I can't seem to keep up with the blog, sorry guys. I have been spending my free time furiously attempting to reload my binders. Sales have generally been pretty good, especially vintage football. I have recently reloaded 1958, 1959 and 1960 Topps football along with 1960 Fleer football and hardly have any left. The dilemma now is do I go back and reload 1958 or move on and load up 1961? In general, my football binders are empty.

Anyway, here is a long but exciting recap of what I have been up to:

I was set up Sunday, November 17, 2024, in Orland Park. The show was well attended. Sales were okay. I purchased some 1930's hockey cards from Willie that are very cool. I also picked up a bunch of stuff from Walt. Jim offered me a nice stack of cards from the 1970's which I turned down. I have a huge inventory of 1970's cards right now and will only purchase more if they are dirt cheap or come in a lot with some older cards that I need. Steve Trout stopped by my table. I love how he is a regular visitor to this show. I'll be setting up again in Orland this Sunday, December 15, 2024. The kind folks that run this show are doing a toy drive and will have Santa available for photos. I am leaning towards bringing out display cases. I've priced a bunch of new stuff since the Sports Spectacular and don't have any binders reloaded since last week in Oak Creek. I am currently working on reloading my 1960 Topps baseball binder but don't think I'll have it done by Sunday.

After Orland, I spent all week pricing cards for the Chicago Sports Spectacular which was held November 22 through 24, 2024, at the Donald A. Stephens Center in Rosemont, IL. So, the worst show for load in and load out somehow has gotten even worse. It is so bad that I am fairly certain someone is going to get seriously injured.

The problem started after the Pandemic when demand for tables at this show, and most shows, went through the roof. So they expanded the show but in the process took away half of the loading space. Where you once could fit 60 or 70 vehicles, now only fits 20 or 30 which is a complete cluster$&#@ when hundreds of dealers are converging on the space at once.

With so many people in such a small space, you can't see other dealers pulling in or out or walking around. It is so scary. I was terrified I was going to strike someone's car or even worse a person with my vehicle. 

This is a tragedy waiting to happen. These folks need to get this straightened out. One suggestion I have is to allow dealers to load in and out through the front circle drive.

Anyway, I arrived Thursday around 3 p.m. and was directed to a hazardous location blocked in the front by a dealer booth, blocked on my left by another dealer's vehicle, and blocked on my right by a steady stream of dealers pushing carts filled with cards and display cases. It sucked! I had two perilous trips to my booth. I set it up as quickly as I could then got out there without somehow killing anyone or smashing into another car. Not a good experience for someone with high blood pressure!

I returned Friday around noon and spent a couple hours loading up my display cases. Once again I was in a new location, by my request. I have been setting up at this show since the late 1990's and have been all over the room during that time. I have never set up in this row but have set up behind it. I was next to the jersey guy from Jersey -- Paul. What a great guy! Paul kept offering to help me set up. I had fun goofing around with him all weekend. One of his employees made some chocolate chip cookies that were out of this world. Paul kept feeding them to me all weekend.

One of the perks of setting up next to Paul is that his booth goes extremely deep, so I was able to spread my booth way back. I placed the 8-foot table, provided by the promoters, back a good 14 to 16 feet. Then I was able to run two 6-foot tables along the opposite side of Paul, along a booth manned by Greg from Waukesha Sports. I then placed a thin 4-foot table up against Paul's set up. I had a really nice little walk-in space.

Both Paul and Greg expressed their happiness that I was their new neighbor and they liked my set up. Apparently, the previous neighbor only used the 8-foot table and did not create a walk-in booth and expected Paul and Greg to provide him an entrance to the space behind his table by reducing the size of their booths. It don't work that way! I know, like I said, I've been there since the 1990's. You get 8-feet of frontage. You want an entrance into your booth, you provide the space, not your neighbors. I've had neighbors bitch to me about this in the past claiming I pinched their space by not providing an entrance -- which is complete BS because all you get is 8-feet of frontage per booth. Your neighbor is not required to shrink their booth and give you extra space. You get some real dickheads at this show. As a result, as thankful as Paul and Greg were that I was their neighbor, I was just as thankful that they were my neighbors. We had a great time and they took care of me and watched my booth so I could take bathroom breaks. Thanks guys!

I was able to place out 13 display cases. No binders. I don't bring binders to Rosemont after one was stolen at the 2010 National. I also keep my display cases locked the whole show. There are too many thieves here and they will go right into unlocked display cases. Quite a few cards were stolen at this past show. Dealers, you gotta keep those cases locked!

Thefts aside, prior to the show, I was worried I would not have enough cards to fill 13 display cases so I really hustled pricing cards. Turns out, I had way too many cards and was unable to place out a large amount of them. I feel like I lost sales because I could not get all of my cards out. For the March show, I am going to leave some of this stuff at home like my Exhibit cards, which sold great at the National but not here. The Exhibits take up a full display case.

Overall, sales were much slower than the March show -- which happens here. My sales at the Sports Spectacular are sooo inconsistent. I never know how it is going to go. I thought attendance was excellent. Maybe one of the best attended Sports Spectaculars ever. A lot of folks did not walk into my booth, they just walked by. I have always felt like a lot of those that attend this show do not collect cards but are there for the autographs or for man-cave items. My neighbor Greg who had two or three spaces filled with memorabilia and man-cave stuff did really well. Though, Paul, on the other side was disappointed as well with his sales. Regardless, he seemed pretty busy to me.

On the buying front, one of my best Sports Spectaculars in a while. I purchased a nice stack of 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards which I really needed. I also purchased a stack of graded cards including a 1960 Topps Warren Spahn along with some other odds and ends.

