Notes from the National

[tbob]

Cloudy day in Chicago but everyone's excited about the sneak preview in an hour. They just announced that the pre-show ticket sales was fantastic and they look for a huge crowd this year, much bigger than the past few years. We shall see.....
The food in the VIP loung was awful but was free. Lots and lots of shiny card collectors packed the place. Didn't spot any familiar pre war faces but a lot of them are either setting up inside or waiting for 3:30 to hit the sneak preview.
The past few years there were a lot of the same cards I've seen in eBay with the same tired BIN prices but maybe this year the prices will be more reasonable. We can always hope ......

[Cobra Kai]

Keep the reports coming! Love hearing whats going on.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Cobra Kai

Keep the reports coming! Love hearing whats going on.

+1

[RGold]

It's like being there! I can almost smell the dealers!

[mrvster]

I have gotten a few reports .......sounds so exciting! can almost smell the printer's scrap....I think I need help!

[buymycards]

Maybe this is the year that some of the dealers actually make eye contact with their customers in between mouthfuls of food.

Sorry, I'm just PO'd that I'm not there.

Rick

[BengoughingForAwhile]

Originally Posted by RGold

It's like being there! I can almost smell the dealers!

The ones wearing deodorant or the ones without?

[kcohen]

Originally Posted by RGold

It's like being there! I can almost smell the dealers!

Now there's an image that will haunt me for years to come!

[tennisguy]

From not being at the National my knees are saved from those unforgiving concrete floors!

[atx840]

Geekness.

[Howe’s Hunter]

Just sayin'.

[timber63401]

Jumping in the car at 4 AM tomorrow and heading that way. Can't wait.

[atx840]

I'm sort of a big deal around here

So far my favorite part of the show is meeting so many nice collectors from here.

[milkit1]

the whole price tag thing is a puzzler to me too. If I see in a case that prices are high Im not going to ask to look at them. These dealers now have to:
A. open the case
B. Worry I dont steal cards
C. "Figure out" what they want
D. Put them back because they are over prices
E. Do all the above about 500 times a day

BTW the #1 culprit I saw doing this had his workers referring to him as MISTER.

[Howe’s Hunter]

Originally Posted by milkit1

BTW the #1 culprit I saw doing this had his workers referring to him as MISTER.

Mint?

[Cardboard Junkie]

Can someone explain, Why a dealer wouldn't have prices on his cards? If they were priced with what he wanted. They would just have to say "yes" and take the money or"no". Seems easy as pie. Am I missing something? Dave.

[kmac32]

Originally Posted by Cardboard Junkie

Can someone explain, Why a dealer wouldn't have prices on his cards? If they were priced with what he wanted. They would just have to say "yes" and take the money or"no". Seems easy as pie. Am I missing something? Dave.

Laziness. It might take a little work on the dealer's part.

[tbob]

Two of the cards I picked up which weren't T210s.

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by Cardboard Junkie

Can someone explain, Why a dealer wouldn't have prices on his cards? If they were priced with what he wanted. They would just have to say "yes" and take the money or"no". Seems easy as pie. Am I missing something? Dave.

They don't because the prices fluctuate per potential buyer. An uneducated buyer will get a ridiculous markup compared to a more educated one

[DeanH3]

I really appreciate you guys sharing your experiences. I wanted to make it so bad this year but it just wasn't in the "cards", excuse the pun. Hopefully next year will be the year I get to attend and finally meet some fellow Net54'ers.

Oh, wanted to ask if there many E93's, E101's, E102's and E92's being offered. Thanks again.

[thehoodedcoder]

Originally Posted by HOF Auto Rookies

They don't because the prices fluctuate per potential buyer. An uneducated buyer will get a ridiculous markup compared to a more educated one

Not excuses....more like potential reasons. Another good reason... If you have the cards for a year do you want to update your price to a higher number In front of the customer if book value goes up as they are holding it?

