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Frustrating Day In Indianapolis

4/23/2015

On the itinerary for last weekend was the Fishers American Legion show, pictured above, in Fishers, Indiana (just north of Indianapolis), and the Hyatt Place show in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. I left the Chicago area for Indianapolis late afternoon on Friday, accompanied by my daughter Tabitha. I can't say how nice it was to have Tabitha along. Traffic was slow as usual. Around Lafayette, Indiana, I gave up fighting trucks on I65 and took the backroads to Indy.

We stopped off at a China Buffet in some random town. I liked the food but Tabitha did not like it at all and hardly ate anything. Next time, I won't take Tabitha to the China Buffet. After dinner, the drive to the hotel was uneventful.

A week earlier, I Pricelined a Red Roof Inn. I thought the hotel was near Fishers up north but it turned out to be located in southeast Indy. The Red Roof was located directly across the street from the La Quinta Inn where my friend Seth Murray promotes a monthly card show. I'm planning on setting up at the La Quinta on May 2, 2015.

There were two clerks in the lobby of the Red Roof Inn when I walked in. One was helping a middle-aged man. The other clerk began to help me immediately. When my clerk asked for the $40 room fee, the middle-aged man started steaming up, complaining that he is being charged $15 more than me. I advised he use Priceline on his next visit. Captain Kirk owes me a few bucks for that one.

The Red Roof Inn was fairly crowded on this Friday evening. I observed quite a few sketchy folks milling about the hotel, making me a little nervous. Our room was okay, nothing special. No bedbugs. For the most part, the night was uneventful until some knucklehead started honking his horn in the parking lot outside of our room at 4 a.m. I could not fall back asleep afterwards.

The Fishers show began at 8 a.m. After about a 1/2 hour drive, we arrived at the American Legion Post in Fishers around 7 a.m. Earlier, I had bragged to Tabitha about the awesome breakfast served in the restaurant at the Post. After set up, I went into the restaurant only to learn that it was closed on this day. Ugh! I had Tabitha watch the table while I raced out to a nearby McDonald's and got us some grub.

I was expecting a big crowd at this show with Brooklyn Dodgers legend Carl Erskine in attendance and signing autographs. Unfortunately, the crowd was smaller than last month. I think we lost out to the weather -- 80 degrees and sunny on this particular Saturday in Indianapolis. There were still people in the room but not nearly as many as last month. In fact, all the shows I have attended this April have had lackluster attendance. I do not recall a drop in attendance for April in years past. Usually, the first half of the year is strong until June. I have found June to be the worst month for card show attendance. Seems like everyone has some sort of graduation party to attend or a child's sporting event or yard work. If I was smart, I would skip setting up in June. But I'm a glutton for punishment and will be there by my lonesome in June. I suffer from a terrible baseball card addiction that needs constant feeding.

In addition to Erskine, there were more dealers this time around at the Fishers show. A few guys along with Erskine were set up in the adjoining room.

My first customer of the day was an older gentleman I remember from my previous visit to Fishers. He purchased a bunch of cards from the 1960s and 1970s. He told me he is a Bobby Bonds fan and asked if I had his 1968 card. I responded that Bonds' rookie card is the 1969 Topps which this customer had just purchased. There is not a Bonds card in 1968.

I noticed several customers wearing Chicago Black Hawks hats. The dealer next to me said folks from Indianapolis follow teams from Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago in addition to the Colts and the Pacers. It seemed to me that a wide variety of teams were represented on hats and shirts along with religious emblems and phrases. It is probably no surprise to folks that have been following the news that Hoosiers support their religion in much the same way that folks in the rest of the country support their sports teams. Religion in Indiana seems to be a contact sport.

Anyway, my next customer just happened to be wearing a Black Hawks hat and purchased some 1970-71 Topps basketball cards. I did not bring any of my hockey binders, believing Indy card collectors were not interested in hockey. With the large number of Black Hawks gear in the room, I will make sure to bring some hockey cards to the La Quinta show.

A regular customer purchased all of my Exhibits. My next customer pulled 1970 Topps baseball. A father and son team pulled some 1974 Topps baseball. A dealer working on 1973 and 1974 baseball sets found some cards at my table for his sets. Another customer purchased some 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards. An older customer purchased some 1952 Bowman baseball.

