Saturday, September 24, 2022, Sheraton Hotel, Madison, WI

Rough night. I woke up at 3 a.m. and could not fall back asleep. I am not sure how I made it through the day. I almost nodded off a few times during the show.

I was on the road to Madison around 6 a.m. I normally take I90 but I am so sick of that drive that I took I94 north then cut over west toward Madison just past Milwaukee. There was a lot of traffic at this early hour. I did not make very good time. I got there around 8:15 a.m. I stopped in Kenosha for gas, as gas prices near my house in Illinois are astronomical.

I brought out the binders this month, so set up was real easy. I was open for business around 9 a.m. but did not have any customers. I observed that the room was filled with dealers but not many customers. I started to worry. 

At 9:30 a.m. my first sale came in -- two bucks. At least I would not be shut out. By 10 a.m., the room started to fill up. I saw that much of the crowd assembled around the Pokémon dealers. Where were the sports card collectors this morning? Many guys requested binders last month, so I brought out the binders. I also got a request for my dime box, so I brought that out as well.

With nothing doing at my tables, I went downstairs to the faux Starbucks but it was vacant. I grabbed a diet Mountain Dew from the cooler and went over to the hotel front desk to pay. 

Back up to my tables. Nada. Nothing. Zip. I chatted with big Mark. He is a graded card guru. He is constantly purchasing collections and sending cards in for grading. He probably has more slabbed cards than anyone else I regularly see at my gaggle of card shows. What I find interesting about Mark's set up is that it is about half modern and half vintage. He always shows me some of his newest modern pick-ups. Honestly, I don't know anything about modern cards. I have no idea whether the cards he is showing me are good or bad. I am going to assume they are good.

To my credit, at least I have heard of the modern players that are slabbed in Mark's display cases. I had time to kill so I watched some of the Pokémon action at the nearby Pokémon dealer tables and literally did not have a clue. What makes a Pokémon card valuable or even desirable? Josh, my favorite Pokémon dealer, came by and told me about a big sale he had on this rainy September morning in Madison. I am aghast. I do not get it. 

The businessman in me is thinking I need to get into Pokémon but the collector in me says no way. I buy and sell vintage sports cards because I just love them. I can't pursue anything that I am not interested in, like Pokémon, even though there is definitely money in Pokémon.

Sales started to trickle in after 10 a.m. The father and son, who I have known long before I started setting up at the Sheraton show, each purchased some cards. One guy stopped at my table three or four times before he finally sat down and went through my 1960 Topps binder. A customer that purchased a pile of stuff in the spring, came by and purchased some cards. 

A few other guys purchased some football cards. I sold a few basketball cards. Then I had a customer spend a good hour or so at my tables pulling piles of stuff. He saved my day. Real nice sale. 

A young guy went through the dime box and purchased all my New York-related cards. He purchased Jets, Giants, Knicks and Mets. He did not take any Yankees. Promoter Beau purchased some 1949 Bowman Cubs. Thanks Beau! I also have to mention that Beau does an excellent job with this show. It is a well-run show and Beau does a tremendous job getting the word out. It is just tough to compete against college football, especially in Wisconsin where fans are rabid about their Badgers. Things will pick up.

Overall, sales were way down from last month. More disappointing than my low sales was the lack of quality sausages at the faux Starbucks. Usually, they have excellent breakfast sausages and bacon. Not today. The sausages looked like the frozen kind. Ugh! Though, I was glad they finally opened up so I could get some coffee.

September has been a weird month. The first weekend was good, second weekend bad, third weekend good, fourth and last weekend bad. Again, the slow shows were competing against football. Sports card collectors love their football.

The one old lady I met several months ago was back. She commented on my Gordie Howe stating she saw him play years ago against the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium.

I am just going to check this one off as a loss and I am sure the October Madison show will be much better. I have never had two poor Madison shows in a row. So I am confident that I will bounce back next month. Next Madison show is set for October 22. I will probably bring out display cases for that one. Come on out!! Let's talk Pokémon!

This was another double-bill weekend. I had my Pop-Up Shop on Sunday. Pop-up Shop blog coming soon.

In the meantime, I have a monster show planned for this Saturday, October 1, at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, Oak Creek, WI. There are 92 dealers and 140 tables planned for the show. This will be my largest show to date! Also, former White Sox and Brewers outfielder Bill Sharp will be signing autographs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Autos cost $10.

Then on Sunday, October 2, I will be set up at the Woodfield Hyatt in Schaumburg, IL. I'm bringing binders to Oak Creek and display cases to Schaumburg.

Have a great week everybody and see you this weekend!!

Sunday, September 18, 2022, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

I was beat Sunday morning after that long drive home from Green Bay on Saturday. But I'm a baller and was up and atom for the Orland Park show where I arrived at 8 a.m. Of course, Terry did not like the binders which performed very well on Sunday. I also brought out three display cases. I placed stars from the 1970's in one and football in the other two.

It was kind of a weird set up in the room today. There were spots in the room where there were no tables which got me thinking that I would probably take more tables if there are last minute cancellations. The person who was supposed to set up next to me did not show up and my little friend Adam and his mother eventually took the spot. I love those guys!

I thought attendance was pretty good. Andy got things started as usual. Thanks Andy! My guy working on 1950 Bowman baseball was disappointed I did not reload the '50 Bowman binder. However, he did end up purchasing my entire 1969 Topps baseball binder. I should have those '50 Bowmans reloaded in the next month or so.

A couple of Mikes came by and purchased some cards. One Mike is a big hockey collector. The other Mike is a big fan of this blog. Thanks guys! Duke purchased my 1966 Philadelphia Dick Butkus rookie. Thanks Duke! Will brought me some breakfast and much-needed coffee! Will also purchased a pile of 1972's and 1955's. Thanks Will.

Last month I was joking that I would not recognize Will if he ever shaved his beard. He brought me a couple of photos sans the beard. I definitely would not recognize him! Can you pick him out?

Rick purchased a card and also had a return. He told me I sold him a card with writing on it. I did not see any writing on the card. I am not a big fan of returns especially since I allow customers to take all the time they need to look over and analyze the card prior to purchase. I am not perfect. I try to catch defects in the cards and price accordingly.

Two weeks in a row seeing Chuck! Thanks for the purchases Chuck! Seemed like I got real busy when Chuck was at my table. Guys were pulling cards from the binders left and right. I was also trying to work a deal on some purchases. It is really tough to negotiate when there is a crowd. That one guy who used to set up in Orland with all the cigar boxes was sticking his nose in my negotiations. Proper etiquette when a dealer is trying to negotiate a purchase is to back off and let the deal happen. Don't grab any of the cards or ask the seller any questions!! Back off Cigar Box Guy!

The seller had a T207 Rube Marquard, a T201 Miller Huggins/Roger Bresnahan, a common 1933 Tattoo Orbit and some common 1933 and 1934 Goudeys. The cards were low grade and we were able to work out a deal. The seller also had some E cards but I was not certain they were legit. I like to see some fading on the back advertising of those cards. If the back looks like it was printed yesterday, I take a pass. I have been burned in the past on those.

I also bought a handful of cards from Walt, who ended up giving me a nice deal. Thanks Walt! Walt told me Tony Schaefer mailed him the box of cards he left at the show last month. Pretty cool thing to do Tony! 

