Fri-Sun, March 25-27, Ohio Sports Collectors Convention, Strongsville, OH

Oh my! I am tired!! Back-to-back three-day shows, man oh man! Many dealers I talked to in Strongsville did the same back to backs as me and are now heading to Chantilly this weekend for another three-day show! I think that would do me in. Thankfully, I am just doing a mere two shows this upcoming weekend with my show in Oak Creek on Saturday and the Schaumburg show on Sunday. No rest for the weary!

I may be tired but, man, I am having some fun! Strongsville was a good time and it was great to be back there after a three year COVID hiatus. Admittedly, I had some concerns prior to the show with this one being the first with Leland's Auctions in charge. The former promoter Paul Fusco died right before the 2019 show -- he was my favorite promoter and the reason I regularly drove five-plus hours to set up at this yearly show.

Paul did not allow any modern cards at the show. He was strict and policed the room, making this a unique show and heaven for vintage guys like myself. Prior to the show, I saw quite a few postings on the Strongsville show website and on Facebook that modern cards were now acceptable. I started to wonder whether I was making a mistake continuing on as a dealer at this show. I mean, I can set up at a show with mixed modern and vintage close to home, no need to drive all the way to Ohio.

Thankfully, I did not see much modern at the show and I hope that is the case for years to come. Once there are a bunch of modern dealers in the room then I'm done with the show. Like I said, no need to drive hours for what may become a run-of-the-mill show. 

While the show was pretty great, all in all, one thing I did not like about this year's show was the number of autograph guests and the amount of people those guests brought in simply for the autographs. These folks were not interested in cards and just clogged the room with their mullets, Mohawks, tattoos and three-foot beards.

Though, I have to admit, this made for some great people-watching all weekend long. My favorite was the guy who had a large tattoo of a face on the back of his head. Whether it was the front set or the back set of eyes, I felt like I was being watched the whole show! 

I also saw some pretty great T-shirts all weekend long. One guy had the 1987 Fleer Billy Ripken $%#&face card blown up on a T-shirt. That one was probably my favorite. I saw some other cool ones like a yellow T-shirt featuring a portrait of Rocky Colavito. Pretty much everyone who attended the show wore some sort of Cleveland sports-related jacket, T-shirt or jersey. These folks were representing!

I did see a handful of Cubs hats and coats and one guy wearing a Carlton Fisk White Sox jersey and hat. Also, quite a bit of Detroit Tigers gear in the room along with some Cincinatti Bengals stuff.

I also saw a few people from home that made the trip out like George and Christy and Tom D. Great seeing you guys in Strongsville!

It was also great to catch up with old friends like Mark Smith, Hockey Greg, Craig from Akron, Mike Knezevic, Tim and Susan Payne, and my booth neighbor Dave and his family. Spending the weekend with these folks made it well worth the effort.

Historically, I have not done well at this show and continued to attend each year just to see these guys and to be in a room filled with some of the greatest vintage cards and memorabilia you can find outside of the National. This show was no exception. Mile High had a T206 Wagner and a 1933 Goudey Lajoie at their booth.

My neighbors at the show, Tim Payne and Dave from Akron, have absolutely amazing inventory -- it was difficult not to drool on their display cases. My favorites in Tim's cases were the '33 Goudey Ruth and the '65 Topps Namath rookie. My favorites in Dave's cases were the four Aaron rookies.

The guy set up across from Mark Smith had four '33 Goudey Ruths and three or four '52 Topps Mantle rookies. There were some serious heavy hitters in the room. There was also some of the highest prices I have ever seen at a show. Is the '53 Topps Satchel Paige worth that much or was everybody just jacking it up because we were in the Cleveland area? Low-grade Paiges were like $1,500! Wasn't that just a $200 card a few years ago?

Everybody and their mother asked me if I had a '53 Paige. Actually, they all asked if I had a low-grade, beat up and worn '53 Paige. Nobody was to pay $3,500 for a Paige. I do not currently have any Satchel Paige cards. It has been a few years since I had one and at these prices, I don't see myself getting one again.

In addition to the great inventory at the show, another thing I really like about the Strongsville show is that it is the only one where I can sell a guy like Bob Lemon. Man, I can't give those things away anywhere else! It was really great to move some Bob Lemon cards.

Now I am thinking I need to set up in Philadelphia to get rid of my glut of Robin Roberts and Richie Ashburn cards. Those guys may be hall-of-famers but nobody wants their cards.

Folks were asking me for Indians cards all weekend. They were also picking out all of my vintage Browns football cards. I sold quite a few football cards this weekend. I only had one six-foot table and room for just four display cases. So, I really had to pair down my regular show inventory for this one. I did not have enough space to put out my basketball and hockey cards. On Sunday, a customer asked if I had any vintage basketball. I pulled out my stack and he purchased a third of it! I think the buyer's name was Mark. Thanks Mark!

I did not see much vintage basketball in the room other than the obligatory Lou Alcindor and Dr. J rookies (man, like Paige, those things have jumped in price!) but I did observe a surprisingly large number of vintage hockey cards. My pal Greg had some rare competition!

Over at my table, the big winner was my new friend Lar, who purchased a good amount of cards all three days. Thanks Lar! You made my show! I actually had my best show ever in Strongsville. 

So my pal Dave McDonald and I drove out Thursday afternoon from the Chicago area and arrived at the show around 6:30 p.m. to set up. Afterwards, we went across the street to check into the Super 8 and received kind of an ugly room. The shade didn't cover the whole front window and I had to place a bed sheet over it to get some privacy and keep the morning sun out.

We then went looking for food and found the Rosewood Grill nearby on Royalton Road. The Rosewood closed at 9 p.m. We arrived at 8:50 p.m. and the kind bartender allowed us to sit at the bar, order food and have a few beers. We drank some pints of an IPA from local brewery Great Lakes Brewing which were fantastic. Dave ate a salad while I had some glazed salmon that was delicious. I really appreciate the good food and excellent hospitality from the kind lady behind the bar.

The next day, Friday, was really confusing. Leland's initially posted that the show opened to VIPs at 10:30 a.m. However, a week before the show, they moved the VIP start time to noon. So Dave and I figured we could take a leisurely morning, sleep in, get breakfast and arrive at the show around 11 a.m.

We woke up around 9 a.m. and were out the door by 10 a.m. I found a breakfast spot via Google called Scramblers, about two miles away on Pearl Road. What a nice restaurant! Dave loves his pancakes while I am an eggs benedict guy. Scramblers did not disappoint! Dave was served the largest pair of pancakes I have ever witnessed. There was a sign on the wall stating pancakes were bottomless. I don't know if that was a joke but I don't see how anybody could finish one plate of those pancakes. I was impressed that Dave got two-thirds through the plate.

My eggs benedict was tremendous as well. Most benny's I order have a thick slice of ham embedded between a boiled egg and a toasted English muffin. I liked the multiple fried thin slices of ham on my Scrambler's benny, a bit unusual but very tasty.

Anyway, we arrived at the show around 11 a.m., and observed that the event was well on its way. Apparently, the VIPs did not get the message that the start time was moved two hours back and they lined up at 10 a.m. and demanded to be let into the room. So, unfortunately, Dave and I missed the first hour of the show.

Once open for business, sales came often. Most were of the $10 to $15 variety but I did have a few much higher. I remember that my first sale was a 1964 Topps Willie Stargell purchased by the guy wearing the Fisk jersey. I also sold my 1967 Topps Tommy John high number. I can't remember what else I sold. I know there were some T205s and 1940 Play Balls that I sold. Day one of the show went until 8 p.m. It was a long day. I was tired at the end but happy with a pocket full of cash.

Dave, unfortunately, did not have his usual monster show. He has quite a few regulars at this show and NONE of them were there! Where was everybody? We are especially worried about our friend Lenny from Grand Rapids, MI, who we usually see at both the National and Strongsville. We did not see him at either show. Hope you are okay Lenny!

Dave's lack of sales made him a little slap happy. Our friend Craig gave us a couple of minor league home run balls he picked up in Arizona recently. Dave thought he could drum up some business if he placed the ball on his display case stating that it was signed by Lou Gehrig but the signature had rubbed off. No takers. 

Dave then sold a tiny marble which had a Sam McDowell picture embedded in it. McDowell just happened to be at the show signing his recent biography. Dave convinced the buyer of the marble to bring it over to McDowell and ask him to sign it. A short while later, the buyer returned and showed us the marble signed by McDowell.

The buyer said he told McDowell he had a unique item for him to sign. The buyer said that when he pulled out the marble, McDowell exclaimed, "What's that? I don't remember ever authorizing that thing." The buyer said McDowell was happy to sign the marble and they all had a good laugh.

Pictured below is the marble signed by McDowell.

​Overall, Friday was well attended. May be the largest crowd we have ever seen at this show.

After the show, Leland's threw a pizza party for the dealers in the hotel restaurant. Free beer and pizza! Woot! Dave and I enjoyed hanging out with Mike and Tim at the pizza party. The pizza was homemade and tasted pretty good. I am actually a pizza snob being from Chicago, the home of the greatest pizza in the world. You might think that I am in love with Chicago deep dish as it seems to be portrayed in the media as Chicago-style pizza. I actually prefer a thin crust pizza called Chicago Tavern-style pizza. Oh my, there is nothing like a tavern style pie! 

