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Please Price Your Cards Reasonably!!!

3/31/2013

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Saturday, March 9, 2013, Orland Park Civic Center, Orland Park, IL -- I was a little nervous about this show. The last one wasn't very good. Thankfully, I had a better show even though we had less people in the room. There were also some empty dealer tables, which seems to be the norm these days on a Saturday at Orland.

Tom Ward was set up today. I haven't seen Tom in a while. I had planned to stop by his table and make some purchases but I was steadily busy all day and couldn't really get away. Tom was in the side room which I lovingly refer to as "Freak Hall." When I was in high school, there were two hallways in the school where you could hang out when you had a free period or after lunch. One was called "Sporto Hall" and the other was "Freak Hall." Sporto Hall had all the jocks while Freak Hall had all the pot smokers. Now, I'm not saying everyone who sets up in the side hall at Orland is a pot smoker. It just seems like the merchandise in that room is a little more oddball and the promoter John sells those tables at a discount. So, it sort of reminds me of Freak Hall from high school.

There was another dealer who I wanted to check out today but didn't make it to his table either. I don't know his name but he had some old postcard-size photos at the last show that I thought were really cool. Maybe next time. Mark Smith, from the Detroit area, was set up today. It's always nice to see Mark.

Rick, one of my best customers, was notably absent today. He's usually the first guy at my table each morning. Hopefully, I will see Rick at the next show. Dan, who is also an excellent customer, was the first guy at my tables today. He picked up a 1957 Topps Chicago White Sox team card along with assorted other baseball and hockey cards. Larry is getting close to finishing off the 1955 Topps set. He picked up my 1955 Topps Ernie Banks. He didn't like my 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax rookie. The card was admittedly in rough shape.  Though, Bill ended up buying it near the end of the show. Bill said he is going to try and get it signed. He showed me a signed 1933 Goudey Waite Hoyt that he picked up at the show. I just have one word for the autographed Hoyt -- COOL!!!!

Walt picked up some 1964s today. Steve picked up a 1941 Double Play Paul Waner. Steve's son, Steve Jr., picked up a 1963 Fleer Glen Hobbie.  Paul picked up some 1972-73 Topps hockey and shared some great college stories. A regular customer picked some cards out of my quarter box. Another regular customer picked up some cards from the mid-1970s. He had a big old bandage on his right hand. I asked him if he got into a fight. He said he fell while hiking in the rain forest in Puerto Rico. Ahhh, Puerto Rico.  I was on a cruise a number of years ago that stopped in Puerto Rico. We didn't get to go to the rain forest. I spent most of my time at a casino in San Juan. I'd like to go back to Puerto Rico sometime and check out the rain forest. I hear it is incredibly cool.

Back to baseball cards. Mike made his yearly appearance today. Mike used to be a regular until his son was born six years ago. His other son is now four years old. It's always great to see Mike. He is an autograph collector and buys cards to send out to players to get signed. He picked up some 1967 Topps baseball today to send out.  Earl picked up some 1971 Topps Supers.  A regular customer picked up some 1959 Topps baseball. 

Another regular picked up some 1971 Topps baseball. Denny and his lovely wife were at the show today. I see these folks every few months. They were kind enough to buy some Girl Scout cookies. For cards, Denny picked up some 1952 Topps baseball.  He's helping his brother build a set. At one point, he got on his phone and called his brother who was golfing in Waco, Texas.  Joel then picked up some 1971 Topps White Sox.  A new customer pulled some cards from my dollar box.

Just as I was thinking about how hungry I was, Chuck went out and bought me a couple of hot dogs.  Thanks Chuck!!

On the buying front, a guy brought a box to my table that contained about 200 cards from 1970 and 1971 Topps baseball. I didn't see any stars in there or many high numbers.  The condition was Good to Very Good. I asked him for a price. He said $500.  I was thinking more like $50.  I kindly thanked him for showing me his cards and sent him on his way.  He went home with those cards. No dealer in the room would give him anywhere close to $500. There seems to be a rash of folks preying on the local card shows lately by bringing in boxes of cards that have very little value and they're expecting crazy money in return. Where are these people coming from? What's making them so delusional?