​Capped the day off at the sub shop with Will and Joe. A pretty great day in Orland. I was real happy with my sales and purchases. Orland is just a solid show.

Next Orland show is October 16. In the meantime, I have another double-bill weekend with the Madison show on Saturday, September 24, 2022, and my Vintage Pop-Up Shop on Sunday, September 25, 2022, at my law office, 201 E. Dundee Road, Suite 2, Palatine, IL. New this time around are dealers Tim Fritz and Mike Slinkman. There will be 11 or 12 tables of vintage cards from low-end commons and high-end stuff on Mike's tables. I was going to grill some burgers but now am thinking of ordering some pizzas. Should be fun!

Next Oak Creek show is approaching quickly. I've got former Brewers and White Sox outfielder Bill Sharp signing autographs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Also, dealer tables are sold out.

Looking forward to more fun time ahead!

Saturday, September 17, 2022, KI Convention Center, Green Bay, WI

As you may recall, I was scheduled to set up at this show, which is quarterly, back in the spring and my car broke down on the way up. I have since purchased a new car, though, I was awfully nervous when I drove by the spot where my old car broke down.

I was up before dawn for the drive which took about two hours and a half. Load in was easy. My tables were located next to Scotty P. My diabetes was acting up and I spent a lot of time in the bathroom. Thanks Scotty for covering my tables while I was gone!

After setting up, I went over to the hotel restaurant and ordered some breakfast. In line, I talked with a former Packer, I am not sure exactly who but he was definitely a football player. Apparently, quite a few former Packers were roaming around and fans were following after them to get autographs.

Slow arriving crowd. I was a little worried early on as no sales came in the first hour. Then the crowd arrived and it was steady all day. I had an excellent day!!

For the most part, just about all of my customers were folks seeing me for the first time. It has been years since I last set up in Green Gay and I never really had any regular customers in these parts.

I had flyers for my Oak Creek show on my table and when the new customers saw the flyers, to a man, they all asked about the Gonzaga show. Only a handful were aware of the Oak Creek show. I hope some of them make the trek to the October 1 show.

The KI Convention Center show is run by Matt Lambrecht who did a phenomenal job. He hustled to get the word out prior to the show. Matt was also a gracious host. He checked with each dealer to see if they were okay. He brought me a couple of diet Cokes, which was awesome. Thank you Matt!

I also have to thank Jason Galleske who ran across the street to get me a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Thanks Jason! I need my coffee! Jason also sponsored a trade night on Friday night that I hear went extremely well.

After 10 a.m., sales were steady all day. I had one guy come by my tables at least six times before he finally purchased something. The first visit was while I was setting up. He was interested in my 1958 Topps Ted Williams. On the second time he brought me a small box of 1958 Topps commons that he wanted to trade for the Williams. I guess he did not read my last blog where I was pretty clear that I do not like to trade. Surprisingly, I told him I was not interested in trading my Ted Williams for a bunch of crappy commons.

The third time he came by, he asked for my best price on the Williams. I offered a slight discount. He did not pull the trigger. At this point, I thought this guy was a mope. About the sixth time, he asked to see my 1964 Philadelphia football stars. He asked for a price on just about all of them. I was amazed when he pulled the trigger and handed me some $100 dollar bills. I take back that mope assessment.

Quite a few guys came by several times. I met one guy who said he grew up in Rockford and now lives in Green Bay. He purchased a pile of stuff. He also showed me some photos of his collection -- pretty great stuff! The two guys I know from the Oak Creek show, who regularly shop with my buddy Dave, purchased a bunch of cards. Then I chatted with Rex who said he attends all of the Oak Creek shows. He purchased a pile of stuff.

Sorry, I can not remember exactly what everyone purchased. I was too tired to take notes, having woken up at 4 a.m. I brought out display cases and by the end of the show there were quite a few empty spaces in the cases. I was really pleased.

At least four or five guys were set builders and showed up at my table with their lists in tow. I love the set builders!

On the buying front, only one person offered me anything. It was a small box with a weird assortment of cards. There were about 40 or 50 1973-74 Topps basketball cards, including a Pete Maravich and a Dave Cowens. Then the rest of the box had baseball from 1975 to 1983, including a 1976 Topps George Brett. I offered $30 for the box and the seller accepted.

I had some down time in the afternoon and walked the show. The room was huge and there were dealer tables in the hallways as well. I am not sure how many dealers or tables total but there was easily over 150 tables. As a vintage guy, I always like to check out the vintage dealers. I think I may have been the only dealer that was solely vintage. Several others had a hybrid modern-vintage set up. I did not see any deals.

This is definitely a modern card show. I don't think I would do well with my binders. I had a real nice day with the display cases.

Load out was just as easy loading in. The drive home was rough. I should have brought some insulin with me. I suffered through a four-hour drive home. The extended time was due to my high blood sugar and a constant need to pull over and hit the bathroom. Next time I do this show, I will bring along some insulin.

I think I paid $3.35 a gallon for gas as I was leaving Green Bay. That may be the cheapest gas I have seen in two years.

Next show at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay is slated for December 10, 2022. Unfortunately, I have a conflict because the Rock Church show is also slated for December 10. It is a shame I can't do both shows! I will probably set up at Rock Church because it is sooo much closer to home. Hopefully, I can make it back to some of the Green Bay shows next year.

A huge thank you to Matt, Jason, Scotty along with everybody who purchased cards. Except for my stupid diabetes, I had a really great day and fun time.

It was a double bill weekend, once again. I was set up in Orland on Sunday. Orland blog coming soon. 

I have another double bill weekend coming up with Madison on Saturday and my Vintage Pop-up Shop on Sunday.

Next Oak Creek show is October 1 and dealer tables are SOLD OUT!

​Have a great week everybody!!

Sunday, September 11, 2022, Woodfield Hyatt, Schaumburg, IL

I have several regular customers at this show that want to see my binders, so after bringing showcases last month, I brought out the binders. Of course, as soon as I was set up, many folks asked for the showcases. 

Joe, the excellent promoter of the Schaumburg show, placed me in the larger room today which was much appreciated. Thanks Joe! The tables behind me were open all day. I am guessing that the dealer slated for those tables did not bother to show up. Joe was kind enough to allow me to place some binders on those tables.

With it being the first Sunday of the NFL season, attendance was noticeably down which is usually the case during football season. I can usually sneak out of shows around noon during football season but I had a few customers after noon and did not get out until 2 p.m.

My one autograph hound was happy to see my binders but disappointed that I did not have a 1976 Topps Ed Crosby. I probably had the Crosby in one of my '76 binders, I don't think this guy looked very hard. I wasn't going to dig through the binders to find a 25-cent card. I spend a TON of time sorting cards and placing them in numerical order so it is easy to find a card if you know the number. I'm guessing my autograph guy did not know the card number.

I had a new customer come back three or four times and buy a few cards each time. Then another customer who I remember from the July show pulled a nice stack of cards. Randy found some 1955 Topps baseball. He asked that I bring star cards from 1957 Topps baseball next month. I will probably bring out the showcases next month. My old friend Chuck stopped by and pulled some cards. Thanks Chuck! A new customer pulled some 1978 Topps football.