If you are ever in Chicago for one of the Rosemont shows, I recommend you order tavern style by delivery to your hotel from Al's Pizzeria on Lawrence Avenue in nearby Harwood Heights, Illinois. I used to live by Al's and ordered a thin-crust pie weekly back in the day.  

Anyway, I had a little trouble sleeping that night. I don't sleep very well away from home. It is always strange not to have my wife and dog in the bed. As a result, I over slept Saturday morning. Once again, we were late to the show. 

Dave got frustrated with me and walked over to the show. When I finally arrived, Tim pointed to his watch.

Nice crowd once again on Saturday but sales were much slower for me. I can't remember what I sold. I do remember that I sold all of my T207s. I also sold my 1950 Wheaties Bob Feller. A lot of people looked at my 1952 Bowman small Ollie Matson but were discouraged by the large gum stain on the front. During one of my bathroom breaks, Dave sold my 1965 Philadelphia Johnny Unitas. Thanks Dave!

Saturday's show went to 6 p.m. and, man, was I hungry. Dave wanted to eat at either Rosewood again or City Barbecue. Either would have been great but I have a City Barbecue by my house and wanted to try something new. Craig advised that we could find restaurants for miles if we drove south on Pearl. We took Craig's advice and drove to Brunswick, OH, and stopped at a place called 9ers Diner and Grill. Dave and I both wanted wings and 9ers had a sign for wings on its front window.

We both ordered a sampler plate. I chose for my sampler to have brisket, turkey, mild bone-out wings (you couldn't get bone-in wings with the sampler) and a side of broccoli and baked beans. The big winner was the brisket which was very good. The rest, not so much. The wings were nasty. I knew better. I never like bone-out wings.

Dave had the brisket, garlic wings, pulled pork, mac & cheese and cole slaw. He also was not a big fan of the wings. He said the big winner was the mac & cheese.

To drink, we tried a funky citrus beer. I can't remember the name or the brewery but it was a good beer.

9ers has a heck of a breakfast menu. I'd like to go back for breakfast sometime. Also, I have to mention the really great service we received at 9ers... nice people. 

We were back at the hotel early and watched a few hours of boxing on TV until we passed out. It sure was fun watching boxing with Dave who is a super-knowledgeable boxing fan. I never get to watch boxing at home because my wife and kids hate it. I grew up watching boxing and still love it. The one boxing match I saw live was in Cleveland in 1981 where my dad took me to see Roberto Duran fight some nobody. Don King was there, and it was real fun. I still have the ticket stub. We were in Cleveland for the baseball all-star game. My dad always has a great knack for finding additional fun stuff to do.

I made a point to arrive at the show on time on Sunday. I figured I could grab breakfast at the hotel restaurant but when I arrived it was closed. Sadness. I ate a crappy burger from the hotel food stand which did not cut it.

There was a few inches of snow on the ground Sunday morning and I was worried the weather would negatively effect the crowd. Wrong! Largest Sunday crowd I have ever seen at this show. 

Seemed like more window shoppers than the first two days. Sales were down. Dave actually had his best day selling cards on Sunday. A couple of his regulars finally arrived.

Kind of an odd thing I observed all weekend was watching folks come by two or three times before making a purchase. On Sunday, a father and son team stopped by a few times before purchasing just about all of my Nolan Ryan cards. Lots of kids at the show all weekend long.

One guy came by my table several times each day. On Sunday, he finally asked to look at some cards but did not make a purchase. I was a little perplexed.

Another odd thing about this show was that it would get rather loud, especially when the Leland guy was on the microphone announcing the various autograph guests. I was unable to hear many of the customers at my table and just sort of nodded when they spoke to me, pretending I could hear them. Somebody could have called me a fat A-hole and I would not have known it, probably would have just nodded in agreement.

By noon Sunday, I was ready to go home and sort of checked out mentally. I didn't know what was going on except that the bathrooms were exceptionally disgusting. What is with folks at card shows who never give you a courtesy flush when taking a smelly dump? Seems like most don't bother to flush at all. I love the guys who throw paper towels in the urinal. Come on now!

On the buying front -- nothing, nada, niets, nichts, niente. I had a few hustlers bring me cards asking far more than I could ever sell them for. I had one guy tell me he was selling cards for a "client." What? Who sells cards for a "client?" Does this guy have an office on Fifth Avenue in New York where he regular strikes deals to sell cards for his Wall Street clients? There was something so phony about this guy. At one point, he pulled some cards out of a something I can only describe as a purse. He spread the cards out on one of my display cases. I asked how much? He responded that he needed to contact his "client" first to see if he had permission to sell the cards. What? I must look like a real sucker to have guys like that regularly approach me.  

I watched other dealers make some real nice buys. Tim went out Saturday night to meet someone, maybe a "client," and ended up buying a 1933 Goudey Ruth SGC 4. It was a beauty! Though, Tim did get hustled on Saturday when a guy offered him some cards that he was selling with and for his "father." I think the guy pulled an old man out of retirement home to use as a prop. The guy pulled a bait and switch on Tim. He showed Tim three 1960 Topps Mantles. Two of them had writing on the back. One was clean. Tim asked for a price on the clean Mantle. Paid. The guy switched the Mantle and gave Tim one with writing. The guy came back on Sunday. Tim confronted him and the guy did not blink an eye. Did not offer a refund or even a partial refund. Tim is such a nice guy and did not pursue it any further. I am glad he pointed that guy out to me so I can keep a look out in the future.

The show ended at 4 p.m. Eastern Time and Dave and I were on the road home at 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time. It was nice to gain an hour once we entered Illinois. We made it to Dave's house by 8 p.m. Central Time where I met his two beautiful granddaughters. What sweeties!! Dave also has a grandson on the way. Congrats buddy!

Well, if you haven't gotten enough of Dave and I at the Sports Spectacular and Strongsville, we invite you to see us along with 70 other dealers this Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in Oak Creek, WI. Should be the largest Sal show to date!! The hallway will be back open and I expect a packed house. Hope to see you there!!

If you can't make it to the Sal on Saturday, come see me Sunday at the Woodfield Hyatt in Schaumburg. Dave doesn't do that one but I'll be there bright eyed and bushy tailed. It is going to be a binder weekend after a few weeks of display cases. I should have the 1974 Topps baseball binder finally reloaded by Saturday.

A huge thank you to everyone who purchased cards from me in Strongsville. I am already geared up for the 2023 Strongsville show!

​Below please enjoy some photos from the 2022 Strongsville show.

Below is a link to a video I found from the show. Fast forward to the photo montage at the end for a photo of yours truly.

​Sports Card Show Throwback - Strongsville, OH Vintage - Simpler Times for Card Collecting is Back! - YouTube

Thursday - Friday, March 17 - 20, Sports Spectacular, Stephens Center, Rosemont, IL

Do you ever find yourself driving around and sort of day dreaming about how the area has changed? I do it all the time. Pretty much any road I drive on in the Chicago area brings memories of how the neighborhoods and towns used to look, the old restaurants and stores that are gone, open space that is gone, certain buildings that are gone, and the people I knew that are gone.

The Stephens Center in Rosemont is on River Road, a street I have traversed regularly my entire 55 years. I grew up just north of Rosemont and I remember it being a very different place when I was kid. There was no convention center, no restaurant plaza, no outlet mall, no mega hotels, no theaters -- there wasn't much there. I just remember a few one- to three-story office buildings and a lot of open space.

I went to grade school with this kid Billy Rogers, a pretty good ball player. His grandfather owned most of those old office buildings. Many of them are gone, a handful have survived, I don't know if the family still owns them. I'm assuming the grandfather died a long time ago.  The remaining old office buildings are in disrepair.

Growing up, my family regularly cut through Rosemont on our way to either O'Hare Airport, on our way to Downtown Chicago, on our way to our favorite restaurant Russell's in Elmwood Park and on our way to my childhood happy place -- Kiddieland in Melrose Park. That town also had batting cages and a giant slide where I spent a lot of time as a kid, both long gone

Things started to change in Rosemont by the mid-1970's when the Stephens Convention Center was built. Another iconic Rosemont institution is the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located next to the Stephens Center.  The Hyatt is an absolutely beautiful building and was rather unique for the 1970's. I can vividly recall its construction. Today, you see a lot of similar buildings with colored glass towers but when that thing was being built, it looked like it was dropped from outer space.

I remember that almost immediately after completion, I went there for card shows. I can't remember if the shows were sponsored by the old Chicagoland Sports Collectors Association but they were large, excellent shows.

The biggest and best card show in Rosemont, or anywhere else for that matter, is the National Sports Collectors Convention which began in California in 1980. The fourth National was held at the O'Hare Holiday Inn, near Rosemont, in 1983. The Hyatt Regency in Rosemont hosted the 1989 National. I remember going to the 1992 National at McCormick Place, a large convention center in Downtown Chicago, right up against Lake Michigan, just south of Soldier Field.

By the mid-1980's, the Chicago area was flooded with card shows. They were everywhere well into the 1990's. By the early 1990's, one promoter stood out -- George Johnson. Starting around 1991, George operated shows in the Chicago area every weekend. His monthly show at the Skyline Room in Rosemont was the best and most popular Chicago area show. 

What is currently called the Sports Spectacular at the Stephens Center was originally created by George in the early 1990's. They were fabulous shows with big crowds and a huge amount of dealers.

