Sunday, April 28, 2024, Chicago Western Suburbs Sportscard Showcase, Willowbrook Burr-Ridge Sports Center, Willowbrook, IL

Honestly, I was a little anxious over this one with it being my first time setting up here. The show was sponsored by Ridge Cards, who puts on the Peru Mall show. I did not do very well at that show but I felt it was well attended.

I think the owners of the sports center in Willowbrook had tried to host their own card show in the past but according to everyone I spoke to, it was a disaster. Prior to the show, I thought Dave from Ridge Cards did a great job getting the word out but I still wondered who would be there and would they want vintage cards?

I set up last year once nearby in Darien and had an abysmal show. So I had zero confidence going into this one.

After three days in Strongsville with my display case stuff, it was nice to go back to the binder set up. I recently completed reloads of 1955 Bowman baseball and 1979-80 Topps hockey. 

I ended up with three tables after a minor mix up with Dave. I appreciated the extra table. With three 8-foot tables to fill, I brought out most of my binders, two display cases of overflow cards, two discount boxes and some unopened wax from the 1990's. As you know, I like to shake it up. Customers do not often see wax on my tables. Though, I was not all that confident I would sell any of the wax. I brought it out last summer to the New Buffalo, MI, show and did not sell one box.

Early on Sunday morning, I plugged the address into my GPS and had a surprisingly easy ride to the show. Took me about 36 minutes to get there. Only snag was the #$%@hole that tailgated me once I exited the highway and slowed down to look for the building. The jerk was driving a Buick and turned out to be a dealer set up across from me at the show. Is it necessary to drive like such an A-hole?

Load in was kinda tough because my cart did not move well on the astroturf. It took me three trips to load everything in. I was set up next to John Boomer on one side and a dealer I had never met before, on the other. That dealer had an interesting set up focused on vintage Cubs cards and memorabilia. 

Allan, who sets up in Rockford and Woodstock, was all over my wax before I even placed it out. As you know, I just love being bothered while I am setting up. I could tell he wanted a deal on a bunch of the boxes but I had just priced them from recent eBay sales and was not about to give them away. He bought my cheapest box at $15. Good start to the day! I ended up selling six or seven boxes of wax!

Other dealers I knew were Jeff P. and Jason S. I did not know any of the other dealers but did recognize some from the Peru show. I also observed that there were quite a few no shows. As you know, I just love no shows. I think it might be a good idea for all the promoters to get together and start banning these guys from every show. 

Shortly after completing set up, I was greeted by the friendly smiles of Jim and Cindy Clark. I love these guys! Such nice people!!

A steady stream of folks I knew showed up at my tables. What a pleasant surprise!! Chris from Orland was there and purchased a bunch of 1966 Topps baseball. Thanks Chris! I saw Eddie and tow truck Chris. Larry from Indiana, who I also saw last week in Strongsville, made the trip to Willowbrook. Mike was there as well. He showed me a Lou Brock Rookie he purchased from another dealer. I also saw Dell, who is back in town after a long vacation. Tony D. was there as well.

There was a little flare up early on. Everyone stopped what they were doing as promoter Dave got into it with Dave Ramsey, who later came by my table and explained that he was standing at a dealer's table when a guy came up and offered to sell the dealer a slabbed 1966 Topps Mickey Mantle. I can't remember the grade. Anyway, the dealer offered $400 and Dave told the dealer the offer was too low because the card regularly sells for much more. Well, the dealer took offense to Dave butting into the deal and went and got promoter Dave and the two Daves argued, loudly.

Here is my take on the situation. Dave Ramsey was definitely in the wrong. If you are standing at a table and a guy offers the dealer some cards, it is none of your business and you need to back away. Unfortunately, everyone thinks it is their business and I personally regularly experience the same sort of situation. As a result, I try to negotiate bigger deals outside the confines of a card show where it can be done in private.

Also, it does bother me when people standing around butt in, however, it literally happens all the time, so I don't let my feathers get ruffled by it. Though, as I previously stated, Dave should not have butt in and all folks in general need to keep out of the negotiations at dealer tables.

I also think the dealer and promoter Dave overreacted. No need to cause a scene over this. Like I said, it happens all the time. The dealer could have simply told Dave to mind his own business and move on.

So that was our excitement for the day. Meanwhile, good things were happening at my tables. Willie was there and purchased a bunch of 1979-80 hockey. He also sold me some 1936 Goudey Wide Pens. Thanks Willie!! I had a bunch of new customers dink through my discount boxes. I also had some new customers purchase cards from the binders.

Then I was interviewed by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. He said the article would run in the Trib's locally focused "Doings" newspapers. I need to get me a copy of the Willowbrook edition!

It was great to see so many awesome folks at the show! Rich was there and purchased some cards from the 1970's. The big winner today was Scott who purchased a bunch of 1951 Bowman football. Thanks Scott!

Scott also gave me a lunch tip. I was unaware that the show was located around the corner from the famous Del Rhea Chicken Basket, an old-time place with delicious food. I went there after the show and just missed their brunch buffet but did enjoy a jumbo shrimp basket. 

But before I loaded out, I was surprisingly busy all day and had an excellent show! When things quieted down, I took a walk around the room and did not see a whole lot of vintage other than Dave the promoter. Seemed like most guys had one or two slabbed vintage cards in their display cases. The guy across from John Boomer had a 1933 Goudey Lefty Gomez PSA 3 (MK). He had it priced at $370. With the qualifier, I figured it was a 150-dollar card.

Also, I observed the two older dealers set up kitty corner from my tables. They stared at me all day long, seemingly giving me the stink eye. I wondered what I could have done to earn their wrath. Maybe it was because I was busy all day and there was not much action at their tables.

Later, when I walked the room, the main stink eye guy stopped me and asked if I was Fat Daddy.

"Yes," I said.

"You have a great website," he responded.

"Thank you," I said.

"It is a great reference and helps me find shows," he said.

Again, I thanked him. I guess he was not giving me the stink eye at all. I think he was just wondering if I was that handsome fella with the Fat Daddy moniker!

Anyway, it was an excellent day. Dave talked about doing another show here sometime in the future but he does not have another date set yet.

