FAT DADDY'S SPORTS
  • HOME
    • BIO
    • Reach Me
  • CARD SHOWS
    • Roma Lodge >
      • Photos
    • Oak Creek Show >
      • Smith & Gordon Show Photos 2014
      • 2015 Photos
      • 2016 Photos
    • Wisconsin MegaShow
  • STORE
    • eBay
  • PHOTOS
    • Card Show Photos >
      • 2012 Card Show Photos
      • 2013 Card Show Photos
    • Recent Pick-Ups >
      • Page 2
  • BLOG
  • LINKS
    • YouTube
  • STUFF
    • ARTICLES
    • BOOK REVIEWS
  • FAQ
  • BUYING

Day One of the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention

7/31/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
I love the National. It is truly the best show. Unfortunately, it only happens once a year. So sports card addicts such as myself wait, plan, contemplate and dream about the show all year long. I never seem to get all the cards priced and ready to go that I want to or hope to have ready. I priced a bunch of stuff this past week including some 1963 Post baseball, 1961 Topps baseball and 1962 Topps baseball along with some star cards for my display cases.

I was like a kid on Christmas morning today. I popped right out of bed. No snooze needed. No coffee. I gathered all the binders I had reloaded and my newly reloaded cheapy boxes and began placing everything into the car. My early morning drive to Rosemont was quick and smooth. Our space this year is located on the northwest corner of the room. I pulled onto Bryn Mawr and parked and loaded through a side door which was right by my spot. This was the easiest load in I have ever had at a show held at the Stephens Center. Usually, I'm fighting through other dealers and convention center workers and stuck with a long walk to my spot.

Once I had everything in, I had to figure out how to set it up. As usual, I brought more than double the amount of inventory I actually needed. My main table in the aisle was a no brainer -- display cases. My tables going up the inside of the booth were another matter. I could have filled them with more display cases and that would have been a safer route to go because theft is rampant at this show. However, I decided to fill these tables with binders. New for this show, I brought out two binders filled with autographs. I also did not put out any binders that were heavily depleted of cards. So I ended up with baseball binders from 1952 through 1962.  I put out my 1965 binder along with 1970 through 1976. I put out my 1952 Topps football binder and my other football binders from the 1970s. My 1960s football binders are in dire need of a reload, so those stayed in the bin. I also put out my basketball and hockey binders and the cheapy boxes.

To avoid another theft incident like the one in 2010, I taped all the binders to the table. The tape job was very time consuming. Overall, set up took a few hours. I was set up and ready to go around noon. I then had 3 1/2 hours to kill before the show opened to the public. I dined on some Italian sausage in the cafeteria adjoining the room then walked around and marveled at all the amazing memorabilia. I think the thing I like most about this show is the tremendous amount of professional sports artifacts. There are ancient jerseys, gloves, bats, hats, pieces of long-gone stadiums, old footballs, old basketballs, old advertisements, photos, old football gear, and more. This place is absolute heaven!

Back at the booth, it looked like my tablemates had some dealer sales. None for me. Dave did especially well selling all of his graded cards to a dealer out of Boston. Once the gates opened, traffic seemed a little lighter than at past Nationals. From 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. I only had three paying customers -- Larry, who I know from the Orland shows; Jason, who I know from the Milwaukee shows and new customer Javier, who flew in from San Francisco. Larry and I did a cash and trade deal where I picked up a 1961-62 Fleer Bill Russell and an Oscar Robertson. Jason pulled a large pile of '62s and Javier purchased some pre-War. These sales actually added up to a decent amount so I can't really complain.  Though, tomorrow I'm hopeful I get more than three paying customers.

I didn't buy anything today even though I saw a ton of stuff I would like to buy. If sales are good, I might do some buying tomorrow. The day went quickly. I'm usually tired out after the first day but I feel pretty good and am looking forward to day two of Christmas, I mean the National, tomorrow. The photo above and the ones below are from the show today. More tomorrow. If you're coming out to the show, stop by and say hello.

0 Comments

A Month In The Life Of Fat Daddy

7/21/2013

2 Comments

 
It's been a busy month since my last blog. The celebratory parade for the 2013 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks occurred on the same day as my last day of work. My final morning train to Downtown Chicago was packed with Blackhawks fans. My final walk from Union Station to my office was impeded by Blackhawks fans and Chicago police blockades. Once at work, I figured I had some time before the Blackhawks festivities began based on my experience with the 2010 Stanley Cup celebration. So I cleaned out my desk, packed away some files, paid some bills and decided to hit the post office and the bank. I walked out of my office a little after 10:30 a.m., the time the parade was supposed to begin, and caught the tail end of the thing flying by at LaSalle and Washington. I couldn't believe it. In 2010, I sat outside in the heat all day waiting for the parade to begin. This year, it was bang, zoom, we're done. KInd of disappointing.

