Sunday, February 25, 2024, WSCA, Roma Lodge, Racine, WI

I cannot remember the last time I was set up at the Roma Lodge. Seems like I have a conflict for most every Roma show. I sure was happy to finally make a show. There are so many old friends at this show, being the most recent incarnation of the old Gonzaga Hall show operated by the Wisconsin Sports Collectors Association. Man, do I miss Gonzaga Hall -- the greatest show ever in the history of card shows!

Lots of kind familiar faces like the Kilps family, John G., who was manning the bar, the great guys running the auction. So awesome to be back!

I brought out most of my baseball binders. I just had one table so load in and set up was sooo easy!! I was set up around a really great group of dealers including Eric U., Mike Ehler, Dobie, Rich and Dennis. I really enjoyed commiserating with these guys all day. I learned Mike Ehler was a star basketball player at University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the early 1980's. I am amazed at how many former college basketball players I meet at card shows. Pretty cool!

Seemed like old times when Mark walked through the door, along with Dave, Bob, Robert, Bill, George, Kristy, Jeff, Mike, Jim, Kevin, Al, Don, Steve W. and many others. Nice to see everybody!

The best part of this show, for me at least, is the food. However, no meatball and italian sausage bombers today but there was an amazing breakfast buffet. See picture below.

Nice crowd early on, especially for the live auction. One of the dealers told me he sold a bunch of stuff in the auction. You know, for all the years I have been setting up at the Wisconsin Sports Collectors Association shows, I have never placed any items in the auction. I think for next time, I am going to place some items in the auction. I could do some vintage card lots and/or some old Milwaukee Braves programs. I wanna give it a try.

I sold a few cards at my table today. George continued to work on the 1960 Topps baseball set. Thanks George. Bill pulled some oddball cards. Thank Bill! Jim pulled some Braves. Thanks Jim! Some of my old-time Gonzaga regulars pulled some cards. Thanks guys! 

​While sales weren't quite as good as yesterday in Madison, buys were much better. Jim had his usual stack of Braves for me. My T206 guys was there and I picked up two T cards along with an Allen & Ginter. Then I went shopping around the room. I purchased a 1947 Boston Braves Spring Newsletter at the Kilps table. Then there is John, who always has some interesting stuff and I purchased a group of Monkees non-sports cards from the 1960's along with a 1981 Topps Super Dave Kingman that was autographed. I loved Kingman when he was on the Cubs. Back in 1979, my dad had a buddy who was huge into autographs and he gave me a Kingman signed ball for my birthday. I sold it when I was in law school and hard up for cash. I regretted selling it. So happy to have a Kingman auto back in my collection!

An amazingly enjoyable day. I was home quick. I only live about 40 minutes away from Racine. Since I stopped setting up in Schaumburg, the Roma show in Racine is now the closest one to home.

Next Roma Lodge show is slated for April 21, 2024. Unfortunately, I can't make that one because I'm setting up at the Vintage Show in Strongsville, Ohio, that weekend with my pal Tony Schaefer. Though, I highly recommend attending the Roma Lodge show. There is so much history there, in fact, more like Wisconsin sports card royalty. These are the guys who started it all in Wisconsin with the first card show in 1975. Much respect and admiration for Keith and everyone involved!

In the meantime, Oak Creek is this Saturday, March 2, 2024. I over-sold the show with 182 tables. It took some figuring, but I am jamming all these tables in for the show Saturday. I am trying desperately to get the guys from my waiting list spots in the show. I appreciate everyone's patience! The list is getting out of hand again! 

So last month we set an attendance record in Oak Creek with 1,002 people through the door. I am hoping we hit 1,003 Saturday. Come on out! It should be fun!

​Below are a couple photos from Sunday's show at the Roma Lodge.

Saturday, February 24, 2024, Sheraton Hotel, Madison, WI

Messy ride home from work Friday night in a wet snow storm. Thankfully the snow did not stick to the roads but there was some ice out there Saturday morning. This has been some crazy weather. It was 48 degrees and sunny around noon Friday. Then temps dropped to the teens when I was loading my car early Saturday morning.

I was on the road to Madison around 6:30 a.m. and made it to Rockford around 7:30 a.m. where I stopped off at an Amoco just off the highway on State Street. I was the only customer filling up when some guy came out of no where and hit me up for money. Now, I don’t mind helping those in need but I do mind giving my hard-earned money to scam artists.

Over the years I have developed a test to distinguish between those that actually need some help and those that are scammers. I call it the “smell test.” Under the test, the guy asking for money has to smell real bad, like he’s living in his van or a ditch by the side of the road. When they smell bad, I’ll empty my wallet. On the other hand, when they don’t smell like they pooped their pants, I tell them to move on. They don’t need my money.

This guy at the Amoco was dressed nicer than I was and was carrying a cup of coffee. He doesn’t get my hard-earned money. When I declined his request for the money that I had to bust my tail to obtain, he responded, “Thanks a lot. You have been a great help.”

My reply, “Stop begging for money and get a &$#@ing job.” I am sure the gas station was hiring if he really needed money.

I was kind of ticked off during the rest of the drive to Madison. I hate being harassed at gas stations. It happens far too often. 

I was in a much better mood once I made it to the Sheraton Hotel. The staff there is so friendly and they held the door open for me as I loaded in my wares. This is my third month in a row setting up in Madison. I brought out binders today, including all of my baseball and football. I brought along the basketball but did not have enough room to place it out.

