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Bought & Traded Quite A Few Cards Today in Orland Park

2/23/2014

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Once again, I left Orland Park with a large pile of cards, pictured above and below. It is very difficult for me to leave this show with cash in my pocket. I always seem to leave with more cards than I came with. I picked up all sorts of stuff today as you can see by the scans. If I had more money, I probably would have bought even more cards. I just enjoy leaving each show with a bundle of treasure.

We had a real nice crowd today -- February 23, 2014. I had a great group of guys at my table today like Denny, Chris, Dave, Gil, Will, Joe, Joel, Larry, Paul, and many others. I was a little surprised I didn't sell more 1951 Bowman baseball today. I had quite a few of those cards out in my newly reloaded binder. Also new for today were some 1961 Fleer Greats of the Game, 1975 Topps baseball and 1979-80 Topps basketball. I seemed to sell mostly baseball today. Not much hockey, basketball, and football. Sales were also down from last show which was a little disappointing. Though, I had a really good time and don't really have much to complain about.

Gil brought me some doughnuts. Thanks Gil! We also made a nice cash and trade deal. I had a couple more of those today including some nice deals with Chris and Paul. Thanks guys!

A few more guys complained that I wasn't around in January. John said he got some calls from people asking if I was coming. I plan on attending all the Orland shows here on out.

The day went by fast. I wasn't overly busy but had a fairly steady stream of guys at my tables. A father and son team brought me some cards to view. Once again, I was the bearer of bad news. They had six binders largely made up of 1976 through 1982. There wasn't much value there. Sports cards do not have much value unless they are from the 1960s and older and even then they need to be stars and high numbers in high grade. The stuff from the late 1970s on is too plentiful to have any value.

I've said this before but I think it needs to be said again. You really don't want to invest in sports cards. It's not like the stock market. The value is not going to increase much, even if you hang onto the cards for decades. If we've learned anything from eBay, we've learned that very few cards are rare and just about anything made after World War II is plentiful and affordable. My best advice is to buy cards because you like them. Cards bring me great joy. I have a lot of fun buying and selling them. But I maintain a day job because it is next to impossible to support a family from buying and selling sports cards. It is a hobby and a great one at that but very few people have figured out how to make a decent living from buying and selling sports cards. For me, it is an addiction. I just enjoy selling cards and taking that money and buying more cards.

After the show, me, Will, Joe, Paul and Mark went over to Sub City for some great grub and a few laughs. Overall, the day was a success.

Next week I'm heading to Schaumburg for the famous show at the Best Western Plus. I will have some 1963 Topps football reloaded. I haven't decided yet what binders to reload after the '63s. I may do some '72-73 basketball. Rick was not very happy that I did not have those cards reloaded today. I'm working on gathering all my 1952 Topps, though I don't think I'll have them ready to knock out this week. I need to start hustling and getting ready for the Sun-Times Show next month. I hope to reload all my binders from the 1950s before that show. We'll see how it goes.

A big thank you to everybody who bought, sold and traded me cards today. You guys rock! I hope to see everybody next Sunday in Schaumburg. Have a great week everybody!

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February 2014 Gonzaga Hall Baseball Card Show Report

2/17/2014

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When you are on a roll, you are on a roll... February 2014 is one for the record books. I have had nothing but terrific card shows this month. I just knew today would be another fantastic Gonzaga show, and it was. My guess is things will start to slow down next month as folks high-tale it out of town for spring break. Though, I am going to enjoy this while it lasts.

The drive up to Milwaukee and load-in went smoothly. Though, I think I may have committed a slight faux pas when shortly after loading in I complained about this smelly guy I've seen at the show for years. The smelly guy used to set up near me. It was difficult to be near him because, he, well, smells. He doesn't just smell, he smells bad. Really, really bad. Think Pigpen from Charlie Brown rolling around in dung. There were a few shows where my neighbor Dave and I were literally holding our noses because the smell was so bad. The topper occurred after one show where Dave and I observed a dark, unpleasant substance sitting in a pile under the guy's chair. Yes, there was some doo doo under the guy's chair. Dave complained to Mike R. and the guy has not set up since.