Lame parade aside, the NHL playoffs were awesome. I enjoyed every minute of it.  News outlets reported that 2 million Blackhawks fans swarmed Downtown for the festivities. It was pretty cool being in that throng of fans. Though I was a little melancholy all day knowing that this was my last day in Downtown Chicago after being there every day for the past 11 years.  Pictured below are Blackhawks fans at LaSalle and Washington. There is also a picture of the Chicago River that I snapped walking across the Randolph Street bridge for the last time on my way to Union Station after my last day of work.

After work, I didn't have a whole lot of time to reflect on my years Downtown. I worked on some cards, then packed for a week-long trip to western Massachusetts. We hit the road early Saturday morning and made it to Rochester, New York, around 9:30 p.m. I found an overpriced crusty motel for the night. We made it to West Stockbridge, Mass, around 1 p.m. the next day and settled into a nicer motel for a lot less money.

My wife grew up in the area and I have been regularly going back for visits over the past 20 years. We did our usuals -- saw family, the wife's childhood home, visited her favorite restaurant called Friendly's, and spent a day at the alpine slide located at a resort atop one of the nearby mountains. After begging the wife for years, we finally got to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame in nearby Springfield, Mass. The HOF is cool! Unlike the Baseball HOF, the Basketball HOF features players and coaches from high school and college along with some women athletes and coaches. I enjoyed reading the info on each member and looking at all the memorabilia. My kids liked the interactive exhibits. My son and I shot some baskets at the end. It was a cool day. A couple of other cool things to mention about the trip was the Fourth of July parade in Pittsfield, Mass, and the Pittsfield Suns baseball game later that night in Waukonah Park, a baseball park built in 1892. Below are photos from the trip.
We got home from the trip on July 7 and I started my new job on July 8. The first two weeks of the new job have been filled with training seminars. There is a lot to learn from a new computer system to a new area of law that I have not worked in before. I am also trying to get used to driving to work in the suburbs instead of taking the train to Downtown Chicago. Eventually, I'll find my groove.

So after my first week at the new job, I just happened to schedule two card shows -- Orland on Saturday July 13, and Gonzaga on Sunday, July 14. Orland was a little slow, though quite a few guys enjoyed my newly reloaded 1957, 1958 and 1959 Topps baseball binders. I also picked up a large grouping of 1972 Topps football and some hockey cards from the 1970s. Gonzaga was nice and busy with former Packer great Bob Long signing autographs. The WSCA is doing a terrific job obtaining autograph guests. What I liked about the Bob Long signing was that he sat down on the stage and took questions from the crowd before he starting signing. I loved hearing the stories about Vince Lombardi. Also, unique to this signing was that Bob sat next to the stage all afternoon and signed autographs. Usually, the guests are seated in a back room. I was able to purchase a photo for $3, got an autograph for $5, and chatted briefly with Mr. Long. What a nice guy!

I had a terrific day selling cards at this Gonzaga show. I was busy all day. I also made a nice purchase of a near set of 1952 Berk Ross (Thank Tom!). The Berk Ross cards were issued in 1951 and 1952. I have had quite a few of the 1951 issue over the years but never had any of the 1952s until the Gonzaga show. My grouping of 1952s has some neat cards including a Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella. The Berra and Campanella are already on eBay with bids. I plan on breaking some more out at the National. Pictured below is Bob Long at the Gonzaga show.
Today, I went back up to Milwaukee for the Serb Hall show. I know that Serb Hall promoter PJ does not like to schedule July shows and I really appreciate that he did so this year. I alerted quite a few folks last Sunday at Gonzaga that I'd be at Serb today -- they did not disappoint. Thanks to Jeff, Jason, Gary and the others for coming out to Serb today and making my day. While overall attendance was down, I had an excellent show!! I was able to fill my 1960 Topps and 1964 Topps Giants before the show and they were a big hit.

Next week, I'm taking the weekend off from shows and will be feverishly pricing cards for the National which is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31, through Sunday, August 4, 2013. I will be in booths 305 and 307 with my buddies Dave McDonald, Tony Schaefer, and Scott and Jim Ziegert. We will have some absolutely awesome cards. Dave will have his usual array of high grade vintage cards. Tony Schaefer (the other Tony) will have an amazing selection of graded and raw post- and pre-War cards. Scott and Jim will have a terrific selection of cards featuring Milwaukee teams along with a vintage discount box and a few modern cards thrown in. I plan on filling more baseball binders from the 1960s and football binders from the 1950s. I'm also going to priceout a bunch of pre-War cards for my display case. Our booth at the National should be rocking! I hope to see everyone at the National. If anyone is up for dinner after the Thursday, Friday or Saturday shows let me know. I used to live near the Stephens Center and am looking forward to visiting some of my old haunts.
See you at the National!!!!
2 Comments

    Tony Gordon

    Vintage Sports Cards Addict

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    RSS Feed

Copyright © Fat Daddy's Sports 2025. All Rights Reserved.