Now I am aware you absolutely have something to fire back with after that last sentence but I will cut you off by saying...it's a business to some and others not so much. What's wrong with capitalizing on a cards appreciation. You adjust it while in hand you lose a customer on spite alone.

Not everyone has the means to run their life or business to the utmost perfection sometimes. Perhaps they would prefer to take their kids to the park on a Saturday rather than updat their cards prices they take to shows for fun every month.

I'm certain everyone's reAson is different but in all reality one guys rant does not undercut their profits much on what is likely most do for fun and hobby.

That being said. Most of the cards for sale are also online. They have websites phone numbers and email. Just ask from different methods of contact and see if you get a different answer. I do that regularly.

You should always do your homework. Ones that do that make it on your caution list.

My experience is I have not had that happen yet. So I don't mind asking and looking at what I am interested in.

Kevin

[milkit1]

Originally Posted by StuckInOmaha

Mint?

haha no but your PROB close

[thehoodedcoder]

well. in stores, people swap price tags on cheaper items to more expensive items. people also make mistakes.

if you handle a large inventory it would be impossible for you to ensure that each item has not been tampered with and that you have done everything flawless on all of your items.

you gotta look it up anyway to make sure you are not making a mistake, before you actually buy a card or part with the card.

kevin

[Cardboard Junkie]

Originally Posted by thehoodedcoder

well. in stores, people swap price tags on cheaper items to more expensive items. people also make mistakes.

if you handle a large inventory it would be impossible for you to ensure that each item has not been tampered with and that you have done everything flawless on all of your items.

you gotta look it up anyway to make sure you are not making a mistake, before you actually buy a card or part with the card.

kevin

If these are excuses for cards not being priced, then they are absurd. First, shows are not stores.....someone is always there hovering over the showcases. Second, and errors or mistakes should be corrected before placed on sale. And third, one doesn't "have to look it up anyway".

I think the answer lies somewhere around laziness and greed.....Greed in the sense that dealers will "ask" (read charge) different people, different prices. Dave.

[packs]

I hate the priceless cards too. It's ridiculous. If there's a dealer on the board who refuses to list prices on their cards, I would love to hear the reasoning.

[tbob]

Day 3 and the old legs are getting sore from traipsing around the floor for so many hours each day. One of the hazards of being an "older collector" I guess. To me, the best part of coming to the National is the chance to re-kindle old friendships, meet guys in person who you otherwise only meet through emails, 54 posts or in bidding against them. Meeting new collectors and swapping stories is what I enjoy most. There are pre-war cards here and some dealers will come off their prices if you ask in a cordial and friendly way what the best price they can offer will be. Net 54 dealers, of course, are most receptive to offering deals. I was able to score some nice T210s from series 5,6 and 7 from Ted Z and enjoyed talking cards with Mr. PCL, Mark Macrae who has forgotten more about Zeenuts and West Coast minor league sets than anyone of us will ever know. Every time I talk to Mark I come away with more knowledge of Zeenuts and D310s and D311s and their history in the hobby. No visit to the National is complete with stopping at Leon, Scott B. and Richard M's table. Gary Nucherino and Ed Hans' table is also always a treat, not only for the cards but also for their friendship and kindness.
I met some collectors and dealers for the first time like Al C from Legends of the Fame and guys who I feel I know from the Board and eBay like Bruce Babcock who was always "uffda" to me. There are guys who seemed to have disappeared like Rob Adesso who I was glad to see again and the same old cast of characters who are always so much fun to hang with like Bill C, Robert S, Zach R, Tim N, Mike P, Lyman H, Adam W, Jim B and many more who I apologize for not naming. To me, this is what makes the hobby great.
As far as cards, not many E94s, 97s or 98s. Saw some 95s and 96s, more of the 95s. One dealer had a group of E99s and 100s but he had the 2010 price tags back when they were strong, not the softer nowadays prices. I managed to pick up a lot of T210s from East Coast cards, graded and raw, decent prices. William Chapelle sold me a T213 Matty that was slabbed and gorgeous at a good price. The albatross I chased for 6 years, the rare and elusive red background E98 Lajoie I picked up on eBay thanks to the help of some 54 members who let me know out of kindness, now rests in an SGC holder and looks beautiful. SGC customer service was far superior to PSA, as usual. PSA had more customers but that was no excuse for the boorish attitude of their employers toward collectors who patiently waited in line only to see others waited on first, etc.
The 54 Dinner and Drinks is tonight and I hope to see other 54ers there like David McDonald, Tom Boblitt and others who are here but I keep missing. I did meet a lot of members for the first time like Bubba and Frank Burkett. All in all it's been a great time....