Here is a free tip for anyone planning to sell cards to dealers at card shows -- dealers will NOT pay you more than 25 percent of the high book price for your non-graded (raw) cards.  In order to get that 25 percent, your cards have to be in amazing condition, otherwise you are looking at 5 to 15 percent of book.  The reason for the low rate from dealers is that dealers generally sell vintage cards at 15 to 25 percent of high book at these small one-day shows (the price goes up at the bigger show where there is more overhead).  So in order to make any money, the dealer has to get the cards for 25 percent or under... usually under.

As a dealer, if I was to ask the same prices as many of these yokels who show up at my table are asking, I'd never sell ANY cards.  I don't put cards out to show them off, they're on my table to sell. So I gotta buy 'em cheap and sell 'em cheap. That's the way it works.

As is usually the case at the Orland show, there were plenty of cards to buy at reasonable prices.  I picked up a binder of 1969-70 and 1970-71 Topps basketball cards.  Another binder of 1975 Topps baseball minis. I also bought a few packs of 2013 Topps Heritage.  I generally don't buy much in the way of modern cards but I do like the Topps Heritage.  This year, Topps is making modern cards with the 1964 design -- they're cool!! I've picked up Heritage every year that Topps has produced them and I have to say that I think this year's are the best to date.  The photos are bold, sharp, colorful and pop out of the card in the 1964 design.  There are always all sorts of interesting variations and inserts as well.  I need to get more of these!!!

Okay, so the show was March 9 and as I finish up this blog it is March 31.  I'm way behind.  This has been a crazy busy month and I hope to catch up soon.  Next week -- April 7, 2013 -- I'm heading up to Milwaukee for the Serb Hall show. The folks at Serb haven't seen my newly reloaded 1952 Bowman baseball, 1973 Topps football, and 1977-78 Topps basketball.  I finished a smattering of 1960 Leaf baseball today and started on 1974 Topps football. I hope to have the football done by the Serb Hall show.  If things go quickly, I'll start working on 1953 Topps baseball. 

I had a nice day kicking back today. March was tiring. I needed a day like today to recharge.  I worked most every day in March, including weekends.  I spent most of my free time hustling to price cards for the many shows I attended this month. I don't expect April to be as crazy. Though, I need to hustle and get my taxes done. Ugh!

Anyway, I hope to see a nice crowd Sunday at the Serb Hall show. More blogs coming soon!!!


Pictured below are some of my 2013 Topps Heritage pulled at the show.
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A Letter From the Editor

3/25/2013

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Dear Fellow Vintage Sports Card Addicts:

I've fallen behind on the blog again. This month has been an absolute marathon. After the March 3 Serb Hall show, I had a double bill weekend with Orland on March 9 and Gonzaga on March 10.  So, I spent that whole week of March 3 hustling trying to price cards after work for the double bill show.  Then I was back at Orland for St. Patrick's Day and I had to really hustle that week to price more cards so I wouldn't be bringing the same cards out two weeks in a row.  After that Orland show, it was crazy hustle time getting ready for the Sun-Times show, the three-day mega show in Rosemont, IL. Now, it's Monday morning after the Sun-Times show. I'm at work. I'm wiped out. Just heard the boss come in. Hopefully, it's an easy day here. 

Yet, my work is never done. I'm setting up Saturday, March 30, at the Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL.  I'm hoping to reload 1977-78 Topps basketball for the show. I don't think I'll get much else done. I need some time to regroup and re-energize.  I do all my sorting/pricing in a room that my friend Chuck T. dubbed the "card bunker."  I'm thinking it's time to clean the card bunker. I want to empty it out this week and vacuum and shampoo the carpeting. It's getting a little rank in there.

I took notes, photos and video at the two Orland shows, Gonzaga and the Sun-Times. I'm going to start writing those blogs this week and hopefully, one day, I'll catch up again. I really appreciate all the support, i.e., card purchases by my faithful following all month long. Many of you have found my eBay auctions. These purchases along with the tremendous numbers of folks tooling around this website on a daily basis keeps me motivated to keep buying/selling/blogging. You guys are the best!!

I hope to see everyone on Saturday at the Indian Lakes Resort!!

Go Arizona Wildcats!!!