Today while I was loading in, the smelly guy was talking to Mike across the way from my tables. The stench was suffocating. I was ready to throw up. When the fragrant man walked away, I told Mike that I'd pay that guy to go home and take a shower. Mike responded with a straight face: "Oh, you mean the guy born without an asshole?" What?!! #$@%^&??!! Mike said no joke, the guy was really born without an asshole. Apparently, he has to wear a bag to catch his waste. Well, now I felt bad. I just thought he was some joker who refused to bathe. We have quite a few guys at the card shows that should be sprayed with disinfectant before entry. Then Mike tells me a story about one time where this guy was in a long autograph line at a show and his waste bag broke and spilled all over the floor. Nasty! At least I now know how the pile of doo doo turned up under the guy's chair at that one show. He must have been leaking. I really do feel bad and should not make fun of him. What an extremely difficult way to live. That's a shame.

So, I am not going to joke about a guy with a serious disability. Instead, I would like to make fun of a childhood friend who does not have a disability. This is just one more stink-related story before I get back to reporting on the show. I grew up with a guy whose wife currently is a teacher at my son's grade school. Last week I told my son about a time when I was growing up and my childhood friend farted, tooted, ripped one, in a crowded but quiet junior high classroom with such strength and ferocity that his pants fluttered. My 8-year-old son laughed so hard he started to cry. He was still laughing when we tried to put him to bed later that night. This probably wasn't the best memory to share with my son but watching him laugh that hard was priceless.

Anyway, back to the show which was no longer oderiferous as the crowd came in. I was real busy. The rush began while I was setting up. At one point, I almost threw in the towel and considered leaving some of my display cases empty because I had so many customers to attend to. I eventually got all my cards out onto the table. I sold cards out of all the display cases. I sold cards out of most of the binders and my 10-cent box. I sold my 1979 Topps Football set that I have been carting around for a while. Sell, sell, sell. Stuff sold in piles today. The usual suspects bought a lot of cards like Mark, Jeff, both customers named Jason, Barty, Jim, Bill, Mike, Bob and dozens of others guys whose names I'll never remember but whose purchases I really appreciate. I sold a TON of cards. I sold way more football cards than usual, including quite a few stars. Just an absolutely terrific day.

One note about the live auction today. A signed 8X10 photo of Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle sold for $265. I don't recall an item in the auction ever selling for that much money. I noticed they have been having a lot more autographs of pre-War players in the auction. I observed two different Waite Hoyt autographed photos today, along with a Carl Hubbell and a George Sisler. Last month there was a Bill Dickey auto.

Former Brewer Don August was signing autographs for free today at the show. I didn't get a chance to get an auto. Hopefully, he comes back and I can get him next time. They announced that Jerry Kramer will be signing this summer. I got a nice 8X10 signed by Jerry last time he was at Gonzaga. Maybe I'll get a card signed this time around.

I also did not buy any autos today. I bought some cards, though. I picked up a nice pile of 1962 Topps football, a bunch of 1958 Topps baseball and a small group of 1955 Bowman baseball. I also bought a 1961 Post Duke Snider that once I got it home and took a good look at it, I noticed that someone colored in the "LA" on Duke's hat with pen. I definitely overpaid on that one and am considering not buying anymore cards from that seller -- who had the card priced at EX! Pen markings make the card poor and it should have been priced so. I need to be a little more careful.

My buddy from law school Andy showed up today and we went to La Fajitas on Greenfield Road after the show. I've been driving by this place forever. I had a steak burrito and it was pretty good. This may become a regular stop after the Gonzaga show. Man, I wish the Gonzaga show was open seven days a week. I love the large crowd, my regulars, the food (I had cake and sloppy Joe today!), the sales, the buys (usually), and the great folks that run this show. Now, if I could only get a roady to empty my car after the show. I hate unloading my car after a show. I'm usually pretty tired and just want to plop down on the couch and watch TV. My son ran away when I asked him to help me. That's the last time I share any more fart stories with the boy!

