Friday through Sunday, April 11-13, 2025, Brunswick Ice Arena, Strongsville, OH
After feeling lousy at the Oak Creek show, I was a little worried about driving out to Cleveland and setting up at the three-day Strongsville Vintage show. Thankfully, I felt okay. I was a little shaky on Sunday but for the most part, no problems.
After Oak Creek, I hustled to price cards for Strongsville. I was also bogged down on prep work for the April 19 MegaShow. Normally, I like to head to Strongsville Wednesday night or Thursday morning but could not get out the door until after dinner on Thursday because of all the work needed for the MegaShow.
An accident near 31st Street slowed traffic on the I294 all the way back to Irving Park Road. Frustrated with stop-and-go traffic, I popped off at North Avenue and took York Road south down past 31st Street and popped back on the highway where it started to move nicely.
It took about an hour and a half to get to the Indiana border when it normally takes about 45 minutes when traffic is light. I hit a couple of construction snags in Indiana which slowed me down before getting into Ohio.
I drove for five or six hours then stopped around midnight about an hour out of Strongsville. I was supposed to meet my pal Tony Schaefer at our hotel in Middleburg Heights, just north of Strongsville but I did not want to arrive there at 1 a.m. and wake him up.
Then I remembered the one time some years ago that Dave and I arrived in Strongsville at 1 a.m. on Friday morning, as a result we were really tired and worn out the whole show. Luckily, I did not feel nearly as bad this time.
I pulled into a Holiday Inn and tried to get a room around midnight but learned my debit card was maxed out by my earlier payment to the table rental company for the MegaShow. I called my bank before I hit the road and asked that they remove the limit on my debit card. Apparently, they did not remove the limit. They suck! I really need a new bank.
Then I tried to pay for the room with my Visa card only to learn it had expired in February. Ugh! Shows you how much I use that thing. I must have a new card at home somewhere.
The hotel clerk would not let me pay for the room with cash. He said the hotel required a security deposit on a credit card. Ugh!
I Googled some nearby motels, figuring they would not need a credit card. I ended up at a dumpster of a motel that was happy to take my cash. I had to put down an additional $50 as a security deposit. When did this whole security deposit thing start? For most of my adult life, I just paid cash for my hotel rooms without any hassle. Seems like such a hassle these days to procure a hotel room!
The cost of the dumpy motel was half that of the Holiday Inn, so there was minor win. Next up, where to park. No parking lot. The Motel only had about 12 rooms and turns out that each room had its own garage. My SUV barely fit in this 1940's era garage that looked like a good place for an axe murder.
The room was a dump and a half. The window in the bathroom was partially open and I could not shut it or lock it. Besides the rush of cold air coming in, I was worried I would be murdered in the middle of the night by the axe murderer I figured was lurking in the garage.
I shined my cell-phone flashlight out the bathroom window and observed an old overturned couch below the window along with a laundry-mat cart and assorted junk. Creepy!
The room was freezing cold. It took me a while to figure out how to get the heating unit to work. There was a razor thin blanket on the bed with loads of cigarette burns in it. I had to pull a bunch of hair off the bed sheet. Yes, there was a gift of hair on the bed sheets. At least I did not see any bed bugs.
Tough night of sleep in that cold, hairy, gross room where I was almost certain I'd be murdered. I was up around 7 a.m. and out the door by 8 a.m. The hotel clerk would not return my security deposit until he inspected the room. Apparently, I passed the inspection and received my fifty bucks and hit the road.
I made it to the Brunswick Arena around 9:30 a.m. The folks at the entry booth would not let me load in because I did not have a wrist band. I texted Tony, who brought out my wristband and was able to load in.
The show is in an ice rink and the tables are set up in pods. Similar group from last year in my pod. Mile High was on the end. Cleveland's own Jerry Katz was on my left. Tony on my right. Behind me was Larry from Canada, who was behind Tony last year. Behind Jerry was Bryan Dec. Like last year, Larry had a shoe box of Viagra.