On Sunday, I turned in my contract for the March show where I will be in the same spot between Paul and Greg. I might just load in from the parking garage because it is just too freakin' scary to load in from the poorly designated loading area.

I was totally exhausted after the Sports Spectacular and had a rough week but found time to finish reloading my 1959 Topps baseball binder in time for the Madison show on November 30, 2024.

As tired as I was, I found the energy to put together Thanksgiving for my family. Both my wife and daughter worked on Thanksgiving, so it was up to me to pick up my son from the train station and procure our dinner from Whole Foods with some supplements from Heinen's and Sunset Foods. I don't cook for Thanksgiving. I purchase precooked stuff and heat it up.

I was still heating up the food when my folks arrived. The boy went and picked up the girl from work. Lisa arrived later and we had a really nice Thanksgiving dinner. Hope yours was nice as well!

Then on Saturday, I mistakenly set my alarm for 5:30 p.m. instead of 5:30 a.m. I woke up at 6:47 a.m. in a panic. I did not have time to bathe so I threw on some cologne and extra deodorant. Hope I didn't stink at the Madison show!

Madison is a two-hour drive from my house. I arrived there just before the show opened at 9 a.m. There was already a crowd in the room. I had to hustle loading in then setting up my binders. Sorry if I was rude to anyone but I was not ready to chat at that moment. I needed to set up! I was able to get it done quickly but had no time to get any coffee from the faux Starbucks in the hotel lobby. Ugh! I can't function without coffee. Thankfully, one of my regular customers went and got me a cup of coffee. Thank you!!!

Unlike the Sports Spectacular where there is no pattern whatsoever to my sales, the Madison show is always consistent. I get a nice group of set builders in the morning then not much action in the afternoon. The rest of the day went according to plan. Sales were good but not quite as good as October where I totally rocked it. On the buying front, nada. I was offered some 1980's and 1990's cards. No thank you.

I was absolutely starving when I left the show. Normally, I arrive early enough to purchase some breakfast at the faux Starbucks. Not this morning. I hustled my way out of the show around 2 p.m. and headed straight for the Golden Corral in Janesville. I absolutely love the Golden Corral while my wife and kids hate it. So I can only go there when they are not with me. I had a wonderful meal, as usual. Located next to the Golden Corral is a gas station with some of the best prices around. I filled up and had a pleasant ride home.

No rest for the weary! I had to work my tail off to prepare for the December 7th Oak Creek show. I had 13 of my regular dealers take the month off, so I had to fill their spots from my waiting list. I have to contact two or three people on the waiting list to get just one to commit. It always boggles my mind when I leave a message for someone on the list and they don't bother to respond. 

I worked all week on getting the right amount of dealers. I had a few cancellations during the week, including a couple on the night before the show. Ugh! Then there were the cancellations on the morning of the show which always drives me nuts. I had one guy show up looking for some space and was able to plug him in the gym. Dealers who are not regulars at this show and are looking for space --- arrive at 9 a.m. with your stuff, I will more than likely have a spot for you. At least there were not any cold no-shows. I had four dealers contact me that morning stating they were unable to attend. I was able to fill one of the spots but the other three went empty -- which drives me nuts when I have more than 125 people on my waiting list!!!

So I had a whole bunch of new dealers which is always interesting. I could not leave my tables to see what they had. All the new dealers did real well. We had 1,095 through the door, one of our best attended shows of the year! All the new dealers want to come back. Unfortunately, with 13 regulars returning, I don't think I will have space for them. Sorry guys!

I had a great day! Sales were excellent. Buys were fantastic. I purchased a box of 1959 Topps baseball commons. Then one of my dealers in the Chapel directed a guy to me who was selling cards that had belonged to his brother, who had recently passed away. I don't know who directed the guy to me but I am in your debt. I purchased a nice pile of stuff that included a 1956 Topps Willie Mays, Ernie Banks and Al Kaline. Good stuff!

The best part of the show was that I got to spend all day with former Brewers pitcher Don August. I love that guy. He could not be any nicer and any more entertaining. We had a steady stream of folks looking for his autograph and purchasing his book. I loved watching him give pitching pointers to kids. I also thoroughly enjoyed his endless stories. He told me George Brett was the toughest hitter he went up against. He also had many stories of adventures playing overseas in Taiwan and Italy -- you'll find these stories in his book!

Man, what a fun day!!!

Next Oak Creek show is January 4, 2025. Next show for me is this Sunday in Orland. Hope to see you there!!!

​Now for some photos:

That's Paul from Jersey in the gray hoodie. I really enjoyed setting up next to him at the Sports Spectacular. 

Nobody in my booth. I watched my neighbor Greg make sales all weekend. Though, I don't think he sold any of those 1989 Topps sets.

Nice crowd at the November Madison show.

Excellent crowd in Oak Creek on December 7.

Me, Don August and my empty football binders.

One of the pulls from a free pack I gave away in Oak Creek.

Another free pack pull.

Saturday, November 16, 2024, Grant County 4-H Center, Marion, IN

I get a lot of comments that I am nuts for driving all over the country for shows. In my view, you are all nuts for NOT driving all over the country for shows because it is fun!

It is definitely more fun when I sell a lot of cards and/or make a nice buy at a show. The Marion show was not all that fun but you live and learn.

The promoter Jerry Hoss is a super nice guy who treated me very well but this show just does not draw much. I don't think more than 30 or 40 people attended the show. I can actually do well at these shows sometimes but I have to do them every month and build a customer base. Marion is too far of a drive to set up monthly.