Then I had an extremely frustrating series of transactions with Bob, another dealer. I've dealt with Bob before and he wants stuff ridiculously cheap. He started going through my binders -- manhandling them. You would think a dealer would take better care when handling vintage cards. He started to pull cards. I had to watch him closely because he won't pull the sleeve with the price tag on it unless I tell him to do so. He pulled out a large stack of 1952 Bowman baseball. I gave him a nice price on the stack where I was barely making any money. He said okay and then pulled a stack of 1951 Bowman baseball from the binder. I gave him a good price on the 1951s. He said my price was too high on both stacks. He gave me a lowball offer. If I took his offer I would be selling the cards at a loss so I declined. He then said he didn't want the cards. I was ready to slug him. Now I had to put back a hundred or so cards into the binder.

He then took out all the pages of 1952 Bowmans from my football binder and asked for a price. I gave him a really good price and started complaining that he is causing me a lot of extra work by pulling stuff out of my binders and not purchasing the cards. I reminded him that I was offering him these cards at a great price. We argued over the price of the football and finally came to a deal where I maybe made $2 profit. He then pulled all the pages of my 1970 and 1971 Super baseball cards. I went with his price just to get rid of him. Again, I probably made a big $3 profit.

I was extremely frustrated after dealing with Bob. He pretty much ruined my day. I know I will see him at the La Quinta show on May 2 and I am just going to have to tell him to go away. I don't want him pulling any cards or any pages out of my binders.

Over the years, I have had to tell a handful of people to stay away from my table. Every so often, I get guys that come to my table who are absolutely worthless. Bob is worthless. As soon as I see him at the La Quinta, I'm telling him he is no longer welcome at my table.

Annoying Bob aside, I had an okay day on the sales front. Though, sales were down from my last visit to Fishers. On the buying front, I was able to purchase a nice stack of 1967 Topps baseball for a really good price. I ended up being one of the last dealers to leave -- which is usually the case at most every show I attend. Though, this time, I have to say Bob caused the delay in my departure. I hustled my stuff out the door as quickly as possible. We were on the road by 2:30 p.m.

The temperature dropped significantly as we drove north. We stopped in Crown Point to eat at a Cracker Barrel where it was about 50 degrees and windy. Going from 80 to 50 degrees in a matter of two hours is hard to do. Anyway, we made it home by about 6 p.m. I spent the night posting items for sale in eBay. Check out my eBay auctions HERE.

I was up bright and early on Sunday morning. I enjoyed the simple 35 minute drive to the Hyatt in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. I enjoyed the free breakfast and coffee at the hotel even more. I had a little larger of a set up at Hoffman than at Fishers. I brought out all of the binders as opposed to Fishers where I left 10 or 12 of them at home. It is always a pleasant day with fellow baseball card addicts Fred, Willie, Ted and the Woj at the Hoffman show.

Again, attendance was down compared to previous shows in Hoffman. I made a few sales. An older guy hanging out with a buddy purchased some 1974 and 1978 Topps baseball cards along with a bunch of 1971 Topps Coins. A regular customer purchased some basketball cards. A regular customer purchased a bunch of 1940 Play Ball. Randy purchased some 1962 Topps baseball including a Warren Spahn and a Casey Stengel. George pointed out that the photo in the '62 Stengel is the same one Topps used in the 1960 card.

One customer brought in a cancelled check from Ty Cobb to show off -- it was cool!

George wanted to sell me some cards but he is a little high on his prices so I offered to sell them for him on eBay. He gave me some 1965 Topps Push & Pull non-sports cards that I will be posting to eBay soon. I ended up purchasing a bunch of cards from someone else including some more 1971 Topps coins, Exhibits, and some 1955 Topps baseball.

Back home, Lisa and Kolby were battling colds and I needed to bring home groceries and tissues for them. So I missed out on lunch with Willie. Hopefully, next time we can get some grub!

This coming weekend, I am heading to Mason City, Iowa, for a show at the Southbridge Mall. This will be my first show in Iowa. I have been heading east with regularlty for shows so I thought I would change it up and head west this time around. This is a two-day show. I am not all that comfortable with leaving my cards over-night in the mall. I am going to just bring binders and take my more valuable binders with me on Saturday night.

I just finished reloading 1977 Topps football and am going to begin the long, arduous task of creating a 1976 Topps baseball binder. I sold my old binder in January at the Fort Wayne show. I am looking forward to Mason City. This should be interesting. Hopefully, I make a sale or two along with some good buys. Until next time, adieu, adieu.

