Oaks Show question and pick-ups...

[Jay Wolt]

SGC's on site grading is $35. And yesterday at the Oaks they had $20 coupons
to use towards your on site grading fees.
Perhaps they will have a similar special for Chicago?

[chaddurbin]

so $15 for end of show grading? that's a great deal! can you pick up or will they have to mail you back the cards? (extra shipping fees)

[bbcard1]

If anyone is in the Philly area, traffic has been slower than anyone would have anticipated, and I'd make a trip today. I think a lot of dealers would be willing to be flexible in pricing. As for myself, I have had an outstanding show. I got to meet Leon, made a pretty big wholesale to Lelands...who I recommend...I was generally pleased with the offers I was extended and we simply saw things differently on the things on which we could not come to an accord on and things were handled efficiently and professionally...thanks Louis. I consigned a couple of items to Baggers...and I moved A LOT of bulk, which was my intention. I even picked up a half dozen cards for my collection including a beater Dahlen Brooklyn T206.

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by chaddurbin

so $15 for end of show grading? that's a great deal! can you pick up or will they have to mail you back the cards? (extra shipping fees)

I got the coupon when I entered at 2:00 on Friday and gave them a Buchner Tip O'Neill on the spot,
and had it returned slabbed within 90 minutes. Though I'm sure the grading time changed as the day went on.

[judsonhamlin]

I was at the show on Friday and had a chance to meet a few Net54er's including Leon - thanks for the E90's, btw. I made some decent pickups - E90-1's (including a Seigle) and Batter Up's mostly, and the prices seemed better than Valley Forge. Foot traffic was pretty minimal (3:00-6:30) but even some of the dealers weren't set up at that point. I will definitely keep going to Oaks and would encourage anyone who is used to Valley Forge to support this show as well.

[x2drich2000]

I was at the show yesterday and thought I'd share my views.

I had a good time speaking with several dealers, particularly Leon and Chris Buckler. I thought most dealers were helpful and proactive trying to find stuff for customers, even had a few direct me to other dealers who they thought might have what I was looking for. However, it seems a few dealers continue to not understand that customer service, even if it doesn't result in an immediate sale, gives a lasting impression. Personally, I know I'm not going to bother inquiring about an item if the dealer is talking on his cell phone, has head phones on, or is sleeping, all of which I saw dealers doing throughout the afternoon.

The attendance seemed slow throughout the day and from my conversations, I got the impression it was even slower Friday. Not sure if it was the weather, too soon after the last Philly show, or what, but if people don't attend, they can't expect the dealers to come back. I would also point out that the aisles seemed more widely spaced then at the Philly show and this may have made it appear even less crowded than it actually was. On the positive side, the room layout provided plenty of space for everyone to move around, including the families with strollers (of which their seemed to be quite a few).

On the vintage side, I definitely think there was a good assortment. Prices ranged from just above Ebay to much, much higher. As previously stated, I agree that prices overall were a bit lower than the Philly Show and dealers seemed more than willing to drop their prices immediately. Many times I heard dealers say they could do better on the price before even showing someone a card or that the price listed was just a place to start talks.

Personally, I was concentrating on trying to make progress on my E93 set. While there was a larger selection to choose from then I've previously encountered at shows, either prices were way too high or they were players I already had. As a result, I came away from the show with nothing for myself. However, I definitely think the show has a lot of potential and could really grow. I'm planning to go to the next show and would recommend everyone who did not attend to go to the next show as well.

One last comment, one of the main complaints I have been hearing about the Philly Show is that it is becoming an "autograph" show. I don't have a problem having autograph guests, and actually think it can be a great way to get more people in the door. However, I know I have had trouble getting to dealer tables at the Philly Show due to the autograph lines. While there was definitely a presence of the autograph area, there was also ample room allocated so that it did not effect viewing dealer tables.

dj

[RobertGT]

Unfortunately this show was a disappointment overall, due to very light foot-traffic all 3 days. At times it felt as if there were more dealers there than collectors in the cavernous convention space. There were still deals to be made, but the volume just wasn't there. Many of those who were buying appeared to be cherry-picking for grading/flipping purposes.

My general thought is much more will have to be done in the way of promotion in the future to bring in the crowds and for dealers to justify setting up. Just my two cents...

[Jewish-collector]

I did not attend this show, but will try to get there next time. You need to remember that this show is the promoter's (CSA/Marco) first time trying something outside of Chantilly (and previous Richmond show some years ago). It depends on what direction Marco wants this one to be. Does he want to concentrate on autographs or does he want it to be more cards & memorabilia ? The old Philly show, which concentrated on vintage material, seems to be dying, so perhaps Marco can make this one more for vintage cards & memorabilia as opposed to autographs. Time will tell.

Alan

[Bobsbats]

Having attended almost every Willow Grove/ Ft. Washington/ Valley Forge Show over the last 30 years, I thought that the show seemed to have a smaller crowd than the Valley Forge show....BUT, I can see huge upside for this venue. There was a ton of space there and Dealers looked like they had ample space for all of their inventory. I saw some vintage stuff, and managed to pick up a fantastic Spaulding Auto model Bat of Bresnahan from MHGPro at the show. The aisles were wider for walking, the dealers semmed generally nicer, BUT the one thing that drives me crazy is when Dealers complain about slow sales, than at 4:30 ( closing time 5:00 ) they have either their tables covered already or packed up.... I get it, it was a slow day, but you never know when YOUR customer will be walking in the door.

Overall, I think this show has a huge upside and I hope the slower sales from 1 show, don't stop people from giving it another shot.

Bob Hamlin