This was a monster Madison show with three different rooms and 175 tables. Some dealers do not like it when a promoter adds more tables. I hear the complaints in Oak Creek and I heard some this morning in Madison. These dealers think the additional dealers are unwanted competition. I wholly disagree. As I told one dealer, complaining in Madison, there is no such thing as competition at a card show. Dealers, no matter who they are and no matter how many of them are set up, will always sell cards and make some money as long as they have good product on their table that is priced reasonably. It is not rocket science, it is that simple. 

Stop focusing on the promoter, stop focusing on the other dealers — focus on yourself because in the end, you can only control yourself.
​
For me, the more tables the better because more tables usually bring in more customers. I don’t know about these complainers, but my preference is always to see more customers, not less. So I was real happy when I learned that Madison promoter extraordinaire Beau Spencer was adding another room and more dealers. 

The dealer complaining in the morning about the increased competition ended up having an excellent day. Actually, just about every dealer I talked to had a great day. Nuff said.  

It was kind of a weird day for me. I had customers at my table while I was trying to set up in the morning. As you know, I just love that… I wasn’t even half way set up when guys started going through the few binders I had placed out. It is really tough for me to place out all the binders when guys are blocking my way.

To make matters worse, one guy asked that I help him go through my early 1950’s Bowman football binder because he could not pull out the cards due to nephropathy in his hands. I thought about asking him to come back later but he smelled like urine and clearly has a host of health issues, so I helped him pull some cards. While I was annoyed, I did feel really sorry for him.

Though, I think he could tell that I was annoyed and he purchased a few cards and said he would be back after I finished setting up. Thank you!

Man, I just could not place out the binders fast enough! Guys kept coming to my table and began digging through the few binders I placed out. It was sooo aggravating. By the time I was able to get out all the binders, I had a crowd. Guys were pulling stacks of cards and I had some really nice sales. By 10:30 a.m., I was on my way to a big day. I was no longer annoyed. Then it stopped. All those guys digging through binders with want lists in hand (my people) suddenly disappeared. The rest of the day saw just a trickle of sales. But sales were so fast and furious early on that I ended up having a good day.

Surprisingly, I did not buy a thing. Nobody offered me any cards which is so weird for this show because I have made a great many excellent buys here in the past. Oh well, I was forced to go home with cash in my pockets. Darn!

I ended up chatting with a lot of folks and did not hit the road for home almost until 4 p.m. As usual, Tom was my neighbor. I hope his cat is doing better. Tom was on the phone with his wife, who had the cat at the vet during the show.

I always enjoy seeing Bronko, who told me he had to attend a basketball game after the show. I also enjoy chatting with John Seacrist, who told me he had a monster show in Janesville last weekend. 

Then it is always fun talking shop with Mike from Premier Card Shows. I also chatted with Beau, who works his tail off at the Madison show. Another excellent Madison show! Great job Beau!

Next Madison show is March 30. I will be there. I think I’ll bring display cases in March.

Next up for me is Oak Creek on Saturday, March 2, 2024. As usual, dealer tables are sold out. There will be 180 tables. I am heading up Friday to set up the show. Dealers are welcome to come out between 7 and 8 p.m. for early set up. 

​A big thank you to everybody who purchased cards from me in Madison. Hope to see everyone in Oak Creek on Saturday!

Sunday, February 18, 2024, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

Today, I brought out all the stuff I had in Woodstock yesterday then added all of my football binders, two different dollar boxes and four boxes of publications because I have more space to fill at this show.

I arrived around 8:15 a.m. By 8:30 a.m. there were customers in the room. None stopped by my table while I was setting up. As you know, I love when customers are at my table while I am setting up. I completed set up around 8:45 a.m.

I think Carl, who sets up across from me, gets a kick out of watching me set up. He is usually already set up by the time I get there. He saw all the binders today and commented how much faster my set up is with the binders as opposed to display cases. Next to Carl and still across from me is Casey and next to him is Tom. We’re together every single month in Orland and have been for years. I love these guys. They are so nice and pleasant, you could not find a better group of guys.

I was able to set for a spell before customers started to arrive at my tables. As usual, the vintage crowd was over at Record Store Steve’s table across the room. They eventually all made it over to me. A few guys like Mike, Andy, and Tony, will start their day with me which is much appreciated.

I also really appreciate all the concern about my health. I was in a real bad way at the last several Orland shows. Mike said I ignored him when he asked me for a price on something which is unusual for me. Sorry Mike. There was one show where I spent a lot of time in the bathroom — that must have been the show I ignored Mike.

I am feeling soooo much better. New meds have really helped my prostate issues and I got one of those glucose meters they inbed in your arm, making it very simple to check my blood sugar so I can do a better job of controlling it. I haven’t felt this good at the Orland show in a long time. It is good to be back!

My pals Will, Joe and Charlie arrived around 9:30 a.m. with desperately needed coffee. My Sausage McMuffin had cheese residue on it, if I even get a whiff of cheese it is instant diarrhea so I just ate the egg. 

By 10 a.m., I had a nice crowd at my tables. Quite a few guys seemingly spent hours at my discount boxes. My guy who has been asking for 1969 Topps baseball for the longest time was happy to see my new ‘69 binder. I got so busy that I had guys flipping through binders on both sides of the tables. 

Tony commented that the aisle space at this show is too tight and observed that the large square of tables across from me could easily be reduced to widen the aisles. I agreed.