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Wacky Ponderings From The Road

4/16/2015

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The last time I hit the road on a Friday, I was heading to a show in Michigan. On this past Friday, I was on the road for a show in Appleton, Wisconsin. I could not help but compare the two drives. Both Michigan and Wisconsin have hilly terrains. Both Michigan and Wisconsin seem to have quite a few cars on the road on Friday nights. There were far more billboards on the side of the road in Wisconsin than in Michigan. All the billboards seem to be the same -- they were either for porno shops or Jesus. Kind of a weird combination.

The main difference between driving in these two states is that Michigan drivers are so much more aggressive than Wisconsin drivers. I was tailgated and often left in the dust as cars flew by me on I94 in Michigan. On Route 41 in Wisconsin, I was not tailgated once and I seemed to be the aggressive driver going a big five miles over the speed limit. Needless to say, it was a much more pleasant drive through Wisconsin than the one I had through Michigan a few weeks ago.

It is about a three-hour drive from my house in Northern Illinois to Appleton, which is in the middle of Wisconsin. I found my trusty Motel 6, easy enough. The room at this Motel 6 was much nicer than the others I have stayed recently, i.e. St. Louis, Canton, Indianapolis. I Pricelined the room so I wouldn't have to drive around town in the middle of the night looking for a hotel. The only drawback is that I did not get a chance to see Appleton. I would have liked to check out the town a little bit since I have never been to Appleton before. I'm coming back to Appleton in June and I think I'll leave home a little earlier so I can take a look around town.

On Saturday morning (April 11, 2015), I plugged the address to the Northland Mall into my GPS and arrived at the mall in what seemed like two minutes. It was only 7 a.m. and the show did not start until 9 a.m. I figured I was too early and looked for a place to have some breakfast. I found Mary's Family Restaurant, established in 1958. I was quickly seated near a couple of guys discussing cars and the Bible, again I don't see the relation. Anyway, my eggs and sausage were pretty good. I chugged some coffee, paid 11 bucks and arrived at the show around 8 a.m.

The Northland Mall is like an old mall near my hometown called Deerbrook Mall. I'm assuming Northland, like Deerbrook, was the first mall built in the area sometime in the 1950s. Northland is a small mall with a dozen or so shops and a few big-box stores. The Deerbrook Mall has been consumed by Big-Box retailers and not much of the old mall exists anymore. I think Northland may have been larger at one point and was consumed by the giant Shopko of which I was set up across from its mall entrance. The remaining portion of the Northland Mall is much more vibrant than old Deerbrook which no longer has any shops in the mall area. The Northland Mall is a small L shape of shops. I was set up between the Shopko and the China Buffet.

I did not have a whole lot of customers at the Northland Mall show so I spent much of the day staring at the Shopko entrance. I observed that many Shopko customers were thrwarted entry by silver pipes jetting up from the floor every few feet at the mall entrance to Shopko. The more rotund customers struggled to get into the store between those pipes. I watched egg-shaped folks turn sideways and sort of slide into the store between the pipes. Once in, they grabbed a few cases a Mountain Dew and various Hostess products like Twinkies and HoHos. Which got me to thinking, if Shopko is going to stock items that are consumed by large people, the least they could do is make the entrance a little more accessible. I don't understand why they had those pipes blocking the entrance. Another thought that crossed my mind as I literally observed the purchase of dozens and dozens of cases of Mountain Dew at Shopko throughout the day, is how are Wisconsin drivers so mellow when they are hopped up on Mountain Dew? Such are the ponderings of a wayward baseball card dealer who is discovering the keys to humanity's secrets, one card show at a time.

And yes, I was in Appleton for a card show where I did indeed have some customers. My first customer Mark, recognized me from the National. He said I always have a nice selection at reasonable prices. Thank you Mark! He picked up a large pile of 1951 Bowman baseball and 1954 Bowman football. Then he had to run because he is a CPA and it is tax season. I have many customers who are CPAs and they are usually AWOL during March and April.

My next customer was Ken who told me he collects Packers from the Lombardi era. Ken purchased a 1964 Tom Brown baseball card because Brown also played football for the Packers. Another customer, who I recognized from the Gonzaga show, purchased some 1969 Topps Deckle Edge baseball cards. Then Todd and his teenage sons spent much of the day at my table. Todd is working on sets from the 1970s. He pulled cards from 1974, 75 and 77 baseball along with 1977 football.