Well, it is Oak Creek week --- which means I am going to be crazy busy! I have been real lax, as usual, responding to messages. I will get to them all shortly. Hope to see everyone in Oak Creek on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in beautiful Oak Creek, WI. I am going to have a bunch of new dealers as many regulars are busy with their kids' and grandkids' little league. If you don't have little league, come on out to Oak Creek and get some cards and sloppy Joe!!!

Thursday-Sunday, April 18-21, 2024, Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention, Strongsville, OH

BLOG TWO

After set up on Thursday, Tony and I found a tavern called The Rail. I thought Dave and I ate there once but I am not totally sure. Anyway, The Rail is a really nice place with an excellent beer menu along with pub food options like burgers and chicken sandwiches. I started off with a local brew Fat Head Head Hunter IPA, which is a thick golden beer with a full flavor. It is an excellent beer. I remember having one last year in Strongsville. 

To eat, I went with the "Blue Bessie," a burger with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, blue cheese, and horseradish sauce. Oh my! What a fantastic burger. A bit messy, but delicious.

We were up bright and early Friday for the first day of the show. We stopped off for breakfast in the hotel restaurant where the food was just as bad as I remember. I pretty much ate a few sausages and some fruit every morning for breakfast.

We were at our booth around 8 and 9 a.m. and open for business. The show did not open to VIPs until noon. All the dealers around me seemed to be making sales right away. I took a walk around and drooled at the other dealer tables. Amazing stuff here as usual.

While most every dealer in Strongsville is amazing, it seems like the biggest and best dealer is Ash, who hails from Dallas, I believe. This is the second year I have seen Ash at the Strongsville show. Seems like the majority of cards in his cases are priced between $25,000 and $80,000 -- it is something to behold. Ash used to come to the Oak Creek show to buy. I never realized he lived all the way out in Dallas.

I also love to check out Tim Payne's cases, he too, has an amazing inventory. I was blown away be the depth of Tim's inventory. I never realized the amount of cards he brings out from all four sports. I also wanted to check out JD's tables but there was a crowd there the entire weekend. I also really like William Chappelle's stuff. He has a ton of raw vintage at reasonable prices. My boothmate Tony had some fire as well with some Ruths and Gehrigs. 

One of the best parts of the Strongsville show is the social aspect. I always enjoy meeting up and chatting with folks from all over the country. Quite a few guys from the Chicago area drove out to Strongsville this year. I saw Mike Slinkman first thing Friday morning.  He was on a hunt for Joe Dimaggio. He ended up purchasing three of them! I saw Perry, who also drove out from the Chicago area. I learned that Perry had set up with Tony at the National last year. I was so busy at the National and did not get a chance to walk around. I also met a few guys who are fans of this blog. Thanks guys!

So, I have been setting up in the Cleveland area for a long time. I used to regularly set up in nearby Canton. I remember one show being set up next to Dave from Akron. We talked the whole show and I have seen him at every single northern Ohio show I have every done since! Saw him this morning!!

I also saw Mike, another Cleveland area guy who I met back at my first time in Strongsville. Mike showed me a photo of a guy who he said ripped him off at one of the local shows. I snapped a photo and placed a copy below. 

I pretty much spent the morning chatting with folks and wandering around the show. Once the doors opened to the VIPs, sales started to come in. A young guy purchased my 1955 Topps Hank Aaron and my 1956 Topps Willie Mays. Sales were steady the rest of the day. I don't remember everything that sold. I do remember selling my Mickey Mantle Exhibit, an Ernie Banks autographed photo, and a 1966 Topps Yaz. Sales ended up being pretty good on Friday.

The show went until 7 p.m. on Friday. I was tired but hungry. Tony and I decided to dine at the hotel bar. I have eaten there every year and really enjoy their Buffalo wings. When we got there, the bar was filled with folks from the show. Mike got there early and reserved a table for us.

I saw Andy from Orlando, eating pizza with his folks, who I met for the first time. I now see where Andy got his smile and friendly demeanor. So nice to meet everybody!

I was hungry. I did not eat much at the show because the food at the snack bar was horrible. Around lunch time, I ordered a hot dog and took one bite and almost wretched it out. Ugh!

Unfortunately, back at the hotel bar there was just one bartender. In years past, there had been a bartender and waiters/waitresses. Just the bartender this year and she was overwhelmed. It took seemingly forever to place an order.

In line with us was Eric from Atlanta, who Tony knew from the National. Eric started to flip out over the wait and tried to convince us to leave and go to a nearby brewpub. We were too tired to go anywhere else and decided to wait it out. Eric took off in a huff.

Tony agreed to place my order, so I went over and sat with Mike, who was knee deep in conversation with other vintage sports card collectors. Perry was there too. He went over to the gas station next to the hotel and brought back a large bag filled with cans of Coors Light. Thanks Perry! We weren't getting drinks from the bar anytime soon. Eventually Tim Payne joined us. Eric returned and said he was unable to get an Uber to go to the brewpub.

Mike had some interesting stories about some apartments he owns in Chicago.

Eventually, our food order arrived. I received my wings but no blue cheese. I can't eat Buffalo wings without dipping sauce! I think I waited another hour for the blue cheese. By the time I received it, I was no longer hungry. I think this may be the last time I eat in the hotel bar.

I really enjoyed hanging out with this group. Mike said there was a trade night in a back room at the hotel and he took off to check it out. The rest of us soon followed. I recognized many in the room from the show. I sat down at a table inbetween two guys from Missouri and had an enjoyable conversation. One guy showed me some panels of cards from the 1970's. He said they were from Dynamite Magazine. Well, if you are my age, you probably had a subscription to Dynamite, like I did in the 1970's. I have a bunch of those panels as well!

However, the panels that the Missouri guy had were minty, while mine were creased, especially from the part of the panel that was stapled to the binding of the magazine. The guy told me he had a buddy that worked at the printing press in St. Louis where the cards and the magazine was printed and the buddy gave him a whole pile that was never stapled into the magazine. They were cool!