I decided to set up at the Marion show after seeing it listed regularly on Facebook. A few years ago, Wisconsin dealer Eric Unglaub told me he had set up at this show and did not do very well. I am the kind of person who generally has to try a show out for myself.

Marion is around a four-hour drive from my house in Northern Illinois, so I decided to break it up and spend Friday night at my folks' place in New Buffalo, MI. My GPS read that Marion is about two hours from New Buffalo. Man, it sure seemed like it was closer to a three-hour drive.

Long drive aside, the hardest part of doing shows east of Chicago is that I lose an hour due to the time change. So, I had to wake up at 4 a.m. Central Time, 5 a.m. Eastern Time, to make it to Marion before the show opened.

I arrived at the show at 8:45 a.m. Eastern Time. The show opened at 9 a.m. I was worried that I was late but observed quite a few empty tables. Problem was that none of the tables had my name on it.

Jerry saw me wandering around. I gave him my name and he apologized for failing to leave me a table. I wasn't worried. As a show veteran, I figured that someone would not show up. 

Jerry rearranged some tables and sort of made me a spot. I was appreciative.

Load in was tough. There is no ramp for the front step. Someone hanging out front told me to go to the side. I found a side door labeled restroom. Then went around back and saw an open door and carted in. Not much space to get in because it was blocked by some other dealer tables.

Later, I noticed a garage door and wondered why it was not open for load in. At the end of the show, I loaded out that side door which was tough because people and tables were in the way.

After loading in and setting up, I walked the room and observed a really great group of dealers. I was surprised at the amount of vintage on some of these tables. At least five tables had solid vintage inventories while many others had a smattering. One dealer had some drool-worthy 1957-58 Topps basketball cards but nothing was priced. I have learned over the years that if a card is not priced that means it will cost way too much. While, I loved seeing all the vintage, it was all priced too high for me. 

One of the vintage dealers was my best customer. What a nice guy. Unfortunately, he had a fake 1964 Topps Mickey Mantle in his display case. I don't think he was trying to scam anyone. I think he actually got scammed and has no idea the card is fake. I didn't have the heart to tell him. I see fake vintage cards in dealers' cases on occasion, I am never sure what to do. I don't want to start any fights with anybody but it is a bummer to see the fakes.

I recognized several dealers from the Fort Wayne show. My only other customer of the day recognized me from the Fort Wayne show and purchased some 1960 Topps baseball.

Best part of the show was the free coffee (which I promptly spilled) and the free doughnuts. Thanks Jerry!

Prior to partaking in the free coffee and doughnuts, I had an interesting drive to Marion. I went through a town called Wabash which looked like it was out of a Charles Dickens novel. I love Victorian towns and plan on heading back to explore. Marion, on the other hand, was kind of dumpy and run down. Though, I did see a sign for James Dean's birthplace. I might head back some time to check that out.

I am not sure what Jerry can do to get more people to attend this show. Marion seems like it is in the middle of nowhere but I don't think it is all that far from Indianapolis. Props to Jerry for not charging me for my tables -- much appreciated. I also observed him going around the room and purchasing cards that I am sure he did not need or want but was just trying to help the dealers out.

Even though my sales were lousy and I did not buy anything, I still had a good time. Everyone was extremely friendly. I love talking cards. A lot of folks had never seen Goudeys and I enjoyed explaining a few things about them. I think if you live anywhere near Marion, this show is a good option because there is an excellent inventory of cards there from vintage, modern and Pokémon. As an out-of-town dealer, not worth it because of the small crowd. 

On Sunday, I was back on home turf at the Orland show. I'll try and get a blog done about Orland.

Next up for me is the Sports Spectacular at the Stephens Center in Rosemont, IL, from Friday through Sunday, November 22 to 24, 2024. I have a new booth location this time around. I am closer to the middle of the room in Booth No. 45. I am bringing out display cases to the Spectacular. If you want to see any binders, let me know and I will bring them. I will have lots of new inventory in my display cases. Should be fun!

Next Oak Creek show is coming up fast on December 7. As usual, I am sold out of table space. My waiting list is getting crazy. For new folks on the list, it will be months and months before I can get them space at the show. Sorry!

I have some interesting news to report -- my good friend Mark Smith contacted me and asked if I knew of any shows on February 2, 2025. We both saw the Bridgeview show and decided to set up together. Folks in both Milwaukee and Chicago have been asking me about Mark, well here is your chance to see him! Come out to the show at the Bridgeview Community Center, 7900 S. Oketo Ave., in Bridgeview, IL, on February 2nd. Should be a fun!!

​In the meantime, hope to see you this weekend in Rosemont!! 

Saturday-Sunday, November 9-10, 2025, Eastgate Mall, Cincinnati, OH

I have been to Cincinnati many times and have set up at the Moeller show, Sharonville, and Dayton. So I have become familiar with the city and its sports card collectors -- I even bring out a binder of Reds cards whenever I set up in the area.

I have come to realize that I really like Cincinnati and by the most part, the collectors there treat me like family. This was my first time set up at the Eastgate Mall and I had a very pleasant weekend.

I booked the Eastgate Mall show a month or so ago and began communicating with promoter Dan Acosta, who hails from Illinois and the town of Westmont. Dan is a super guy who runs an excellent show.

I initially booked two tables but saw an empty one next to mine so I took that one as well. Glad I did because that is where I placed my Reds binder and it took a beating on Saturday. Sales were excellent on Saturday.

