the man basically pulls in a dumptruck load of stuff and has collectors go at it...and they seem to love it...

I've bought so much stuff from Chandy over the years on ebay I'd love to meet him. It's amazing some of the stuff he finds out there on the east coast that fits my collection.

[scottglevy]

Dad (Hank) and I both agreed that this was probably the most fun that we've had collecting and sharing our cards in years.

While my primary motivation was simply to share our collection with whomever would spend a few moments to look, there were so many collectors looking for raw vintage cards that it was virtually impossible not to make quite a few sales.

I also found quite a few great cards floating around and couldn't resist picking up of couple of them.

Thanks to everyone that stopped by to say hi. I hope that another National comes to the East Coast in the near future.

Best Regards,
Scott

[4815162342]

Anyone else see any cards that remain on eBay even though you bought them at the National?

[Exhibitman]

I spent a while digging gold at Chandy's buck-a-rama. Fun stuff.

I'd say the show was on par with Chicago except that I did enjoy Chicago's restaurants more, and getting to Chicago was easier for me than getting to Baltimore. However, if the choice is Baltimore or Cleveland, Baltimore is my preference, hands down.

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I spent a while digging gold at Chandy's buck-a-rama. Fun stuff.

I'd say the show was on par with Chicago except that I did enjoy Chicago's restaurants more, and getting to Chicago was easier for me than getting to Baltimore. However, if the choice is Baltimore or Cleveland, Baltimore is my preference, hands down.

LOL! Wasn't it a year ago that someone called you, (and I quote):


"WOW!! MR. High End Millionare dealer/collector/pompus ass. The National is'nt all about you megabuck nerds. You got some big stones calling the I-X a dump. "


And you're still crapping on Cleveland!

[E93]

I enjoyed the show in every respect in the ways that people mentioned: nice venue, good location (within Baltimore), good layout, etc. The only drawback for me and others from the west coast was the long distance to get there. The best part is always hanging out with hobby friends. I just hope they don't make us do it in Cleveland again.
JimB

[Danny Smith]

I thought the show was a blast. Great selection of vintage cards and autos. Picked up a bunch of key pieces to the sets I was working on at fair prices. My wife and i got to meet some new folks from the board and also catch up with old friends. I too would vote for Baltimore as the permanent East Coast location in the rotation with Cleveland and Chicago. I was totally bummed when I heard they were even considering Atlantic City again.

All in all I had a ton of fun and picked up some cool cards and autos.

[tbob]

Originally Posted by scooter729

- Can dealers learn to put prices on a card that is visible? Even if it is 3x what I want to pay, I honestly am more apt to look twice at the card with a price. On the front.
.

Amen Scooter. This has always bothered me. That way I can at least know if I am in the ballpark with my offer.

[bijoem]

I think it was a great National and Baltimore is very enjoyable location.

I am kind of amazed that there is so much in such a such small area. The hotel / the ball park / the convention center / the aquarium / inner harbor / etc.... all within steps of each other. Thats pretty cool - and I think that makes Baltimore a great place for any convention. Whoever plans those things out did a great job.


Leon - we are on different sides of the fence on the 'its all about the show' opinion. For me, the stuff outside (dinner and drinks with friends / ballgame / etc.) is what makes the whole trip worthwhile. Its less about the show to me - and more about the time spent with friends. I very much enjoyed sharing a few drinks with you at the lounge. I look forward to the next time we get to belly up to the bar again.


I met so many friends I only knew by name or handle or icon - and it was great to break bread with them and enjoy some laughs.


As far as the cards -
My collecting focus has changed a bit - - - so I didn't have much in the way of expectations. I was pleasantly surprised at the items offered and am very happy with the items I was able to pick up (mostly golf cards). I didn't run into any 'jerky' dealers. Actually quite the opposite - - - I thought most everyone behind the tables were very nice.

I like Chicago a little bit better (just a bias / love for the city of Chicago).... but I have to give Baltimore an A + for venue.