Next up, I had a customer working on 1972 Topps baseball and he found a few in my binder. Dealer Mike Johnson came by and purchased some autographs. An older collector purchased an Andy Pafko Exhibit. Then I had a customer who collects players from Panama. I have had customers in the past who collect players from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic but this was my first customer who collects players from Panama. I was surprised at the large number of players from Panama including Rod Carew and Chico Salmon. This customer patiently went through my binders and pulled a large number of cards.

Then the promoter Dan brought in Pizzas for all the dealers. How cool is that! I, unfortunately, cannot eat cheese so Dan gave me a large bag of potato chips. Thanks Dan! Though, I was secretly waiting for the show to end so I could dine at the China Buffet. I am a big fan of the China Buffet.

I spent the rest of the day chatting with a customer who is working on 1961 Topps baseball. He said he started working on the set after his girlfriend dumped him and he put his newly found free-time to good use on eBay. This customer has been collecting cards for a long time. He told me a terrible tale of how he consigned his 1984 Star Michael Jordan rookie card to a local card shop in the early 1990s. He then went away to college for his first semester and when he came home, the card shop and his Jordan card were gone. Ugh! I hate hearing stories like that!!

Around 1 p.m. the other dealers started to pack up. I followed suit then loaded up on sweet and sour chicken at the China Buffet. I was on the road home by 3 p.m. The drive home was pleasant once again. I love the Wisconsin country side. There are some beautiful farms and small towns dotting assorted hills and valleys. It is a really nice ride.

Once home, I priced a bunch of cards for my display cases in preparation for the Gonzaga show on Sunday, April 12, 2015. After load in, I noticed that a few of the regular dealers were absent like Ken, Del and Jeff. There were also a few no-shows. As I've said before, no-shows are the worst. If you book a show, you gotta show up. With some rare nice weather outside, I think a few dealers and customers alike chose to do outside activities instead of the card show. Customer attendance was down which is really unusual for the Gonzaga show where attendance is generally strong. As a result, my sales were down. On the upside, I had plenty of time to eat cake.

A big thank you to the guys that did show up at the Gonzaga Show and purchased cards. A new customer pulled quite a few Portland Trailblazer cards from the 1970s. He told me he grew up in Portland and has been living in Milwaukee for about six years. He also purchased a 1977 Topps Dale Murphy card because Murphy grew up in Portland. Scott Z. purchased my 1970 Topps Reggie Jackson. A father and son team purchased some 1975 Topps baseball.

An older customer purchased a pile of cards. My next customer purchased some cards from the 1950s. A customer wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers hat purchased some Exhibits. A regular customer purchased a T206 Fred Clarke and a 1962 Topps Bart Starr. Jeff purchased his usual mound of cards. Thanks Jeff! An older customer purchased some 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards. A regular customer purchased a pile of stuff. Another customer purchased a 1964 Topps Jim Fregosi. An older customer rounded out my day by purchasing some 1979 Topps baseball.

On the buying front, I picked up a nice group of 1959 Topps baseball cards. It was nice to purchase something after being shut out yesterday on the buying front in Appleton.

It seemed like half the dealers were out the door by noon. There were not a whole lot of customers in the room once the auction concluded. I was out the door by 1 p.m. which is crazy early for a Gonzaga show. I expect this show to rebound in May.

Next up, I am making a quick trip to Indianapolis on Saturday for the Fishers American Legion show. Carl Erskine is signing autographs. I'm hoping the autos are reasonably priced because I would not mind having Oisk's signature. On Sunday, I'm setting up at the Fred Copp show at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. I have not done a whole lot of Illinois shows lately and I hope to see a lot of old friends in Hoffman Estates on Sunday! Come on out guys!!

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Mega Card Sales at the Smith & Gordon Show

4/9/2015

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So at the Canton Show, I observed a guy walking around covered in snot and disease. I immediately knew that everyone in that room was going to get sick. It started out as a sore throat on Monday -- by Wednesday, I had lost my voice. On Thursday, I was chugging Dayquil. I don't remember much from Friday other than I took Nyquil before bed then attempted to set my alarm clock for 5 a.m. On Saturday morning, I awoke at 6:30 a.m., saw that the sun was up and uttered several profanities. I looked at my alarm clock and realized I had set it for 5 p.m., not 5 a.m. Ugh!