The room was crowded with a jovial group, drinking, showing off cards and making videos. Turns out that this was not a trade night at all but a gathering of vintage sports card Youtubers. There were 50 or so Youtubers. In the past, I have only seen a handful of Youtubers at the Strongsville show. This year they came out en masse and partied together all weekend. What a great group of guys! I had so much fun with them and enjoyed watching their videos after the show.

I never knew there were so many vintage sports card Youtubers. My new favorite is Orlando from Collectors Dream. Here is his video from the get together. I'm in there waiving to the camera.

Strongsville YouTuber get together - Sharing cards and fun times

We were back at the show bright and early Saturday morning. Nice crowd, though sales were much slower. I had a lot of lookers but not as many pulled the trigger as they did on Friday.

Though, I still had a lot of fun. I saw more people that I knew like Chris from Cincinnati, who was looking for Dave. Again, I really enjoyed hanging out with my neighbor Jerry Katz.

So back at the Sports Spectacular in March, Tim Payne and I planned on having dinner together here in Strongsville. Last year, we went to a place called Timber Lodge in the nearby town of Medina. We loved that place and decided to return. Tony stayed back at the hotel while me, Mike and Eric took an Uber to Timber Lodge where we met up with Tim and his helper Dave.

We had an incredibly enjoyable evening. Tim's buddy Dave is an interesting guy. He is an accountant by trade who owns a comedy club in Iowa. Dave is also quite funny. 

Last year, I had prime rib at Timber Lodge which was delicious. This year I went with the New York Strip, which was also delicious. A week later I am still thinking about that steak!

We also celebrated Mike's birthday. Happy birthday Mike! He would not let us sing Happy Birthday, which would have been epic!

After dinner, Eric was unable to obtain an Uber for the return trip to the hotel in Strongsville. The waitress informed us that Medina is in the middle of nowhere and obtaining an Uber there is very difficult.

So we piled into the back of Tim's van, which was without the seats so he could bring all his gear to Strongsville. Mike, Eric and I slid around back there but arrived safely back to the Best Western. Thank Tim! It would have been an awfully long walk back to the hotel!! 

Sunday was also a slow sales day. I walked the show a bunch and picked up autograph postcards of Burleigh Grimes and Al Lopez for my collection. There were not a whole lot of walk ups to my table during the show, as there were in years past. Nothing good was offered.

Overall, sales were down from last year but not nearly as poor as they were back in the day when I first started setting up at this show. Quite a few OBC guys at this show as usual. I sold a few cards to them. One OBC guy asked about a card I had in my display case last year, which I sold long ago.

I was disappointed that my whale from last year did not purchase any cards. He glanced at my stuff a few times but did not ask to see anything.

Slow sales aside, I had an incredibly good time. Tony is a great boothmate and roommate. We made plans to do it again next year. I had an easy drive home, pulled up into my driveway around 9 p.m. Sunday night. I then spent the next few days watching all the Youtube videos from the show. Those Youtubers were a lot of fun and they purchased some amazing cards!

Can't wait until next year!!

In the meantime, I am setting up Sunday, April 28, 2024, at the Willowbrook Burr-Ridge Sports Center, 7850 S. Quincy St., Willowbrook, IL. This will be my first time setting up at this show. I plan to bring out binders, including my newly reloaded 1955 Bowman baseball. I am working on 1979-80 Topps hockey but am not sure if I will have it done in time.

Next Oak Creek show is coming up fast on May 4. As usual, I am way behind on responding to all my messages. Tables are sold out. 

A huge thank you to Leland's for running such a great show in Strongsville. Also a big thank you to everyone who purchased cards and stopped by to chat. See all you Strongsville guys at the National in July! I hope to see all my local guys in Willowbrook on Sunday!!!

​Now for some photos from the Strongsville show....

Pictured above is the guy who allegedly ripped off Mike at one of the local Cleveland shows. Keep an eye out for this guy!

Pictured above here are some of the more inexpensive cards on Ash's table.

Pictured above here is my boothmate Tony Schaefer wearing the blue shirt. Sitting next to Tony is Brad from Phoenix.

The most interesting walk up of the show are pictured below. The owner said he picked up these original pencil drawings from a friend. The drawings were made in the 1940's. He wanted to know a value. I honestly had no idea. I advised he submit them to one of the auction houses. It is hard to place a value on some unique Americana like that.

I am not sure what is up with this Cleveland Browns super fan, pictured above, but the Youtubers got a big kick out of him.

Pictured above here is my favorite card of the show that I found on Tony's table. He had some piles priced at 50-cents each, including this beauty. I am starting to think that I need to start a collection of cards with these types of drawings on them. I used to do that to some of my doubles when I was a kid in 1975.

Pictured above left is my neighbor Jerry Katz.

Pictured above here are the newest additions to my autograph collection. There were quite a few vintage autographed items for sale at the show.

Pictured above here is Tony G. and Tony S. enjoying a delicious breakfast at the Best Western Strongsville. See you in Strongsville in 2025!!

Wednesday and Thursday, April 17-18, 2024, Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention, Strongsville, OH

STRONGSVILLE BLOG ONE

The Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention is an old-time sports card show that has been occurring just about every year since 1978. The show struggled in the 1990's and the original promoter shut it down. Paul Fusco from Fusco Auctions resurrected the show in the early 2000's, which was about the time I first contacted him for table space. Paul turned the show around and strictly enforced the vintage-only aspect of the show.

Paul was a tremendous promoter and greatly increased the popularity of the show. I had to go on a waiting list back in the early 2000's to get a table at the show. Paul Fusco was also quite a character. Once space became available, I had to prove to him that I was a vintage dealer. He chastised me and said if he ever saw any modern cards on my table, he'd kick me out of the show. Well, that has never been a problem for me because I have never placed modern cards on my tables in the all the years I have been setting up at card shows. I am truly a vintage dealer.

I became friends with Paul Fusco shortly after first setting up at the Strongsville show. I used to really enjoy chatting with him and I loved how he policed the room and shouted at guys with modern cards on their tables during the show. He was my hero!

Paul created the best and most unique show in the country. The dealers and their inventories were absolutely amazing. I never made much money there during my first few years as a dealer but I did not care because I just loved being in a room with wall-to-wall Ty Cobbs. Also, the dealers were a lot of fun. Dave and I used to regularly go out with Mark Smith, Hockey Greg and Craig from Akron, and we would have a grand time most nights after the show. Our neighbor at the show, Tim Payne was always smiling and cracking jokes. As a result, we had a good time at every single show.