The older guy from New York, who was behind me last year, was not here this year. Neither was Brad from Phoenix. Surprisingly, I did not see Brad at all. He has been to all of them in the past.
In their spots was this guy I've known for years. I can't remember his name. I think he's from West Virginia. He rubbed me the wrong way years ago when I was set up behind him at the Moeller show and he went into a racist tirade after some sweet African American kids were at his table. Thankfully, no crazy racist stuff this weekend.
Speaking of racists, Jerry pointed out this one customer with some Nazi tattoos on his neck. The Nazi also wore a T-shirt that stated something to the effect that he was going to bang your wife. Jerry said these Nazi guys are popping up all over Cleveland lately. I don't understand racism, especially card-carrying racists who collect sports cards. How do guys with Nazi tattoos collect Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson? Makes no sense.
Anyway, last year, I arrived early and was able to move the tables around so I could have some extra space to hang my display cases off my table which allowed me to fit in a small extra display case. No such luck this year, as I was the last guy in the pod to arrive and set up. Without that extra space, I was only able to put out five of my six display cases. Ugh!
I remember the pod being tight last year. It was worse this year. Larry created stadium seating behind his table, leaving me very little room. I was able to make it work but it was uncomfortable.
I brought some different stuff this year in an attempt to spur sales, which were not very good last year. I did not bring out any graded cards which are a big turn off to most set builders, which are my main customers. I figured I could attract more set builders if I put out all raw cards -- which worked. A lot more set builders stopped by this year and sales were much improved.
With just five display cases, I pretty much stacked my cards in chronological order by year. This set up allowed me to get out all of my football, basketball and hockey. I was only able to get out about half of my football last year and no basketball or hockey.
This set up worked great. Football and hockey were my biggest sellers. I was surprised that I did not sell much pre-War baseball. I had a lot more 1939 Play Balls this year along with a nice group of 1934 Batter Ups, some 1934-36 Diamond Stars, and some 1911 Mecca Double Folders that saw no action. I did sell a T206 Hughie Jennings and a handful of 1933 Goudeys.
I had a large stack of 1956 Topps baseball that quite a lot of people viewed but I only sold a few. Overall, my sales out of my 1950's and 1960's baseball stacks were underwhelming. I was quite surprised.
My best sellers for baseball were 1969 through 1983, continuing a trend from the past couple of years at all shows -- which is really great because I have an endless supply of this stuff.
Hockey cards have been selling like mad at all the big shows, this show was no exception. I sold a ton of hockey. Woot! Prior to the show, I wondered whether I would sell any hockey since Cleveland does not have a hockey team. Silly me. Lots of hockey collectors here!
Football continues to be a super strong seller for me. I blew through a large number of football cards this weekend. Woot! I also sold a nice amount of basketball cards, especially 1970-71 Topps tall boys.
Overall, a much better show than last year. Friday was the strongest day, followed by Saturday. Sunday at this show is a huge waste of time year after year. I am not sure how many years I have been doing this show but I can only remember one year with a strong Sunday.
I am always ready to pack up and go home Sunday morning but the folks that run this show threaten to ban you from the show if you leave early, so most dealers stay set up the whole time. Though, I thought it was a little much when one of the show employees hassled the dealer across from me for having his cart in front of his table at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday when the show closes at 4 p.m. There was practically no one in the place at 3 p.m. Come on!
On the buying front, there were many excellent purchases. I picked up some 1933 Goudeys, some hockey (oddly I sold a 1961-62 Topps Blackhawks team card then purchased one in a group). I also purchased some football and about two thirds of a 1970-71 Topps basketball set.
A lot more people offered items to sell than ever before. I think I benefited from Tony's large sign that stated "Buying." Most of the stuff offered was pretty good but there was also a large amount of 1980's and 1990's stuff and some modern cards which I don't recall ever being offered at this show in the past. I think the problem is that Leland's, who owns this show, fails to promote the vintage aspect and pretty much just promotes its autograph guests.