Interesting fact about George Johnson is that he was a high school basketball teammate of Isiah Thomas at St. Joseph's in Westchester, Illinois.

I could never get a table at George's Skyline room show. He was always sold out but I regularly attended the show and made many great buys. I also regularly attended his Stephens Center show, long sponsored by the Chicago Sun-Times Newspaper. George had half-page ads in the Sun-Times prior to the show and those ads brought in the masses. 

My first show at the Stephens Center with George as a dealer was probably November 2001, shortly after I shut down my publishing company and I suddenly had some free time for a three-day show. I still remember that my big seller at that show was vintage basketball cards. George was real kind to me in those days. Sometimes he would flip me an extra booth for free. It was just a great show when George was at the helm.

At that first Sun-Times show, I convinced my brother to set up with me.  He did not sell much and dropped out after that. I then set up by myself for a few years. At one of those shows, I found myself set up next to Dave McDonald and Bob Downing. I had such a good time with those guys that I joined their crew and started setting up with them. We also started setting up together at the National around 2010.

Bob was unable to set up at most of the shows due to work and family obligations so I have set up at most of the Stephens Center shows with Dave.

At some point, I think in the early 2010's, George sold the show and moved to Arizona, though he continued to set up. I think the show has since changed hands a couple of times. 

The show really went down hill without George. The thing that bugged me the most about the new owners was their lack of advertising. I never understood why they did not keep up the ad in the Sun-Times. Customer traffic noticeably dropped. Then the show shrunk as dealers dropped out. I stuck it out for as long as I could. 

Several years before the Pandemic hit, Bob and I had a horrible show and stopped setting up at the newly dubbed Sports Spectacular. Dave kept on doing the March and November shows. Dave and I still teamed up for the National.

Even though I stopped setting up, I still went to the Sports Spectacular to work on some vintage sets and would stop and chat with Dave. The thing I recall about seeing Dave there on his own was that the dealers around him would pinch his space. Dave just needs the one 8-foot table and not much space in back. Technically, each dealer should have an additional 10 to 15 feet of space behind their table. The surrounding dealers had encroached so much that Dave just had a foot or two behind. It almost looked like he was in a cave, peaking out.

My interest in setting up at that Sports Spectacular was peaked after the November 2021 show when many folks told me it was a good show, heavily attended and many big sales. I told Dave I was back for the March 2022 show.

After seeing the surrounding dealers take Dave's space, I knew I needed to set up on Thursday, the night before the show opened, and stake out our spot. I had to work during the day and made it to Rosemont around 4 p.m. I was a little worried that I would not be able to get in without a badge, as I have had trouble in the past. I was happy to see that there was no gate keeper at the garage in the Stephens Center, as in years past, and I was able to drive right in and load in my stuff, hassle free.

I also have to say that this current group that operates the show is much nicer than the previous group. I went to pick up the badges after setting up on Thursday and the guys giving them out could not have been kinder. What happened to Becky? She wasn't so nice. She would hassle me if I went to get the badges and had not been the one who registered the booth. These current guys did not care that I had not been the one to register the booth. They handed over the badges, gave me some instructions, and asked if I wanted to set up at their summer show -- I just may set up at that one!

Then on Saturday and Sunday mornings, these folks provided free doughnuts and coffee, which was never provided by any of the previous groups operating this show. Remember in college when you were all about going to keg parties where the beer was free? Post college, I'm all about going to wherever the doughnuts and coffee are free. Don't get me wrong, I still won't turn down a free beer but at my age, I'd much rather have a free doughnut and a cup of coffee.

I found our booth easily on Thursday afternoon and was not surprised to see all of the space taken up by our neighbors. I nicely told them that they needed to vacate my space. They begrudgingly moved. The guys behind us, modern hockey dealers from Michigan, took up almost the entire amount of space behind my table. They moved back a few feet and I was able to put down some tables in the back behind Dave's table in the aisle. Though, I would have liked a few more feet but they were already set up and did not seem to be able to move any further back.

The space pinching has always gone on at this show, even when George was at the helm. Back when Bob was setting up with us, I could rely on him getting there early on Thursday to stake out our space. Dealer set up begins on Thursday at 1 p.m. Next time, I'm getting there at 1 p.m. In the end, we were able to work it out but space was tight. 

Dave wants to set up in the aisle while I try to utilize all the space so I can add additional tables and can add additional display cases. Our layout had Dave's 8-footer at one end of the booth and along the aisle. I turned my 8-footer to the side then placed another 15 feet of tables along the back of our booth and behind Dave's table. The main problem with this set up is that I created an opening to the aisle, so all the other dealers in the row kept walking through the space, using it as an exit and entryway. I could not stand in my own booth without getting pegged by a passing dealer or part of the crowd that hung out behind the modern card booth next door. Next show, I'm blocking that off.

So behind us were the hockey guys, on one side was the modern guy while on the other side was a vintage dealer from southern Illinois. I am always amazed to hear that southern drawl from folks who are from southern Illinois which is essentially the south. Folks from northern and southern Illinois could not be any more different if they tried.

I brought out 13 display cases and was able to place out all them. My southern friend kept on knocking my display cases and I thought they were going to fall to the ground. He placed his chair right up against my cases and had one arm on them blocking the top half of a case or two. I was not pleased.

Some customers were confused in my booth and thought my cases belonged to southern guy. They would ask him about a card in my case then he would go over and pull one out of his case and show it to the customer standing in my booth. I nipped that in the bud and ran up to every customer that walked into my booth and asked if they needed help, diverting their attention from southern guy to me.

I had feverishly priced cards prior to the show and had out quite a bit of new inventory. I arrived early Friday morning, taking the day off work and placed out all of my cards just prior to the show's opening. No binders. I did not want to deal with them at this show, as I need to tie them down in Rosemont or they will walk away. I did not have the space for them anyway. 

I did not know what to expect since I have not set up at this show in five or six years. I was pleasantly surprised as sales were great! My pal Steve from Jim & Steve's Card Shop in Waukegan, was my first customer. Steve was buying Cubs and Bears and also purchased my 1959 Topps Jim Brown. I found it funny that he purchased a 1966 Topps Fergie Jenkins rookie as I had just sold him one on eBay. He said that was his son who bought from me on eBay. His two boys are now well into their 20s. I remember when they were wee little lads running around the show.

I had a few other sales after Steve. I don't remember exactly what sold. My pal Tony Schaefer stopped by and purchased a nice pile of cards. Thanks Tony! I was off and running after Tony's purchase.

I continued with quite a few little sales. I noticed that a lot of customers came by, scanned my display cases, left, then came back later. One of those was Kenton from Fort Wayne, IN, who is working on 1948 Leaf football and 1948 Bowman football. I just happen to have a really nice inventory right now. I think Kenton also purchased my 1952 Topps baseball high numbers. My memory is fading but I do recall that Kenton purchased a ton of stuff and was my best customer of the weekend. Thanks Kenton! I ended up having a really great day.

I was back at the convention center early Saturday morning. I grabbed my free doughnut and coffee and filled in all the empty spaces in my display cases. I sold quite a few cards on Friday and was able to add the rest of my football cards into the display cases.

Set up across the aisle from Dave and I were the guys from Detroit, with the coolest display in the show and pictured above. They have been setting up for as long as I remember and have always had the best display at the show. I have been either next to them or across from them at many shows. Nice guys with amazing inventory from pre-War baseball to comic books.

I was waiting for them to dress up. They always put on a costume, either a Tigers uniform or tuxedos, complete with top hats. Dave said they only do the costumes on Sunday. They had some sort of stereo system and were blaring Kiss in the morning. Being a Kiss fan, I enjoyed the music.

One thing I noticed about the Detroit guys this show is that they both are in a continual state of motion. I prefer to just sit back and enjoy the show. These guys, however, are continually working on their display and pricing cards, publications and comic books. It did not look like they stopped to kick back at all during the show. Work, work, work.

Next to the Detroit guys was our old nemeses the Turd Boy from Texas. Years ago, Dave, Bob and I were set up next to Turd Boy and he gave us grief the whole show. First he complained when we pulled our tables a few feet out into the aisle. To this day, I do not understand what he was complaining about. We stretched our booth a few feet but did not pinch any of his space and did not effect his set up in any way. He was just being a dick.

Then, at that same show, a few guys made the mistake of standing in his booth while saying hello to us. That drove Turd Boy nuts and he would kick the offenders out of his booth. 

At this past weekend's show, the Detroit guys placed a chair at the end of their booth so customers could sit down and go through boxes of cards. Dave and I watched the chair move from inside the booth to outside and inch slowly in front of Turd Boy's booth. We had front row seats to what we thought would be some drama. Turd Boy would frown at the offenders sitting in front of his booth but, to my surprise, he never went on the attack. Dave and I were waiting for it but it never happened. Maybe he is mellowing out in his old age.

My personal nemeses, The Steve, spent a lot of time at Turd Boy's booth. I've been writing about the Steve since I first started this blog in 2011. I hate the Steve. I do not hate too many people but I really, really hate The Steve. He is about the most worthless person at this show. He goes to every Stephens Center show and just aggravates people. He does not collect sports cards, so I do not know why he is even there. He just wants to talk racist trash and his lunatic brand of politics. 