Like Rockford on yesterday, sales in Schaumburg were slower than last month. A couple of guys who spent decent money with me last month, did not even look at the binders. It is weird how some guys only want to look at showcase stuff and other just want to see the binders. I suppose I could reserve four tables and bring out both the showcases and binders but it is a lot of work carting all that stuff in and out of the building along with keeping watch over that many tables. I could do it when I was younger and before the onset of diabetes but not in my old age and as a raging diabetic, my energy is really limited.

So I will continue to field complaints each show and mix up my display at each show. Sorry guys! On the plus side, I can see first-hand that I provide some unique vintage cards at each show. I have stuff you won't find on anyone else's table no matter if I am bringing binders or showcases. I generally feel pretty good with my display. If I could just get those freakin' binders loaded up! I have some great stuff waiting at home to see the light of day. My inventory is probably at its largest point ever. I have so much stuff. Every day I go through a box or two in my card bunker and am always surprised as to what I discover. New stuff is coming out soon!

On the food front, I sat down and tried the hotel breakfast for the first time. The breakfast buffet cost 20 bucks and I was very disappointed. There was a big pot of scrambled eggs that I can't eat because I assume they are made with milk which does not agree with me. Then I took a few sausages that looked pretty good but when I took a bite, they were cold. They also had a big pot of steamed bacon. I really hate steamed bacon. I like my bacon cooked on a grill.

They had some steamed potatoes that were very tasty but I can't eat too many of those due to my diabetes. Then there was some fruit and cereal and a few rolls and such. I was not impressed. I felt the hotel breakfast buffet would have been better for 20 bucks. I will skip it in the future.

On the buying front, I purchased a few cards from Junior including a 1974 Topps Dave Winfield rookie, a 1960 Topps Eddie Mathews and a Ted Kluzewski. Junior also had a random T206 common that I purchased as well. Nothing else was offered.

On the new car front, I learned this morning that the windshield wipers on my new car need to be replaced. They barely work. Rain was light in the morning while at an utter downpour when I was loading out. I got soaked! I also could not drive on Route 53 with those lousy windshield wipers and had to take the long way home so I could see out of the windshield. Overall, the new car is great. Runs like I dream. I should not have a repeat of a breakdown on my way to Green Bay this coming Saturday, September 17.

I am really looking forward to the Green Bay show since I missed that first one due to my old car breaking down. I am not sure what to bring out. Initially, I wanted to bring out binders but after having a slow weekend with the binders in Rockford and Schaumburg, I am leaning toward showcases. I gotta figure this out soon! I also need to figure out whether I am going to drive up Friday night after work. I am usually too tired after work to do much and will most likely wake up before dawn on Saturday and drive up.

On Sunday, September 18, I will be back at the Orland Park show. I am going to have a hybrid set up in Orland with binders and showcases. I am looking forward to Orland where I always do well, no matter what I bring out. The Orland Park show is just a phenomenal show. Though, it will probably die after noon because everyone will take off to watch the NFL. 

​I have scheduled a Pop-Up Vintage Card Shop for Sunday, September 25, at my law office, 201 E. Dundee Road, Suite 2, Palatine, IL. New this time around is that dealers Tim Fritz and Mike Slinkman are setting up as well. I'll have out all of my binders and some display cases. I may bring out some cheapy boxes as well.

Next Oak Creek show is October 1, 2022. Tables are sold out. I am getting a TON of requests for tables. Sorry guys. All I can do is place you on my lengthy wait list. I should be able to clear off the wait list at the November 5 Oak Creek show when I will be adding another room. All new dealers must bring their own tables. The venue only has about half the amount of tables I need. I could rent tables but then I could not keep my dirt cheap table fee. Speaking of dirt cheap table fee, my Oak Creek table fee is going up from $25 to $30 with that November show because the new room is going to cost a bundle. Thirty bucks is still crazy cheap when compared to table fee at all of the other shows around. 

That's all for now. Hope to see you this weekend in Green Bay and Orland Park!!

Saturday, September 10, 2022, Rock Church, Rockford, IL

Trading, trading, trading. Let's talk trading today. I hate to trade. I find that trades never work out equally and never work out in my favor. I much prefer receiving cash than cards. I have gotten in many arguments over my reluctance to trade. Based on my experience, it just never benefits me, so I generally tell the traders that I want cash, not trade.

The traders were out today. I brought out binders this time around. I recently finished up reloading 1976 Topps baseball. I had so many cards from 1976 that I broke it up into two binders. Unfortunately, the bulk of my other binders are in dire need of reloads. It just takes so long to reload that I have fallen way behind.

Which is one of the reasons I hate to trade because l don't feel like I properly recover the time spent sorting, pricing and reloading when I just get cards in trade. I feel much better about receiving cash.

There is one guy at the Rockford show who has been bugging me to trade for the past six months or so. I have no interest in trading with him. I have been able to hold him off. He really wants to trade me his excess 1968 Topps baseball. He tells me this every time he sees me and also lets me know through regular emails.

Well, today he was determined to trade with me. He brought me a binder of about 240 '68s. There is a handful of stars in the binder and the condition is all over the place. He initially wanted the trade value of his '68's to be a buck a card. I got him down to about 60 cents a card. 

Since I was going to get some hall-of-famers at just 60 cents, I was initially okay with trading with him today.... today, only. Though it hurt watching him pull out a stack of 1966 Topps baseball. All I kept thinking about was how the binder was in need of a reload and this guy is making it worse by taking a stack out of there and I am not receiving one cent in return. Actually, he ended up taking too many cards and paid me some cash on top of the '68 binder in trade. I felt a little better once I received some cash. However, that '66 binder is now almost empty.

I just can't keep up. I really need to fill just about all of the binders. I am working on my 1980 Topps football binder right now. The '80 Topps football are not very valuable and I always question myself when I reload that binder. The reason I keep doing it is because the '80 Topps football is a great seller. I don't get much money in return but they always sell. So I am stuck right now spending my free time reloading that '80 Topps football binder. There are more than 500 cards in the set so it is taking me a while. I hope to have it done this week.

I did not have a very good day with the binders in Rockford after having a stellar show last month with the show cases. Again, I think the biggest problem is that the binders need to be reloaded.

Luckily, a few of my regulars in Rockford came through and purchased a good amount of cards, so the show was not a total disaster just not nearly as good as last month. I appreciate you guys! Thank you!

Lighter than usual crowd. I think mother nature hurt us by creating an absolutely beautiful day. I have also observed over the years that football season always has a negative effect on card shows. Sports card collectors are also sports nuts and generally fanatical about football, both college and pros. I am not a huge college football fan. I prefer pro football. Though, I follow a couple of college teams like the University of Arizona, my alma mater, and Northwestern, since I grew up near there and began attending NU games as a kid. Neither team is very good this year so I do not have much incentive to watch college football.

Another thing that may have affected our crowd was that there were two more shows within an hour drive scheduled at the same time. There are just too many shows right now. One of the competing shows on Saturday was a new show in Darien, Illinois. The promoter came out to my Oak Creek show last weekend and introduced himself. I thought he was a nice guy but advised him that I probably have conflicts with all of his shows and will most likely won't be able to set up. I am definitely setting up in Rockford over any new show because I have a tangible history of doing well at the Rock Church show.

As a dealer, my sales dictate where I will set up. The third show running up against Rockford on Saturday was in Kenosha. I think that show started earlier in the year and always goes up against Rockford. I am always going to choose Rockford over Kenosha and Darien because I am certain my sales will be better in Rockford.