For some reason we got to talking about my ethnicity. Everyone thought I was Italian because of my name. Nope. My mom just liked the name Tony. My family is from Eastern Europe. They all came to Chicago in the late 1800’s and settled on the near West Side. My dad’s family is from Poland and Russia while my mom’s family is from Romania and the Ukraine.

Any traces of these European cultures were long lost as I think immigrants at the time wanted to adapt to America and dropped their old cultural identity. Years ago I really wanted to learn about my cultural heritage and pinned down my grandmother, who was born in Chicago in 1907. I was surprised that she knew nothing about her parents Polish heritage and was confused as to why I had any interest in it. I am so jealous of people who can trace their family history back to the Middle Ages. My family, on the other hand, magically appeared in Chicago in the 1880’s and are still here in 2024, about 145 years. I suspect we will never leave. It is home. 

We always have great conversations at the Orland show. For the last 25 years, the Orland show has been much more than a card show for me, it is a great, great, social event. I thoroughly enjoy myself at this show.

One of the things I really enjoy at this show is buying cards. I buy a ton of cards at this show. Though, I think I turned down more than I purchased today. Unless the sellers are practically giving them away, I can’t take in any more cards from the 1970’s. I currently possess several lifetimes of cards from that era. Then there are the ubiquitous sellers of cards from the 1980’s and 1990’s. Younger sellers are always shocked when I turn down their 1983 Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn rookies. I have them and don’t need any more.

I did peruse Walt’s vintage box and found a stack of stuff in there. Jim had his usual box of cards and I found some stuff in there I could use. Thanks guys! It is always a pleasure buying cards from Jim and Walt, both are superstars.

Will and Joe left early because they had to get young Charlie home, so we didn’t do the sub shop today. Will texted and said the sub shop was closed. Weird! The sub shop never closes! When I drove by I saw a large dumpster in front. I am concerned. We have been eating at this place after the show for the past 25 years. It would be tragic if the sub shop is no more. 

​Anyway, another great day in Orland. I saw many old friends today like Gil and Chuck. What a great time we had! Next Orland show is March 10. I can’t wait to be back!! In the meantime I have an all Wisconsin weekend coming up with Madison on Saturday, February 24 at the Sheraton Hotel on John Nolan Drive. This will be the largest Madison show to date with 175 tables. I’ll be in my usual spot upstairs. I am bringing out all binders. I am not sure when I will bring out the discount boxes again. They were battered this past weekend and I need to spend some time reloading them.

Also, I am setting up Sunday, February 25, at the Roma Lodge show in Racine. I can’t remember the last time I was at Roma, as it regularly conflicts with Orland. Unfortunately, no more Italian sausage bombers but there will be a breakfast buffet. 

Oak Creek is scheduled for March 2. I am still working on confirming with all the dealers from last month. If you haven’t confirmed your spot yet, please do. My wait list is getting out of hand. I hope to get some new dealers some space for the March show.

​I hope to see you soon! As always, thank you for following my little blog. I always enjoy the comments I receive about it at each show. Also, a big thank you to Rich, Karen and crew for another great show in Orland.

​Take care everybody! See you soon!

Saturday, February 17, 2024, Woodstock North High School, Woodstock, Il

The cold weather this morning was a shock to my system as I had grown comfortable with our mild winter. It was not fun loading in and out today with that cold and wind.

I brought out binders, my quarter box and one display case that I filled with graded vintage cards. I think I finally built a nice following of regular customers at this show which has been my goal since I first started setting up in Woodstock. Smaller shows like Woodstock only work for me when I have regular and dedicated customers.

While larger shows with a ton of tables and huge crowds are definitely great, there is something to be said for the small shows where you get to hang out with a regular group of guys and don’t have to really hustle all day long. Back in the day there used to be a ton of these small shows where it was more like an episode of “Cheers” than a card show. I miss those days. I think we may have recaptured it in Woodstock.

One thing I figured out here is that the regulars love the discount boxes. In January I brought out my dime, 50-cent and dollar boxes while today I brought out my quarter box. I had just started to set up when I had guys already at the quarter box.

I build discount boxes when I am working on my binder reloads. I always have excess cards for many players and will toss a lower grade card into a discount box. I don’t always bring out the discount boxes because I just have soooo much stuff and I can’t bring it all. So I usually rotate the boxes in and out which also gives me time to reload them.

Though I think I am going to bring discount boxes to Woodstock for every show. Guys were in that quarter box all day long. The quarter box does not take up much space and I was able to sell enough cards out of there to cover table fee which is a huge bonus.

My regular guys at this show almost all have their raggedy sheets of paper showing the card numbers they need to complete their vintage sets. I don’t know if I have ever said this before but I love vintage set builders! My people!

Angel contacted me before the show and wanted to make sure I brought out my 1961 Topps baseball and my 1972-73 Topps basketball. At the show he pulled some 1961s but I did not have many of the basketball. I am getting ready to reload my ‘72-73 basketball and should have it out soon. Angel did pull a nice stack of 1972 Fleer Harlem Globetrotters. Thanks Angel!

New binder for today was 1969 Topps baseball. Jim and Willie pulled some cards out of there. Thanks guys! 

One of my regular customers at this show is working on 1953 Topps. He is a super nice guy and spends a lot of money with me but he kind of drives me nuts because he will pull out 20 or 30 cards from the binder then put 10 back, most in the wrong spot. So I have to go through the binder and pull cards that are in the wrong spot and place them in the correct spot. It just drives me nuts. For one, I never understand why some guys will pull out a number of cards from a binder then later decide they don’t want them and just place them back in any open spot — especially set builders who are looking for certain numbers. It makes no sense! Please keep the cards in numerical order!