In my opinion, Leland's is missing the boat. There is no other show in the country quite like this show where 95 percent of the tables feature vintage only. I could care less about the autograph guests. I don't think any of the dealers care about the autograph guests. This show is all about the vintage. Come on Leland's!
Cha, cha, changes....
This show has changed quite a bit over the years. One of the older dealers across from me (there are a lot of older dealers at this show!), told me the show began in 1978 and he has been setting up the whole time. The one constant, he said, is vintage. This show has always been focused on vintage.
He told me that the original promoter disappeared and the showed died at one point. Paul Fusco resurrected the show and was the promoter when I first set up. Another dealer reminded me how Paul would get on the loud speaker and tell dealers to remove all the modern cards on their tables. Paul was fierce about not allowing modern cards on dealer tables. Leland's, not so much.
One of the things I loved about this show when I first set up 10 or 15 years ago, I can't remember exactly when I first set up, was that it reminded me of the first shows I attended as a kid in the 1970's. It was in a hotel, all the dealers had vintage, all the customers collected vintage. One or two autograph guests.
The show was much smaller when it was located at the Holiday Inn, which eventually became a Best Western. It was really tight in there. Paul did not care. He told me he was all about tradition. He told me that the show was always at the Holiday Inn/Best Western and that was where it would stay.
I was a little nervous when Leland's moved the show to the ice arena but I think the move worked out well. Though, we lost the old-timey feeling of the hotel. There are way more auction houses setting up now. I am not a fan of auction houses setting up at shows. I would much rather see a dealer selling cards in those spots. Though, one auction house, Baggers, actually sells cards at the show. Others display some cool stuff. Mile High had a T206 Wagner at their booth. Most just accept submissions.
The show has more than doubled in size from the old days with room for future growth. The ice arena has two rinks. Many were wondering if the show will grow to cover both rinks. I think they could fill both ice rinks with dealers. If they do, I recommend they put all the auctions houses and all the modern card dealers in one rink and keep the second rink all vintage.
I have also observed that a lot less set builders attend this show than in the past, which is really the case for all shows. I cater to set builders so it is a little discouraging to see the decline.
Then there is the OBC, short for Old Baseball Cards. I don't know the history of the group but I have been dealing with members of this club for decades. I love them because they love off-grade vintage -- which is my specialty! They also love vintage oddball and inserts. Though, I have had some problems with them over the years because some guys will only pay pennies on the dollar and can be relentless.
Where have they gone? The OBC guys have largely disappeared. In the past, there was a large swarm of them at this show all decked out in their OBC gear. I remember some dealers even having signs on their tables stating: "OBC Friendly."
I have had really good sales to OBC guys at this show over the years and am sorry to see the group's demise. Prior to this year's show, I priced out a bunch of 1970 Kellogg's baseball. While going through the cards, my first thought was that the OBC guys will love this stuff. I only saw two OBC guys at the show. Nobody looked at my Kellogg's cards all weekend. :(
Another change is the influx of vloggers. There never used to be any vloggers at this show. Now they have taken the mantel from the OBC as the most pronounced group at the show. There are seemingly dozens of vloggers at this show.
I still remember the first time I saw a vlogger at the Strongsville show, it was the dude from Breakout Cards. He was really young. I think he was just a teenager. I remember Paul Fusco giving him a tour. Paul was such a great guy. He treated me so well. He loved to mentor young collectors and dealers. Paul unfortunately died about five years ago. His wife sold the show to Leland's.
Anyway, after Breakout Cards broke the ice, vloggers started to attend en masse. The show ended yesterday. I saw dozens of vlogs about the show on YouTube this morning.
I had a great time hanging out with the vloggers last year after the show. This year, I was too tired to attend their events. I know I missed out. Great guys, all of them.
My one complaint is that they don't really seem to be set builders. I watch their vlogs regularly and they seem to purchase key vintage cards, a lot of high-end stuff. I would love to see some set builder vlogs... which of course might include some footage of yours truly. You won't find me in any of their vlogs from this year's Strongsville show. They seem to take footage of the same five or six guys when there are 100 or so dealers at the show.