Unfortunately, Paul died in 2019 just before the show that year. His wife and daughter soldiered on and thankfully held the show that year, which Dave and I attended. Then they sold the show to Leland's Auction House. I was initially concerned. I remember talking to the guy that Leland's first placed in charge of the show and he told me how he wanted to turn it into collectibles show for wrestling memorabilia and he had big plans to bring in all sorts WWE guys as signers. Ugh! I pretty much figured the show was going to die.

Thankfully, the wrestling guy disappeared, and Leland's largely kept the show as is. They placed Laura in charge -- she is terrific and a huge improvement over the wrestling guy. There were some minor changes when Leland's took over. They allowed modern cards, unlike Paul, who was fiercely against them. So a trickle of modern started to appear on dealer tables. Leland's also brought in more auction houses which to me is a huge waste a space at shows, especially small shows. I would have liked to see more vintage dealers than a bunch of auction houses giving away pens and promoting their auctions.

Leland's also brought in more autograph guests, which I totally have no interest in. I think autographs detract from the main focus of the show -- in this case, the most amazing vintage sports card inventory in the world! Why do anything else? I observed that the rabid Cleveland Indians and Browns fans that showed up for the autograph guests had absolutely no interest in vintage cards.

Autograph guests aside, space has always been a problem at this show. It was a tight room at the Holiday Inn every year. When the crowds were strong, it was tough to walk around. Paul told me that the show had always been at the Holiday Inn and he could easily move it to a larger venue but he was a stickler to tradition and said he would always keep it at the Holiday Inn, which eventually became a Best Western.

Well, Leland's broke with tradition as soon as they became the owners of the show by allowing modern cards which really, really bugs me. This year they really broke with tradition by moving the show next door to the Brunswick Ice Arena, a much larger space. The show was three times larger this year than in any previous year. Again, I was concerned. I know Paul wanted the show to stay at the Holiday Inn/Best Western. I wondered if the new larger venue would ruin the show.

I really had nothing to worry about. The show was pretty much the same just with more dealers. There were slightly more modern cards but still it was at least 95% vintage. There were also more autograph signers, which, again, I could care less about. Several customers complained to me about cancellations of certain autograph guests. I pretended to care.

The only thing I did not like about the new venue was the down grade in food options. The concession stand at the ice arena is crap while the hotel had set up concessions with some tasty options like pulled-pork sandwiches and decent burgers.

The biggest change for me was that this was the first time I had set up without Dave. Leland's dramatically bumped up table fee and Dave did not want to pay the increased fee. Dave was not alone. Many long-time dealers dropped out because of the fee increase, including my pals Mark and Greg. I was really disappointed that Dave, Mark and Greg would not be there! I too, did not like the fee increase but I had such a hard time getting into the show back in the day, that I was not about to drop out over a few hundred bucks. Plus, I just freaking love this show -- it is still all about vintage!! There is no other show like it!!

I recruited Tony Schaefer of Monster Cards to take Dave's place. I have known Tony for years. He is an amazing vintage dealer and a super great guy. We have set up together in the past at one of the old St. Louis shows and at the National and regularly hang out at random Midwest shows.

I have two tables at Strongsville. I would love to have both tables for myself but I cannot do this show alone. It is nice to split hotel costs and have someone there to watch my stuff so I can take bathroom and food breaks along with the ability to get away and walk the show. I also need someone around in case I have any health issues. Dave had to take me to the hospital last year as my blood glucose levels spiraled out of control. Thankfully, I felt much better physically this year and did not have any issues.

Sans Dave, I set out for Strongsville on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Last year, Dave and I set out on Wednesday as well and spent the night in New Buffalo, MI, at my folks' place. This year, I decided to drive to the Indiana/Ohio border, spend the night then take back roads into Strongsville on Thursday. Set up Thursday started at 4 p.m. So, this way I could explore northwestern Ohio all day Thursday. I am a huge Mark Twain fan and always considered myself to be a bit like Huck Finn. I love a little adventure.

I pulled off the highway in Montpelier, Ohio, and stopped at a Roadway Inn for the night. I was the only guest in the hotel! The room was cheap at $80. I wondered how they stayed open. It was nice and quiet. I planned on stopping at a local, old-time place for breakfast in the morning. I found several on Google.

To my surprise, one of the restaurants I found on Google the previous night just happened to be located next door to the hotel. I could not see it in the dark when I arrived Wednesday night. I had a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes. 

Afterwards, I stopped off at the gas station located on the other side of the restaurant to purchase a map. Well, it is 2024, and maps are no longer sold at gas stations. I then went on my phone and found an Ohio road map on the Ohio Department of Transportation's website. I saw that State Highway 20 went from Montpelier to a town near Strongsville. Easy!

Oh my! What a pleasant ride through farms, small Victorian towns, and some hilly landscapes with winding rivers and lush flora. Here and there I came upon huge factories and steel mills that seemingly jumped out of the cornfields. All these places had massive signs out front begging for job applicants, so, despite what they say on Fox News, the American economy is doing quite well. Need a job? Want to live in a small town? Come to Ohio!

I spent about three hours on Highway 20. About 30 miles outside Cleveland, I turned on the GPS and hopped on I80 for the last leg of the journey to Strongsville. I arrived at the Brunswick Arena around 3 p.m. Thursday. There were a handful of cars in the parking lot. I saw Dave from Ohio, who had been my neighbor at the show for years. I was sad that I was no longer set up next to him along with his wife and son -- incredibly nice people. Dave is also a great vintage dealer. I was also sad that I would no longer be set up next to Tim Payne, another All-Star dealer, who along with his wife Susan had been my neighbors as well in Strongsville for years. I always enjoyed sharing laughs with Tim and Susan but Leland's reconfigured the whole room. Nobody had the same spots they had at the hotel, other than Leland's which still had the very first spot by the front door. But I did like the fact that my new spot was also located near the front door. Tim and Dave were still located close by for quick chats.