John, who remembered me from the Xenia show this past August, spent all day at my tables working on his sets. What a nice guy and a pleasure to talk to. Thanks John! Quite a few set builders found me amongst the 200 tables at this show. One collector just about cleaned out my 1967 Topps baseball.

I also brought out a couple of discount boxes. My newly reloaded 50-cent box took a beating. It is about empty now.

Then a kid, about 12, showed me photos of a 1959 Topps football set he had up on eBay. I saw that the cards were mid-grade and made an offer which the young guy accepted. His dad brought the cards from home. I am pretty happy with the purchase. I didn't low-ball the little guy, I paid strong. He was delighted.

I also met a couple of teenage girls who purchased vintage Cincinnati Bengal cards for their dads -- wish my daughter would purchase me some cards!!

I was busy all day Saturday and had some really great conversations about cards and Pete Rose. I learned his wake was this weekend. I thought about attending but I would have had to leave my cards in my car and was worried about theft, so I didn't go.

I initially booked the Eastgate Mall show for just Saturday and told Dan that if I did well, I would stick around for Sunday. I did well and on Dan's advice I packed up and took my cards with me for the night.

My tables on Saturday were located near the Food Court and I dined on some wonderful Teriyaki Chicken for lunch. After the show, I found a Chinese Buffet called Kings near my hotel and stuffed my face well.

The show on Sunday did not start until noon, so I slept in then found a nearby Waffle House for breakfast. We don't have Waffle House in Illinois. I freakin' love Waffle House and was in heaven.

Dan moved my spot for Sunday which was fine with me. Though, the new spot had poor lighting. Once again, I had three tables and shared an empty with my neighbor -- a nice guy selling Pokemon.

On the other side was an extremely loud guy, who I did not like initially. He set part of his display behind one of my tables which pissed me off. See photo below. The space behind my tables is mine -- bad form for other dealers to pinch it. He also blocked my way out from behind my tables. So I moved an empty table behind me so I could get out but turd boy kept moving it back. Ugh!

As the day went on, we got to talking and I ended up enjoying our conversations and decided he was okay, even if he was loud space pincher and exit blocker.

Sales were down on Sunday and I had one lowballer, who I did not like. Lesson here is to only set up at this show on Saturday.

I was on the road by 4:15 p.m. and had an easy drive home.

Next week is a double bill weekend. I am trucking down to Marion, Indiana, on Saturday. I have never been to this show, so I am looking forward to it. Sunday is the mighty Orland show. I am feverishly working on reloading my 1959 Topps baseball binder. Not sure if I will have it done by the weekend.

Sorry for the lack of blogs. I kind of lost my blog mojo. I have photos from the all the shows I attended since August but failed to blog about. You wanna see some photos?

​Next Oak Creek show is December 7 -- as usual, tables are sold out and the waiting list is just insane at this point. Ugh!

​Here are a few photos from Cincinnati:

Pictured above here is my table on top with turd boy's sign and bench placed behind my table and blocking my way out.

The first three days of the 2024 National were excellent for both buying and selling. However, once the weekend hit, everything came to a standstill for me. There was a huge crowd on Saturday, but hardly anyone was interested in my stuff. Sales were abysmal on Saturday, unlike the 2023 National in Rosemont where my sales were outstanding. I don't quite understand it. I was on a pace to set a new record for sales this year but Saturday changed all that. I was soooo disappointed.

With little happening at my booth, I walked around the show a bit which was fun. I found Gary, Dennis, Mike and Nelson in the other room. Tim Payne was nearby. If you kept walking to the north wall, there was the Breaker Pavilion which I do not understand at all. Seems like a huge waste of space to me.

In the Breaker Pavilion there is booth after booth of guys sitting at desks wearing headphones and looking into a camera while opening packs of cards. Pretty much no one at the show paid them any attention. Maybe there were folks online following along. I think a better use of the space would be to add more card dealers. Why not move the breakers to a basement room? I mean, nobody, absolutely nobody, was watching them. It just looked like they were sitting around talking to themselves. 

Then on Sunday, my sales were worse than Saturday. Again, I had a decent Sunday last year in Rosemont but no such luck this year. Also, the place was empty. There was maybe 25 percent of the Saturday crowd. Felt like a waste of time.

Dave and I had an easy time loading out and were on the road by 4 p.m. and we had an easy drive home.

Overall, my sales were down from the previous three years but still higher than pre-pandemic sales. My buys were excellent. One of my best buying Nationals ever. I also had a ton of fun. There really is nothing better than the National. I am still in awe of the amount of vintage cards that were there this year -- amazing!

What is not amazing is my health. With all my medical issues, the National has become physically difficult. There were a ton of events every night after the show but I was just too tired to do anything but eat dinner and go back to the hotel and lay down. Though, setting up on Tuesday really helped. I think I would have been in bad shape if we had set up on Wednesday morning like we normally do. Also helpful was the location of the dealer parking lot which was not far from our booth. All that walking in Rosemont from the parking lot to the booth is an absolute killer -- not looking forward to that next year.

Like most everybody who attended the 2024 National, I came home with COVID. I've had COVID many times since 2020 and this current edition was not nearly as bad as previous ones. I was out for the count for two or three days but felt much better by the weekend. Though, it did seem to linger for months. I suffered greatly from post-COVID fatigue. 

While laid up with COVID, I spent a ton of time watching vlogs from the National on YouTube. I caught the back of my fat head in many of the videos. Seems like most vloggers had issues with automobile traffic coming in and out of the IX Center in Cleveland. We were caught in traffic as well here in there but not too bad.