In the past, he would stand in front of our booth and go off, loudly, on his lunacy. Bob and Dave actually like this guy which I will never understand. In the old days, when my sales were not very good at this show, I had to sit there and watch this idiot block my display cases, spew, and keep customers away.

Finally, I just had enough and I told him to get the $#%^ away from my booth. I don't remember when this was, maybe 10 years ago. He left after I told him to leave. However, I took a bathroom break and came back to my booth and this mother*&^%#@ was sitting in my booth in my chair spewing his &^%$. I blew up at him and was going to kill him. If I was younger, I would have beaten the crap out of him. But I've got too much to lose as an adult to get into a fight, so I just shouted at him until he left.

Afterwards, Bob and Dave told the idiot to stay away from our booth. Yet, he still comes by whenever I go on a bathroom break and talks to Dave. I think he hides under a table at Turd Boy's booth, keeping on eye on me and whenever I leave the booth, he pops out, like the troll he is and goes over to Dave to spew his crap. I wish there was a way I could get him banned from the show. Did I say that I hate The Steve? I freakin' hate that guy.

While on the subject of people I hate, I saw the guy we dubbed "Rollow" at the show on Saturday. Rollow is a thief. He stole from me at the Orland Park show. I haven't seen him in years and thought maybe he was gone but to my chagrin, there he was Saturday. He knew better than to stop by my booth and walked on by carrying three bags which I am certain were filled with cards he stole. Mother&^%$@#!

Outside of Turd Boy, The Steve, and Rollow, it was a pretty good day on Saturday. Sales were steady, not quite as good as Friday but good enough. My biggest sale was to another dealer. He purchased a pile of stuff at the end of the day. He kind of beat me up on the price and picked out all of my best stuff but I did appreciate the nice chunk of change. I can't really remember what exactly I sold on Saturday but there were significant holes in my display cases at the end of the day.

I saw one long-time customer I met years ago at the Fred Copp shows, I can't remember his name and I haven't seen him in years. He asked me if I heard about the show in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, at the armory. He said everyone is talking about it and it is a great show. I went and grabbed him a flyer, told him I am the promoter and the show was located at the Salvation Army, not the armory, there is no armory in Oak Creek. I thought that was pretty cool, though. 

After the show, Dave, our pal Larry, and I went over to Tom's Steakhouse in Melrose Park for dinner. I absolutely love Tom's Steakhouse and have been eating there for years. We went there for dinner during the National and I had a strip steak which was amazing. I wanted to try something else this time and went with prime rib which was very good. Dave had his usual T-bone steak, it looked really good. Larry went with the salmon which also looked tasty. A great way to cap off a great day!

I was back early at the Stephens Center on Sunday morning for my free doughnut and coffee. I watched one lady grab an entire box and bring it back to her booth. Come on now. I know the doughnuts are free but it is bad form to take an entire box. 

Anyway, back at the booth, I had to rearrange the cards in my display cases to fill all the holes. I was able to get out all of my basketball and hockey cards. Sales were a little slower on Sunday but still a good-size crowd. Scott was my big winner and purchased a pile of football cards. Scott told me he has almost completed all of the Topps baseball sets from the 1950's through the 1970s. I forgot that he was working on football as well. Thanks for the purchases Scott!

Other than Scott, I had a lot of small sales on Sunday. Overall, I probably had my best Sun-Times/Sports Spectacular show ever. I was pretty happy. There is nothing better than rocking out the show!

Now I gotta talk about my pal Dave, a little bit. Dave has a hidden talent. He is a self-taught master chef. The entire time I have known him, he has always talked about these amazing meals he prepares. At this past show, he brought me a sample of this roast he cooked up. He said he put a rub on the meat, smoked and grilled it. The meal took hours to complete. Oh my! That sample he brought me, may have been the best thing I have ever tasted in my life!! I placed an order. Man, I wish Dave had a restaurant. Such a shame to keep those skills to himself. He needs to share with the world!

On the buying front, I had steady purchases all three days and took in quite a haul. All the purchases were from dealers I know and the price was right. Not much negotiation. I did have one random customer offer me some nice Fatima team cards on Sunday. I can't remember how many he had but he wanted $3,100 for the group. I did not have the funds on me, wish I did. They were nice! He said one dealer offered $2,900 and I think he was going to take the offer.

Load out on Sunday went smoothly. I thought the one southern guy was going to die though. He was just the helper and the main guy made him take at least three trips with the cart all loaded up to the parking lot across the street, long before the show ended. It is a bit off a walk as you wind through the covered walkway. I thought old boy was going to pass out and die. I also thought that was cruel thing to do. Why make an old, overweight, out of shape guy push a heavy cart all that way? I know he was the helper but he could have had a heart attack. Weird dudes. I won't miss them.

But I will miss this show. Great sales makes a great show and I was sorry to see it end. I am debating about setting up at their summer show. It is tough call because the summer show is traditionally awful and they don't reduce the table fee. I have to think about this one.

In the meantime, Dave and I are off to Strongsville, OH, on Thursday for the three-day vintage show. It has been three years since I was last in Strongsville and am looking forward to the show!

No rest for the weary because the week after Strongsville is my show in Oak Creek on April 2nd. Whew! Crazy days!!

A big thank you to everyone who purchased cards from me at the Sports Spectacular. It sure was fun talking to everybody. Hope to see you again soon!!

I don't have much in the way of photos from the Sports Spectacular. I was crazy busy at the show on Friday and did not get a chance to snap more than the one of the Detroit guys' booth. I forgot my phone at home on Saturday, so couldn't take any photos. Then I just plain forgot to snap any photos on Sunday. So pictured below are my purchases from the show. I then included some photos from my friend Bill Nest. As an autograph hound, Bill was in heaven at this show as the biggest names in sports from past and present are always there signing autographs. Thanks Bill! 

Jerry West and Bill Nest.
​

Sunday, March 13, 2022, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

Rough night of sleep. I fell asleep around 10 p.m. the night before the show then woke up at 2 or 3 a.m. and could not fall back asleep until 5 a.m. That alarm clock rang like a hammer. I really needed that extra hour lost to daylight savings time.

I was grateful my car was already loaded because I did not have any energy that morning to load the car. Easy drive to Orland. I think the time change kept a lot of people off the road and in bed where they should be!

The Civic Center parking lot was back to normal. For some reason, the parking lot was jammed with cars last month when I first arrived. On this morning, I had my pick of parking spots. I always try to park a little ways away from the pack so I can open all the doors of my car and unload easily. Wouldn't you know it, I went into the building to grab a large cart and when I returned to my car, some numbnut parked right next to me. The parking lot was practically empty, why park next to me, far away from the building? Ugh.

I started to unload while the numbnut went to grab a cart. When he returned, he had to wait until I unloaded my car before he could access his car. "Your fault," I thought, while he was standing over me. He could have parked just about anywhere, but chose to park next to me while the whole parking lot was open.

Speaking of blocking space, that group that blocked the aisles in the show last month were not there, thankfully, and I was able to easily bring my cart into the room. My neighbors were new on both sides. I was a little worried because on one side was a mom with three or four kids and on the other side seemed like a family of six. I thought I might have trouble with them blocking my tables but all was fine. I would not mind if they came back to the April 24th show, when I'll next be at Orland. I have to miss the March 27 show as I'll be set up in Strongsville, Ohio.

I pretty much brought out the same stuff from yesterday in Rockford. I have a little more space in Orland and was able to place out all of my baseball binders. I was not very confident with this set up. I was worried I was going to have another Schaumburg day where I sold very little. My fear was heightened when the crowd was very slow to arrive. There was nobody in the room for the first hour. Daylight savings time must of delayed attendance as the place filled up after 10 a.m. Turns out I had nothing to fear! Monster show!

Andy was the first one at my table and purchased a bunch of cards. Thanks Andy! Then old friends Paul Ponce and John Freyer arrived. Paul sold me his collection last year and has hardly been around which is a bummer because he is one of my favorites. I would love to see him get back into collecting! Now John, I met some 25 years ago in another life when I operated a publishing company that published a free bi-weekly newspaper called "Barfly," a guide to Chicago's drinking establishments. John was working for either a brewery or a distributor at the time, my memory fails. I learned shortly after meeting him that he was a huge baseball fan and we had great discussions back in the day. He ended up writing articles for my newspaper as he is an expert on everything related to beer. He wrote some great stuff! I have not seen him in years, it was fun to catch up!

John and Paul go way back and had a lot more catching up to do than John and me. They grew up together and were lost in conversation at one end of my tables for most of the morning, over by the display case containing my graded cards. I told them they were good luck because I sold most of those graded cards while they were deep in recalling days of yore. I caught snippets of their conversation in-between helping a ton of customers. I got crazy busy!

"So, that was the day Sulli punched Pantek in the gut," John said.

Will, who was at his usual perch behind my tables going through the 1956 Topps binder, grew up in the same part of town as these guys and knew some of the ruffians they were talking about like the Fantas brothers who were the biggest guys in the neighborhood. Will said their dad operated a store in the old neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. Will stressed that the Fantas brothers were big boys and had a rock band called Thousand Pounds of Sound. Will recalls the band being pretty good.

Anyway, it was great seeing Paul and John. While they were deep in reminiscent land, Eddie came by and about cleaned out my graded cards. Thanks Eddie! Then a new customer purchased four or five more. I sold a few others as well. I was then off and running toward a great day!