I walked into the arena and was greeted by the friendly Laura, who gave me my dealer wristbands and allowed me to walk into the room. "Wow," I thought, the show is huge compared to previous years. Prior, I was worried that the arena would be really cold because it is an ice rink. However, the ice was gone and the temperature was comfortable. Laura allowed Dave from Ohio, me and few others to load in early.

Once at my space, I was a little bummed out at the size. I thought I was getting a 6' by 8' booth. In reality, I had an 8-foot table with about three feet of space behind. I asked Laura if I could extend my booth into the aisle and place out some of my own tables. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to do so, so I just made do with the space. 

I brought out 13 display cases thinking I had all sorts of extra space. In reality, I was only able to place out six display cases. Still, two more than I was able to place out at the hotel which was always really, really tight.

Tony soon arrived and he too brought a whole mess of display cases. We both thought we had more space. Tony had Dave's spot in the corner, which was a little larger than my spot. I think he was able to place out 8 or nine display cases. We made it work. I have done so many shows over the years and learned long ago to just make it work.

My new neighbors soon arrived. Prior to the show, I was worried as to who would be next to me and would they pinch my space, would they be dickheads or what? Turns out that I totally lucked out! I had amazing neighbors, characters, all of them!

Next to Tony was Larry from Toronto who had jerseys and vintage hockey cards. Larry is a tall skinny guy, with long hair, tattoos and a constant smile that emitted one wise crack after another. He told Tony and I that he and his wife are race car drivers. His wife could not attend the show because she had a race in Toronto. Man, he was wheeling and dealing from the get-go. He seemed to know everyone. I think he sold out most of his stuff before the show even opened. I was eyeing a 1969-70 Topps Stan Mikita PSA 8 that he had in his case. When he ran out of cards to sell, he started to sell Viagra. Yes, Viagra. I learned that many vintage sports card dealers have some issues because Larry made brisk business selling Viagra to them.

Tony said he later spoke to a dealer that purchased some Viagra who reported that a half of tab was all he needed. Too much information.

Next to Larry was Dave from Pennsylvania. Another really nice guy who sold vintage non-sports cards. He also had a near-set of 1958 Topps baseball for sale along with some old Detective Magazines from the 1950's.

Both Larry and Dave left the show early. Dave left after the show Friday while Larry spent a few hours at the show Saturday, then left. Our area got substantially quieter once Larry and Dave vacated. They were a lot of fun and I was sorry to see them go.

Tony took over Larry's spot while Bryan Dec, who was set up next to Dave, took over his spot. Bryan is another nice guy with an amazing inventory of pre-War cards and memorabilia.

This brings me to my neighbor to my left -- Jerry Katz. Oh my! Jerry is one of the best neighbors I have ever had at a card show. Man, did I enjoy hanging out with Jerry all weekend! I saw a guy walking the show wearing a T-shirt that said "Mayor of Strongsville." He should have given that shirt to Jerry -- he is the mayor of Strongsville. Everyone and their mother knew Jerry. It almost seemed like each person was making a pilgrimage to Mecca when they stopped at Jerry's table.

In all of my years of attending sports card shows, going back to 1978, I have never seen a dealer with an audience at his table. Jerry did not have customers. He had an audience the entire show and he did not disappoint, he entertained us all!

I learned that Jerry was the Indians public address announcer during the 1990's and also a local radio DJ. He looked and sounded like a DJ. He is also a guitar player and we chatted about Fender guitars amongst many other intriguing subjects.

I did not really understand his set up but it worked tremendously. He had two display cases filled with stacks of vintage cards, including an Aaron rookie. He also had some boxes and binders filled with Indians and Browns that were constantly attacked by audience members. He told me that he sets up at local shows every weekend. It did not even seem like he was trying to sell anything. He enjoyed the interaction. I watched him tell audience member after audience member to leave his table because they see him every weekend and he advised they check out all these National dealers who they rarely see.

He also thought that I look like actor Evan Handler. That was a first. I feel like I owe Jerry some money because I was so thoroughly entertained all weekend. What luck being set up next to Jerry! 

Funniest thing I heard him say -- "So there is a rumor going around that I banged Red Ruffing's daughter. Not true."

One of the audience members responded, "There is a rumor that I took Red Ruffing's granddaughter to prom. True. No sex, though."

Crazy!

Needless to say, I had an absolutely wonderful time in Strongsville this weekend! This show is still the best!!

More on the Strongsville show coming soon!

Pictured on the very top of the page is some random small town along Ohio Highway 20 in northwestern Ohio. Pictured above, here, is the room at the Brunswick Ice Arena around 3 p.m. on Thursday before most of the dealers arrived and started loading in.

Sunday, April 14, 2024, Timber Rattlers Stadium, Appleton, WI

This was my second time setting up at this show. The first time was during Super Bowl Sunday when I brought out display cases and had an excellent show. Today, I brought out binders because I am saving my display case stuff for Strongsville. I also brought along some discount boxes, some publications and two display cases of overflow cards.

I really need set builders to carry me through the show when I bring out the binders. I was not sure there would be any set builders today. Thankfully, there were quite a few! Woot!

Rant alert! I have been trying to bring out discount boxes to most every show and I have observed some bad behavior between the guys that go through the boxes and have dubbed them "box bandits." Often the box bandits are quite rude to one another which I don't understand. Honestly, the stuff in those discount boxes is junk. The better stuff is in my binders and display cases. I don't understand the hurry to get into the boxes and the need to climb over one another to take a look at some junk. Also, I always place the boxes on one end of my tables and have observed the box bandits blocking my neighbors' tables as they tumble over one another to get into the boxes.

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time at the public pool in town. The thing I remember most about the pool is the huge sign that listed all sorts of rules that greeted you as soon as you exited the locker room and entered the pool area. Remember those? No running. No splashing. No jumping into the pool. Blah, blah, blah. I think it may be time for me to install a rule board over by the discount boxes in an effort to limit bad behavior. How about... (1) Wait your turn. If there is someone in the box, wait for him to finish before digging your hands into the box. (2) Do not block my neighbor's table. Please stand in front of my table when viewing cards in the discount box. (3) Be courteous! I think that should do it.