I had hoped to arrive at the Smith & Gordon Show on Saturday, April 4, 2015, in Milwaukee by 7 a.m. I knew that was not going to happen. Luckily, I had loaded up the car on Friday so I just needed to jump in the shower and get out the door. I made it to the show by 8 a.m. One again, I was one of the last dealers to arrive at my own show. Thankfully, my partner Mark Smith was there bright and early, had the room set up and name tags on each table. Mark is the best!

Earlier in the week, we bumped up the room from the small Rembrandt Room to the large Mitchell Room because several additional dealers wanted tables. Mark laid out the room with tables along the walls and a large rectangle of tables in the middle. I really liked the look of the room. We had our largest dealer turn out to date so the room looked especially cool. Though, it was an expensive venture because the Mitchell Room is pricey and we also dropped some coin on an ad in the Milwaukee Journal.

Last month, we had our best attendance to date. This month, however, I think we lost some folks to spring break and Easter. Attendance was not nearly as hearty as March. Though, I have to say that the folks that came out were all quality customers because I not only had my best day selling cards at any of the Smith & Gordon shows, I had my best day of the year!

I am not sure how this all worked out so well. I was still in a Nyquil haze. I had five tables to fill and once again packed my car floor to ceiling with stuff. It took three trips on the hotel cart to load in. It also took a long time to set up. I put out 10 display cases, all my binders (I am not sure how many I have, there are dozens), and assorted memorabilia items.

Jerome was there at 7 a.m. eager to purchase some vintage cards. Sorry for the wait Jerome! I gave him a seat behind one of my tables at 8:15 a.m. and he spent a while going through my 1972 Topps baseball binder. Jason was also an early attendee. I had priced five or six stars from the 1952 Berk Ross baseball set just prior to the show. Jason took them all. He also found a T205 and some cards in my newly reloaded 1953 Topps baseball binder. I gotta say, those binders from the 1950s look amazingly cool when they are newly reloaded.

A regular customer purchased a 1955 Bowman Andy Pafko. Jim found some 1953 Topps baseball. Mark took most of my new binder of 1970 Kellogg's baseball. Thanks Mark! I absolutely love the 1970 Kellogg's 3D baseball cards. There is just something about them that looks so cool. I also find that more than any other card, I seemed to get pulled right back to childhood when I look at those 3D cards. Mark also picked up a 1962 Topps Jim Taylor and some 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards. Jeff also pulled some of the 1959 Fleers along with 1952 Topps and 1960 Leaf baseball.

Mark Smith has swammy-like skills for bringing buyers into the room. Today, he brought in Gizmo who spend quite a bit of money with many dealers, myself included. Thanks Mark and Gizmo!!

I was pretty busy most of the day and a little hazy. I forgot to write down many sales. I few other sales I remembered to note were some 1959s sold to an older collector, a new customer purchased some 1972-73 Topps hockey and some 1959 Topps baseball. Jack picked up some 1955 Bowmans. Rob pulled a punch of cards and an autograph hound rounded out my day with some cards from the 1960s.

In addition to a great day selling cards, I had a phenomenal day purchasing cards. A new customer sold me some Bowman baseball from 1949 through 1952, some 1954 Bowman baseball and some 1952 Topps baseball. Woot! Mark told me that another new customer walked through the room selling all sorts of vintage gems. I also purchased my first packs of 2015 Topps Heritage from Jim. I pulled a Mike Trout short print. Nelson told me that some of the variations include fake gum stains on the back of the cards. Come on! Really?

Scotty P. reported that the Nite Owl has opened for the season -- home of the best burgers in the world. I had to pass because the wife wanted me home. Oh well, next month, I'm hitting the Nite Owl after the show!!

Next weekend, I have two Wisconsin shows. I'm setting up at Northland Mall in Appleton on Saturday and then the Gonzaga show on Sunday. I have had a productive week and loaded up some 1969 Topps Deckle Edge baseball cards, 1954 Topps baseball cards, 1954 and 1955 Bowman football cards, and 1955 Topps All-American football cards. I am going to start work on 1954 Bowman baseball and plan on pricing more cards for my display cases before the weekend. I am looking forward to another weekend in the great state of Wisconsin.