Signed,
A very tired Tony G.
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Avoid the Guy Who Looks Like Al Bundy

3/3/2013

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Sunday, March 3, 2013, Serb Hall, Milwaukee, WI -- It was kind of a tight squeeze at the Serb Hall show today. We're usually in a large room with plenty of space.  Today we were crammed into the bar. Though, I can't really complain. SportsCenter was on two flat-screen TVs across from my table and we had a really nice crowd. In fact, this was one of the largest crowds I have ever seen at a Serb Hall show. I was busy most of the day.

Everyone who stopped by my table today was terrific -- except for one guy.  I don't know his name but he sort of looks like his name should be "Al." Al Bundy. So Al was the first guy at my table this morning and was interested in 1955 Bowman umpire cards, of which I have most of them. The umpire cards are somewhat difficult to obtain and carry a premium price. Al pulled two cards. All my cards are labeled with a price tag. I spend countless hours writing down the price on a small tag and placing it on the toploader which houses each card.  Al asked me the price of the card. I took the card from him and read him the tag. One card was priced at $15 while the other was priced at $18.  He wanted to trade. I wasn't interested in trading. My initial goal early on in a show is to earn the table fee. No trades. He asked if I could give him a better price. Well, it was early in the morning and I wasn't quite sharp and offered him both cards at $15, a price that is much too low. Al gets all huffy like I'm trying to rip him off.

"That's too high," he snarls.

I start to think about it and realize $15 is too low and is a terrific deal. I tell him $15 is the best I can do. He stomps away.  Now, I'm kind of pissed off. I decide right then and there that I'm not doing any business with this guy.  He comes back at the end of the show and offers $12 for the pair. I politely decline. I'm not selling ANY cards to Al. Jerk-offs can shop elsewhere. I've got plenty of good customers who are always pleasant. I don't need Al.

I had plenty of good customers today. However, for as long as I've been selling guards, I still can't seem to gauge customers. There is a guy I've seen the past year or so at the Gonzaga show. He always stops and looks at my display cases but never buys anything. So, I assume that when I see him, he's just going to look at cards and not buy anything.  Today, he had me pull out a bunch of expensive pre-War cards. I wasn't busy, so I didn't mind showing him the cards. He ended up buying my T206 Miller Huggins, T206 John McGraw with the tough apple green Cycle back, and a 1933 Delong Riggs Stephenson. He told me he has two T206 Ty Cobbs, different versions than the one I have. He wanted my Cobb but we couldn't agree on a price. I wonder why he never bought anything from me in the past?

Jason is a very good regular customer. Today he picked up some 1952 and 1977 Topps baseball (two binders I recently reloaded). A regular customer picked up some 1972 Topps. Jeff picked up a large pile of 1975 Topps Minis. He about cleared out my binder. I just reloaded that sucker! I can't keep up!! Jeff also purchased some 1955 Bowman and some 1954 Topps baseball. A new customer bought a 1970-71 Topps Oscar Robertson.

A regular customer purchased some 1972 Topps football.  Another regular purchased some 1970 Topps baseball. A father and son team purchased some 1971 Topps Brewers. A new autograph hound rounded out my day by purchasing a nice group of cards from the 1950s through the 1970s.

In the room adjacent to the bar, there was a charity fundraiser called "Pasta Fest." The room was decorated real nice. There was a traditional Irish folks band playing. Former Milwaukee Bucks basketball player, and current Bucks TV announcer, Jon McGlocklin was there.  Quite a few people came to my table looking for McGlocklin cards to get signed. I, unfortunately, didn't have any.

I walked around the room and tried to get each table at the show on video. I'm still learning how to use the video on my phone and unfortunately the video did not come out. Though, it was nice walking around the room chatting with all the dealers. Scotty told me he got a new job as a prison guard. He's armed with a taser. He's only worked at the prison for a week and he said the prisoners seem to stay in line.

On the buying front, I was shut out again. Nobody brought me anything to purchase. So I bought a few cards from Scott Z. and Bill N. I need a constant flow of new inventory for eBay. So, I gotta pick up something each week. A big thank you to Scott and Bill for giving me a nice deal on some cards.