One more rant! Over the past 10 years or so, I have noticed a card show cultural phenomena sprout up and overtake the shows -- brief cases. Everyone and their mother now carries a brief case filled with cards. In the old days, everyone carried a shoe box or a cigar box. Now it is those fancy hard plastic cases manufactured especially for the mobile storage of cards. I have observed that few vintage collectors carry the cases. It seems to be mostly collectors of modern cards that tote the cases. Seems like every kid has one. I have dubbed these guys "Brief Case Billy."

As a general rule, Brief Case Billy attends the shows to wheel and deal. He does not seem to be working on building any sort of collection. He wants to sell cards out of his brief case -- which is fine. I have no problem with this. My problem flairs up when Brief Case Billy places his brief case on one of my display cases, draws a crowd and starts dealing cards at my table! WTF? Excuse me. That is my display case, on my table, that I purchased and only I have the right to sell cards at my table. You want to sell cards, get your own table!

Brief Case Billy was real bad today. I had to chase him away all day long.

Despite the box bandits and Brief Case Billy, it was an excellent show. I stopped in Milwaukee on my way to Appleton to pick up my buddy George. We had a great time! Nice crowd. Large number of set builders. Woot!

I knew it was going to be a good day when the very first customer plopped himself down in front of my 1970 Topps binders and began to empty them. He spent a good hour at those binders and wiped them out... which is good and bad. It was a real nice sale but I recently reloaded those binders and now they are kilt. I am not sure when I will reload them again. Ugh!

It was nice to see quite a few father and sons teaming up together and purchasing cards at my tables. I had quite a few father and son teams today. I even had a mother and son team stop by. They were after Appleton native and current resident Tony Kubek. They were tickled when I found a 1965 Kubek for them.

Later, another guy was looking for Kubek. I just happened to have a second '65 Kubek. He was tickled and told me he sat next to Kubek at church this very morning. How cool is that!

I gotta remember to load up on Kubek when I set up in Appleton. They love Kubek in Appleton and are always asking for his cards. Of course there were the requisite requests for Bob Uecker. Seems that folks want Uecker no matter where I set up at in Wisconsin. I gotta look for Uecker cards in Strongsville and bring them back to Wisco.

I was surprised that I sold quite a few publications today. Rarely do I sell more than one or two when I bring them out. I think I sold at least a dozen today. Woot!

While sales were good today, buys were bad. Seemed like every Brief Case Billy stopped by my tables to offer me modern cards that I would not want in a million years. I tried to explain to them that I only purchase vintage cards. Then they pull out cards from 2010. "Not old enough," I say. 

I tried to explain to them that I only purchase very, very old cards. It did not seem to register so after I while I just simply said no as each Brief Case Bily stopped by with a stack of shiny stuff. 

I was disappointed with the lack of buys because I made some really nice purchases at the Super Bowl Sunday show. George found some cards for his 1960 Topps baseball set on some of the other tables, so he was happy.

We also dined on burgers from the bar. I don't remember the burgers being so bad but they serve a really bad burger at the Timber Rattlers Stadium. The meat is a little funky. It did not fully taste like beef and was super bland. I gotta remember to avoid the burgers next time.

Overall, a really enjoyable day. I really like this show. It was really nice having George help me out today and he is great company. Next show at the Timber Rattlers Stadium in Appleton is slated for June 23 and conflicts with Orland. I'll be in Orland that day. Scooter G, who runs the Appleton show, said he is planning on having a show in August but has not yet secured a date. I hope to be back at the Appleton show in August!

This is really a great show, a diamond in the rough.

Next up for me is Strongsville from Friday, April 19, through Sunday, April 21. My pal Tony Schaefer and I will be set up in booth numbers 82 and 83. 

Next Oak Creek show is May 4. As usual, I am really behind responding to texts, Facebook messages, voice mails and emails. I plan on responding this week. Sorry for the delay but I am always dead tired after the Oak Creek show and like to take a week off after every show to recoup.

Have a great week everybody and hope to see you soon!

Saturday, April 13, 2024, Holiday Inn Express, Janesville, WI

I can't remember the last time I set up in Janesville. This show seems to regularly conflict with Orland. Luckily, no conflict today!

Even though it has been a while since I was in Janesville, I have done enough of these shows to know what works and what does not work there. My display case stuff works best in Janesville; the binders not so much. Unfortunately, I had to bring out the binders today because I am saving the display case stuff for Strongsville next weekend. So I expected slow sales today and it was slow sales I received. I will be bringing display cases to the June 9th Janesville show!!

Though, I did have a couple of nice sales today. My favorite Janesville residents, a great father and son team, purchased my 1951 Bowman Y.A. Tittle and my 1979 Topps Ozzie Smith rookie. I did bring out a couple of display cases and had some of my overflow stuff in there. I love these guys! You can tell how much they enjoy vintage sports cards. It is most enjoyable when I get to deal with folks who love vintage cards as much as I do!!

Then the collector I met a few weeks ago in Madison was at the show and he pulled a large pile of 1969 Topps baseball. He is another guy who loves vintage cards and is a huge sports fan.

J.R. was there and purchased my 1968 Topps Carl Yastrzemski and 1969 Topps Ted Williams. Thanks J.R.! I also sold some cards out of my discount boxes. A few other guys pulled some cards from my binders. I sold one publication. Yet, it was largely a tire-kicker day. Nice crowd. Lots of folks looking at my stuff but most did not pull the trigger on anything.

On a positive note, my buying slump ended! Curt, who I have known for years, brought me stuff he picked up at an estate sale including some 1963 Topps, 1975 Topps minis, along with some 1970 and 1972 Topps baseball posters. I have never had the '72 posters before. He also had some publications for me. Thanks Curt! Gary gave me some publications as well. Thanks Gary!

Even with slow sales, I had a really great day. I am super happy with my purchases. Then I got to hang out with Gary, Dennis, Mikey, John G. and Tom M. I love these guys! They are a joy to be around. The last few times I chatted with John G., we talked about vintage non-sports cards. I had no idea he was so into them and so knowledgeable. Today, he showed me his recent non-sports pick-ups like Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Gilligan's Island, Hogan's Heros and Mars Attack. Cool stuff!