Lack of bathrooms was a huge issue for vloggers which can be easily fixed with the addition of port-a-potties. There were a lot of complaints about the lack of hotels and restaurants within walking distance of the IX Center. Our hotel was only about a 20-minute drive, not bad but I am never staying there again!

Overall, I do not really have any complaints about the IX Center and look forward to returning one of these days. The next three Nationals are in Rosemont which is great for me since I only live a half hour away. I also secured the same booth location as we had in 2023 which will make things much easier since I now know where to load in and out. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the 2024 National and appreciate meeting many folks who follow this blog from all corners of the country. Thanks guys!

Below are some photos from Saturday at the National. The first few photos were taken right when the show opened Saturday morning and depict my booth along with the two others that were attached to my pod. Generally, booths were laid out in squares of four.

Shortly after opening, the crowds arrived en masse on Saturday.

We celebrated the last night at the National with dinner at the Timber Lodge in Medina. We usually eat at the Timber Lodge during the Strongsville show but decided to head over while at the National because the place is soooo good!

Finally, some random photos from Sunday, the last day of the National.

Well, that is a wrap! Looking forward to returning to Cleveland in April 2025 for the Strongsville show. In the meantime, I am still setting up every single weekend -- next up is Madison on October 19, 2024, and Orland on October 20, 2024. Next Oak Creek Show is November 2. See you soon!!

Okay, okay, okay! I heard you!!

Sorry, I just have not been able to get the blog done. I'm not feeling so great and I am really busy.

Day 3 of the National was my best day of the show. I was busy in waves. At one point, I had six or seven cards out of my cases to six or seven different people. Trying to keep track of the cards and the people was difficult. Thankfully, nobody walked off with anything. Actually, I did not hear about any thefts other than the numbnut dealer who left a big bag of cash in his unlocked car.

Of course, I have waited too long and don't have much memory of the day, other than I was busy. I think we got stuck in traffic on the way in that morning.

​I do have some photos:

Thursday, July 25, 2024, I-X Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Sorry, I fell way behind on the blogs. I had hoped to blog every night at the National but I was just too exhausted after the show each night. Then I came home with COVID. Then I had to prepare for the Oak Creek show. So, I've been exhausted, sick, and busy. I'll try to catch up.

On the morning of Day 2, Dave and I somehow found the will power to leave our luxury suite and ventured over to I-Hop for breakfast. Afterwards, I plugged the I-X Center into my GPS and it took me on a totally weird route to the venue. We spent half the ride winding through a forest preserve. 

I think the weird route was a result of traffic around the I-X Center and the GPS lead us through the clearest path to the venue. As we were walking in, another dealer complained that he was stuck on the highway, near the venue, for an hour before he could exit. Yikes! We heard similar stories all day long. 

The first hour of the show was kind of slow which I think was a result of people having trouble exiting the highway to the venue. Around 10 a.m., the place was packed and I was busy the entire day. Sales were excellent. Once again, I beat my 2023 results for Day 2. I sold all sorts of stuff including my 1934-36 Diamond Stars Mel Ott -- I was sorry to see that one go. Another big sale was my 1962 Jello Carl Yastrzemski.

It was great to catch up with Sandy, a now retired law school professor, who I talked about the other day. Sandy also purchased some T206s. Thanks Sandy!

I enjoyed seeing Allen, a follower of this blog who lives in San Diego and who I met last year at the Chicago National. Allen purchased some cards. Thank you!

Many, many people purchased cards today. It was a frenzy most of the day. I don't even know what I sold. All I know is that there were a lot of empty spaces in my display cases.

On the buying front, a much better day. As promised, Tim returned with a stack of Exhibits. I have sold four or five exhibits so far which is kind of funny because I wasn't even sure whether I should bother putting them out. Anyway, Tim had some great ones like Joe Dimaggio, Rudy York, and Bob Feller. There were some boxing, bowling and figure skating in the group as well. Then there were some that had postcard backs. I am not sure what those are. They sort of look like Exhibits on the front. I am going to have to research those.

I also purchased a nice group of cards from John from Lansing, Michigan. John sold me a 1957 Topps Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, Duke Snider, a 1969 Topps Willie Mays, a 1968 Topps Hank Aaron and a 1966 Topps Sandy Koufax. Thanks John. I was really pleased with my haul today!

Again, I saw all sorts of folks I knew all day long like Dennis from Joliet, Jason Metz, then there was a guy who purchased some cards from me at the Kalamazoo show along with the dealer who was set up next to me at that show. I saw Mike from the Cleveland area, who is threatening to come out and set up in Oak Creek. Dave's brother Frank hung out with us most of the day. Frank lives in nearby Akron and is a very interesting guy.  Chris from Cincinnati was there.

I saw my main man Hockey Greg, who was drawn to my hockey display case. Then I got to meet Sammy Thunder, another vintage sports vlogger I follow on YouTube. Sammy gave me a signed custom baseball card along with a decal. Thanks Sammy!

There was one guy, who tried to hustle me on my 1955 Bowman Mickey Mantle, which draws a lot of attention because I have it priced low since it has a crease. I pointed out the crease to the guy and he complained that I had the card priced too high. Sorry buddy, I reviewed the comps, I have the card accurately priced. I really did not appreciate this guy's BS. Hustler guy was the only bump in the road today. It was an excellent day.

Dave and I capped it off with a trip to the Brown Derby steak house. I actually went with pork chops because I had so much steak last week. I saw Johnny Adams at the Brown Derby.

​Great day!

Pictured below are photos from Day 2 at the National:

Huge crowd on Day 2!