I find it funny when I list my pet peeves here and guys throw them back at me during the show. One of my regularly listed pet peeves is having customers at my table before I complete set up in the morning. The problem with early arrivals is that it slows me down and I feel like a lose sales because I can’t get all my wares out in a timely manner. I just want to load into a show, not talk to anybody, and get my table properly set up before any customers come by.

Today, Jim ribbed me by saying he waited until I was completely set up before he came over to my table. Hahaha, thanks Jim!

I love talking to Jim because he is not only a great guy but he has some incredible vintage sports card knowledge. Today we talked about the 1969 Topps baseball set. Now, I was aware that Topps repeated many photos from previous years in the 1969 Topps set. I always thought it was just laziness on the part of Topps. However, Jim informed me that in 1969 Topps repeated the photos from previous years, zooming in on many of them, because MLB players’ rep Marvin Miller felt Topps was short changing the players on the fees they paid to use their image on the cards. So many of the players refused to sign a contract for 1969 and did not allow Topps to take a new photo.

I learned from Jim that the 1969 card of Tommie Aaron is the same image from his 1963 card. Jim also pointed out the 1969 Ernie Banks is just a zoomed in shot of his 1968 card. Neat stuff! 

Jim also received an assist for my sale of a 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle checklist card. The customer, I think he said his name was Craig (I am so bad at remembering names), had some questions about a variation of that card. Jim had all the answers and a sale was made. Thanks Jim.

The Mantle was one of two sales out of my display case. The other was a 1969 Topps Hank Aaron that Phil purchased. Thanks Phil!

Phil is another interesting guy who is a regular at this show. While Phil loves sports cards, his entire essence is that of a guitar player. We always talk guitar and he always offers to teach me. Thing is, I have been playing guitar since I was 12 years old. I don’t need Phil to teach me. I already know how to play. I told Phil I played in bands when I was a teenager and performed in night clubs in Chicago. 

Then we started talking about our favorite guitarists. While Jeff was sifting through the quarter box, he said Terry Kath was his favorite. I agreed. Phil said he does not like Terry Kath. As I told Phil, I don’t think anyone other than Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana could play a guitar like Kath back in 1970. Kath’s guitar playing was ground-breaking in my opinion. Phil doesn’t like the horn section in Kath’s band Chicago. I don’t mind the horns. To me, Kath was the man.

​Overall, a really nice day in Woodstock. My sales were good. I purchased some 1929 Kashins from Willie. I love the Kashins, I haven’t had any in a while. 

On the way home, I decided to stop at the Bull Valley Farm Country Store. The store stocks products made at the Bull Valley Farm and many surrounding farms. I purchased some homemade bratwurst, Canadian bacon and twice-baked potatoes. Oh my, that stuff was sooo good! I gotta get back there for more!

​Anyway, a huge thank you to Curtis and everyone at the Woodstock show! There is no show in March because the school is closed for spring break. Next Woodstock show is April 20. Unfortunately, I can’t make that one because I will be at the Strongsville show. I should be at the May 18 Woodstock show. In the meantime, I have my third double-bill weekend in a row coming up with Madison on Saturday, February 24 and Racine on Sunday, February 25.

Next Oak Creek show is coming up fast on March 2. Once again, there will be 180 sold out tables! To the guy who messaged me and asked if he can still get into the show as a customer because I said the show was sold out — yes, you can still attend the show.  Gotta love it!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Lisa and I decided to try the Boston Fish Market, a newer restaurant in Wheeling, Illinois. Oh my! That place is amazing! Check out the photo below.

Sunday, February 11, 2024, Fox Cities Stadium, Appleton, WI

I arrived home yesterday from Fort Wayne around 6:30 p.m. I found some grub, stuffed my face then fell asleep till 9:30 p.m. I was then up till 2 a.m. Ugh!

My alarm went off Sunday morning at 4 a.m. I continually hit the snooze till 5 a.m. and peeled myself out of bed. By the time I had cleaned up it was 5:50 a.m. Pitch black out. I chugged down a Diet Coke and hit the road for Appleton.

The drive was not nearly as pleasant as my drive yesterday morning from New Buffalo to Fort Wayne. It is a much more urban scene driving from the Chicago suburbs up through Milwaukee then through many towns on I41 with their token Walmarts along the highway and into Appleton. I always marvel at the billboards on the highway in this part of Wisconsin, There is just no rhyme or reason to them! You will see a billboard with a bible verse next to a billboard for a sex shop. Then there are the anti-abortion billboards that depict fetuses set alongside billboards for strip clubs. Also, why are there so many strip clubs in this part of Wisconsin?

Anyway, I arrived at Fox Cities Stadium around 8:30 a.m. and was worried I was late. Though several dealers loaded into the building along with me. I also observed that most dealers were still setting up. I worried for nothing.

Inside, I was greeted by a tall skinny dude, who I assumed was one of the promoters. He let me pick out my spot. I decided on a spot across from the bar so I wouldn’t have to go very far for food and drink.

My two tables were divided by a steel post which made me feel like I was at old Comiskey Park. 

There were three dealers behind me, one was a total doosh who took up more than his fair share of space. He had several TV trays filled with cards that he set up behind his tables. Then he stood behind the TV trays almost the whole show, making it difficult for me to access my display tables.