Regardless, after a really nice show in August, sales were down at this past Rockford show. Many of my regulars did not attend. Where were you guys? I brought out binders this time around because a couple of these guys complained last month that I did not bring out the binders. So I brought out the binders for those guys and they did not bother to show up!

I did not make my first sale until 10 a.m. I was worried I was going to get shut out then I had a nice crowd at my table for a few hours. My day ended with Terry Hatch who wanted to trade. Ugh! I have known Terry for a good 20 years. He is set in his ways and I usually trade or buy cards from him that I don't want or need. I really need some help! Therapy is on the horizon.

My mental deficiencies aside, best part of the show is chatting with my fellow dealers. Normally, I am set up next to Tim, who is a great guy. Luckily, Gary was in Tim's spot this time around and is an equally great guy. My good friend Tom was on the other side and my buddy Phil and his wife were across. There were a couple of new vintage dealers set up which I think is great for the show. The Rockford show always has a really nice selection of vintage dealers. Vintage collectors should not miss this show!

I begrudgingly like the modern card dealers as well even though I have no interest in their cards. Many of these guys are just awesome. One awesome modern card dealer is young Rocky. Today, Rocky brought out his dad. It was really nice to meet pops Rocky. I now know where Rocky picks up his charm. Rocky told me he had one of his best days ever at this past Rockford show. Congrats Rocky! Way to go!

My young friend Adam was set up with his mother. Mom told me that Adam has school work and other commitments now that summer is over and she is limiting him to two Saturday card shows a month. It is up to Adam to pick which two. He tried to negotiate a third Saturday show after his Rockford sales were not very good. I felt sorry for the little guy. His mom told me that he is turning 13 soon, so if he can wait it out three more years when he gets his driver's license, he can then drive himself to shows. I remember when I first got my driver's license back in 1982, I spent a lot of time driving around the Chicago area to card shops, shows and flea markets -- it was a glorious time.

After the show, I hit a nearby Mobil station to fill up on gas which was about 5-cents a gallon cheaper than by my house. I also stopped at Burger King and wolfed down a Whopper before heading him. Once home, I napped then worked on that 1980 Topps football binder.

I am bummed that there is no Rock Church show next month. Instead, the Rock Church guys have teamed up with the Madison show promoter to create a two-day show at the Indoor Sports Center at Mercyhealth Sportsscore Two, 8800 E. Riverside Blvd, Loves Park, IL, on October 15 and 16. This new show is slated to have 250 tables.

I had previously thought there would be an October Rock Church show and kept that second Saturday open as it is the usual time slot for the Rock Church show. I had to scramble to find a replacement. I am going to give that Bridgeview show a try on October 8th. Anyone been there?

The new two-day show in Loves Park, just outside of Rockford, conflicts with Woodstock and Orland. Like I stated previously, I don't cancel a show once I have committed to setting up. Plus, the Orland show is really my home base and one of my best shows. I can't afford to miss Orland. I hope the new two-day show in Loves Park goes well and that I can set up at a future date.

In the meantime, I am setting up in Green Bay this coming Saturday, September 17. As you might recall, my car broke down on my way to the last Green Bay show. I have since purchased a new car and am confident and hopeful I will not have any issues on the drive to Green Bay Saturday morning.

I think I may bring display cases to Green Bay. I really need to get more of my binders reloaded before I bring them out again.

On Sunday, I will be in Orland where I have to bring the binders because I have an army of regular customers that come out for the binders. I have a lot of space at the Orland show and will probably bring out some showcases as well.

Next Oak Creek show is Saturday, October 1, where former Brewer and White Sox outfielder Bill Sharp will be signing autographs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Autos cost just $10 each.

Have a great week everybody. Hope to see you next weekend in either Green Bay or Orland!!!

​Below are a couple of binder mania photos from the Rockford show.

Sunday, September 4, 2022, Janesville Conference Center, Janesville, WI

I have to admit that I was not expecting much since I had an absolutely terrible show last time out in Janesville. I thought about dropping out but I have a personal policy that once I book a show, I never drop out unless something beyond my control comes up, like my car breaks down or there is a crazy snow storm.

Complicating matters was the New Berlin show was scheduled the same day as Janesville and I had a really nice show in New Berlin last month. So, I really wanted to set up in New Berlin. Glad I stuck to my guns and set up in Janesville!

Wow! I had an excellent show!! I was busy the entire day. A bunch of guys came around while I was still setting up. It took me a while to set up because I brought out nine display cases.

My father and son football guys started me off with dad purchasing my 1969 Topps Bart Starr. The son purchased a pile of stuff. Thanks guys!! I remember selling cards to Randy in the past but I don't remember him working me over so hard. Man, he beat me up but did buy a nice stack of stuff.

A tale of the two Terrys -- Terry Huseth purchased my 1968 Topps Mickey Mantle. Thanks Terry! Terry Hatch picked out a bunch of cards as well. Then I had several customers who said they were attending their first card show in years. Each purchased cards.

My one regular customer, who I see just about everywhere, both in Illinois and Wisconsin, purchased a pile of cards. A bunch more guys purchased cards. I can't even remember what I sold but sales came often. Man, I had a really nice day!

Another reason I booked the show after having a lousy one is that promoters John and Mike work their tails off. If the promoters put in the work, usually good things happen. I think this was their third Janesville show and there has been a nice crowd at each show. I just bit it during the second show. My first show was okay. This past show was excellent. Thank you John and Mike!

One of the things I like about hotel shows is I can usually snag some free breakfast from the breakfast buffet in the lobby. After setting up, I went to the buffet and took some sausages, a cinnamon roll and some coffee. I needed that fuel because I had a busy day.

I was also able to find some time to grab a pulled pork sandwich that was for sale in the hallway outside the show. There also was a full bar where I was able to grab some diet Cokes.

Which brings me to my young friend Adam. I love this kid! I think he was 10 when I met him and is now 12. His amazing mother drives him all over for shows. He is from my hometown of Northbrook, Illinois. He brought a friend with him this time. Adam goes to the junior high across town from where my childhood home is located. His friend goes to my junior high. Woot!

Adam is a hustler. He is good. He picked out my two most expensive cards and tried to work me over. I was not having any of it. I am keeping those cards until I get my price.

Then when I went to the bar for my second diet Coke, Adam jumped in line in front of me and told me he was going to order a beer. I responded that I did not think he would like the taste of beer. He told me he loves the taste of beer. Knowing his parents, I doubt he has ever tried a beer.

So when he got up to the bartender, he asked, in his high pitched 12-year-old kid voice, for a lemonade and a beer. The bartender responded that she was not going to give him a beer. Adam said it was for his mother. The bartender said that his mother needs to come over and order the beer herself. I was kind of shocked. Ballsy move for a kid. Entertaining to watch for an adult. That really cracked me up. Adam is such a character.

Anyway, after leaving the last Janesville show at noon, this time I stayed past the closing time of 2 p.m. and did not get on the road home until 3 p.m. There were folks at my table buying cards right up to the end.