Dave conducted a brisk business on Day 2.

Tony, Auron and Allen.

Quite a few walk-ups this year, including the piece pictured above. I thought it was cool but had no idea what to offer on it.

Thursday, after the show, Dave and I had dinner at the Brown Derby which was pretty popular among dealers. We saw Johnny Adams in there. 

Wednesday, July 24, 2024, I-X Center, Cleveland, OH

After a lousy night's sleep in our deluxe luxury hotel suite, Dave and I ventured toward Downtown Cleveland around 8 a.m. Our destination -- Slyman's Deli. We have been talking about Slyman's ever since we first set up at the Strongsville show 15 years ago. Well, we finally made it there and Slyman's did not disappoint.

The deli was opened in the mid-1960's in an old neighborhood lined with old, tall houses and dotted with Victorian warehouses and churches. Inside is the grill to the left, a cashier straight ahead and a dining room to the right. The place felt and looked like an antique. The decor was a mixture of church revival and Three Stooges memorabilia... kind of weird decor for an old Jewish deli.

The menu had typical deli items. Dave went with a pastrami sandwich while I had the corned beef. We took our sandwiches back to the I-X Center and were blown away. Each sandwich featured a plateau of rye bread in-between mountains of meat. Showgoers stopped in their tracks when they saw Dave and I munching away on these sandwiches that sort of resembled bricks. Amazing. Delicious. Neither of us could finish our sandwiches.

After finishing my meal, I mostly sat around the booth for the next several hours. I was surprised by the lack of traffic in the building. In years past, there was steady traffic on Wednesday morning, even though the show does not officially open until 3:30 p.m. I can only guess that some rule changes implemented by the new management group in charge of the National resulted in the lack of customer traffic. 

Here are the rule changes. Dealers are now given two badges, instead of three. The cost of additional badges increased from $60 to $100 and limits were placed on the number of badges each booth holder could purchase --- end result, hardly anybody was walking the show in the morning.

In addition, everyone in the building prior to the opening bell was required to wear a badge. I observed a security officer escort folks out of the building who were not wearing badges.

With no customers, I took some time to walk the show -- my first time walking the show in years. I observed quite a few vintage dealers with prices all over the board. I also observed a food court with seven or eight food and drink options. I purchased a cup of coffee from a coffee truck.

After obtaining my coffee, I ran into Tom and Anita Daniels, who have set up at every single National. Tom and Anita were set up by the front door. I love viewing their National set up which is so different from their Oak Creek set up. In Oak Creek, they largely bring out wax. At the National, the big guns are out like a 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson.

​Not far from Tom and Anita, I saw Tony Schaefer's booth. I drooled at all of his T206s. Then I saw Dell and Jeff back by the dealer entrance.

Set up near me are the comic book guys from Detroit. Ash is down my aisle. I saw Jeremy and Chase set up down by the washroom. Lake Country Cards was set up near Dell and Jeff.

Even though early sales were slow, this may have been the most pleasant first day of the National I have ever had. I was so relaxed and had great energy because I had set up on Tuesday when in the past, I always set up on Wednesday which would tire me out for that first day.

Finally, at 3:30 p.m., the building started to fill up. Customers complained that automobile traffic outside of the venue was jammed up. Some said they waited an hour or so in traffic to enter the building's parking lot then once in the building there was another long wait in line to enter the show floor. 

I saw a lot of frustrated faces in addition to quite a few friendly faces. A steady stream of folks I knew stopped by like Eddie, Chris, Scott, Jim, Al, other Jim, Dan, Larry, Nelson and many others. Of course, I found Willie looking through a stack of Wackys.

I enjoyed meeting Chris from Missouri, one of the many vintage sports card vloggers I follow on YouTube. What a nice guy! 

Sales were a trickle up until 5 p.m. or so when they really picked up. I was very busy late in the day. In fact, I was busy up until the show ended at 8 p.m. I felt like I could continue to sell cards for hours more if the show was open later.

I had quite a few interesting conversations with showgoers. I met Tim from Naples, Florida, who told me he purchased a 1974 Lauglin Negro League set from Larry Fritch back in 1974. Tim said some of the high-grade slabbed cards are currently selling for $5.000 to $6,000. He asked for a recommendation on how to sell his set. I advised he take the set over to Heritage Auctions, which was located near my booth.

Tim later came back to my booth and said he took my advice and took the set to Heritage and they were very excited to receive it. I was happy to help out.

Then Steve from Lansing, Mich, came by and just about cleared out all of my hockey cards. Thanks Steve! I had a lot of nice sales. My first day at the 2024 National was much better than 2023. Dave had an excellent day as well.

Things were going so well, I was disappointed when the show closed for the day. I could have gone all night at this rate!

On the buying front, nada, nuttin', zilch. Nobody offered to sell me any cards. Though Tim said he would be back on Thursday with some things for me.

Dave and I left the building through the dealer exit to the back parking lot. It was a zoo out there. Traffic leaving the parking lot through the main entrance was at a standstill. Dave and I decided to drive to the back exit which moved much better.

We went over to a sports bar just minutes away from the I-X Center. Dave said that he ate there with PJ when they were set up at the Cleveland National in 2019. The bar was noisy. There was some sort of music trivia game going on with a DJ blaring music. Lots of TVs channeled to either the Guardians-Tigers game or the Yankees-Mets.

Dave and I decided to order wings. The pretty waitress brought out a huge pile of tasty wings. We enjoyed our meal.

Afterwards, it was back to the luxury suite for another lousy night of sleep. Day one of the 2024 National was in the books.