I think it is okay for dealers to place additional tables behind their regular tables when there is ample space. There was not ample space between me and the doosh. The room is small, tables were jammed in, dealers were back to back at this show with little breathing room. Only a supreme A-hole places TV trays in that limited space. I bumped into the doosh all day long and had to listen to him tell everyone that walked by — “I’m looking to move some cards today.” Really? No s&$# Sherlock, so is every other dealer in the room.

Thankfully set up next to the doosh was wax dealer Brian Christopherson, who I have known for years. Brian is such a good guy and I enjoyed chatting with him all day long. Next to Brian was a young couple selling modern. They were very nice and did not pinch any of the space like doosh boy.

Doosh boy aside, I was able to layout 10 display cases. It took me quite a while to fill up all the cases. Customers started to ask to see cards while I was setting up, which just drives me nuts. I wish there was some way I could set up in a bubble and not be disturbed until I complete set up.

The place was jam packed by the time I finished setting up around 9:30 a.m. Not many people at doosh’s table but Brian and the nice couple had a crowd. I obtained a cup of coffee from the bar and was ready for action.

There was a steady stream of customers at my tables all day long. Some kept coming back over and over. A young father started things off by purchasing my 1954 Topps Billy Martin and a few other cards. Then an older gentleman arrived carrying a tattered notebook. Aaahh, a set builder. My people! He purchased my 1964 Philadelphia Fran Tarkenton and Herb Adderly.

I was really impressed with the crowd. I never expected to see so many people on Super Bowl Sunday. Brian said this show is normally not so crowded. 

I had a lot of tire kickers early on and broke away and ordered a hamburger from the bar. My food arrived quickly. As it always happens, I could not eat the burger as customer after customer wanted to see cards in my display cases. When I finally got to munch on it, I decided that it was good but needed some garnishments like onion and tomato.

Sales were steady and I was busy pulling cards. My memory is faulty when sleep deprived, so I am not exactly sure what I sold. I do remember this rather large man  sporting a long goetee who purchased a bunch of Warren Spahn cards.  I only remember him because he was accompanied by two extremely cute kids about 4 and 6 years old. I could not help but wonder how such an ugly guy has such cute kids. I’m bad, I know.

Then there were the three guys who kept coming back to my tables all day long. I think they may have been brothers all aged in their 60’s, I am pretty sure this was the first time they left their bomb shelter in decades. I’m bad, I know.

Did I say I was surprised at the size of the crowd? Man, this place was packed and busy all day long! Sales topped Fort Wayne. I think my success may have been due to the fact that I was the only vintage dealer. Promoter Scooter G had some neat vintage mixed in with modern at his tables but other than that, it was just me for vintage.

Usually when I am the lone vintage dealer, sales suffer because there are not many vintage collectors in attendance. Today, however, was pretty good. I’ll take it! Also, I would have been rich if I had some Bob Uecker cards. Everybody and their mother asked me for Bob Uecker… which got me thinking, I should have walked the room yesterday in Fort Wayne looking for Uecker cards to bring back to Wisconsin. Uecker cards are probably cheaper in a place like Fort Wayne where they could care less about the Brewers announcer.

On the buying front, I had an excellent day with a steady stream of folks offering cards to me all day long. With so many people trying to sell me cards, I found myself explaining over and over that I just purchase vintage cards. I don’t buy modern cards, I don’t care for them, I don’t want them. Nobody understands me! I am so lost! I gotta find a therapist that specializes in vintage card addicts.

I find it funny that even after I explain my dislike of modern cards, guys still show me their modern cards. Yes, your duel autograph is lovely but I never heard of the players and they certainly aren’t Mickey Mantle or Yogi Berra so I have no interest in them. 

I had difficulty explaining to several older couples that their cards from the 1980’s are not vintage, have no value and I do not want them because I and just about everybody on the planet have thousands of them.. Often these people don’t believe me when I tell them that their 1989 Topps sets are worthless.

I always get excited when I first see these older people with a box of cards in tow. I automatically think they are bringing me their childhood collection from the 1950’s when more often than not it turns out to be a box of junk from the 1980’s. Yes, there is Cal Ripken in there but it is not his rookie and his 1988 Topps card is worth a quarter at best but I wouldn’t give you a penny for it because I have hundreds of them collecting dust in my basement that I cannot sell. Nobody, I mean absolutely nobody is looking to purchase a 1988 Topps Cal Ripken.

Thankfully, Mike arrived at my tables, breaking up the 1980’s conversations with his T206’s. He gave me a nice price as usual. Thanks Mike. There went all the cash from my morning sales.

Luckily sales continued and I quickly had more funds to buy cards. A kid, about 12, gave me a nice price on a 1961 Topps Billy Williams rookie. I then saw the legendary George Husby, who I met years ago at the old Gonzaga show in Milwaukee. George is one of the original members of the Wisconsin Sports Collectors Association and has been setting up at shows since the 1970’s.  He lives near Appleton and said the WSCA’s new location in Racine is too far of a drive. What a shame. He always has good stuff and I used to enjoy buying cards from his table at Gonzaga. We exchanged contact info and I hope to keep in touch.

A buddy of George’s, who remembered me from the Gonzaga show, offered to sell me some slabbed PSA 7 Paul Hornungs including a 1961 Lake to Lake, a 1961 Fleer and a 1964 Philadelphia along with a raw 1962 Post. I really wanted that Lake to Lake and was happy we were able to work out a deal for all of the cards. Again, my pockets were devoid of cash. 