A newer customer, who has been regularly purchasing cards from me at Orland over the last several months, found a pile. Gil purchased a bunch of cards including quite a few out of my quarter box. Will purchased a pile of '56 Topps baseball. The guy that purchased my '70 and '71 lots came back and purchased my '66, '67 and '69 lots. That about does it for the lots, I'm going to have to work on some new ones.

I ended up being crazy busy and sold a TON of stuff and had a MONSTER day! Thank you guys!

A few cards came to my tables as well and I purchased some stuff. I can't really remember what I bought. I'll have to dig them out and update this blog. Overall, an awesome day in Orland Park. Only drawback was my lack of sleep. I skipped the sub shop and went home after the show and passed out.

Unfortunately, I have to miss the next Orland show on March 27th. My next Orland show is April 24. In the meantime, I'm setting up in Rosemont this weekend. I'm just bringing out display cases and have been feverishly pricing cards. I should have a lot of new stuff out. Come visit me and Dave McDonald in booths 104 and 105.

Reminder, my next Oak Creek show is April 2 and should be the largest one to date with 120 tables.

​Thanks for following along!

I think I took the photo below late in the day after the show started to clear out. I was too busy most of the day to take any photos.

Saturday, March 12, 2022, Rock Church, Rockford, IL

There were three or four shows scheduled on March 12 in Wisconsin and one in Illinois and I was little worried attendance would be affected at the Rock Church show. Thankfully, we had really nice attendance, not quite as much as last month but the building had a steady flow all day long.

As a vintage dealer, I really need to pick and choose the shows I attend because most shows do not have much in the way of vintage and certainly not many vintage buyers. The Rock Church show is strong on both vintage dealers and vintage buyers, which makes it my kind of show!

John, the promoter, lined up the vintage dealers on the back wall. We called it Vintage Row. We all get along great and have a lot of fun. Also, having a lot of fun were long-time buddies Phil and Skip, who were set up near me and making fun of me the whole day. Those guys cracked me up. We had a good time.

My day was made early on when a father and son team purchased my SGC 1933 Goudey Hack Wilson and my SGC 1971 Topps Roberto Clemente. I brought out a mish-mosh of stuff because I am holding my star inventory for the upcoming Sun-Times and Strongsville shows. I brought out five complete sets and seven or eight vintage starter lots. Skip tried to walk off with the display case housing the sets! Surprisingly, I did not sell any of the sets or lots. Mike, who helps John run the show, set me up with a collector who I think is going to purchase my 1966 Topps baseball set down the road. Thanks Mike!

Then I placed out my oversized pre-War cards and Exhibits in another case and sold an Eddie Mathews Exhibit. I had one case of graded cards then three cases of my duplicate star cards. I know I sold some of the duplicate stars but can't remember exactly which cards sold. I also had space for some binders and brought out baseball from 1949 through 1966. I sold quite a few cards out of the binders. Lastly, I brought out a quarter box which got a lot of action. Thanks everybody for purchasing cards on Saturday! My sales were dramatically up from last month.

I have been bringing out different cheapy boxes lately. I have observed that there is a whole cheapy box culture. The cheapy box guys are different eggs from other buyers. For one, they spend a great deal of time in the box. I was amazed at how long some guys stood at the box. A few guys pulled out just about all of the cards and sorted them in some unknown manner. One guy came by twice and practically spent all day at the box.

I think I might have lost some sales out of my binders as they were covered with stacks of cards from the quarter box most of the day. Also, there were two or three guys going through the box at any one time and blocking the binders. Nevertheless, I think I will keep going with the cheapy box theme and bring out my 50-cent boxes next month. I need to reload those puppies as they were hit pretty good last time I brought them out.

Not much offered for purchase. I talked to a couple of guys about potential purchases down the road. Skip sold me a 1982 World Series program. I was set up next to Tim Fritz, who has the best selection of Pre-War around. I picked up a common Cracker Jack and a T205 Joe Tinker from Tim.

Not much else to report. I had a really pleasant day. The Rock Church is one of my favorite shows. A couple of guys recommended I fill up on gas nearby at Woodman's after the show before heading back toward Chicago. They said gas was $3.88 at Woodman's. Unfortunately, I do not really know my way around Rockford and could not find Woodman's. I ended up getting gas at Casey's for $4.19, still much cheaper than the gas stations by my house.

Next Rock Church show is April 9. In the meantime, I've got the Sun-Times show all next weekend in Rosemont. I am going to try and set up Thursday but not sure if I can get in because Dave reserved the tables and I think I need him to get the badges but was unable to convince him to meet me there on Thursday. We'll see how this goes. I might make a trip out there for naught on Thursday.

Next Oak Creek show is April 2nd. I get my hallway back for that show and am contacting guys on the Waiting List to fill up the extra space. If everything goes smoothly, I should have 120 tables at the April 2nd show.

Once again, I had a double bill weekend with Orland on Sunday. Orland blog coming soon.

Below are a couple of random photos I took while seated behind my tables.

Sunday, March 6, 2022, Woodfield Hyatt, Schaumburg, IL

I love the Schaumburg show for the mere fact that it is the closest show to home. I love being able to get there in just 20 minutes. Normally I drive anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours to get to a show. I had a very pleasant short drive on Sunday morning.

We had beautiful weather the day before at the Oak Creek show, where temperatures were in the upper 60's. Temps took a nose dive Sunday, throw in some wind and it was cold and nasty.

Cars were lined up in front of the hotel when I arrived so I parked by a side door. I brought out the same stuff from yesterday in Oak Creek and was able to get my six display cases and one bin loaded into the hotel in just one trip.

I saw that Lou was in my spot from last month. It is always good to see Lou, his son and Don. Lou already had customers at his tables when I arrived at 8 a.m. Joe had me along the northern wall in the main room. Unlike other dealers that I regularly complain about, I could care less where the promoter places me in the room. I just want a spot to set up.

This spot was nice because I had much more space behind my tables than I do in the hallway. Only drawback is the spot was in front of some doors and I do not like people walking behind my tables because I have been a victim of theft. I want everyone in front of me so I can keep an eye on them.

I didn't realize it but the dealer across from me was set up with his kid who was about 12 or 13 years old. The kid kept coming behind my tables to use the door. On his third attempt, I barked at him that this was my space and he needed to keep out. When I realized he was set up across from me with his dad, I was surprised his dad did not come by and tell me to buzz off.

He stopped coming behind my tables but I heard people tugging at the locked doors all day long. Another issue arose with my chairs. Promoter Joe is pretty good about placing two chairs behind every table. I had two tables so I should have had four chairs but there were only two when I arrived. I am pretty sure one of the other dealers swiped two of my chairs.

Later, I watched one dealer grab a chair located down from my tables which had me worried that the chair I placed next to my cheapy box was going to get swiped. There are always customers that have health issues and really need a chair, so I like to provide them with one. I moved the cheapy box chair closer to my tables to ward off thieves. Wouldn't you know it, someone swiped the chair right from under my nose. I don't know when they could have done it. Got me thinking that a whole lot of stuff could have been swiped while I was standing there if I did not notice the chair walk away. Luckily, no one needed the chair for the rest of the day because I only had one left and my fat behind was firmly planted on it. Thankfully, nothing else was swiped.

Real nice crowd at this show. This might have been the largest crowd I have ever seen at the Schaumburg show. Unfortunately, not a whole lot of vintage collectors. I had placed out six display cases like yesterday but changed it up a bit and put out my complete sets and starter lots in one of them. In another, I put out my graded cards, which I did not have out yesterday in Oak Creek. The four other cases had my duplicate star cards. I kept the oversized pre-War cards and Exhibits in the bin. I was able to get out the cheapy box but did not have enough space for the publications.

Surprisingly, I did not sell one graded card. In the past at this show, many customers have told me that they largely collect graded. Where were they today? I sold a few of the duplicate star cards. One guy purchased my 1964 and 1965 Philadelphia Mike Ditka cards. A father and son team that I regularly see at this show and at Orland purchased a stack of stuff including a 1972 Topps Joe Namath and a 1963 Fleer Ron Santo.

It is always great to see long-time customer Randy who purchased a bunch of cards out of my cheapy box. Thanks Randy! Several other guys found cards in the cheapy box. A new customer purchased my 1964 Topps Lou Brock. My old friend Chuck L. stopped by and purchased a few cards. Thanks Chuck!

The talkative guy from last month was disappointed I did not have the binders. I think if I had brought out the binders, he would have sat down and told me his life story again. He did find time to tell me a few stories about some guys in the autograph collecting world who have pissed him off. He is so angry at some of these guys that he has instructed his son to not sell any of his collection to these guys after he dies. He is kind of hard to follow. I really don't know what he is talking about most of the time. He is just another character that comes with the territory. You gotta wonder if some of these guys have a kill list at home. I always chat with these nutters to make sure I don't end up on that kill list.

While I am talking about some of the annoying characters we have to deal with at the card shows, one of the worst are the guys I call Mr. I Got. These guys never buy a thing and demand your attention while they go through your display case and point out cards and say "I got this one." This particular Mr. I Got, comes to my Oak Creek show, Schaumburg, and Orland. That is three times every month I have to deal with him pointing out cards and saying, "I got this one." I don't see how he can have any cards when I have never seen him purchase a card.