​Now for some photos:

Pictured above is your hero with Anita and Tom Daniels.

Pictured above is a 1971 Bazooka Hockey panel -- I never knew these existed, so cool!

Pictured above is one of Tony Schaefer's display cases.

In another display case, Tony had all these autographed Mickey Mantle cards, pictured above.

I observed this random Jerome Walton mask on a dealer's table near the front entrance. I also saw quite a few dealer tables with similar stuff that was not worth the price of the booth. Puzzling.

Monday, July 21, 2024, Road to the National

The National is a five-day show -- Wednesday through Sunday. Normally, I set up on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, I am now a little infirm and can't handle setting up Wednesday morning then remain open for business through 8 p.m. So, I paid an extra $100 for the privilege of setting up on Tuesday, something I have never done before.

Dave and I planned to leave Monday around noon and arrive in Cleveland around dinner time, relax, then head over to the Convention Center Tuesday morning for set up. As it always seems to go, I had to get some work done for my real job in the morning on Monday and into the afternoon. I had hoped to be out of the house by 11 a.m. but ended up leaving for Dave's place around 2 p.m.

Prior to hitting the road, I loaded into my car 12 display cases, one bin of cards, several boxes of cards, two card tables and my luggage. My car looked fairly full. I was concerned I would not have enough room to fit in Dave's stuff.

Traffic heading south on the I294 was terrible. It came to a standstill at the O'Hare exit. I decided to exit at Irving Park and take Route 83 down to Dave's place. Quite a bit of traffic on Route 83 as well. It was a frustrating drive.

I pulled up into Dave's driveway and observed his garage was open and all his cases and bags were lined up, waiting for me. I felt terrible being so late. I told Dave earlier that I would be there around noon. To my credit, I did send him an email around noon in an effort to let him know I was running late. He never saw the email. Sorry Dave!

Anyway, I was able to fit Dave's four display cases, three boxes of cards, assorted bags and his cart on top of all my stuff. We had my car packed to the gills but everything fit. Woot!

We hopped back on the 294 at Roosevelt Road. It was a parking lot. It seemed to clear up fairly quick and we made it to Indiana in no time. Dave suggested we stop for lunch in South Bend. I agreed. I had only been to South Bend once before when I set up at a show there last September. I have never been to Downtown or the Notre Dame campus. We decided to try and find a place to eat Downtown.

Downtown South Bend is kind of desolate, not what I expected. We had trouble finding a restaurant. We ended up at a Thai Restaurant. Dave has never eaten Thai food before. I love it and eat it all the time. I ordered us both Chicken Satay and Chicken Pad Thai and Thai Ice Teas. I loved it all while Dave... not so much. Sorry Dave!

Back on the road, we made it to Cleveland shortly after dark. Several months ago, Dave booked us six nights at the Travelodge Hotel near the Cleveland Airport -- more on the Travelodge later.

I think I fell asleep around midnight and tossed and turned most of the night. I am just too excited during the first few nights of the National to sleep. We hit a nearby Bob Evans for breakfast, which is almost always solid.

Easy drive to the I-X Center. We had hoped to be able to drive my car into the I-X Center and right up to our booth. However, we observed a HUGE line of cars waiting to drive into the building. The line was not moving. The numskulls in charge of this deal were only allowing a trickle of vehicles into the building at a time. We decided to park and load in from the parking lot which turned out to be a little difficult because it was a bit of a walk in the hot sun then into the hot building and up to our booth. I was exhausted after three trips from the car to the booth.

We set up the booth the same way we did it last year with Dave on one end and my stuff set up in a U-shape deal behind him, covering the rest of the booth. It did not take Dave long to set up. I, on the other hand, took several hours. I cleaned the glass on all 12 display cases then placed cards in the cases one at a time.

While setting up, we saw our old friend Josh, who just happened to be set up next to us. I went to law school with Josh more than 20 years ago. Josh is real close with one of our old law school professors who collects vintage cards. The professor is normally a great customer of Dave's. It was nice to catch up with Josh and I am looking forward to seeing our old professor later this week. 

While I was setting up, a collector from Canada sat down at Dave's table and spent the next two hours pulling cards. Dave ended up with a monster sale and a tremendous start to the 2024 National. I am still on zero sales. 

After set up, we hit Big Boy over by the Travelodge. I had a slim Jim sandwich while Dave had a Big Boy Burger. My sandwich was great. Dave did not like his burger. After our meal, we went back to the Travelodge, which I would like to discuss a little bit now.

So, as you know, Dave and I go first-class, top notch to the National every year. No expense is too great for us. We're known as big spenders in most circles. We always live in luxury. Pictured below is the chair I am sitting on now while typing this blog.

In my estimation, I believe the chair is from the early Renaissance. The stain was probably made by Da Vinci. When, I tire of resting on the Da Vinci chair, I move across the room and relax on the Shakespeare chair below.

The tour of our exquisite room continues with the wall decor below which was designed by a very expensive firm from Beverly Hills... I believe the name of the firm is Fred G. Sanford and Son Ltd.

No room is complete unless it contains a door that leads to nowhere, as Dave and I are lucky to have here at the Cleveland Travelodge, pictured below.

Our elegant tour continues with a view of the hotel hallway, pictured below, designed in early Soviet Public Housing, which is all the rage these days.

From the fashionable hallway, one may access the ultra-modern elevator, pictured below, down to the lobby.

Exiting the elevator, one is treated to the delightful lobby decorated in early-modern Shaft meets Foxy Brown. 