While the crowd stayed strong into the afternoon, my sales slowed down considerably. As I was just starting to pack up, a guy on his 20’s approached with a Pokémon tin filled with baseball cards from the 1970’s and football from the 1960’s. He wanted to trade for some of my basketball but I explained that I do not trade. We were able to work out a deal where I purchased his 1966 Philadelphia Mike Ditka and his 1968 Topps Ditka. There went my remaining cash. 

I was a little disappointed to leave the show with no cash for my efforts but was really happy with my purchases.

Late in the show I chatted with promoter Scooter G who explained it was difficult to pin down the venue for dates for shows. The next date he was able to secure is April 14. I told him to sign me up. I’m coming back, what an excellent show!!

in the meantime, I have another double bill weekend scheduled with Woodstock on February 17 and Orland on February 18. I am going to put the display cases away and bring out binders. I finally reloaded my 1969 Topps baseball binder and will be bringing out a near set for your perusal this weekend. 

Next Oak Creek show is March 2. As usual, I have a steady stream of new vendors that want space. I am going to try and get as many of the new guys in as I can but I have  limited space because most vendors return show after show. As Leroy told me years ago when I wanted to get tables at Gonzaga, “You’re going to have to wait until someone dies because I have no tables!”

Well, I don’t want any one to die but you get my drift. Have a great week everybody and see you this weekend! 

A huge thank you to everybody who bought and sold me cards in Appleton. Even though I was tired, I had a really fun day!! Below are a couple more photos from Appleton.

Saturday, February 10, 2024, Allen County Fairgrounds, Fort Wayne, IN

Since 1987, the Mayne boys have been promoting a monthly show in Northeast Indiana. I met brothers Brian and Greg 15 or 20 years ago when I first started setting up at their show, then located at a hotel in an urban section of Fort Wayne. Back then I was underemployed and used my extra free time traveling the Midwest for card shows. 

From the first time I met Brian and Greg, they treated me like family. Brian took me under his wing and taught me how to operate a card show — I am forever in his debt! Unfortunately, this incredibly kind man succumbed to a myriad of health issues and is no longer with us. However, his great legacy remains at brother Greg’s tremendous show and at dozens of other shows he helped guide and influence like my Oak Creek show.

As has been my routine when setting up in Fort Wayne, I drove out to New Buffalo, Michigan, after work Friday to spend the night at my folks’ house. I live about four hours away from Fort Wayne and I can knock out two of those hours traveling to New Buffalo on Friday then finish the drive Saturday morning to the show.

It is so nice to wake up out in the country and travel through hazy farms at dawn on an Indiana Saturday morning in wintery February. Well, after a couple of days where temperatures have been in the 50’s, it is not so wintery right now. This mild weather has melted all the snow from last month.

Not much traffic this morning. I had a very easy drive.

The show is now held on the outskirts of Fort Wayne, amongst some hilly terrain and beautiful Midwest farms. The cows I passed on my drive seemed as happy as cows can be. I really wanted to stop at some of these farms that had dirt roads for driveways but did not, fearing the farmers would think I was some sort of weird stalker. I wonder if it is okay to just stop at a farm and walk around? I have always lived in urban areas and do not know country etiquette but I really want to stop and photograph some cows and horses that dwell in these grassy fields dotted with an assortment of red and white wood-plank barns and farm houses.

Lost in my thoughts, I arrived at the Allen County Fairgrounds in no time. Inside the main structure hosting the card show I was immediately greeted by the friendly smile and warm handshake of Greg Mayne. So great to see Greg and catch up!

Greg had two tables for me in the middle of the room. I had modern dealers on one side, in front and in back along with a vintage dealer with tremendous inventory on the other side. I saw quite a bit of vintage in the room as I lugged in my display cases. Later, I walked the show and was impressed with the large number of vintage dealers. I spent some time admiring my neighbor’s 1915 Cracker Jack’s, T206 Cobb and T205 Mathewson. There was some great stuff here in Fort Wayne today!

I displayed Detroit Tigers and Lions cards prominently in my display cases, figuring there would be Detroit fans as it is the closest big league city to Fort Wayne. However, I probably saw more Chicago Cubs hats and jerseys than any other team. There were also collectors clothed in Bears, Bengals and Browns regalia. My favorite was the hoodie that read “The Hick From French Lick,” in a nod to Indiana native Larry Bird.

My first customer wore a Cubs hat and a Cubs jacket. He held some yellowed and tattered pieces of papers showing the cards he needed to complete his sets. Ahhh, a set builder. My people! He purchased my 1971 Kellogg’s Pete Rose along with some football cards.

There was a lull after this first sale. Quite a few tire kickers today. A lot of folks asked for various cards I did not have. I received many compliments for the cards I did have. I chatted with many folks. One guy looked at my 1960 Fleer Lou Gehrig and said his wife needed that card to complete her set. “Your wife,” I said, not sure that I heard him right. “Yes,” he replied then went into detail on all the sets his wife is working on. This man married well!

Then I chatted with a man who did not marry well and said his wife is making him get rid of all his sets. Time for a new wife I wanted to say but held my tongue.

I met a collector working on the 1965 Topps baseball set. He purchased my ‘65 Denny McClain and Bobby Richardson. Around this time my stomach started to grumble and I slid outside to purchase some grub from a food truck featuring Mexican fare. I got my usual, three steak tacos. They were sooo good!