On a sad note, I was talking with dealer Bruce Bain who told me our friend Denny from Rockford died suddenly last week. I am so sad. I only just met Denny when I started doing the Rockford show about a year ago. What a great guy! He was working on dozens of vintage sets and always spent a great deal of time and money with me at each and every Rockford show. You could not find a nicer guy anywhere around. I am so sorry. My sincerest condolences to his family. I will greatly miss Denny. Glad I had the opportunity to know him.

Let's meet up at the Rock Church show in Rockford, this coming Saturday, September 10, and talk about Denny. It is going to be weird setting up in Rockford without Denny in attendance.

I have a double-bill weekend once again. On Sunday I am setting up at the Woodfield Hyatt. I am bringing binders to both shows. Hope to see you this weekend!

My next Oak Creek show is Saturday, October 1, 2022. Dealer tables are sold out. Former Brewer Bill Sharp will be signing autographs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Autos cost $10 each.

Saturday, September 3, 2022, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

There are a lot of ways I could go with this month's Oak Creek blog. I have decided to keep it largely positive and just touch upon the negative.

    NEGATIVE ISSUE 1 -- Setting Up the Show & Dealers Arriving Too Early

I had a real tough morning because the building was not ready when I arrived, thus, I was not ready when the dealers arrived. I hope to rectify this stuff before next show. One of my biggest issues is dealers arriving before the official set up time of 8 a.m. If any dealers are reading this blog, please DO NOT ARRIVE PRIOR TO 8 A.M.! It takes me a few hours in the morning to get the building ready for 130 tables and 90 dealers. I really need you guys to stay out until 8 a.m.!!

                                               NEGATIVE ISSUE 2 -- THEFT

​We were hit bad Saturday. Here are some of the cards that were stolen:

Please keep a look out and contact me with any information.

I tried to hire a retired Milwaukee police officer last year to work security but he blew me off. Then it seemed like the thefts died down. A few guys were hit at the August show. There were five or six guys hit at the September show.

Largely, we have a pretty great community of hobbyist who regularly set up and attend the Oak Creek show. A few scumbags are starting to spoil things. I want to see these guys locked up so I have hired an off-duty police officer to work the October 1 show. I am going to see if I can get an on-duty uniformed police officer to attend as well. I am also looking into installing camaras. This stuff has got to stop!

I need your help as well! Please be on the lookout for thieves!! They are at the show. We need to be vigilant and I need everybody's help! Dealers, you guys got to keep your expensive cards locked in a display case. Please lock all of your display cases. Don't place any expensive cards out on your table that are not locked in a display case.

​Report all thefts to me. Let's try to get some pictures and video of the thieves. Let's lock these guys up. They will be crying to mommy if we catch them and haul them out in cuffs!!

Also, please be on the lookout for the cards pictured above. Another dealer had a Justin Fields rookie stolen. I do not have a photo of that card. Then another dealer had a 1962 Topps Willie Mays stolen. Sucks!

                                                NOW FOR THE POSITIVES

We had 555 people through the door and raised a nice amount of money for the Salvation Army between the entry fee and the concession stand. I can't thank you guys enough for your support. It is so rewarding to see so many people in attendance. The bulk of the folks had a good time. Many dealers reported excellent sales. Yet, many others reported sales were down.

My sales were up. I brought out all of the baseball binders and four or five football binders. I was swamped early on. Sales sort of dropped off in the afternoon but overall sales were up.

I gotta thank my pal Bruce, pictured below, who gifted me a 1968 Topps empty wax box. That was so cool! Thank you Bruce!!

Seeing so many kids at the show just makes me happy. While I am 55 years old now, I started attending card shows when I was 12. I have such great memories from those days and I love that we are creating some positive and fun memories for kids today.

Parents and grandparents regularly compliment me on the show and always say how much fun their family has at each show. I received a really cool message from my old friend Chuck, who I met at a card show more than 20 years ago, and who brought his granddaughter out to the show Saturday. See Chuck's message below:

Hi Tony,

I just wanted to let you know that in my opinion you have one of the finest group of dealers that you can find anywhere! As you know on Saturday Sept. 3rd, I brought my 8-year-old granddaughter, Anna, to the Oak Creek show.

This was Anna's first card show although she has accompanied me a couple of times to the local card store down here in Illinois. "Papa" thought it was time that she should see what a real card show was like, and what better show to start her off than Oak Creek?

Last Christmas, Anna asked that Santa bring her "Topps" and Santa delivered a load of football cards! Anna, like her dad, loves the KC Chiefs! (I've been trying to dissuade her from that but no such luck).

She has been interested in cards and has put together a nice little binder of her favorites and always wants to show me what she has put together when we see each other.

Now to the show! My wife, my daughter and I drove to the show on Saturday where we met my other daughter (WI resident) and the other two grandkids. (They all went next door to Target while we went to the "Sal".)

Well, as soon as we walked in one of your great dealers was giving Anna a pack of penny sleeves! It didn't stop there as dealer after dealer asked Anna about her favorite teams, favorite sport and her favorite player - Patrick Mahomes - of course! The dealers were clearly doing this out of a love for the hobby and seeing that a young girl had a great experience at the show! I know that there is an occasional "bad dude" in the hobby but the vast majority that I've encountered are great folks that love sports, enjoy collecting as a hobby or as a way to make a few bucks on the weekend. This was evidenced again on Saturday.

So many dealers took the time to speak with her and almost too many to mention gave her a card or two (even Mahomes cards!) a set of cards or even a pack! Thanks from the bottom of my heart!

The hobby is in good hands when I see so many folks and dealers looking to make the young collectors happy and keeping them engaged. This is a key for keeping this hobby alive and thriving! (I only wish that some of the card companies would realize this but that's another story.)

Anna waited until the very end to spend her allotted budget of $10-15 but she found a pack of cards that the dealer knocked down some for her and then threw in a baseball card pack! Thank you!

The great news for me is later that day when I asked Anna if she wanted to attend another show and she gave me a quick unequivocal "yes"! Thank you Tony and your dealers for making this such a great experience! (She also spent most of Saturday and Sunday arranging and rearranging her cards ha ha!) I don't know if she'll be a collector forever but I feel that she will have some great memories no matter what and that's one of the most important things you can have isn't it?

-Chuck

Thanks for bringing Anna to the show Chuck!! Hope to see you guys at the next one!! 

I agree, I have the best dealers around!

Even with such great dealers, it is very stressful to operate this show. I now have 90 dealers to contend with along with other assorted issues mentioned above. I am going to remain positive because so many good things happen at each show. We make kids smile. We donate much needed funds to the Salvation Army. We generally have some fun and do some good. 

Next Oak Creek show is Saturday, October 1, 2022. Former Brewer Bill Sharp will be signing autographs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Autographs cost $10 each. Mail order is available. I need your items by the end of September. Mail your items and $10 to:

Tony Gordon
201 E. Dundee Road
Suite 2
Palatine, IL 60074

It was a double bill weekend. I was set up in Janesville on Sunday. Janesville blog coming soon. Next up is the show at the Rock Church in Rockford on Saturday, September 10, then the Woodfield Hyatt on Sunday, September 11. 

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the Oak Creek show Saturday. The show has become a MUST-ATTEND event for anybody in the hobby who lives within a few hours from the show. Thank you!

​Below are some photos from the September Oak Creek show:

Saturday, August 27, 2022, Sheraton Hotel, Madison, WI

I hate the drive but I love the show! Lots of traffic this morning on the roads and in the show. This was my best Madison show in months!!