[tbob]

Sorry, forgot to mention the tobacco cards. A fair amount of T201s and 202s but not as many as in past years. 204 Ramlys were pretty scarce. Good selection if T205s and a ton of T206s of course. Prices on any T206 with a lighter color or missing a color or miscut continue to baffle me as they are going through the roof. More T207s than I had seen in previous years but a paucity of Broadleafs, Anonymous back cards and very few red Cycke back cards. The tougher T207s seem to really have dried up. Not very many T213s as they appear to be the flavor if the month lately with a lot of interest in them. Not as many T210s either. The guys like Joe's Vintage Sportscards have seen their inventories evaporate, especially of higher graded T210s and cards from series 4-8. Very few Obaks, surprisingly, no Victorys which I saw.
It seems like more cards are being collected and going in to collections to disappear than in past years when cards seemed to have been flipped much more frequently....

[x2drich2000]

Tbob, did you happen to see any e92 Nadja other than the St. Louis players?

DJ

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by tbob

.........The 54 Dinner and Drinks is tonight and I hope to see other 54ers there like David McDonald, Tom Boblitt and others who are here but I keep missing. I did meet a lot of members for the first time like Bubba and Frank Burkett. All in all it's been a great time....

My day at the National started at the B & L booth meeting tbob (thanks for the shout out), so I will offer a thankful contribution to his thread.

My expectations were high and I was not disappointed yesterday. I left the show after 7 hours with sore feet and without the cards I was looking for, but still financially solvent. By the end of the dinner I couldn't have been more pleased with the day . My first goal for the day was meeting as many of the folks here as possible. I will not try to list them all fearing exclusions but you know who you are. I'm sure I missed a few and for that I am sorry, but there's always next year.

The highlight of the show itself could not have been more unexpected, when my guest, not a collector, came to the show in the afternoon and immediately ran into someone he knew, who was involved with running the Olympic Collection section. Ultimately we went over to take a look. It was not crowded. After looking at a few items we were made aware of a table that we passed when entering the area. We went over to meet two former Olympians from 1968, who couldn't have been more gracious. We talked for at least 20 minutes with them. There was no line.

My guest and I were college roommates in 1968 and both remembered the '68 games well. Several of our classmates were Olympians that year and were well known to these two that were at the show. The Olympians stay in touch. My take away from that conversation was a signed Olympic jersey for a most reasonable price with the proceeds going to the Olympic Collector organization and not the athletes. Who were they?

Bob Beamon, who shattered the long jump record in 1968, a world record in track and field that stood for 23 years I think and is still an Olympic record and Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized the technique of the high jump in the 68 Olympics by "flopping".

The Dinner last evening was a treat and a tremendous tradition that I am now happy to be a part of. We sat up front by the podium and were joined by "Sterling" Lee, Eric S (who had the drink tickets (+1)) and Leon. By the end of the evening we were joined by many other Net54 "friends", hopefully not only because we had the drink tickets.

I apologize for the lack of wit in this post and will get back on track very soon, I promise, but wanted to express my sincere thanks to Leon and Net54 community for a day I will always remember.

[freakhappy]

Sounds like you had a great time, Frank! Thanks for sharing.