After lunch, my whale for today began pulling stacks of football cards from my display cases. He was an elderly gentleman wearing a Packers hat. He told me this was the first time he ever attended a card show and was a little hesitant prior because everyone he talked to gave him bad information, telling him there would not be any vintage football at the show. He was like a kid in a candy store. He told me he had never seen the 1948 and 1949 Leafs I had on display. He pulled out a couple along with a pile of Bowmans, some 1955 Topps All Americans and all of my 1957 Topps.

Man, my football inventory has really taken a hit these last few months. I remember thinking just a couple of months ago that I had a really great football inventory… not any more! Time to restock!

I had several more customers purchase cards today. I think my sales were better today than my last visit to Fort Wayne where I brought out binders.

On the buying front, a few guys offered to sell me cards. I purchased a 1958 Topps Stan Musial All Star, a 1962 Topps AL Home Run Leaders with Mantle and Maris along with a  1963 Fleer Bob Gibson.

Overall, a really enjoyable day. I had fun chatting with Greg along with a bunch of others I was surprised to see at this show like Del, Walt, Dennis, and Mitch Larock, who owns a card shop in Crown Point, Indiana. Mitch is threatening to set up in Oak Creek. I told Mitch I have space for him as long as he brings up our pal Jimmy C.

Time kind of flew by and it seemed like I was on the road home way too soon. I was thankful I was heading west into the Central Time Zone where I would  recover the hour I lost yesterday driving from Illinois into Indiana. 

Man, for as much as I enjoyed the ride to Fort Wayne, I did not enjoy the ride home to Northern Illinois where time seemed to drag and drag. Once I arrived in the Chicago region, I chose to drive through the city as the road around seemed lined with slow-moving trucks. Just past Comiskey Park, traffic came to a halt. I quickly cut over to Lake Shore Drive which moved pretty well until I hit Loyola University and slow-moving Sheridan Road. It seemed to take forever to get home! Ugh!

Prior to driving home, I thought about spending the night back in New Buffalo to break up the drive but had to go home because I booked a show in Appleton, Wisconsin, for Sunday. Appleton is a doable morning drive from my house but not from New Buffalo.

Anyway, one show down, another show to go. I can’t remember the last time I set up on Super Bowl Sunday. I hope people come out to the show in Appleton Sunday. Appleton blog coming soon!

Saturday, February 3, 2024, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

First things first, a health update: I still have a few things to work out but I am feeling sooo much better. I had a really rough go of it from October into January. I was starting to think I could not set up at shows any more. But after a hospital stay, quite a few visits to various doctors and loads of meds, I am happy to report that I am finally feeling like myself again. Whew! That was a rough road! I appreciate everybody’s concern!

Putting together the December and January Oak Creek shows was extremely difficult because I was too sick to get out of bed most days. I had a much easier time with the February show and plan to really shore things up for the March show.

The nice thing about not being stuck in bed is that I was able to put in the necessary time on the show. It is sooo time consuming to confirm with all the dealers, contact guys on the wait list and deal with all the texts, emails and Facebook messages from those wanting to get on the wait list and those with all sorts of questions. I also put in a ton of time trying to get the word out about the show.

New this month was six or seven calls during the show from customers wanting to confirm that the show is happening, some needing the address. It is so tough for me to answer my phone during the show! I am kind of busy once the show starts!! I am amazed that these folks did not pop on this website or my Facebook page instead of calling me during the show.

Anyway, by Thursday before the show, I pretty much had all the dealers confirmed and had mapped out all five rooms of the show. I just had to do a little tweaking Friday, type out all the dealer name tags for the tables, print up some signs, reserve a hotel room and load up my car. 

Lisa and I were on the road to Oak Creek around 5:30 p.m. Friday. Our amazing helpers George and Kristy greeted us at the Salvation Army with a Malnati’s pizza. Thanks guys! It was so nice to chill out before the grind of setting up the five rooms for the show.

Scotty P., Cigar and Bronco arrived for early set up. Cigar even had a customer spend a few hours digging through his boxes. I encourage any and all dealers to set up Friday night because it is so difficult to load in Saturday morning now that we are competing for limited parking spots with the Weight Watchers group. Dealers can set up Friday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. I don’t recommend leaving any cards in the building over night but you can bring in your display cases and tables.

We ended up being there from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday. It is so satisfying to leave the building Friday night knowing everything is ready to go for Saturday. I was pleased that there were no cancellations Friday night — a rarity. Earlier in the week I was able to add six or seven new dealers from the ever-growing wait list.

One dealer scheduled for the gym cancelled Friday morning because he had to take his daughter to the hospital. I was able to fit into the vacant spot a dealer that forgot to bring a table. I only had one no show… the guys that don’t show up, don’t bother to call or text. That dealer won’t be coming back. 

It was largely smooth sailing Saturday morning. I gave myself a spot along a wall in Fellowship Hall, next to new dealer Richard Treptow, an extremely nice guy. Across from me, in Dell’s regular spot while Dell was at the Houston show, was Tyler Mazur, another great guy who runs a bobble head show in New Berlin, WI.

As I was setting up, I realized that I forgot to bring the keys to my display cases. Ugh! I have done this before and will probably do it again. I made do. Two of the cases were open. I placed cards of lesser value on top of the other six cases. Luckily, it worked out well and sales were excellent! Everyone had a good laugh as well.

​Kevin purchased another 1954 Red Heart. He has about cleaned me out of Red Hearts over the past several months. Bruce found some 1963’s. I sold a couple of T206s. A new customer purchased my lone 1935 Goudey, which I had just priced up before the show. Robert purchased some 1958’s.