I mean, I can't blame them. The dealers featured in the vlogs have the best stuff at the show.... but do any of them have 1970 Kellogg's -- I think not! Come on OBC! I need you guys to come back!!
Overall, I think the vloggers are a great asset to the show and I love that they are here. I talked with many of them during the show. I view their vlogs regularly. I love seeing their local shows around the country and all the vintage they encounter. I just started watching their Strongsville vlogs and will put in a lot of viewing time this week. I saw my back in one of Sammy Thunder's vlogs. Woot!
The highlight of the weekend for me was going out to dinner at the Timber Lodge on Saturday with Tim and Susan Payne along with Tony. Tim and Susan brought along another dealer to dinner. I am so bad with names and I forgot his name but I have seen him for years. He is a sweet older guy with all sorts of oddball stuff on his table. We had a wonderful dinner and I really enjoyed the great company.
On a not-so-great note, the food at the venue is terrible! Do not order any food from the concession stand at the Brunswick Arena. I ate a hot dog from the concession stand on Friday for lunch. Nothing worse than biting into a cold hot dog. In the back of my mind, I knew I should have not eaten it but kept going because I was hungry.
By the end of the show Friday, I was pinching my cheeks. I tried to meet Tony and a bunch of other dealers for dinner but had to turn back and race to the pot in the hotel room. Oh my!
Bad hot dog aside, I had a wonderful weekend. A huge thank you to Leland's for running an excellent show. A huge thank you to everyone who bought and sold me cards. I am especially thankful for all the great conversations and camaraderie all weekend long. Love Strongsville! Can't wait till next year!!
Next up, is the Wisconsin MegaShow, which will be three times the size of Strongsville. I still have a ton of work to do. Dealers! I will get you your table numbers shortly. If anyone is available Friday after 3 p.m., I could really use some help setting up chairs and tables.
See you guys Saturday!!!
Here are a handful of photos from Strongsville:
After feeling lousy at the Oak Creek show, I was a little worried about driving out to Cleveland and setting up at the three-day Strongsville Vintage show. Thankfully, I felt okay. I was a little shaky on Sunday but for the most part, no problems.
After Oak Creek, I hustled to price cards for Strongsville. I was also bogged down on prep work for the April 19 MegaShow. Normally, I like to head to Strongsville Wednesday night or Thursday morning but could not get out the door until after dinner on Thursday because of all the work needed for the MegaShow.
An accident near 31st Street slowed traffic on the I294 all the way back to Irving Park Road. Frustrated with stop-and-go traffic, I popped off at North Avenue and took York Road south down past 31st Street and popped back on the highway where it started to move nicely.
It took about an hour and a half to get to the Indiana border when it normally takes about 45 minutes when traffic is light. I hit a couple of construction snags in Indiana which slowed me down before getting into Ohio.
I drove for five or six hours then stopped around midnight about an hour out of Strongsville. I was supposed to meet my pal Tony Schaefer at our hotel in Middleburg Heights, just north of Strongsville but I did not want to arrive there at 1 a.m. and wake him up.
Then I remembered the one time some years ago that Dave and I arrived in Strongsville at 1 a.m. on Friday morning, as a result we were really tired and worn out the whole show. Luckily, I did not feel nearly as bad this time.
I pulled into a Holiday Inn and tried to get a room around midnight but learned my debit card was maxed out by my earlier payment to the table rental company for the MegaShow. I called my bank before I hit the road and asked that they remove the limit on my debit card. Apparently, they did not remove the limit. They suck! I really need a new bank.
Then I tried to pay for the room with my Visa card only to learn it had expired in February. Ugh! Shows you how much I use that thing. I must have a new card at home somewhere.
The hotel clerk would not let me pay for the room with cash. He said the hotel required a security deposit on a credit card. Ugh!
I Googled some nearby motels, figuring they would not need a credit card. I ended up at a dumpster of a motel that was happy to take my cash. I had to put down an additional $50 as a security deposit. When did this whole security deposit thing start? For most of my adult life, I just paid cash for my hotel rooms without any hassle. Seems like such a hassle these days to procure a hotel room!
