East Coast National - White Plains, NY

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

My biggest issue with all of the big card shows these days including the National (actually most of all the National) is that the dealers (and their friends/"helpers" who are not dealers and HAVE NOT PAID for this opportunity) not only have the chance to walk around before the show is opened to the public but even go so far as to be able to walk around THE DAY BEFORE the show is open to the public. Rest assured, almost no bargains make it through to the time that the show initially opens to the rest of us (including those that paid a lot of extra money for VIP admission to enter the show early).

I beg to differ. There are lots of opportunities as the National progresses if you are relentless in covering the floor all day, every day. Some of the best items I got were on Friday, stuff that either walked in and was being resold or items that the dealers hadn't put out before then, or stuff that was just plain buried in the mass of material. There are definitely deals to be had the first day but the National is so big that it is impossible to "loot" it fully on preview day, even if you hit the floor at 8:00 sharp. But you gotta work the show to find stuff. The National is a long march, not a sprint. I was absolutely exhausted every evening with aching feet from covering so much floor for 8 hours or more.