Next week, I'm back at Orland where there are always one or two guys walking by my tables who reek terribly. Stinky people aside, I had a great Orland show last time and would not mind a repeat performance. I need some 1962 Fleer football, if anybody's got some. New for Orland, I will have some 1961 Fleer Greats of the Game, some 1951 Bowmans, and some 1971-72 Topps Trios basketball stickers. I hope to have enough time to price some cards for my display cases as well. It is going to be a busy week getting ready for the Orland show. Forecast is clear but cold for Sunday. I'll take it! See you Sunday in Orland!!!!

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YOU GUYS ROCK! THANKS FOR A GREAT WEEKEND!!

2/9/2014

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Seems like it has been awhile since I had a double-bill weekend. Seems even longer since I had a successful double-bill weekend like this one. For this particular double-bill, I attended Orland on Saturday then Bloomingdale on Sunday. Both shows were absolutely terrific. I bought and sold a ton of stuff. More importantly, I got to hang out with some of the best collectors around. What a great weekend!

Here's the low-down, starting with Orland: There is a small piece of real estate in the back of the room that is mine. It's my corner. When I set up at Orland, I'm always in that corner. I like my corner. Though, for most of December and all of January, as others commented, I was noticeably absent. My December absence was due to a decision to set up at Serb Hall instead of Orland because I have been having great Serb Hall shows, so it's hard for me to miss that show. I missed the January 11 Orland show because it was my daughter's birthday. Then I missed the last show in January because I had the flu. I actually had the flu all month long. I missed the January Schaumburg and Serb Hall shows as well because of the flu. I only recently started feeling better.

Back at Orland, I was told there was a NASCAR guy in my spot in December. For the January 11 show, there was a guy selling toys in my corner. Then there was the second January show where the spot was just plain empty. That was the show I had a severe sinus infection. I called John on Thursday to let him know I wouldn't be there on Sunday. I had hoped he would have enough time to fill my spot. Unfortunately, my tables were bare. Guys were telling me how weird it was to see my tables empty. Though, I think having a guy selling NASCAR in my spot is weirder than it being empty.

Anyway, I cannot remember the last time I missed three Orland shows in a row. Man, I was chomping at the bit to get back to Orland this weekend. Even so, my expectations were low because snow was in the forecast.

The drive from the north burbs to the south burbs went smoothly. It started to snow as a I drove past Carl Sandburg High School. It started to snow a little harder as I loaded into the Civic Center. The room that houses this show has quite a few windows and I watched the snow fall harder and harder all day long. Half the tables were empty. There were also large gaps in the middle of the room where the promoter did not bother to place any tables. I told my buddy Jim, who sets up next to me, up the aisle, that I didn't think we'd get much of a turn out today. Early on, it seemed I was right. Though by 10 a.m. we had a crowd and I had a steady flow of customers at my table all day long. Most of my regulars were there like Rick, Chris, Will, Joe, Larry, Paul, Joel, Gil, Dennis, Willie, Steve and Corey. I sold a TON of cards today!! I can't say one year or one sport sold more than any other. It was one of those perfect days where most guys were working on sets, they had their lists in hand and were pulling cards.

The best part of having a good day selling cards is that I get go hog wild buying cards -- and buy I did! I picked up over 300 1961 Topps baseball, a nice grouping of 1953 Bowman Color and black & white baseball, a solid group of 1957 Topps football, a terrific group of 1953 Topps baseball, a smattering of pre-War like a 1933 Goudey Moe Berg and some 1940 Play Ball White Sox commons, I also picked up some 1970 Kelloggs, and a group of random stuff that had some 1972 highs, some 1966s, and '64s. I had to turn down a group of 1965 Topps football, which I absolutely love but the price was just too high.