I'm sorry you didn't find any cards to take home, but I find the National is more of a museum than a bargain house, but it's absolutely heaven for collectors and many alike. Can't wait until next year...I'll be there for sure

[thehoodedcoder]

If you like beer consider prostchicago.com
Great German beers. 20 on tap I have never seen before.
The grapefruit beer was really good. Recommend not going for the liter size on it though

.5 liter pilsners
1 liter draft mugs
2 liter drafts in das boot.

Food was great. Pretzel was huge.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by travrosty

we could all have these it just takes $$, it's not some great collecting feat.

Is getting the $$ not a feat?

[e107collector]

$1.2M for a PSA 2 Wagner?? Wow!! Did it sell?

Also, did anyone notice any E-107 HOFer's at any tables coming up for auction, or for sale?

Thanks again for all the pics.

Tony

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by e107collector

$1.2M for a PSA 2 Wagner?? Wow!! Did it sell?

Also, did anyone notice any E-107 HOFer's at any tables coming up for auction, or for sale?

Thanks again for all the pics.

Tony

Legendary had their next batch of e107s that were going up for auction next. 12-14 cards or so, they all looked nice including the HOFers but you couldn't see the backs of course. Others than that I saw a couple beat to sh!t e107s, but slim pickins as usual.

[E93]

Originally Posted by e107collector

Also, did anyone notice any E-107 HOFer's at any tables coming up for auction, or for sale?


Tony

A board member here had an E107 Plank for sale.
JimB

[E93]

Regarding Ken Kendricks collection, it is incredible imho and was a lot of fun to look at. I appreciate that he shared it with other collectors last week.

Folks on here questioning whether or not he is a "real" collector..... YAWN. Just because his collection is more valuable that 99% of ours means his status as a collector is under suspicion??? Seems silly to me. But my guess is this sort of thing will continue to come up about every six months.
JimB

[Steve D]

I find it strange that people are dissing Ken Kendrick's collection, simply because of his financial status.

Are men like Marshall Fogel, Don Spence, Steve Solloway and John Branca any less of a collector since they can/could afford to buy any card they wanted?

They all seem to share the same love for Baseball that we all claim to have. Seems to me they should all be considered just as much of a collector as any one of us.

Steve

[Runscott]

Each person I met was a 'highlight' - in addition to a lot of smiles and handshakes, probably interesting conversations with 50 or more people who I 'knew' but had never met. It would be easier to mention people I did NOT get to talk with, than to try to list all the ones I did.

As far as non-Net54 people, it was great meeting Brian Dwyer of REA and leaving some stuff with him - what a professional and an interesting person to talk with - Rob made a great move bringing him aboard at REA. Al Crisafulli of 'Love of the Game Auctions' is a Net54 guy, but I had never met him or consigned with his company - after hanging out with him a short while, I very comfortably gave him some stuff for his next auction. Also finally met Jon Richmond who I've been buying great stuff from for over a decade, but who doesn't participate on the board. He's a friendly knowledgeable guy who I hope pops in here every now and then in the future.

It was especially fun listening to Josh Evans speak at the dinner - that guy is a heckuva speaker, no matter what he's talking about. I don't think I've ever met anyone who could read an audience like Josh.

Oh yeah, I met a professional hockey player (HOF'er) at the hotel bar one night and talked about everything but hockey. Growing up in East Texas, I know nothing about hockey, which I think he liked - also the fact that I had no idea who he was until he told me his name when he left. That was another highlight for me personally.

Hope to see all of you again, in Cleveland next year.

[Kzoo]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Oh yeah, I met a professional hockey player (HOF'er) at the hotel bar one night and talked about everything but hockey. Growing up in East Texas, I know nothing about hockey, which I think he liked - also the fact that I had no idea who he was until he told me his name when he left.

Scott.........Sooooooooooooo..... Who was it? I can't stand the suspense (and thanks, again, for the cards. Love 'em).

Matt

[billyb]

Scott,
You wrote as great story, but you can't leave us hanging like this. Finish the story, who was the NHL HOFer????????

[Runscott]

Tony Esposito.

[xcgrammer]

Josh was just awesome as a speaker the highlight of the weekend for me.