Reflections on 30 years of the Philly Show

[barrysloate]

Ted- I set up twice at Willow Grove and didn't really love it. Sales were slower in person than they were in my mail order business, and I was always antsy behind the table. I must have walked around the floor a hundred times a day. It wasn't for me. I preferred to go there and buy, and then when I felt I had done every deal I could, just head back home.

[reisshead]

It was nice to finally meet you at this last show, Ted. My first Philly show was as a teen in the early 80's when my father sold his shoebox of 51 Bowman dupes. I think he had 3 Mantles and 2 Mays in that box. Paid for the family vacation, and got me hooked. Had some great memories at the GW. It's been a long time since I can remember a show where you could hardly move in the aisles.....

Best of luck.

Bob

[JeremyW]

I really appreciate hearing about the "old time" shows & the stories behind them, they're great. Share some more, please.

[ncinin]

I am posting this information for Marco Rol, who will promote a card show at the GREATER PHILADELPHIA EXPO CENTER, Oaks, PA on April 15-16-17, 2011.

If you have any questions, contact Marco at CSASHOWS@AOL.COM or call at 540.456.6877. Updates can be found at www.csashows.com

"I'm getting very excited about the show, and word seems already to be spreading, judging from the dealers calling for booth information.

This Show will only have about a third the number of autograph guests as Chantilly, but a third more dealers. I'd like it to be more of a card show than the others CSA promotes. It won't be a Willow Grove; but then nothing ever will. However it will at least be a move in that direction, with more attention paid to the card dealers, both Vintage and shiny. So I certainly hope some of the net54 crowd will give it a try. I believe they'll agree it's a move in the right direction.

Also, though I haven't yet announced it on our website, Levi Bleam has consented to be our Host Dealer for the event, which means he'll be my liaison with the dealers I'm not as well acquainted with; he'll be responsible for relaying their suggestions and criticisms to me; basically I want him to be my guarantee that the Show at Oaks is what the Vintage dealers and collectors want. Levi, as you know, is not afraid to speak his mind. And I'm going to listen to him.

I would also like to extend an invitation to Ted Z to come out of retirement, especially if he would be so kind as to accept the offer of a free booth at Oaks.

Best regards, Marco Rol, CSASHOWS.com"

[bh3443]

I was thinking of all the great dealers that set-up at the early Willow Grove shows and thought I'd list them:
Bob Thing and I were against the long wall near the door with Enor Plastics, Halls Nostalgia and a few other guys.
Lew lipset was on the back wall a year or two and that was the year I bought some Talk of the Diamonds from Kevin Strauss.
The middle rows featured levi Bleam, Dick Sikes and Charlie Sachelli, Phil Spector, Bob Ochs (traded a 51 B Mantle to him straight up for a 51 Mays which started over 15 years of trades), Steve Freedman, Bill Goodwin, Art Taferro, Don Lepore and Richard Gelman, Ted Z, Joe Duggan (the first guy to bring memorabilia in quantity), Bill Gradzewicz and Jeff Miller, Wayne Miller, Ron Oser, Bill Mastro had a table but was always walking around, Barry Sloate was there a few times, Vince Rossi, Terry Knouse, and many more!

Famous guys that walked around but I don't think set up were:
Loe Avon and Joe Pasternack (in 1988 they had over 100 cases of the new Score BB), Gene Ryder (a Boston Police Det that was a big buyer, Rob Lifson was usually there on Sundays, and many more.

Back then, I was known to bring Tobacco cards from the N's and T's plus whatever E's, D's, etc.., I could find. I had a tremendous following of T collectors. I remember a guy and his wife who both made a 206 set and I heard eventually both bought a Wagner! I sold a Mayo Russie variation to Rob Lifson one year.

My goal was to sell as much as possible and re-invest most of it in Boston cards from every year to take back to my store in Framingham, Mass.

I also remember the big dinners we went to on Saturday along with the slew of "Gentlemens Clubs" we frequented,lol, I was 20 and single so it was fun time for me!

Just a little story here to spark some interest in the dealers that made the show great!

Marc Lewis and Warren Karp were always there represented CPU, the early price boks! What a great time we always had!

I'd love to hear more stories of those days!

Regards,
Bill Hedin

PS: Other "National Circuit shows included: Strongesville and Sharonville Ohio, Plymouth, Michigan, St. Louis holidome, Chicagoland by Bruce and Bonita Payntor, White Plains by A. Gloria Rothstien, and who could forget those Montclaire, NJ shows! My first auto shows were in NYC. A small monthly show I think Dan Dishley ran in the city plus a dentist had Mays and Mantle at the Armenian Church on 1rst Ave, plus those Meadowlands Hilton Events and of course CPU's Willie, Mickey and the Duke at the Statler Hotel across from the Garden was a classic.

I had done a few Creation Comic Shows in NYC in that time too!

[tedzan]

Great stories, thanks for sharing them with us. I will post a diagram later of the table layout at the old George Washington
Convetion Center, so that readers can get an appreciation of your description.

Pictured here is the BB card show program. Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn, Jim Bunning, Bob Feller, and Lary Doby were the
only HOFer's that I recall signing back then There were many Phillies and stars that were also autograph guests. One guest
that I have to tell you about is Jimmy Piersall....I'll save this for a later post here.

And, get this guys....autograph costs for these ballplayers were either free or less than $5.







TED Z