Also, unless he is sitting on a set of 1933 Goudeys, I am not impressed that he has a 1969 Topps Tom Seaver. Also the cards I brought out last weekend are all cards that I have in multiples. Do you want to hear what I got? I have a few cards as well! I am so bummed I have to see Mr. I Got next week in Orland. Someone make this guy go away!!

Thankfully, quite a few folks, who I really like, stopped by to chat like T.J., Mike Slinkman and Doreen. These folks brighten my day.

Speaking of brightening my day, my young friend from my hometown who I met at this show sometime last year was in a really chipper mood. He kind of sing-songed a "hello" to me as we passed on the stairwell when I went up to the faux Starbucks for coffee. Later he came over and told me his dad was there and asked that I tell his dad that this is a great hobby and that he is not wasting his time.

Oh, I felt a little pang there. Sucks having a non-supportive father who thinks your interests are a waste of time. I told him that my dad was the same way when I was his age. I would have to beg and beg my dad to take me to a show. When he would finally relent, he would always ask me if I was ready to leave after being at the show for just 10 minutes. Once we did leave, he would then take me to his office in Downtown Chicago and I would have to sit there all afternoon while he worked -- it totally sucked.

At least my little friend has a wonderful and supportive mother who takes him all over for shows and patiently sits there with him all day. My mother never took me to a show. She did not like to drive. Later in the show, the little guy brought his dad over and I explained to his dad that his little boy was awesome and that he is involved in a great hobby.

The dad and I had some things in common. We are both lawyers. He knows my cousin Rich, who is also a lawyer. The dad said he played softball with Rich for years. The dad also knew my own dad, who is a judge on the Illinois Appellate Court. Hopefully, the dad won't be so hard on the little guy in the future and let him enjoy his hobby. Such a great kid! 

Speaking of kids, there were a TON of kids at this show. I have not seen this many kids at a show in years. I loved watching them run from table to table, dealing, trading, buying cards, showing off their cards to each other and having fun -- so cool!

There were a ton of kids at my neighbor's table all day long. This guy deals in modern. A real nice guy who said he was at my Oak Creek show the day before. He must be about 25 years old or so. He was nice and patient with all the kids.

My only issue with him was that his table was mobbed all day and the mob moved in back of his tables and a little too close to my tables. As I stated earlier, I am really wary about theft and don't like anyone I don't know behind my tables.

Also, one of his buddies was carrying the stink. Oh, not again, I thought. Two days in a row of stink! This stink was more subtle than the guy who overwhelmingly smelled like doody yesterday but strong enough that it was disturbing. Bathe people -- please!

I didn't have anybody set up to my right as the proper exit doors were over there. On the other side of the doors, along the back wall was my friend John Dobiecki. I have had the pleasure of knowing John for years. One of the nicest guys you will ever meet, and he almost always has the largest selection of modern cards at any show.

On the buying front, I purchased a bunch of stuff from Junior. I finally pulled the trigger on the '68 Mantle with writing on it that he has been shopping around for a long time. Mantles are on fire right now and I have pretty much sold my inventory of them over the past several months. I am in desperate need of more Mantles.

I also picked up from Junior some 1962 Aurovision Records. When I was growing up, my dad had a drawer full of them that he probably purchased in 1962. I wasn't born until 1966. I thought they were cool then and think they are even cooler now. The images of the players on the records are some of the best, they rival the photos from the old Sport magazines.

I was just looking at the few Aurovision Records I already had and was wishing I had more of them. Sometimes your wishes come true!

Junior showed me a pile of 1966 Topps and 1965 Topps baseball he purchased from another dealer at the show. He got a really nice price on the cards. I told him I was interested, and he came over to my office on Monday and sold me most of the cards. Noticeably absent on Monday were the '66 Mantle and '66 Oliva. I wonder if he'll have them Sunday in Orland.

At the end of the day, I was a little disappointed that sales were nowhere like last month. I guess I need to bring the binders to this show. I'll be back on April 3 with binders.

Another double bill weekend coming up with the Rock Church show on Saturday, March 12, and the Orland Park show on Sunday, March 13. I'll probably have a similar set up to the past weekend. Let me know if you want to see any binders. Also, the next Oak Creek show is April 2. Dealer tables are sold out.

A big thank you to everybody who bought and sold me cards this past weekend in Oak Creek and Schaumburg. Also, thanks for following along with this blog. A few guys complained that I am rambling a bit lately. Sorry! I will try and shorten it up!

​See you soon!

Saturday, March 5, 2022, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

The Salvation Army, prior to the show, alerted me to another event scheduled at the venue during our show and that the front door would be closed off along with the front hallway. I regularly have 12 dealer tables in that front hallway, so I had to jam those tables into the other rooms.

I figured I could fit a few in front of the concession stand in the gym. I moved the concession stand window to Fellowship Hall. Some of the gym dealers did not like it but I really had no choice, I needed that space.

I was able to get a bunch more tables in each room. Luckily, three or four guys cancelled the week before the show. If they had not canceled, I would have had a tough time fitting them in somewhere.

Along those lines, every dealer showed up on the day of the show for the second month in a row. Woot! There is nothing I hate more than dealers who reserve space and then don't show up on the day of the show.

I am also starting to hate some of the dealers who consistently complain. There is really nothing to complain about. The show is a success. My table fees are the cheapest around. Everything is perfect. Just enjoy the freakin' show!

A few of the dealers that regularly set up in the front hallway had complaints. There was nothing I could do. That situation was out of my hands. If the Salvation Army wants to close it off, they can close it off. It is their venue and we are their guests and must comply.

I had other dealers complaining about their location in the building or that I move their spot every month. Unfortunately, the tables are set up differently every month by Salvation Army volunteers. I get to the building at 5:30 a.m. on show day and literally run around for a good hour and half placing dealer name plates on all 108 tables and moving some tables around. I try my best but I cannot please everyone. I am getting really tired of these complaints. With a large waiting list, these dealers don't realize that I don't need them. I've got others waiting for their spot and maybe a new dealer would not complain all of the time. I am starting to think that some of these dealers gotta go. Go set up at another show that charges you double of what I charge and only brings in a fraction of the customers. You've got a good thing going with me and my show, shut the @#%$ up!

Thankfully the dealer complaints stopped early in the morning. Then there were a few hiccups with the admission fee. The March show was my first with an admission fee. I am donating the entire admission fee to the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army volunteer slated to work the front door did not arrive until 9 a.m. and a large number of customers entered the show beforehand and did not provide a donation.

I received reports that customers were seen entering the show through other doors to avoid paying the big $1 admission fee which goes to charity. Many people came up to me to pay their $1 admission when the volunteer wasn't at the door, which was extremely kind. In the future, if you are unable to pay at the front door, you can pay the folks at the concession stand who are all Salvation Army volunteers.

At one point during the show, I stopped by the entrance to chat with the volunteer to see how things were going. While I was there, two of my regular dealers, who had cancelled the week before, were arguing with the volunteer over the admission fee. I explained to them that we are now charging a $1 donation from everyone entering the show. All of the admission funds go directly to the Salvation Army and help fund all the wonderful things they do. 

These dealers nodded as if they heard me and understood but then walked past the volunteer without paying the donation! I then took out two dollars from my wallet and paid their entrance fee. Come on now! If you can't give a buck to charity, don't come to the show!!

I heard a couple more complaints about the admission fee during the show. Frankly, I cannot comprehend the complaints. All of the admission fee goes to charity. What could possibly be the problem?

At the end of the day, we provided a nice sum of money for the Salvation Army with more than 600 people through the door along with a great number of food purchases at our concession stand. I could tell that the folks at the Salvation Army really appreciated our efforts and I felt really good about it. It feels great to help out and it is always the right thing to do -- which was how I was raised, and it is what I teach my own children. It is a shame that others never received the message.

I think as the months go on, the admission process should go smoother. The volunteer requested a stamp for the April show so she could stamp people on the hand and determine who paid and who had not paid. I will find a stamp to donate before the April show.

A lot of the dealers felt we had a bigger crowd at our February show than March. I don't think so, seemed to me that there were many more people at this past show than in February. The gym was crowded all day long. The Game Room had quite a crowd most of the day. Kind of light attendance in fellowship hall, for some reason.

I was set up at the edge of Fellowship Hall next to the Game Room. I was pretty busy in the morning. My two guys who regularly purchase football cards were there and bought some stuff! They, along with many others, asked where my binders were. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I change my set up from show to show to keep it fresh. Plus, I have a huge inventory and do not have enough space to place everything out at once, so I rotate. 

I brought out six display cases this month and filled them with some oversized pre-War cards, some Exhibits, then the rest with my duplicate star cards as I am saving my main star inventory for the upcoming Sun-Times and Strongsville shows. I also brought out a box of low-priced vintage singles and a box of publications.

I sold several Exhibits along with quite a few cards out of the cheapy box. I then sold all sorts of my duplicate stars. Quite a few people stopped at my table early in the morning like T.J., who came up from the Chicago area. Thanks T.J.! I remember selling a Ray Nitchke rookie to a customer. I'm not sure what else I sold.

I tried to get out early to make my rounds to pick up table fee as my helper Rachel had to leave early for her real job. My other helper Jason was out sick. Many dealers helped me out by bringing their table fee to me. Thanks guys! So I was away from my tables most of the day. I don't know what Rachel sold but I did see quite a few blank spots in my display cases. She does such a great job!