The topper of this day was just hanging out talking cards, sports, food, music, and the Three Stooges with an amazing group of guys. I laughed a lot today. I was truly humbled by the large amount of people checking up on me, inquiring about my health, and giving me good wishes. That was just incredibly cool!!! You guys are all right!!

It made me realize I have a second family. I attend these shows every weekend and see a lot of the same people. We have a great time with the cards but we also share most everything that's happening in our lives. We all seem to have a lot of the same experiences. Everyone has some great stories. I really enjoy the camaraderie. I'm truly blessed and extremely lucky to be apart of such a great hobby filled with even greater hobbyists. I promise to do my best to attend each and every Orland show this year. We can't have a guy selling NASCAR in my corner! That spot is for vintage and the former fat guy. I think I'm even going to put that spot in my will and last testament with specific instructions that it is manned by someone selling vintage once I go off into sportscard heaven. No NASCAR, please!

Like I said, we sportscard nuts are a second family. Unfortunately, an important member of the Orland family was missing on this day -- Chuck T. While I had a really good day, it can't be a great day without Chuck. Chuck's knowledge and enthusiasm for vintage sportscards is hard to top. He has become one of my best friends over the years and I hope he heals up soon! In addition to Chuck, I want to mention another good friend and fellow vintage sportscard addict who has been laid up for a while -- TJ. I first met TJ about 15 years ago when I shut down my publishing company and got back into vintage sportscards big time. TJ was working on a 1969 Topps set in those days. He's long since finished that set and many others. Once his twin girls were born, I understandably saw him a lot less. Though, he still makes an effort to comes see me four or five times a year. TJ has been laid up with some serious health issues for the past six months. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during these rough times. I hope to see him out soon working on his pre-War Red Sox sets. I know he still needs a Seaver rookie to finish his '67 set. Hopefully, I can surprise him with that card one of these days. Get well soon Chuck and TJ!!

Now for the second half of the double-bill weekend in Bloomingdale. This was my first Bloomingdale show in months where weather was not an issue. As the sun shone while I loaded in, I figured I could have a really good day. I did not expect to have an excellent day! I was so busy on this day that I never even finished setting up. Like Orland, I had all sorts of set builders with lists in hand, pulling piles of cards. Also like Orland, we had a good time just talking about nonsense. Good company. A really good day. Once again, I found myself with a pocket full of cash. So I went on a little buying spree again. Between Orland and Bloomingdale, I had quite a haul this weekend. I think some of the cards I bought this weekend will find their way to eBay. Most of the cards will eventually go into my binders. I've got a lot of work to do.

Next weekend is Gonzaga. The last two Gonzaga shows were tremendous. Hopefully, we have more of the same next weekend. I plan on filling my 1975 Topps binder which should take most of the week to complete. I also plan on pricing up some more star cards for my display cases. In a perfect world, I would have more time to reload another binder but I don't see it happening. I may bring out my dime box, just to have an additional new item on my table. It's been a while since I brought the dime box out to Gonzaga. It is fully reloaded and ready to go.

Pictured below are some of my pick-ups from this weekend. What a great time I had! Thanks everybody!!

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2013 Wrap Up, 2014 Starts Out With A Bought Of The Flu

2/2/2014

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After the November Sun-Times show, I dragged my wares the following weekend to Orland Park for the annual Thanksgiving show. Once upon a time, the Thanksgiving show was a tremendous show, now it is mediocre. I think I set up at my last Thanksgiving show at Orland. Just not a whole lot doing there.

On December 8, I traveled to the Bloomingdale show. We had some bad weather on this day, making driving a bit treacherous. It was no wonder the show was slow. It's hard to get folks out when they gotta shovel their driveways and the roads are a mess. Bad weather hit again for the December 14 Orland show. Driving was again scary and not too many folks braved the weather for the show. Again, I had a slow show. The highlight of the day was having lunch after the show at Giordano's with Mark S., Chuck T. and Will and Joe.