The cost of the dumpy motel was half that of the Holiday Inn, so there was minor win. Next up, where to park. No parking lot. The Motel only had about 12 rooms and turns out that each room had its own garage. My SUV barely fit in this 1940's era garage that looked like a good place for an axe murder.
The room was a dump and a half. The window in the bathroom was partially open and I could not shut it or lock it. Besides the rush of cold air coming in, I was worried I would be murdered in the middle of the night by the axe murderer I figured was lurking in the garage.
I shined my cell-phone flashlight out the bathroom window and observed an old overturned couch below the window along with a laundry-mat cart and assorted junk. Creepy!
The room was freezing cold. It took me a while to figure out how to get the heating unit to work. There was a razor thin blanket on the bed with loads of cigarette burns in it. I had to pull a bunch of hair off the bed sheet. Yes, there was a gift of hair on the bed sheets. At least I did not see any bed bugs.
Tough night of sleep in that cold, hairy, gross room where I was almost certain I'd be murdered. I was up around 7 a.m. and out the door by 8 a.m. The hotel clerk would not return my security deposit until he inspected the room. Apparently, I passed the inspection and received my fifty bucks and hit the road.
I made it to the Brunswick Arena around 9:30 a.m. The folks at the entry booth would not let me load in because I did not have a wrist band. I texted Tony, who brought out my wristband and was able to load in.
The show is in an ice rink and the tables are set up in pods. Similar group from last year in my pod. Mile High was on the end. Cleveland's own Jerry Katz was on my left. Tony on my right. Behind me was Larry from Canada, who was behind Tony last year. Behind Jerry was Bryan Dec. Like last year, Larry had a shoe box of Viagra.
The older guy from New York, who was behind me last year, was not here this year. Neither was Brad from Phoenix. Surprisingly, I did not see Brad at all. He has been to all of them in the past.
In their spots was this guy I've known for years. I can't remember his name. I think he's from West Virginia. He rubbed me the wrong way years ago when I was set up behind him at the Moeller show and he went into a racist tirade after some sweet African American kids were at his table. Thankfully, no crazy racist stuff this weekend.
Speaking of racists, Jerry pointed out this one customer with some Nazi tattoos on his neck. The Nazi also wore a T-shirt that stated something to the effect that he was going to bang your wife. Jerry said these Nazi guys are popping up all over Cleveland lately. I don't understand racism, especially card-carrying racists who collect sports cards. How do guys with Nazi tattoos collect Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson? Makes no sense.
Anyway, last year, I arrived early and was able to move the tables around so I could have some extra space to hang my display cases off my table which allowed me to fit in a small extra display case. No such luck this year, as I was the last guy in the pod to arrive and set up. Without that extra space, I was only able to put out five of my six display cases. Ugh!
I remember the pod being tight last year. It was worse this year. Larry created stadium seating behind his table, leaving me very little room. I was able to make it work but it was uncomfortable.
I brought some different stuff this year in an attempt to spur sales, which were not very good last year. I did not bring out any graded cards which are a big turn off to most set builders, which are my main customers. I figured I could attract more set builders if I put out all raw cards -- which worked. A lot more set builders stopped by this year and sales were much improved.
With just five display cases, I pretty much stacked my cards in chronological order by year. This set up allowed me to get out all of my football, basketball and hockey. I was only able to get out about half of my football last year and no basketball or hockey.
This set up worked great. Football and hockey were my biggest sellers. I was surprised that I did not sell much pre-War baseball. I had a lot more 1939 Play Balls this year along with a nice group of 1934 Batter Ups, some 1934-36 Diamond Stars, and some 1911 Mecca Double Folders that saw no action. I did sell a T206 Hughie Jennings and a handful of 1933 Goudeys.
I had a large stack of 1956 Topps baseball that quite a lot of people viewed but I only sold a few. Overall, my sales out of my 1950's and 1960's baseball stacks were underwhelming. I was quite surprised.