My condolences to Wisconsin Badger fans for their heart-breaking loss to Duke in the NCAA Championship game. I watched quite a few Wisconsin games this year and the team just looked tired on Monday. That Duke team was deep and filled with so many money ballplayers. Wisconsin had them on the ropes but just could not finish. That was one great game. I'm looking forward to seeing Wisconsin star Frank Kaminsky in the NBA next year.

A big thank you to all the dealers and customers that came out to my show last weekend. It was so nice to have a stellar show after a couple of duds in Jackson and Canton. I completely forgot to take photos of the show so I scanned some of the 1949 Bowman baseball I picked up. Also, I found a garden glove with a Brewers logo on it in the Clarion parking lot. I am going to bring it to Appleton and Gonzaga this weekend to see if I can find the owner. Take care everybody!!

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Long Road Trip, Slow Sales

4/2/2015

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It was nice having the Sun-Times show in town recently where my travel time was reduced to 30 minutes. I logged in some heavy hours driving this past weekend. First up was Jackson, Michigan, at American Legion Post 29, on Saturday, March 28, 2015. Abel Fausto is the promoter of this newer show. Prior to the show I was impressed with the email blasts Abel sent out to dealers letting us know about cards customers were seeking. Abel also promoted the show heavy on Facebook.

I hit the road for Jackson on Friday afternoon. I was amazed at the heavy traffic on the highway during the entire drive. I know this was spring break weekend for many, but I thought I would be the only goofball driving from Chicago toward Detroit. Who goes to Detroit for spring break? Apparently, thousands were heading to the site of "Hardcore Pawn."

Once in Jackson, I had my usual routine of looking for a hotel. I drove all over town. Jackson looks like an old Victorian town. The Downtown is kind of a weird spread-out set up with railroad tracks cutting the area in two. Jackson is located near Ann Arbor and Lansing. It is about 70 miles west of Detroit. The population is about 30,000. I was a little concerned about attendance at the show. Though, I think collectors came in from all over Michigan because the attendance was excellent.

Just a little bit more about Jackson -- according to Wiki, this town is the birthplace of the Republican Party. The Republican Party formed in Jackson in 1854 as the result of an anti-slavery convention. On the economic front, auto parts were manufactured in Jackson as early as 1910. Later automobiles were manufactured in town.

I spent the night in the inexpensive America's Best Hotel. Across the street, I saw a restaurant called Coney Island Dogs. I figured it was a knock off of Nathan's hot dogs in New York. However, according to Wiki, the Coney Island is a native hot dog to Jackson going back to 1914.

Prior to the show, my pal Mark Smith told me that Jackson is known for a very large prison. According to Wiki, Michigan's first prison was constructed in Jackson in 1839. On my way out of town after the show, I drove by a large prison complex. Once on the highway, I saw a hitchhiker and assumed he was an escaped killer and quickly drove by him.

Notables from Jackson include former NFL football player and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, who must still reside in town because I saw his mug on a large billboard advertising some sort of youth-religious event; Paula Faris, who used to be a sportscaster in Chicago and is now national; and former MLB pitcher Rick Wise.

Once in my hotel, I watched the television show "Forensic Files" which just happened to feature a murder in Jackson, Michigan. A clerk at a gas station was shot in the head by a robber. Police went through several forensic procedures on some poor video tape of the robbery-shooting to figure out the identity of the killer. The show kind of spooked me and I could not sleep. So I was out the door very early and decided to stop at neighboring Bob Evans for breakfast. I am a big fan of the Bob Evans. My eggs, bacon and hashbrowns were delicious. I downed a pot of coffee and drove five minutes or so to the show.

VFW halls and American Legion Posts all seem to look the same. They are all a little run-down, have a large ballroom, bar, meeting rooms and the like. I think it is this aged atmosphere with American Flag decor that make these places the perfect structures to house a baseball card show. I was amazed at the large number of dealer tables at this show. There was probably 50 or so tables which is pretty large for a one-day show.

I found my tables easy enough. I was near my friend Seth Murray, who promotes a show in Indianapolis. Also set up at this show was Bill O'Conner, who I met in December at the Holland show; and Brian Mayne, who runs the Fort Wayne show. It is always nice to see familiar faces in unknown territory.