I always enjoy chatting with promoters John and Mike. I also talked with Tommy L., Tom K., Beau, Scott and Jim Z., Josh B. and Ray A., who introduced me to his lovely wife. 

After the show, I took the stupidest route home. My normal hour and a half drive turned into two and half hours, largely because I forgot I had to go to CVS in Palatine to pick up some meds. I basically took 12 all the way to Palatine. I just didn't feel like taking I90 home and being tail-gated and cut off the whole way home. While 12 is much longer, it is a much more pleasant drive. The cost of gas in Janesville is $3.25 a gallon as opposed to $4.09 by my house. I filled up in Janesville.

It is a double bill weekend. I'm setting up in Appleton on Sunday. Woot! 

Saturday, April 6, 2024, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

A couple of days after the Sports Spectacular last month, I started on Ozempic. Millions of people take it for weight loss, some, like myself, take it for diabetes. I almost always feel lousy when I am placed on a new med. Ozempic is a weekly shot. I took the shot and felt lousy. I could not eat and I had no energy. Then I went hypoglycemic three times. Ugh!

So I had a rough couple of weeks leading up to the Oak Creek show due to Ozempic. I was late responding to messages. I was late contacting all 120 dealers. I was late mapping out the five rooms. I was late designing the May flyer. Then I had some dealer cancellations and I had to contact a whole bunch of people on the wait list to fill the spots. As a result, I was late getting to the Salvation Army on Friday before the show. Ugh!

My helpers Kristy and George are so patient with me. I don't know where I would be without them and Lisa. We make a great team and have set up down to a science. It took us around two and half hours to get it done. It used to take me five or six hours to do it by myself.

I am happy to report that nothing was stolen out of the kitchen this month. I am not letting dealers in the building any more for early set up.

We made it to the Water Street Brewery around 8:30 p.m. and enjoyed some good food and drink. Back at the hotel, I fell asleep right away but soon woke up and could not fall back asleep. Ugh! 

We made it to the Salvation Army around 7 a.m. on Saturday morning. The parking lot was filled with cars from the Weight Watchers Group. I parked across the street at the Target parking lot. 

I stopped to chat with dealer David Barta in the parking lot and observed a mass exodus of the Weight Watchers people. Beware! Those folks will run you over! They are not messing around! One woman came walking at David and I with a purpose. I thought she was going to give us a Deacon Jones "clothesline." We moved out of the way. 

Lisa went over to Panera to get us coffee and she said on the walk back some Weight Watchers lady in a large SUV almost ran her over. I wonder if it was Deacon Jones. Don't get in her way!

I have all sorts of stuff to deal with once I get into the show. I gotta keep an eye on all the dealers. Some of the dealers in the gym like to move their tables around which is a big problem. For one, they move their tables into the aisle, reducing the aisle to just about nothing. On some dealers' tables, I'll place a note for them not to move their table. They don't like it but we have to have enough aisle space.

David, who I was chatting with earlier in the parking lot, is the worst offender in the gym. He is always moving his table around either killing the aisle or confusing Lisa when she goes to collect table fee because he will switch his spot with another dealer. I gotta remember to chat with him about it.

So I gotta wander around and police the place while dealers set up. In Fellowship Hall, the room with the concession stand, I had a problem last month with one dealer taking too much space and leaving very little for one of his neighbors. Just about all of the dealers in Fellowship Hall bring their own tables. This month, I brought some masking tape and marked out the spot. The dealer was well within the marking this month. Thank you!

One of the reasons Friday night set up takes so long is that the venue only has tables for the gym, so dealers in the other four rooms bring their own tables. I spend a ton of time measuring each space to make sure every single dealer has eight feet of space. A regular problem I have is that many dealers will bring an eight-foot table then try to fit an additional 3-foot card table next to it. No! They can only have 8-feet, not 9, not 10, not 11, not 12! Any more than 8-feet screws up the whole layout. You think these guys care? So I gotta scold them to remove the offending table. One guy gave me a hard time after I told him to move the table. I ended up moving him to a different spot where I thought we could fit his extra @#$%ing table. I think next time I'll charge him an extra 50 bucks. Some of these guys just suck!

Also, on my patrol, I look for no-shows. I had two guys this month pre-pay then not show up. No call. No text. No email. Nothing! I would rather have them not reserve the space instead paying and not showing up. When you have a large wait list, empty tables are problem because people on the wait list stupidly think you did not bother to sell the table and they bitch about it. I sold the table but the asswipe did not bother to show up! I hate that so much!

Then I had one guy reserve. Mind you, I confirm with everybody prior to the show. So he reserved, confirmed he was coming then did not bother to show up. No call. No text. No email. Nothing! He will not be setting up again.

Luckily, I had three guys show up that morning looking for space and I was able to fill all the spots. I always tell guys to show up with their stuff because I always have some dealers who fail to show up or cancel last minute.

It is such a headache to run a card show!

Then there are the dealers that seem to count all the dollars I am making by operating the show and like to tell me about it. They have no idea how much time and energy goes into this thing. In reality, I am earning about $2.25 an hour each month operating this show. It is a ton of work and a huge headache! Those guys that are counting my money need to shove off!

As usual, I am complaining way too much. It was actually a really nice day. Once everyone was set up and customers were in the building, everything went very smoothly.

One more complaint -- early arrivals. There were customers in the building when I arrived at 7 a.m. Show opens to the public at 9 a.m., not 7 a.m. I would really appreciate it if customers would arrive at 9 a.m. 

Some dealers really, really hate seeing customers in the room before 9 a.m. and they like to let me know about it. Problem is that I have no way to police it. My only solution would be to raise dealer table fees to come up with extra money to hire several people to watch the doors. So, dealers, if you don't want me to raise table fee, stop bitching about the early arrivals. They do suck, we all know it.

As I have said many times over the years, I just don't understand early arrivals. Why would you want to walk the building before anyone is set up? You are in the way and some dealers think you are there to steal. So please, do not arrive before 9 a.m.

Time to play "Where's Tony?" My original plan was to set up on the stage in the Chapel again. But I had a dealer cancel Friday, so I decided to take his spot in the gym, which is a much better spot than the stage in the Chapel. My sales were much better this month than last. Sometimes it works to my advantage when a dealer cancels the day before the show.