Eric purchased several 1950 Bowmans. I had stacked up all my cards from the 1950s in one of the open display cases and had customers going through the stacks and pulling cards all day long. The big winner was Jeff, who is the greatest card show customer in the history of card shows. Jeff pulled a large stack of Bowman football from 1950 to 1952. Thanks Jeff!

Then I went on a bit of a buying spree. I purchased 8 slabbed T206 commons. Then two young guys sold me a slabbed 1933 Goudey Ted Lyons. They were aware that Lyons is a Hall-of-Famer but priced some commons at almost the same price as the Lyons. So I just bought the Lyons and passed on the over-priced commons. I purchased a handful of cards from Jim. I also bought a few cards from Robert. Then I noticed some cool stuff on Tyler’s table like some Spic & Span Braves and a 1964 Braves program. Tyler gave me a nice price. Thanks Tyler!

I was pretty busy buying and selling and did not get to walk around much but I could tell we had a big crowd. I saw all sorts of wonderful people at the show like Jeff, Scott, Mark, Jim, Craig, Doreen, Eddie, Bob, Stan, Willie, Jack and a host of others. It was great to see “Show Time” back in action! He told me he was extremely ill last month and was in the hospital. Welcome back Show Time!  It was fun to catch up with every one.

My main man Mark gave me regular attendance reports. By 11:30 a.m. we had 700 people through the door. Final tally was 1,002 — a new attendance record! THANK YOU! With all the people at the show, the place was charged up. So many happy faces. Most dealers were ecstatic with the crowd and their sales.

A perfect day was ruined when a new customer accused a dealer of theft. According to the customer, he handed the dealer a stack of cards to look through. When the dealer returned the cards, the customer claimed the dealer stole his Brock Purdy rookie. The customer was hot. My police officer and I talked with the dealer who claimed he did not take the card. We pretty much told the dealer that if we find out he did indeed steal the card he would be banned from the show. Not much else I can do.

Another dealer informed me that he had $2,000 in cash stolen off his table at the January show. He said he just got paid for a deal and was counting the cash when someone drew his attention to his right. He placed the cash down at the back of the table and thinks some kids, who were hovering on the left side of the table, swiped the cash when he looked away. Ugh! I just hate thieves. I wish there was more I could do to stop the thefts. I am going to have my son attend the March show and watch my tables so I can patrol the show along with my police officer. These thefts are just out of hand and we have to stop them! I am also going to start looking into security cameras. I am so sick of this!

Then Richard said he caught some kids trying to steal cards off his table which makes me wonder if all these thefts are perpetrated by kids. We really need to start catching these mother#@$&%#$. Man, it would have been just a perfect day if we didn’t have these thefts!

There always has to be something… Outside of the thefts, there was a really great vibe in the building. The huge crowd made the place electric. Several dealers told me they had record sales. Seems like the crowd and most dealers stayed longer than usual. There are always some dealers that start packing up at noon. I don’t think any dealers packed up until 2 p.m. There were still quite a few dealers set up at 3 p.m.

I was incredibly slow packing up and did not leave until 5 p.m. I like to chat and was commiserating well into the afternoon. I got a charge upon learning about the record attendance. That crowd made all the hard work worth it and renewed my passion for the hobby, even though my passion for the hobby never seems to wane. I can’t wait for the next Oak Creek show on March 2. All the thieves can stay home!

In the meantime, I have a full schedule of shows slated for the rest of the month. I just booked Fort Wayne for February 10 and Appleton for February 11. It should be a fun weekend! I much prefer setting up as a dealer than hosting a show, which can be stressful. 

I think I did Fort Wayne once last year. The show has expanded greatly since I was a regular vendor 10 years ago. I am looking forward to it Saturday. As for Appleton, I used to set up there regularly at a mall show. I don’t think that show is around anymore. The show Sunday is at the Timber Rattlers Stadium in a room overlooking the field— it is a cool venue! I went to meet a guy there in the fall to purchase some cards. This will be my first time setting up. I have a lot of driving to do this weekend but it should be fun!

A big thank you for all the positive comments on the blog while at the Oak Creek show. I really appreciate everyone following my crazy vintage card journey. At age 57, I am just as much of a baseball card fiend as I was at age eight. Onward and upward fellow card addicts!!

A huge thank you to everyone who was a part of our record attendance on February 3! We need to get at least 1,003 at the March 2 Oak Creek show!!

​Now for some photos from the record setting February 3 Oak Creek show:

Pictured above left, in the blue shirt, is Mark, a superstar dealer who we only get from December through February as he is a golf pro and is on the links for the rest of the year. I hope you got to spend some time at Mark’s table these past few months because he truly is a gem!

One of the things I love about card shows is that folks bring me all sorts of baseball artifacts. Bruce brought in this scorecard, pictured above, prepared by an assistant to Milwaukee Braves radio announcer Earl Gillespie on August 11, 1961, showing the great Warren Spahn’s 300th victory. This is an entire booklet of games… so cool!

So parking is generally tough at the Oak Creek show but it was worse this month because of a recent snow storm and the plows covered many spots with piles of snow at the Salvation Army and in the Target lot across the street. We heard lots of complaints about parking today. Sorry!

​Anyway, the owner of this vehicle took matters into his own hands and did not let a huge pile of snow stop him from parking. Thanks Bronco for the photo!