Everyone thinks Rachel is my daughter. I might start claiming her as my daughter because she is so great. Though, her father Scott Ziegert might take exception. At one point, Rachel's sister Danielle came over to bring Rachel some food. Afterwards, a dealer ran up to me and asked if I have twin daughters. I had to laugh. Both Rachel and Danielle belong to Scott. I do have a daughter who, unlike Scott's kids, won't help out. She is not willing to wake up at the crack of dawn to help at the show, even if I pay her. I am kind of like Rodney Dangerfield at home. No respect. 

Onto other issues at the show... thankfully, no reports of theft this month. Last month, Randy had some blaster boxes stolen. I think he may have caught the culprit last week at the Root River show. I heard there was quite a commotion when Randy saw the guy steal the box from him. Apparently, Randy came out from behind his table. tackled the guy and punched him out before others pulled him off. Hopefully, this thief learned his lesson!

Back to the concession stand -- I really enjoyed having the concession stand window in Fellowship Hall where my tables were located. It was so much easier for me to grab some food. I had a Sloppy Joe well before my usual helper Doreen arrived to snag me one. I also went back for a brat. Good stuff!

On the buying front, I bought some stuff as well on Saturday. Gary and I had been talking before the show. He had a 1948 Leaf Ted Williams that was trimmed badly. I wanted to see it in person to make sure it was real. Sometimes the trimmer will cut off the word "reprint," so you have to be careful when purchasing trimmed cards. I determined the card was legit by feeling the surface which was a bit rough to the touch. Most of the fakes I find are smooth, not rough. Also, the '48 Leafs are thicker than the average baseball card and I saw that this one had the requisite thickness. I ended up working out a deal with Gary for the card. Gary also had a handful of 1960 Topps baseball that I purchased as well.

My pal Dave had a box for me filled with a bunch of 1954 and 1955 Topps baseball. Dave always gives me a good price and there is no negotiation. Another dealer gave me a nice price on a 1963 Topps Willie Mays. I was really happy with my purchases. I also talked to a few more guys about some deals that will hopefully happen down the road.

Overall, a pretty great day. I was really busy, the day just flew by. Seemed most dealers had good days selling cards. One dealer, Jake, was noticeably absent. Apparently, he is now famous in the box break world for pulling a six-figure card recently. I guess now he is too big of a deal to set up at the show! I kid. Jake's a great guy and hopefully, he'll be back in April. Can someone send me the YouTube link to Jake's pull?

I think I need to address, once again, a problem at all shows -- personal hygiene. Please bathe before coming to my show or any show! Nothing worse than being stuck in someone's stink all day. Ugh!

I let a new dealer stick a table in front of the Coke machine in Fellowship Hall, near my tables. The dealer was fine but his buddy stunk something fierce. His stink was so bad that it engulfed the entire room. I thought I was going to puke. After a while, I wondered if maybe it was me but after sniffing my pits, I received the pleasant scent of Old Spice, not a dead dog... which was the god-awful stink emanating off this guy in the worse way possible.

After the show, the guy was in the parking lot near my car. He stunk up the whole parking lot! How is that possible? Of all my stink complaints over the years of doing this blog, this guy was the worst! Ugh!

Do I need to place signs around the building advising guys to shower before coming to the show? Man, oh, man! Have some compassion for your fellow sports card collectors and remove that stink before coming to the show!!!

Anyway, this was a double bill weekend. I was set up in Schaumburg on Sunday where I battled more stink! Bathe! For god sakes, bathe before coming to the show!! Stinky Schaumburg show report coming soon.

In the meantime, I am gearing up for another double bill weekend. I've got the Rock Church show in Rockford on Saturday, March 12, then Orland on Sunday, March 13. I haven't figured out what to bring out yet. Guys were clamoring for my binders last week but I still haven't finished that '74 baseball binder. I just don't want to bring out the binders without at least one reloaded.

I'll probably do the same set up from this past weekend and add a few things more because I've got quite a bit of space to fill at the Orland show. Should be fun! I might start a fundraiser next weekend to purchase a cache of cologne to give out to those that are hygienically challenged.

Overall, a pretty great show in Oak Creek this past weekend. Thank you everybody for making the show such a grand success!

Below are some photos from this past Oak Creek show:

Eugine Minor photo bomb from the Game Room on Saturday.

Next show at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, Oak Creek, WI, is set for April 2, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dealer tables are sold out!

Saturday, February 26, 2022, Sheraton Hotel, Madison, WI

The most fun I ever had in the hobby was when I first started collecting cards in 1975. For about $2 I could fill up a brown paper bag with packs of cards from the pharmacy down the street from my house in suburban Chicago. 

I would carry the bag home, sit on the curb in front of my house, open packs, stuff sticks of gum in my mouth and marvel at images of Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew and the like. I sorted the cards by team and kept them on a desk in my bedroom. I checked off the cards on the team checklist with a large green marker. I placed my doubles in a shoebox.

I still have my childhood desk and it is still covered in baseball cards. My wife won't let me keep that worn old desk in our bedroom so it is relegated to the basement, along with my cards. If it was up to me, my entire house would be covered in sports cards. Unfortunately, my wife and kids don't receive the same joy from cards as I do. So, me and my cards hide away in the basement. 

I come out of my shelter every weekend and meet up with like-minded fanatics in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. We're all really kind of nuts and I think we all know it. But man are we having some fun! I haven't had this much fun in the hobby since I was a skinny little kid in 1975. Who knew that I'd be fat bald man in 2022 and still collecting cards?

This past Madison show was so much fun! I brought out the binders this time and somehow had better sales with common cards than I had last month with the star cards. I sold piles and piles of cards! What a blast!

Promoter Beau Spencer Thompson does a tremendous job with this show. I used to set up at Darren's shows in Madison and never had these kinds of sales. This is awesome! Like the last Orland show, I had guys on both sides of the tables going through cards.

My binders took a beating! I sold mostly baseball cards which is weird because at Darren's shows I always sold more football cards than the other sports. I did not have enough space this month to place out my hockey cards. I only sold a smattering of basketball and an underwhelming number of football cards.

But my baseball cards, my oh my! Guys came back two or three times and purchased stacks each time. I don't know too many customers by name in Madison other than Noah, a young guy working on the 1955 Topps baseball set. Noah purchased a TON of cards. Thanks Noah!!

Another customer sat at my table for an hour or so and pulled stacks of cards, mostly 1959 Topps along with a pretty nice pile of 1972s. There was one guy, who sort of looked like John Candy with a mustache, who pulled out stacks of '72's and '73's.

Guys were just battling for those baseball binders. I watched one customer patiently go through my 1969 binder and when he was a little more than halfway through the binder, another customer invaded his personal space and sort of shouted in his ear, "Are you done with that binder?!" The guy was startled and turned over the binder even though he was obviously not through with it. He did come back a few hours later to finish going through the binder.

Rude guy wanted to trade me cards. I told him no. He purchased a few cards and I was happy to see him go. 

Another customer sort of ticked me off. He went through my oddball binder and pulled a nice pile of 1960 Leaf, which was great, but while he was going through the Leafs, another customer had pulled out a stack of cards from my 1962 binder and paid me for the cards. Leaf guy turned to the 1962 collector and offered to sell him some cards he had in his backpack. I then watched Leaf guy go into his backpack, pull out a box, place it on MY table and then '62 guy flipped through the cards at MY table, blocking access to other customers who wanted access to my binders.

Now, I've talked about this before... it is extremely rude and bad form to approach people at a dealer's table to sell your cards. If you want to sell cards, reserve a table yourself, set up and sell all you want. I paid $100 for the right to sell cards at those tables. Leaf guy took advantage of me and my good nature.

I was kind of fuming when Leaf guy placed his box of cards on my table. I was going to tell Leaf guy to get the #@$% away from my table but I was able to control my temper as my blood boiled. Ended up '62 guy didn't buy any cards and Leaf guy put his cards away. I'm keeping an eye on Leaf guy for now on and will tell him to get the #$@% away from my tables if he ever pulls that crap again in the future. 

Beau did a really nice job expanding the show this month and added more tables to the hallway and opened a second room so there was plenty of space for Leaf guy to pay for a table and sell cards, don't freeload off me!

Early in the morning, the dealer behind me complained about that second room. He said it was going to take customers away from us. This was the guy who pinched much of the space between our tables last month. He pinched even more space this month! I couldn't keep quiet this time around. After I complained, he moved his tables further out in the aisles. Also, he wasn't on his feet as much as last month and did not block the area behind my tables like he did last month -- thankfully! 

We argued a bit about the second room. As I stated in my last Rockford blog, I think the expansion helps us far more than it could possibly hurt us. More dealers make the show more enticing for customers and ends up bringing in more customers.

The dealer behind me stopped complaining early on as we were both absolutely mobbed with customers. When he sells a card he tells the buyer, "Give it a good home." I can't tell you how many times he said that during the show. He had a monster show! I should have asked him at the end of the day if he was still bothered by the second room. He still had customers at his table when I packed up and left around 3:30 p.m.

I had a chance to check out the second room early in the morning, there were both quite a few dealers and customers in there. Later, one dealer reported great sales. He said other dealers in the room complained that their sales were poor and not enough customers came down from the main room. He told me that he wanted to tell those dealers that their sales were poor because they had over-priced crap on their tables, not because there were not enough customers.