My best sellers for baseball were 1969 through 1983, continuing a trend from the past couple of years at all shows -- which is really great because I have an endless supply of this stuff.
Hockey cards have been selling like mad at all the big shows, this show was no exception. I sold a ton of hockey. Woot! Prior to the show, I wondered whether I would sell any hockey since Cleveland does not have a hockey team. Silly me. Lots of hockey collectors here!
Football continues to be a super strong seller for me. I blew through a large number of football cards this weekend. Woot! I also sold a nice amount of basketball cards, especially 1970-71 Topps tall boys.
Overall, a much better show than last year. Friday was the strongest day, followed by Saturday. Sunday at this show is a huge waste of time year after year. I am not sure how many years I have been doing this show but I can only remember one year with a strong Sunday.
I am always ready to pack up and go home Sunday morning but the folks that run this show threaten to ban you from the show if you leave early, so most dealers stay set up the whole time. Though, I thought it was a little much when one of the show employees hassled the dealer across from me for having his cart in front of his table at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday when the show closes at 4 p.m. There was practically no one in the place at 3 p.m. Come on!
On the buying front, there were many excellent purchases. I picked up some 1933 Goudeys, some hockey (oddly I sold a 1961-62 Topps Blackhawks team card then purchased one in a group). I also purchased some football and about two thirds of a 1970-71 Topps basketball set.
A lot more people offered items to sell than ever before. I think I benefited from Tony's large sign that stated "Buying." Most of the stuff offered was pretty good but there was also a large amount of 1980's and 1990's stuff and some modern cards which I don't recall ever being offered at this show in the past. I think the problem is that Leland's, who owns this show, fails to promote the vintage aspect and pretty much just promotes its autograph guests.
In my opinion, Leland's is missing the boat. There is no other show in the country quite like this show where 95 percent of the tables feature vintage only. I could care less about the autograph guests. I don't think any of the dealers care about the autograph guests. This show is all about the vintage. Come on Leland's!
Cha, cha, changes....
This show has changed quite a bit over the years. One of the older dealers across from me (there are a lot of older dealers at this show!), told me the show began in 1978 and he has been setting up the whole time. The one constant, he said, is vintage. This show has always been focused on vintage.
He told me that the original promoter disappeared and the showed died at one point. Paul Fusco resurrected the show and was the promoter when I first set up. Another dealer reminded me how Paul would get on the loud speaker and tell dealers to remove all the modern cards on their tables. Paul was fierce about not allowing modern cards on dealer tables. Leland's, not so much.
One of the things I loved about this show when I first set up 10 or 15 years ago, I can't remember exactly when I first set up, was that it reminded me of the first shows I attended as a kid in the 1970's. It was in a hotel, all the dealers had vintage, all the customers collected vintage. One or two autograph guests.
The show was much smaller when it was located at the Holiday Inn, which eventually became a Best Western. It was really tight in there. Paul did not care. He told me he was all about tradition. He told me that the show was always at the Holiday Inn/Best Western and that was where it would stay.
I was a little nervous when Leland's moved the show to the ice arena but I think the move worked out well. Though, we lost the old-timey feeling of the hotel. There are way more auction houses setting up now. I am not a fan of auction houses setting up at shows. I would much rather see a dealer selling cards in those spots. Though, one auction house, Baggers, actually sells cards at the show. Others display some cool stuff. Mile High had a T206 Wagner at their booth. Most just accept submissions.
The show has more than doubled in size from the old days with room for future growth. The ice arena has two rinks. Many were wondering if the show will grow to cover both rinks. I think they could fill both ice rinks with dealers. If they do, I recommend they put all the auctions houses and all the modern card dealers in one rink and keep the second rink all vintage.
I have also observed that a lot less set builders attend this show than in the past, which is really the case for all shows. I cater to set builders so it is a little discouraging to see the decline.
Then there is the OBC, short for Old Baseball Cards. I don't know the history of the group but I have been dealing with members of this club for decades. I love them because they love off-grade vintage -- which is my specialty! They also love vintage oddball and inserts. Though, I have had some problems with them over the years because some guys will only pay pennies on the dollar and can be relentless.