Our tour of Dave and Tony's Cleveland Luxury Adventure continues with the facade of our lovely hotel with these wonderful balconies, pictured below, that are in no way crumbling.

Lastly, we have a view of the street sign announcing the Travelodge By Wyndham, Cleveland's most amazing hotel. I am left wondering, however, why the five-level sign only has two levels with actual signage. Dave and I searched and searched for Sammy's Pub & Grill, we have been unable to locate it. Maybe it is in the basement?

Anyway, more to come from the 2024 National. If you are planning to attend, come see us in Booth 1144!!!

Sunday, July 21, 2024, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

I was set up and ready to go around 8:30 a.m. this morning. Not much doing in the room yet. Made me a little nervous. Late-arriving crowd. I just sat behind my tables for a while waiting for something to happen.

All at once I was busy. People at my tables, going through cards, cracking jokes, talking sports, the National, traveling... all sorts of stuff. Like Madison yesterday, I was busy in Orland early. Seems like all my sales came before noon. I sold a lot of stuff. Thank you everybody!!

One of my early sales was to former White Sox and Cubs pitcher Steve Trout who wanted a Joe Pepitone card, any Joe Pepitone. It was fun!

Then my buying streak ended in great form. I bought a ton of stuff! A huge thank you to Jimmy C., Jeff P., my guys with the vintage hockey, and my main man Carl. I went home with a haul today thanks to these guys!

Now my problem is I would like to price some of this new inventory for the National but I'm getting ready to leave for Cleveland in the morning. A lot of this new stuff will get priced after the National, unfortunately. Though, I am bringing some great stuff to Cleveland as I have been a busy beaver pricing cards for weeks and weeks.

I had to give Will and Joe and rain check on lunch today. I had to head home, unload the car, take a shower and meet my folks Downtown Chicago for dinner with Kolby, who turns 19 on July 25, while I'll be in Cleveland.

We had a wonderful dinner at Ron of Japan, a family favorite since the 1970's. Sorry, I accidentally butt-dialed Jeff Peterson after dinner. Sorry Jeff!

Crazy busy day.

Looking forward to Cleveland. Dave and I are in booth 1144. Come see us!

Reminder, we're back at it in Oak Creek right after the National on August 3, 2024. Dealer tables are sold out. I am going to have a tough time responding to messages while at the National. I'll try my best.

Woot!

National!!

Saturday, July 20, 2024, Sheraton Hotel, Madison, WI

I made sure I set my alarm to 5 a.m., not 5 p.m. like last month. I only hit snooze once. It was slow goin' this morning. I'm just not a morning person.

I was on the road to Madison my 6:20 a.m. Much more traffic than usual. I stopped at a Thorton's for gas near Beloit and paid $3.59 a gallon. All the gas stations near my house in the far north suburbs of Chicago are over $4 a gallon.

I also purchased a cup of coffee and a doughnut. I know, I know. I should not eat doughnuts. I took some insulin before I left home so I thought I was okay to have a doughnut. Turns out the doughnut was stale. Ugh. No ill effects though.

I arrived at the Sheraton around 8:15 a.m. and was able to set up in peace this month. Yay! As soon as I completed set up, customers were at my tables. I had a nice stream of customers through noon. I have a nice group of regulars at this show. I almost missed this month's show because I booked the new show in Countryside, Illinois, not knowing the date of the July Madison show. I really hate to cancel a show once I book it but Madison has become one of my best shows and I just can't miss it! I hope to set up at one of Nick's shows soon!!

There were four rooms and 200 tables this month in Madison. I think this was Beau's largest show to date. Unfortunately, I can't leave my tables and walk around. I would like to see the rest of the show one of these days!

I had a real nice time chatting with my regulars. Also in attendance at this show were good buddies Tim, Andy, Mike, Bronko, Jeff T., and many others. I had a real pleasant day. However, like clockwork, the crowds at my tables disappeared by noon. I just sat around in the afternoon staring off into space.

I did take some time to look at Mark's cards, across from me. He has 10 or 12 display cases and always has one with amazing power vintage. Drool!

On the buying front, once again there was nothing. Weird! Nothing was offered last week in Rockford and nothing today in Madison. It is so disappointing to leave a show without any purchases! I'm hopeful that I can buy some cards tomorrow in Orland -- I usually do. At least four or five people inquired as to where I obtain my cards. As you know, I purchase most of them at shows.

Anyway, I had a real nice day. I appreciate everyone who purchased cards from me today. Quite a few vintage set builders, as usual at this show. A couple of new customers as well, which is always appreciated.

Next Madison show is on August 24, 2024. I will be there! I hope to have a few binders reloaded by then! Nobody looked at my newly reloaded 1958 Topps football. Everyone seems to want the 1970's. I'll eventually get those binders reloaded!

So this is a double-bill weekend with Orland on Sunday. I have a crazy day planned with the show early then we are celebrating my son Kolby's 19th birthday. His actual birthday is July 25 but I'll be in Cleveland. I feel terrible that I am missing his birthday but there just is not a whole lot I can do other than celebrate before I hit the road. We're going to Ron of Japan in Downtown Chicago. I love that place!

My wife Lisa and I celebrated our 27th Anniversary on Friday night at Ruth Chris in Northbrook, IL. Man, that place is sooo good! 

Anyway, Dave and I leave for Cleveland on Monday. Come see us in booth number 1144. Next Oak Creek show is August 3. I am overbooked as usual. Ugh!

​Busy, busy, busy!

Pictured below are some of the amazing cards at big Mark's table in Madison. Mark and I are set up at all of the Madison shows. Come see us next month!!