Luckily the weather cleared up the following day, December 15, for the Gonzaga show. This was one of the best attended shows I've had the pleasure of working in a long time. Keith told me the attendance numbers, but I've forgotton. I think he said we had 500 people through the door, though it may have been more. Needless to say, I was busy all day and sold a ton of cards. Keith also gave me some Christmas gifts to bring home to my kids. It's no wonder people pack into the Gonzaga show like no other show. These folks do it right. They have giveaways, raffles, live auction, kids' auction, food, inexpensive autograph guests, and affordable dealer table rates.

The following weekend I returned to Bloomingdale, which was once gain slow but I made some nice purchases, including some
1971 Topps football stars. I really don't mind if a show is slow as long as I can make some good buys. Next up, was the Serb Hall show on December 29. The show was a little slower than I expected but I still made out okay with my sales. There were a few guys I was expecting to show up that never made it.

As 2013 came to a close, I was exhausted. It was a long year. I turned 47. I worked Monday through Friday at my day job then worked a show most every weekend. I spent most of my free time pricing cards for the shows or organizing cards for eBay. I started a new job which is much more labor-intensive than my old job. I lost some close family and friends. My wife had some serious health issues most of the year. Though, she was still able to rock eBay for me. She really hustled in 2013 posting cards for me and my consignors and did a terrific job wrapping cards and getting them mailed out. She's the best. I'm one lucky guy.

I kind of limped into 2014. I felt sick on New Year's day and it lasted the entire month. Which is really odd considering I had a flu shot. I missed a week of work because of the flu and missed just about all of my January card shows. The only show I made it to in January was Gonzaga -- and I was sick that day too! Though, I had another tremendous day and we had another big crowd, which eased the pain. I finally got some antibiotics and this sickness pretty much just went away as I write this. I'm expecting to get back into the swing of things now. I attended the Serb Hall show today which was an excellent show. The early morning was slow then we had a real nice crowd from about 10 a.m. to noon. I had quite a few sales. I didn't buy anything today which was a little disappointing. So I bought a few T205s on eBay tonight to make up for the lack of purchases at the show.

I've about had it with winter and could really use a vacation to somewhere warm. Though, I used up all my vacation days already due to the flu, so I'm stuck here until I "earn" some more vacation days at work. I've got quite a few shows planned for the next several months. I still haven't decided if I want to set up at the March Sun-Times show, which is now called something else like Fan Authentics. I just might take that weekend off and rest up. Without any vacations days, I'll have to work that Friday at my day job. It just may be too difficult to do the show if I can't get that Friday off work. I'd have to set up after work on Thursday, then work Friday and arrive at the show at 6 p.m. I'd miss two hours of the show on that Friday.

For the immediate future, I've got two shows slated for next weekend. It will be my first Orland show since the slow December 14th show. I heard we are supposed to have lousy weather next weekend, so my expectations aren't very high. Did I say, I'm sick of winter? On Sunday, I'm planning to head to Bloomingdale. I'm going to try and pack up around noon, however, because my son has his Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby that afternoon. I'm currently working on loading up some 1975-76 Topps hockey. I should have those cards ready to go next weekend. I'm also planning on pricing up some more star cards for my display cases.

As much as I like to complain, I have been doing the Orland and the Bloomingdale shows for so long that while my sales might not be strong next weekend, I get to see all sorts of customers and dealers that have become good friends over the years. So, I'm looking forward to seeing everybody next weekend. Even if sales are slow, I usually have a good time. And why not, cards are fun! I just hope the weather cooperates next weekend!

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Bought & Traded Quite A Few Cards Today in Orland Park

February 2014 Gonzaga Hall Baseball Card Show Report

YOU GUYS ROCK! THANKS FOR A GREAT WEEKEND!!

2013 Wrap Up, 2014 Starts Out With A Bought Of The Flu

Tony Gordon

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