For my set up, I decided to go with just two display cases and fill the rest of my two tables with binders. I also brought out my newly reloaded 50-cent box. My first sale of the day was to a dealer set up in the row behind me who was working on a 1978 Topps set. He found two of the four cards he needed to complete the set at my table. I pulled out the Nolan Ryan that he needed. The card books at $40. I offered it to him at $10 and he declined. I was kind of amazed he passed on the card. It is in pretty nice shape and is just one of two cards he needs to complete his set. He also had a weird set up with all 1980s cards on his table. When I see a guy with that kind of set up, I automatically think that they have not been to a card show in 30 years because it is very difficult to sell cards from the 1980s and if you do sell them, they do not sell for much money.

At this point, it was still pretty early and many dealers will still setting up. I decided to walk around the room. I met Ron who grew up in the Lake View neighborhood in Chicago. He looks awfully familiar and I think I may know him from somewhere but I cannot place him. I knew he was from Chicago when I observed that half of his table was covered in Cubs cards. He had a nice 1975 Topps Robin Yount rookie. I offered $15 but he wanted $30.

Unable to cut any deals, we still had some nice conversation. Ron told me that his first job was as a pin setter at Southport Lanes. I have been to Southport Lanes many times. It is an incredibly cool place that is pleasantly stuck in a time warp. Located on the North Side of Chicago, Southport Lanes is an old bowling alley/tavern that has been open since the 1930s. It has just six or eight bowling lanes that look and operate much as they did in 1934. An actual person sets up the pins, not a machine. Ron's first job gives him lots of street cred in my book.

As I walked around the room, I saw that most tables consisted of singles of either modern or vintage or a combo of both spread out on the tables -- no display cases, no boxes of cards, binders, or anything else. I made some offers on some cards and learned that none of these dealers wanted to cut a deal on any cards. Eventually, the dealer behind me accepted my offer on a 1971 Topps Bart Starr. I was kind of amazed that most dealers seemed set on selling their cards at their sticker price. The cards were not over-priced but as a dealer, I can't pay the sticker price when I am buying for resale. I figured some of the guys would appreciate some early sales, but no takers.

Back at my table, a customer I met a few years ago and have seen at all the Michigan shows, purchased some 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards. Business was slow-going early on. It took a while for the room to fill up with customers. I spent a lot of time talking with the dealer behind me. He was very chatty. He used to own a card shop and just started doing shows after a long hiatus. I learned all about his days working for the railroads and working as a referee at local college and high school sporting events. He told me he was 73 years old. I was impressed with his enthusiasm and energy.

My next customer told me he started collecting baseball cards in 1959. He said he works part-time and lives off Social Security and can't buy a whole lot, almost apologetically. While I certainly appreciate customers who throw down serious coin, I also very much appreciate every single sale whether it is for $10 or $200. It all adds up in the end. He ended up buying some 1959 and 1963 Topps baseball cards and put me awfully close to making my table fee. My initial goal at every show is to make table fee. It is always a big relief once that goal is accomplished.

Next up was a young couple that purchased some hockey cards. A customer wearing a hat that had a Marines logo purchased some 1952 and 1953 Detroit Tigers. An older customer purchased a 1973 Topps Clay Carroll. Another older customer found some cards in my 50-cent box. My next customer told me that former major league player and manager Ben Chapman was his great uncle. The customer was a little embarrassed to admit Chapman was a relation because Chapman was portrayed as a racist in the Jackie Robinson movie. Ben Chapman's grandnephew purchased some Cincinnati Reds. He is working on Reds team sets.

Things quieted down at my tables and I walked around again. There was a big sign for Denny McClain, who was signing autographs in a back room. I stopped off at the concession stand and ordered a hamburger from the sweetest little girl. I was impressed with size of the freshly cooked burger. By 11 a.m., the room was jamming.

I sold some 1971 Topps football cards to a customer who was pretty close to finishing the set. Another customer purchased my 1969-70 Topps Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito cards. A customer purchased a 1974 Topps Jim Palmer. A young customer purchased a 1970-71 Topps Jerry West All Star card. My sales sadly ended when a customer purchased some cards out of my 50-cent box. There were still plenty of people in the room. In fact, there was a nice crowd in the room past 2 p.m. when most shows are over. I, unfortunately, had difficulty making sales at this show. It seemed like the guys who had random cards spread out on their tables were making the most sales. Which got me to thinking that next time I set up at a Michigan show, I just may put out random low grade vintage stars on my tables without anything else. It does not seem like Michigan is a place for set builders. I also took note that most of the dealers in the room had modern cards and I think this may have been more of a modern card crowd than a vintage crowd.