I brought out 10 display cases. I also brought out my binder of 1971 Topps Coins for George as he requested that binder. George and Kristie were at my table early and purchased almost all of my coins! Thanks George!

A regular customer found some 1962 Topps baseball. My father and son team that loves football, purchased a pile of cards. The son purchased one of my 1938 Our National Game Pins. Thanks guys! Gil, my resident Giants fan, bought some cards. Thanks Gil!

Ben purchased some 1971 Topps baseball. I sold some 1975's to another customer. I sold a 1969-70 Topps Bobby Hull to a new customer. Brian was the big winner today as he purchased my 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1958 Topps All Star Stan Musial, and my 1956 Topps Harmon Killebrew. Thanks Brian.

Quite a few guys purchased cards but I don't remember exactly what sold, as usual. I ended up have a really nice day. 

On the buying front, I purchased a few more autographs from Ben. Bob offered me some high-end graded cards but I did not respond with an offer. I just had a feeling he wanted big bucks.

I have known Tom, the dealer set up across from me, for a long time. He used to set up at my show back when it was at the Clarion. I got to talking to his son, who told me he collects T206's. He is starting out slow but his goal is to complete the set. What a neat kid!

The dealer set up next to me, with what I call the couch-potato set up, was out the door by 1 p.m. Me and Kyle were the last dealers at the show. I was making sales late and got stuck chatting. I did not hit the road to home until 4 p.m. I pulled off the highway in Janesville and paid a mere $3.33 for gas. I filled up on my way out by my house for $4.09 a gallon. I also hit Wendy's in Janesville where I didn't notice until it was too late that they put cheese on my burger. My daughter ate the burger when I got home.

Pretty great day in Madison. The promoter Beau does a tremendous job. The Madison show is one of the most solid shows I regularly attend. Next Madison show is on September 24th. I plan on bringing binders to that one. I also had a request for my dime box, I'll try to remember to bring it out in September.

Up next, is Oak Creek on Saturday and Janesville on Sunday. I'm bringing binders to Oak Creek then display cases to Janesville. I would prefer to bring binders to Janesville but I did lousy with them last time so I gotta bring display cases to see if I can right the ship!

​See you this weekend!!

Pictured above is the very first show at the Clarion Hotel in Milwaukee in September of 2014.

In 2014, I was underemployed and trying to set up at as many card shows as possible to supplement my income. I was driving all over the Midwest for shows, regularly setting up in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Canton, Dayton, Grand Rapids and Jackson, MI.

All that driving grew tiresome and I was losing money on hotels. I thought there had to be a better way.

There just was not enough shows in the Chicago and Milwaukee area, my home bases, especially on Saturday. After considering creating a show close to home in Illinois, I decided that Milwaukee would be a better option because there were no Saturday shows in Milwaukee and the Gonzaga show was my best show at the time. I had great customers in Milwaukee. My goal was to lure my Gonzaga customers to a second show every month and eliminate my need to travel five, six hours for a show.

When I told my friend Mark Smith about my idea for a Saturday show in Milwaukee, he was all for it and offered to partner on the venture. I Googled event venues and found the Clarion Hotel. I got a price quote from Jeff, the Clarion manager. Mark and I both thought the price was reasonable and booked the Clarion from September through December 2014 for a once-a-month Saturday card show. I scheduled the shows on a date convenient for Mark to drive in from Michigan. Mark and I then split the cost of a large ad in the Milwaukee Journal.

I think we had 20 tables for that first show in September 2014. We were lucky that other dealers liked the idea of a Saturday show in Milwaukee. Well, that first one went according to plan as my regular customers from Gonzaga showed up and purchased cards at the new Clarion show.

Initially, the Clarion was a great venue. The room was usually set up when we arrived. There were classy tablecloths on each table. The venue provided jugs of water. Most of the dealers were vintage dealers. I started to hear some rumblings that there were not enough modern dealers at the show. Yet, my sales continued to be strong.

I booked the Clarion for 2015. Mark and I continued to take out expensive ads in the Journal and we continued to have decent shows. In April or May of 2015, we stopped the ads because they were just too expensive. Attendance dropped without the ads. Prior to the June 2015 show, just about all of the dealers dropped out, including Mark. It was just too far of a drive for Mark to do every month from Michigan.

The June 2015 show was a disaster. I only had about five dealers and 12 tables. I think we only had five or six customers through the door. I was in a tough spot. I thought about cancelling the show but I was on the hook with the hotel for six more months.

Fortunately, I am a very positive person and have experienced failure in the past and have always been able to learn from it and come out in a better place. Failure does not get me down, it gets me angry. I was determined to make this show a success.

I realized that if this show was to survive it would take a little creativity, some extra promotion, and some hard work. I leaned on my experience from various facets of my life up to this point to get this show on the right track.

In the past, I watched many other card-show promoters focus on trying to bring dealers into their shows. John Leary from the Orland show was relentless. If you set up at his show once, he would call you every month until the end of time. I always felt this practice was wrong. First of all, it annoyed the hell out of dealers. If they were interested, they would call John, he did not need to call them.

How do you get dealers interested in a show? Harassing them is definitely not the way to go. The answer is simple -- customers. Dealers will set up when there are customers in the room. I needed customers.

To bring in customers my first thought was doughnuts. Yes, doughnuts. I learned at my old job in the law department for the Illinois Secretary of State that fellow employees always attended meetings when doughnuts were present. I thought I could get customers to attend the card show if I gave away doughnuts -- it worked at the meetings, why not at the card show?

So I advertised free doughnuts for the July 2015 show at the Clarion. The doughnuts not only brought in customers, it brought me a few more dealers. The doughnuts were a hit! The July show was as big improvement on June. I was on my way!

While set up at the Fort Wayne show around this time, promoter Brian Mayne explained to me how he used social media to bring customers into his show. Upon Brian's recommendation, I immediately started a Facebook page for the show. I also began blogging more about the show. Folks noticed my Facebook page and my blog. Attendance at the show continued to grow. More dealers followed.

Then I remembered some things from my former life as a journalist and newspaper publisher. From 1994 to 2001, I operated a free bi-monthly newspaper in Chicago called the Barfly, a guide to the Chicago bars. It was distributed free to 700 bars and restaurants in Chicago. I made my money by selling advertising. Like my card show, my bar publication started out small and grew and grew. Hundreds of bars advertised in my newspaper. I recalled one tool that the bars used to bring in customers which was the "anniversary party." The yearly anniversary parties were always a hit for the bars, so I decided that the September 2015 show at the Clarion would be my first anniversary party where I would give away doughnuts and pizza.

The June 2015 disaster became a mere memory as that September 2015 show was packed. I ordered pizzas from the hotel which were devoured as soon as they were placed out. I took note that baseball-card-show customers liked free pizza.

Then I thought I would go a little Bill Veeck and create themes. I held a Halloween party at the October 2015 show and gave away Halloween themed cupcakes. For the November 2015 show, in honor of Thanksgiving, I gave away turkey sandwiches. For the December 2015 show, I gave away ham sandwiches in honor of Christmas. Crowds and dealers appeared and everyone loved the themes. 

Not only was I getting more customers and dealers but there was a great vibe to the show. Everybody who set up and attended all seemed to be really enjoy themselves. I definitely hit on something good.