I can't stress enough the importance for dealers to have quality merchandise on their tables at reasonable prices. Stop complaining about your location in the building. Stop complaining about the number of dealers at the show. Start obtaining good stuff and don't mark it way up!

I had my best show ever in Madison and I mostly sold cards at a dollar or two... piles and piles of cards. It was awesome!

I was so busy at one point I was sweating from hustling and dealing with all of the customers. From around 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. I was working hard. I was finally able to sit down at 1:30 p.m. or so and sort of crashed in a heap.

Even with Leaf guy, rude guy, complaining dealers, I had a ball. Most everyone was really great. It was fun talking cards and helping a large number of set builders. I was in a great mood when I went home and sort of floated all the way there.

On the buying front, I picked up a few things. A dealer brought over a little stack of cards while I was setting up, including a 1964 and a 1967 Topps Hank Aaron. There was also a bunch of Luis Aparicio cards in there. No negotiation. His price was great. A few other guys offered cards for sale during the show. One guy had a box of really great stuff but he wanted to trade. I told him I would buy the box from him. He said he'd rather trade. He wants 1974 and 1975 Topps complete sets. I am going to bring them to the April show and see if we can work something out. He had some really nice stuff.

Another guy and his young son came by with a little box half filled with vintage and half modern. When I told the guy that I generally pay 25% of book, depending on condition, he did not want to sell me any cards. We were able to work out a deal for a 1953 Bowman Minnie Minoso for $15.

Then a guy came around with stack of vintage cards from the 1960's in poor condition. He wanted $10 for the stack. I explained to him that I would sell most of those cards for a quarter a piece because of the condition. We made a deal for $5.

Quite a few guys asked if I buy cards. Every dealer buys cards! All these guys inquiring whether I buy cards promised to bring me cards in April when I'll next be set up at the Madison show. I have to miss the March show as I'll be set up in Rosemont, Illinois, at the Sun-Times show.

I've got to say that my three tables covered in vintage binders looks really cool! See photos. I think others agree. A few dealers had some comments. The dealer across from me asked if I just sell vintage. Well, I pointed out to him that I only had vintage cards on my tables. He said he would love to be a vintage dealer but he can't because he travels too much. I just sort of nodded but wondered how traveling would preclude him from obtaining and selling vintage cards?

Another dealer expressed awe in my set up and said I have the set-up he is striving for. He asked how I do it, where do I get my cards? People ask me that all the time and can't seem to comprehend that I get just about all of my cards at card shows. I have been setting up at shows just about every weekend for more than 20 years and purchase cards at just about every show.

I probably spend several thousand dollars every month purchasing cards. Some months I spend more, sometimes less, but I am always buying cards. Being a sports card dealer, whether vintage or modern, is all about buying cards. As the old saying goes, you've got to spend money to make money. 

I did not see that dealer buy any cards. He will never have my kind of set up if he does not buy any cards. When I first started setting up at the Rockford show last year, I met a young guy with a great passion for vintage cards. I watched him buy cards each month then he started to set up. His table looks better and better at each show. It really is all about buying cards.

Anyone can be a dealer. There is no training manual, you learn by trial and error. My best advice to burgeoning dealers is to buy, buy, buy. Once you start, the floodgates will open, especially if you set up at shows every weekend.

I don't think I gave the dealer the answer he was looking for which occurs regularly when I am asked where I obtain my inventory. I think guys have some preconceived notion as to where my cards come from. I'm not sure exactly what that notion entails but when I tell them the truth, they look at me like a deer in the headlights. I think I need to start asking them where do they think I obtain my inventory?

Maybe folks think I buy all of my cards online. It would, indeed, be possible to obtain such an inventory online but in my case, it would be far too time consuming. I don't have the time to sit on eBay and buy cards. I barely have the time to post cards on eBay for sale. I prefer to buy collections or large lots which you can't really find on eBay. The sellers I want are at card shows, i.e., the dealers that flip collections or collectors looking to sell out for whatever reason.

Then there are the numerous private auction houses. These auction houses have great stuff. I love flipping through their catalogs. The problem is that everybody knows they have great stuff, and these cards sell for a pretty penny, there is no room for profit, especially when you factor in buyer's fees from anywhere to 15% to 25%, a dealer just can't make any profit that way. I am able to obtain cards at much better prices at card shows than online.

I explained to the dealer that I have developed a great many contacts over the years and sellers know to bring me cards at each and every show. I don't really know how else to explain my inventory. I actually have no need to buy any more cards. I have enough stashed away, actually stacked away, to keep my binders filled for years down the road. When a customer goes through, say my 1972 Topps binder, and says you're out of high numbers. My response, "No I'm not. There is a lot more at home waiting to be priced and placed into the binder."

I think if this guy continues to set up, he'll figure it out. It is not rocket science.  

I am so bummed I have to miss the March Madison show because I'm setting up at the Sun-Times show that weekend. Now I am a little worried that I am making a mistake by setting up in Rosemont over Madison. I hope I have a good Rosemont show. Then I'm going to Ohio the following weekend and have to skip the Orland show. Am I making another mistake? Madison and Orland have been so great, I hate to miss those shows!

The hobby is hopping! This is really one of the best times ever. I am amazed at the crowds and my sales at almost every show. I was so disappointed I had nowhere to set up on Sunday. Though, it was nice to get some work in on reloading my binders that were absolutely massacred at the Madison show. 

So I am in kind of a dilemma for next weekend where I have my Oak Creek show on Saturday and Schaumburg on Sunday. I am only about half-way through reloading my 1974 baseball binder. I don't want to bring the binders out next weekend without at least one newly reloaded binder. I also don't want to bring out the display cases because I am saving those cards for Rosemont and Strongsville. What do I bring out next weekend?

Thankfully, I have much more than just the binders and star cards. I think I am going to bring out the cheapy boxes, sets, lots, publications, and more oddball stuff. I should have an interesting set up next weekend. If you want to see anything particular next weekend, let me know beforehand because I am leaving my regular inventory at home!

So next Saturday, March 5, is my show at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. This will be my largest show to date with 108 tables and 68 dealers. I limit dealers at my show to just two tables each so I have more dealers than any other show around. I have a bunch of new ones lined up for Saturday as well.

The Sal has an event in the Chapel on Saturday so parking will be tough. I recommend parking across the street at Target. Please do not double park! Also, the front door will be used for the other event, not the card show. Entry for the card show on Saturday will be through the gym door.

The Sal is also taking away my space in the front hallway so I won't have any dealers there. We're moving access to the concession stand from the gym to Fellowship Hall. I am going to place dealer tables in front of the concession stand in the gym. We're also going to have dealers on the stage in the game room. Make sure you visit the gym, Fellowship Hall and the Game Room. All three rooms will be packed with dealers! I am probably going to set up in that little hallway between Fellowship Hall and the Game Room. Once again, Rachel will be watching my tables from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please be kind, she is such a great helper!

Dealers, if you could pay me in the morning, I would really appreciate it because Rachel has to leave at 1 p.m. to go to her real job so I will be hustling to collect table fee from everybody before she goes.

My waiting list is growing at a maddening pace. I am sorry that I cannot get more dealers into the show. Please be patient with me. The folks on the waiting list do not need to call and text me every month. I will contact you when space becomes available. If I contact you and you are unable to set up, I am taking you off the list. I just have too many people on the wait list and need to thin it out.

More about the waiting list. There are about 60 guys on there now. Some guys are accusing me of trying to keep them out of the show. Why would I do that? The problem is that everyone and their mother wants to set up at the Oak Creek show and I have limited space available. I am not trying to keep anyone out of the show. What I am trying to do is bring in new dealers in the fairest and most equitable manner. It now takes me months to get someone into the show after they join my waiting list. You guys need to be patient. I will get you in and I will contact you when space is available.

I had one guy text me recently and brag how great he is, how many Instagram followers he has, and that he is a national dealer because he just set up in Atlanta and I am making a huge mistake by not letting him into the show.

First off, I am not impressed. There are actually dealers who do, indeed, impress me and they all have to wait like the rest of the group on the waiting list for their turn to get space at the show. I really don't care who you are, you all have to wait your turn.

Second thing is that I don't need any more dealers. I am doing all these guys a favor by placing them on the waiting list and eventually getting them space in the show. It is far more trouble than it is worth. You would not believe how some of these guys are badgering me. Back off! I might just start removing some of these guys from the waiting list because they are more trouble than they are worth.

Which brings me to another thought -- if these guys are trouble while they are on the waiting list, what are they going to be like at the show? Are they going to be a problem once I find space for them at the show? I have a preference for dealers who are not a problem and easy to get along with. Some of these guys need to get a life.

Anyone remember when I started this show at the Clarion Hotel and I just had 10 to 12 dealers and 20 tables? I long for those days sometimes. I much more prefer to set up as a dealer than being a show promoter. Being a show promoter is a huge headache these days because of the popularity of the hobby. We are in crazy boom times. I wish I could get every dealer into the show that wants to set up but I don't have the space for everyone. The number of dealers contacting me for tables is just overwhelming. I don't think there is an hour of any day where I don't get a request for tables. It is crazy!

It is only going to get crazier as I've got some great things planned for future shows like some really great autograph guests. More info soon!

​Enough ranting. See you Saturday!

Photo by Beau Spencer Thompson.