I had a pretty good day today. My sales beat last week's Orland show. It was great talking with Scott Z. who was set up next to me today. Scott gave me a tip to check out 27th Street for food. I've been struggling trying to find a place to get a bite to eat after the Milwaukee shows. Well, I drove down 27th Street -- I will struggle no more. That road is filled with stuff! I almost stopped off at a place called Zeb Diner but I couldn't make the turn. I ended up getting a couple of cheeseburgers at McDonalds. Though, I'm going to get to know 27th Street better in the near future.

Next week is a double bill weekend with Orland on Saturday and Gonzaga on Sunday. I'm planning on reloading '71-72 Topps hockey and some 1978 Topps baseball before the weekend. I'll also have some new stuff for my display cases. It's going to be a busy week getting everything done. Next weekend should be fun. Hope to see big turn-outs at both shows. A big thank you to everybody, except Al, today at Serb Hall. Nice show!


Below is a random photo taken near the end of today's show.
Picture
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Slow Day At The Office

3/2/2013

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Sunday, February 24, 2013, Orland Park Civic Center, Orland Park, IL -- After three really strong Orland shows, the bottom dropped.  It was strange because there was a large crowd but the sales just didn't come in.  Several other dealers that I talked to had the same sort of show. As I've said before, there is no way to predict how a show is going to go. I just set up each weekend and hope for the best. More often than not, the show is good.

The show today wasn't a total disaster but I was expecting better. Dan got things going with a purchase of a group 1976 Topps baseball. Dan also bought a box of Girl Scout cookies. I'm selling cookies for the next month or so for my daughter's Girl Scout troop. Thanks Dan!  A regular customer purchased some 1978 and 1979 Topps baseball.  Steve purchased a 1948 Leaf Charlie Trippi and a George McAffee along with some 1940 Play Ball. Jim G. picked up some cards he purchased from me earlier in the week on eBay.

A regular customer purchased some 1971 Topps baseball. Chuck made the trek down to Orland and purchased a 1957 Topps Yankees team along with a Dodgers combo card that has Hodges and Campanella and a couple of other guys.  Chris found some 1972 Topps football high numbers.  A regular customer purchased a 1956 Topps football Bill George and a Joe Schmidt rookie.

Rick picked up my 1959 Topps Ernie Banks All Star along with a 1961-62 Fleer Johnny Kerr.  Gil picked up a nice pile of 1970 Topps baseball and a box of Girl Scout cookies. Thanks Gil!  Joe, who collects autographs, bought a case of Thin Mints -- the best Girl Scout cookies in my opinion. Chuck T. also bought some cookies. Thanks Joe and Chuck! A regular customer bought some 1974-75 Topps basketball.

Another regular bought some 1960 Topps football.  Joel bought some 1960 Fleer Greats of the Game and some 1960 Topps White Sox.  A regular customer bought some 1970 Topps Super baseball. A new customer bought some 1968 Topps baseball.  Dennis rounded out my day with some 1972 Topps Packers.

I've probably said this before, but there is an old saying among baseball card dealers... if you're having a bad show, buy your way out.  So, with things slow, I bought some cards.  The dealer across from me is an older guy with interesting odd ball items on his table. He had a pile of old photo postcards that he wanted $2.50 a piece on.  I thought the price was a little high but the photos were cool so I picked up a bunch.  There is a picture posted below.  I then bought a nice pile of 1952 Topps baseball.  I also picked up a box of commons from various years in the 1960s.  Lastly, I picked up a T206 Snodgrass.

There's not much to say about this show.  There wasn't a whole lot of activity by my table today. Though, I did take a little bit of video, which is posted below.  It's already Saturday, March 2, as I write this blog.  Tomorrow, I'm off to the show at Serb Hall. I'm hoping for a better show than this past Orland Show.  Coming up is a double bill weekend with Orland on Saturday, March 9, and Gonzaga on Sunday March 10. As usual, I've been feverishly trying to reload my binders of cards.  This week I reloaded 1976-77 Topps basketball and 1952 Topps baseball. For next week, I plan on working on 1972-73 Topps Hockey and 1978 Topps baseball. I should have many new cards out, so come on out to Serb tomorrow and Orland and Gonzaga next weekend.

A big thank you to everybody who bought cards and cookies at Orland. Take care!


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    Tony Gordon

    Vintage Sports Cards Addict

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