I was real busy at my tables most of the day. It seemed like we had a nice crowd. I noticed a big crowd early, then a lull, then a second wave around noon. It was nice! In total, we had 1,055 through the door. Our third month in a row with more than 1,000 customers. Woot!

I put out most of my baseball binders, all of my basketball and a few football binders along with one non-sports binder. I had just finished reloading my 1956 Topps baseball before the show. I was surprised that I did not sell any. That 1966 book that I reloaded before Madison last week, took a hit today. Kevin was in there along with a few other guys. Jeff pulled some along with a pile of others. Thanks Jeff!

Jim showed up while Jeff was there and it was like old times at the Gonzaga show when Jim and Jeff would spend part of the day at my tables discussing their mutual employer. Now both are retired but they still have much to discuss. 

Mike purchased a bunch of basketball cards. Thanks Mike. Robert found a bunch of stuff, as usual. Barry found some 1963 Topps baseball. It was great to see Tim Fritz and to learn he is recovering from some long and arduous health battles. Tim also purchased some cards. Thank Tim! Craig found some cards. Thanks Craig!

It was great to see Dean, after he missed last month. Dean found a bunch of cards. Thanks Dean! Bruce purchased some cards and we also completed a deal we started a few months ago. Thanks Bruce! Many of my regulars purchased cards. It was a really nice day.

On the buying front, I was offered quite a few cards, including some biggies like a 1954 Topps Jackie Robinson, a 1954 Bowman Mickey Mantle (trimmed, did anyone purchase it?) and a 1953 Topps Satchel Paige. Problem was, to a man, they were all way overpriced. As I told them, I purchase cards for resale and there has to be some room for me to make a profit. Nobody today wanted to leave me any room for profit. Very disappointing. My second week in a row with nary a purchase! 

I have a couple of well wishes for some of my favorite people like Big Barry and Big Mike who are both scheduled for surgeries. Hope everything goes well and you guys are back at the May 4th show!!

A few notes from Lisa... another favorite of ours, Doreen and Craig, just arrived back into town prior to the show from Washington, D.C., where Doreen was honored for 40 years of employment with the federal government. Congrats Doreen!

In other employment news, regular dealer Jonathan Mortimer received a promotion from the U.S. Navy and will be moving to San Diego. Congrats Jonathan! We are sorry to see you go!!

Back to notes from Lisa, she told me that the woman we thought was dealer David Glazer's sister is actually his mother-in-law. A few months ago, David told us she was his sister! Today, he said he was joking. Still, we think that is so nice that he brings his mother-in-law out to the show.

Tyler update: If you recall, in one of my Sports Spectacular blogs, I wrote about Tyler heading to the South Side of Chicago after the show to try a breaded steak sandwich at Ricobene's. I was a little worried about him because I know the neighborhood can be a little rough at night. I was glad to see Tyler in Oak Creek, alive and well. He said the breaded steak sandwich was awesome and he had no issues. Woot!

Also, Tyler promotes a Bobble Head Show. His next show is this Sunday, April 14, 2024, at the New Berlin VFW, 17980 W. Beloit Road, New Berlin, WI. Anyone ever go to these shows? I'm curious if it is just bobble heads or includes other sports memorabilia. When Tyler sets up in Oak Creek he has a pretty great set up with bobble heads. vintage programs, pennants and other memorabilia. I wish I could attend but I'll be set up Sunday at the Timber Rattlers stadium in Appleton.

A big thank you to Troy from Mears Auctions for coming to the show. Also, Johnny Adams flew in from Minnesota to attend the show. Thanks Johnny! John and Mike from Premier Sports Card Shows were there. Great to see you guys! There are also quite a few guys that I know from the Orland Park show who drive up every month from the south suburbs of Chicago. I appreciate you guys like Eddie, Dennis, Tony and his lovely wife. I saw my favorite artist today, John Gehring, who showed me a drawing he recently completed of Kerry Wood. Great stuff as always John!

Most importantly, we celebrated Stan Atkinson's 60th birthday at the show. Stan has been a huge supporter of the show and has attended just about all of them over these past 10 years. I got to meet Stan's lovely wife today, who brought us a yummy cake. Jeremy put up some giant photos of Stan. Thanks Jeremy! Happy Birthday Stan! You are the best!

The show was abuzz with talk about our good friend Beau Spencer Thompson, who completed his quest to obtain one million Chicago Cubs cards. I loved seeing Beau walk around the National with his Cubs Card O-Meter these past several years.

The Cubs honored Beau on Friday where he threw out the first pitch before the game. Then the Cubs and Topps presented Beau with his one millionth Cubs card which was a 1/1 Topps card of Beau, complete with bio on the back. How cool is that! Congrats Beau!!

A huge thank you to the Salvation Army for hosting our little show. We love the volunteer who works the front door and we appreciate all the volunteers at the concession stand, especially Ken who makes that delicious Sloppy Joe. Thanks to that Ozempic, I could only get through half a sandwich. I am going to lose a ton of weight!

As always, a huge thank you to Mark who makes sure everything runs smoothly. Normally, Mark has a crew of teenagers to take down all the tables and chairs and clean up after the show. None of them could make it today! Lisa and I tried to help Mark but we were both a little infirm at the end of the show. Captain Dana helped set up the Chapel for Sunday services. Her amazingly cute kids were there. I love them!

I always leave the show in a better mood than when I arrive. I also like to take a week after the show and just forget about it before I start working on the next one. Messages started to come in right after the show. I'll get to them sometime this week. I need a little rest!

Next show is May 4. I was able to get five or six new dealers in off the wait list for April. I hope to get some more new guys in for the May 4 show. 

In the meantime, I have a double bill weekend with Janesville on Saturday, April 13, and Appleton on Sunday, April 14. I should have 1956 Topps football reloaded by this weekend. I might have 1955 Bowman baseball ready to go as well. Come on out and see me!

Have a great week everybody! Thank you for all the nice comments about this blog!! Also, thank you for all of your support!!

Now for some photos from the show:

Again, thank you for your support everybody! Next Oak Creek show is May 4th. Come on out!!