While sales were lousy, I would give this show another try because it was really well attended. I think I just need to adjust my set up to spur more sales. Having a bad show is like having a bad game. You just have to shake it off, forget about it, and get ready for the next one. I was staring at a four-hour drive to my next show in Canton, Ohio.

With a set up of mostly binders, it is really easy to pack up and load out. I was on the road by 3 p.m. I drove east toward Detroit then made a turn south toward Toledo. I like the Michigan countryeside. It is hilly and goes from forests to farms to golf courses. Michigan is one of the more pleasant states to drive through.

I stopped in Toledo to purchase gas and also worked my iPhone to reserve my room at the Motel 6 in Canton. I stopped on the Ohio Turnpike and ate a chicken salad sandwich and Einstein Bros. Bagels. The drive to Canton was pretty smooth. Traffic was not nearly as bad as Friday.

Once settled in Canton, I found a cheap Chinese restaurant and dined on sweet and sour chicken, egg roll and rice. I made the mistake of watching the Arizona-Wisconsin Elite 8 game where my Wildcats were destroyed by the Badgers for the second year in a row. I cable-rocked until I fell asleep. I was up early again but not early enough to hit a restaurant. I stopped at Mickey D's for a quick meal and coffee. The Motel 6 is just down the street from the Canton card show at the Marriott Belden Village.

I went with the same set up as yesterday. Like last month, there was a ton of vintage in the room. Though, I noticed one new modern card dealer who was absolutely mobbed the whole show. It did not seem like any of the vintage dealers were making a whole lot of sales. Though there was a nice crowd early on and all day long.

My first customer let me know he was a Dick LeBeau fan and purchased Detroit Lions team cards from the 1960s to send to LeBeau for autographs. One of my regular customers purchased some 1951 Bowman football cards. Another customer purchased some basketball cards from the 1970s. My next customer purchased a 1966 Topps Tommy Davis. An older customer purchased some football cards from 1978 to 1982. A young guy with his mother purchased some football cards from the 1970s. Kenny purchased some 1972-73 Topps basketball cards.

Then former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar walked into the room. Man, he is a tall dude. Everyone clapped for him. He made a remark about the weather then walked out into the lobby to sign autographs. At $30 a pop, I took a pass. I would not mind having a Bernie Kosar autograph but would not pay more than $10.

At each show, customers come by and ask if I have this or that. Rarely do they ask if I have any cards from the 1980s. However, today, I had two different customers come by looking for 1987 and 1988 Topps baseball cards. I don't carry them because they sell for very little money. Speaking of cheap stuff, my 50-cent box got a nice work out today.

A father, son, and granddaughter team purchased some 1962 Topps baseball cards and 1964 Philadelphia football cards. A customer I remember from last month, made my day. He spent a few hours at my tables, going through most every binder and all the cards in my display cases. He made some nice purchases. I also spent a lot of time talking with a gentleman who is from Cleveland and has never been to Chicago but is a fan of the Chicago Cubs. He said it is his dream to go to Wrigley Field some day. I tried to tell him that it would be pretty easy to drive from Cleveland to Chicago and take in a Cubs game. I got the feeling that he is someone who rarely travels a few miles from home.

Thanks to that one customer who purchased a ton of stuff, I had a better day than yesterday. Though, I expected to do a whole lot better with Bernie Kosar signing autographs. Again, I was disappointed. This Canton show gets a really nice crowd but is a tough place to sell cards. Also the promoter Jane is absolutely terrific. I won a Cleveland Browns T-shirt in her dealer gift drawing. Like the Terminator, I will be back.

It is a long drive home from Canton. I am so happy to be home! Thankfully, next weekend I only have to travel 45 minutes to the Smith & Gordon Show in Milwaukee. We are in the Mitchell Room again and have a bunch of new dealers this time around. I have lots of new stuff for this show. This week I reloaded 1953 Bowman baseball and football along with some 1970 Kellogg's Baseball. I am also working on 1979 Topps baseball and should have it read to go by Saturday. In a perfect world, I would get to 1954 Bowman football but I think it will be tough to get it done before the show.

We ran an ad again the the Milwaukee Journal on Tuesday and am looking for another large crowd. I hope to see you all Saturday in Milwaukee!!

Pictured below are more photos from the Canton show.

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Long Road Trip, Slow Sales

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