Mike, who had a card shop in Lake Geneva and who has a relationship with many Illinois and Wisconsin former professional athletes, approached me at one of the early 2016 shows and asked if I wanted former Packer Gilbert Brown to sign at the show. YES!

Mike brought in Gilbert to the May 2016 show. Me and Gilbert pictured below. Man, Gilbert Brown could not have been nicer. I remember that Gilbert bought some cards from dealer Robin Gentilini. That was so fun! Robin and I still talk about it!

The June 2016 show was the complete opposite of the June 2015 show. I had a full house of dealers, probably more than any other previous show. I also had excellent attendance. The only issue, as some of you may recall, was that seemingly thousands of seagulls had stormed the parking lot. It was freaky!

By my second anniversary show in September of 2016, I had dealers from Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois. I got wise and ordered many more pizzas from the hotel. I also made an extra effort to get the word out about the second anniversary show. My efforts paid off with a packed house and a visit by the local Milwaukee CBS affiliate. A reporter interviewed me on camara!!

I also have to mention some dealers who were such great supporters of the show back in those days like Gary George, Jerry K., Larry Larsen, PJ, Bill Nest, Mike Johnson, Dennis Barrett, Alex Rauter, Dave Kania, Roger Baehr and Scott Ziegert. You guys rock! Thank you so much!!

I need to mention some collectors that have been great supporters since the early days as well like Mark, Jim K., Barry, Jack, Stan Atkinson, George, Larry, Jerome, State Farm Dave, Jim, Larry and Carol. Thank you guys!

The year 2017 started out with a bang as the Milwaukee ABC television affiliate mentioned the show on their morning program. We were packed!! Photo below is from the January 2017 Clarion show.

I had now fallen in a routine for the show. I tried to promote the show in some way each and every day. Then the morning of the show, I would hit either a Dunkin Donuts by my house or near the Clarion and buy four or five boxes of doughnuts and a jug of coffee. Sometimes I would get some Munchkins as well. I also started to give away free packs of cards as a promotional tool and to help out some of the wax dealers. I started regularly using a larger room at the hotel to accommodate all the new dealers.

The Third Anniversary show was a grand success in September of 2017. I gave away eight pizzas, three boxes of doughnuts and four boxes of cards. In October of 2017, I once again gave out Halloween cupcakes.

With rising popularity, came more work. I had to deal with many more dealers, some needed their hands held. My work situation changed and I went from being under employed to overly employed. I was crazy busy and losing my mind. I thought about cancelling the show again because it had become so much work and I was spending more weekends at my real job and attending fewer shows.

The thing that kept me going was all the great and regular compliments from both dealers and customers. It is nice to be appreciated. I succeeded in creating a really fun show. I brought out free turkey sandwiches for November and ham sandwiches for December. That food made everyone so happy! It was so cool to see!!

Pictured below is the December 2017 Clarion show.

​While I was a little overwhelmed as the show continued to grow, one constant was Clarion manager Jeff. I can't say enough about Jeff. He was a superstar. Well, the Marriot Corp. went out and bought the Clarion. They fired Jeff. They fired my other contact Betsy, who was also awesome.

New management came in and disrupted everything. I forget the name of this young punk of guy who thought his shite didn't stink. He was the new manager of the Clarion which was getting ready to change its name to the Four Points Sheraton. Punk jacked up my rental rate. He gave me a new contract which forbade outside food. I could no longer bring in doughnuts, coffee, cupcakes, sandwiches and pizza -- the things that really saved the show and made it popular. Punk wanted me to buy food from the hotel at 10 times the price. Who did he think I was -- John D. Rockefeller?

Well, I'm no Rockefeller. I was not making any money on the show. I charged dealers next to nothing to set up. There was no admission fee. I spent my own hard-earned dollars on advertising, food and cards that I gave away. I was happy to give this stuff away because people really appreciated it. It gave the show a festive atmosphere, unlike any other show. Everyone was happy, except the punk that took over managing the hotel.

I started to explore other venues but signed the new crappy contract for 2018 as I had no prospects for a new venue. This new guy and new situation sucked so bad. The show was doing so well! The year 2017 had been the best so far! Going into 2018, I was nervous. Would anyone attend if I didn't give away food?

Despite the punk, 2018 started off well. I no longer brought out doughnuts but gave out more packs of cards.

Pictured below is the May 2018 Four Points Sheraton show.

By April 2018, the punk was gone and a new manager came on. I don't remember her name so I am going to call her Pippi. So in April 2018, Pippi told me she was cancelling my June show. My response, we have a contract, you are not cancelling my June show. I recommended that we move the June show into the hotel restaurant and bar, there was plenty of space in there for my show. Pippi did not seem to care that we had a legally binding contract and she put down my suggestion of moving. I drew up a lawsuit and presented it to Pippi. Then I drew up a press release, slamming the hotel and management -- that netted me a meeting with the hotel's district manager.

The district manager was a dick. His first words to me were a flat out lie. He said the hotel was never going to cancel my June show. I told him we could litigate that issue. His tune changed and he advised that we move the show to the restaurant and bar. Wow! Great idea, genius!

So the June show went on without a hitch. Good number of dealers and a nice crowd. Pippi presented me with a new contract which stated the hotel could cancel my show at any time without any notice. I threw Pippi's contract into the garbage. We still had a binding contract for the remainder of 2018. I was not changing any of the terms.

The shows remained strong in 2018. For the first time, I had to turn dealers away. In August, I met a new manager at the hotel. Pippi was gone. I asked the new manager if I could renew my contract for 2019. That was a hard no. So the hunt was on for a new location.

I spotted one potential spot as I drove home, going south on Howell, the Salvation Army Community Center. I decided to call the Salvation Army after Scott Ziegert recommended it and told me that his daughters participated in sports leagues there. I called and talked to Mark at the Sal. We easily worked out the details and a contract was signed. New location easily found. Sayonara Four Points Sheraton. I knew that after four years of renting space at the Clarion/Sheraton, my card show was the only regular event at the hotel. In addition, the hotel got great exposure through my show as attendees saw the event space and some rented space for their events.  It will never make any sense as to why they messed with me and kicked me out. Their loss!

The November 2018 Four Points Sheraton Show was the largest to date. Management changed again, this time the new hotel manager was our own Mike Mahan, who regularly set up at the show. The last two months at the Four Points Sheraton were a breeze thanks to Mike.  

​Pictured below is the November 2018 Four Points Sheraton show.

I brought out doughnuts to give away at the December show. It was my last show, what could they do. Mike didn't care.

I was really sad at that December 2018 show. It had been a wild four years. The show almost died several times but it and I perservered. I had grown accostomed to my routine at the Clarion/Four Points. I was not sure what was in store for the future. The June 2015 show is forever cemented in my mind. I was concerned that now that I had worked so hard to establish the show at the Clarion/Four Points, would dealers and customers follow me to the Salvation Army?

                       HELLO SALVATION ARMY COMMUNITY CENTER!

I took January off for a much-needed respite. First show at the new venue was in February of 2019. From the beginning Mark and everyone at the Salvation Army worked as my partner. What a nice change from the Four Points Sheraton. That first show in February 2019 was a MONSTER show! Oh my. I was flooded with dealers and customers.

Pictured below is my amazing friend Larry Larsen at the very first Salvation Army show in February of 2019.