Where have they gone? The OBC guys have largely disappeared. In the past, there was a large swarm of them at this show all decked out in their OBC gear. I remember some dealers even having signs on their tables stating: "OBC Friendly."
I have had really good sales to OBC guys at this show over the years and am sorry to see the group's demise. Prior to this year's show, I priced out a bunch of 1970 Kellogg's baseball. While going through the cards, my first thought was that the OBC guys will love this stuff. I only saw two OBC guys at the show. Nobody looked at my Kellogg's cards all weekend. :(
Another change is the influx of vloggers. There never used to be any vloggers at this show. Now they have taken the mantel from the OBC as the most pronounced group at the show. There are seemingly dozens of vloggers at this show.
I still remember the first time I saw a vlogger at the Strongsville show, it was the dude from Breakout Cards. He was really young. I think he was just a teenager. I remember Paul Fusco giving him a tour. Paul was such a great guy. He treated me so well. He loved to mentor young collectors and dealers. Paul unfortunately died about five years ago. His wife sold the show to Leland's.
Anyway, after Breakout Cards broke the ice, vloggers started to attend en masse. The show ended yesterday. I saw dozens of vlogs about the show on YouTube this morning.
I had a great time hanging out with the vloggers last year after the show. This year, I was too tired to attend their events. I know I missed out. Great guys, all of them.
My one complaint is that they don't really seem to be set builders. I watch their vlogs regularly and they seem to purchase key vintage cards, a lot of high-end stuff. I would love to see some set builder vlogs... which of course might include some footage of yours truly. You won't find me in any of their vlogs from this year's Strongsville show. They seem to take footage of the same five or six guys when there are 100 or so dealers at the show.
I mean, I can't blame them. The dealers featured in the vlogs have the best stuff at the show.... but do any of them have 1970 Kellogg's -- I think not! Come on OBC! I need you guys to come back!!
Overall, I think the vloggers are a great asset to the show and I love that they are here. I talked with many of them during the show. I view their vlogs regularly. I love seeing their local shows around the country and all the vintage they encounter. I just started watching their Strongsville vlogs and will put in a lot of viewing time this week. I saw my back in one of Sammy Thunder's vlogs. Woot!
The highlight of the weekend for me was going out to dinner at the Timber Lodge on Saturday with Tim and Susan Payne along with Tony. Tim and Susan brought along another dealer to dinner. I am so bad with names and I forgot his name but I have seen him for years. He is a sweet older guy with all sorts of oddball stuff on his table. We had a wonderful dinner and I really enjoyed the great company.
On a not-so-great note, the food at the venue is terrible! Do not order any food from the concession stand at the Brunswick Arena. I ate a hot dog from the concession stand on Friday for lunch. Nothing worse than biting into a cold hot dog. In the back of my mind, I knew I should have not eaten it but kept going because I was hungry.
By the end of the show Friday, I was pinching my cheeks. I tried to meet Tony and a bunch of other dealers for dinner but had to turn back and race to the pot in the hotel room. Oh my!
Bad hot dog aside, I had a wonderful weekend. A huge thank you to Leland's for running an excellent show. A huge thank you to everyone who bought and sold me cards. I am especially thankful for all the great conversations and camaraderie all weekend long. Love Strongsville! Can't wait till next year!!
Next up, is the Wisconsin MegaShow, which will be three times the size of Strongsville. I still have a ton of work to do. Dealers! I will get you your table numbers shortly. If anyone is available Friday after 3 p.m., I could really use some help setting up chairs and tables.
See you guys Saturday!!!
Here are a handful of photos from Strongsville:
One of the random guys who sold me some cards had this Old Mill Cigarettes unopened package. The pack is from the early 1900s. He told me that he believed it contained a card. Cool!
So Larry split his table with the guy on the right. I think the guy on the left is from Just Collect Auctions. Here he is laying out some cash and buying out Larry's buddy.
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