I don't know what I was worried about. The show took off! It has grown by leaps and bounds since it moved to the Sal. I think I had 25 or 30 dealers, 40 or 50 tables, for that first show at the Sal. I now have 90 dealers and 130 tables!

The growth of the show has presented all sorts of new problems but I seem to be able to tackle them all. The Sal provides a concession stand which is just awesome! We started out in the Fellowship Hall behind the gym and have grown to encompass Fellowship Hall, the gym, the Game Room and the Front Hallway. I may expand into the chapel.

In April of 2022, I started to charge a $1 admission to the show and donate the entire admission take to the Salvation Army. Also, all of the concession stand proceeds go to the Sal.

We are truly partners and work amazingly well together. I have held various fundraisers over these past four years to help support various Sal programs. They are a tremendous organization and have treated me like a prince. I am so appreciative. Mark is family. I love that guy!

I am so amazed at how the show has grown and continues to grow.

Only hiccup was the Pandemic. The pandemic was a crazy experience for me and the show. The Sal shut down the show from April 2020 through September 2020. I did not fight them on it and actually agreed that it was the right thing to do. This COVID business has been scary. I have known three people that have died from it. I have had it twice and it sucks!

During the shut down, I checked in regularly with Mark to see when we could restart the show. In September, Mark told me the higher ups from the Sal met and came up with some terms and restrictions for restarting the show in October of 2020. Obviously, everyone had to wear a mask. We placed all of the dealer tables six-feet apart to encourage social distancing. We limited all the dealers to just two tables max. I was fine with all of these restrictions but dealers and customers were not, so the headaches began.

Five months with no show drove me nuts. I was willing to do just about anything to get the show back up and running. I hated having to police the show once we restarted but I was worried it would get shut down. It was a battle.

Prior to the Pandemic, we had our largest show to date in March of 2020, the show was on a roll! The show slowly returned to its former glory by the end of 2020. Then in January of 2021, the show exploded. I don't have official numbers but we easily had well over 1,000 people attend that January 2021 show. Oh my! 

Yet, I still think of June of 2015 when nobody came out to the show. Each month I am still worried, to this day, that nobody is going to attend. Silly, really. My phone has been ringing off the hook for table space. I had to institute a wait list that grew to 70. I am still battling that wait list. In April of 2022, when we started to accept that admission fee, we finally had some numbers on attendance. April and May of 2022 saw more than 600 people attend the show. The last show in August of 2022 had about 500 people.

The show is alive and well and continues to morph and grow. I don't bring out any food because we have the concession stand. Though, I cannot afford to provide food for 600 to 1,000 people any way. I stopped giving away packs of cards when attendance took off last year but have restarted my giveaway.

We have autograph guests every so often like Dave Robinson, Dorsey Levens and Don August.

I am in shock and awe every month at the show. I can't believe the number of dealers. I can't believe the amount of people that attend the show each and every month. I can't believe that the people at the Salvation Army are so incredibly nice! 

The show is a machine now. There is a ton of work but it has become routine. Funny that I started the show as a way to sell cards. I never anticipated that the show would grow so large that I would be unable to sit at my table and sell cards, which is the only downer. I probably need to start collecting table fee in advance, so I don't have to spend all day visiting 90 dealers to get table fee.

I am still the cheapest table fee around. Most shows charge double my fee. I have thought about raising dealer table fee but everything is so perfect, I am afraid to change anything. There is the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

I also like that my low fee makes it possible for anyone to set up. If you set up and don't sell any cards, you are out a big 25 bucks. Unlike the Merriville, Indiana, show last weekend where I spent $200 on table fee and hardly sold any cards. I don't want anyone to face that kind of situation. I don't want the dealers stressed out. I want everybody to have a good time, which has always been my bottom line. This is a fun hobby, let's have some fun!

I gotta thank everyone who reads this blog, everyone who sets up at the show, everyone who attends and everyone from the Salvation Army. You all are just too good to me and I really, really appreciate you! 

There was a father at the last show, who thanked me profusely. He attended with his son for the first time and they had a great time. I hear this regularly, which is why I continue to operate the show after eight hard years. I've booked the Sal for 2023. Let's celebrate the eighth anniversary of the show on September 3 and celebrate our hobby and each other at that Sept. 3 show and each and every month thereafter!

​Love you all! - Tony

Pictured above is a shot of the April 2021 Salvation Army Show.

Pictured above is the March 2022 Salvation Army show. Yes, there was a time when this show had just five dealers and five customers! 

Fat Daddy's Sports Card Show is held the first Saturday of every month at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in Oak Creek, WI.

​Next show is September 3, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, August 21, 2022, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

The Orland Park show comes to the rescue after an absolutely horrible show the day before in Merriville, Indiana. I can generally count on Orland to fix all woes.

Terry was pleased as I brought out four showcases this morning in addition to most of my binders. The binders got some action right away as a bevvy of set builders arrived at my tables and began to find cards for their sets. Andy found a bunch of cards, my first sale of the day. Thanks Andy!

Will and Joe arrived while Andy was at the table, and they brought me coffee and sausage mcmuffins. Thanks guys! Joe told me a really funny story about his dad Will. If you know Will, you know that he always has a beard. I don't think I've ever seen him in the last 20 years without facial hair. Joe told me that when he was about 9 or 10 years old, Will shaved off his beard. Joe walked by the bathroom and saw his clean-shaven dad and did not recognize him. Joe said he ran and found his sisters and told them a stranger was in the bathroom. The girls had to calm Joe down and convince him that the stranger was just his dad, who had shaved for the first time in Joe's young life. Makes me wonder, if Will shaved before the September Orland show, would I or anyone recognize him?

Anyway, a bunch of regular customers pulled cards from the binders. Gil was the big winner as a he pulled a huge stack of cards out of my newly reloaded 1961 Topps baseball binder. Thanks Gil! Chris found some 1974-75 Topps hockey which was recently reloaded as well. Rick purchased a bunch of football and basketball cards out of my showcases, along with some 1961 Topps out of the binder. Thanks Rick! Will found some '72s. Thanks Will! My one customer, who is a retired school principal, found some cards. 

While sales were under my Orland average, they were still so far and above what I did in Merriville that I was happy.

On the buying front, I was lucky to snag some 1932 Orbit Gum pins from Walt as he was shopping his vintage cards heavily to all of the vintage dealers. Then Walt went home without taking back his vintage box from Tony Schaefer. Tony left the box with Rich, the promoter. I've seen Walt do this before. He luckily seems to always recover his boxes.

My good friend Paul P. gave me a pile of cards for free! Thanks Paul!!

Nice crowd. Real pleasant day in Orland. Will, Joe and I capped off the day at the sub shop. The weekend started off low but ended on a high.

Next week, a rarity, I am just setting up at one show, the Madison show on Saturday. I'm bringing showcases for that one. Let me know if you want to see any binders and I'll bring them along. I am still working on my 1976 Topps baseball binder. Not sure when I'll get that one done.

Next Oak Creek show, which is my Eighth Anniversary Show, is set for September 3, 2022. Remember when I started that show? Anyone at the first one in September of 2014 at the Clarion Hotel?

Have a great week everybody! See you in Madison!!

UPDATE! I JUST FOUND A PHOTO OF WILL WITHOUT HIS BEARD!! SEE BELOW!