Saturday, July 23, 2022, Sheraton Hotel, Madison, WI

Apologies! I haven't been this late on a blog in years. The delay is due to my prep work for the National and then attending the National Sports Collectors Convention itself. During the weeks before the Natty, I was pricing cards furiously and did not have time for much else.

I attended the Madison show on July 23rd then rushed into pricing more cards as soon as I arrived home. I left for Atlantic City on Monday, July 25. I brought out my laptop to the National in the hopes of posting the Madison blog and creating regular blog entries from Atlantic City. But as the great Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote several centuries ago, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

I would like to get this Madison show blog out before I start talking about the National. So let's go back in time to July 23 and my thoughts on that date. As the National approached, I was having a tough time thinking about anything else. My plan for the National was to bring out display cases, no binders. I had stacks of new inventory for Atlantic City.

One of my yearly problems in preparing for the National is that I never get everything priced. It is kind of a marathon, and as I approached the finish line, I realized I was not able to price everything -- which is the result of being a serial purchaser of vintage sports cards. Week after week, month after month, I buy vintage cards. I buy more than I sell, so I have just a silly inventory of cards. I saw that some of the cards I priced just before leaving for Atlantic City were purchased during the Pandemic. I have too much stuff!

I guess it is a nice problem to have. I was really happy with the stuff I priced. I had a nice infusion of new inventory for the Natty!

When I got to work Friday morning, July 22, all I could think about was the National and how I was ready to go then! I know quite a few Midwest dealers that did hit the road Friday and stopped off along the way to set up at shows along the route to New Jersey -- a great idea! I might follow their lead next time the National is in Atlantic City or Cleveland.

Back to my prep. I woke up early on Sunday, July 24, and priced cards all day. When I needed a break, I worked on my Madison blog.

So back to my report from the July 23 Madison show. On Friday night, July 22, we had a terrible storm here in the northern suburbs of Chicago. The thunder sounded like bombs going off and I hardly slept. Throw in that my daughter was sick all night and I was a worried dad, I ended up with just a few hours of sleep when I hopped in the shower around 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

I wish I would have loaded the car Friday night. It was tough to load Saturday morning as the storm finally dissipated. Loading up was also difficult because I wanted to bring a different inventory than normal. My binders are beat. I am beyond behind loading them with new cards. I am not sure when I am going to bring those things out again. My prep for the National caused further delay in reloading the binders.

For the July Madison show, I decided to bring out the sets and lots that I have been bringing the last several months to a variety of shows. I don't have many lots left. Those things were great sellers. I gotta find some time to make more of those. I also brought out my Exhibits and oversized pre-War. 

I brought out six display cases, like I had at the July Root River show. New was a nice influx of my doubles inventory which were a result of my National pricing efforts. I had been saving my regular high-end inventory for the National and brought out doubles during June and July. As I have been pricing more cards, I uncovered more and more doubles. So I had a lot of new stuff out in Madison.

Also, like Root River the previous week, I brought out some cheapy boxes. New for Madison were two different dollar boxes. I also decided to give my publications a try. I had been a little sour on the publications after the June Orland show where I did not sell any.

The rain stopped by the time I hit the road around 6:15 a.m. Easy drive to Madison, about two hours. I was able to load all my stuff into the show in one trip. It is always a two-trip effort when I bring all of the binders, so I was grateful for the one trip this time around.

I was happy to see that I was set up next to Scotty P. -- I love that guy! Mark, my usual neighbor, was set up behind me. Mark is from Iowa, so I don't see him that often. Have you guys ever seen his inventory? He has mostly modern cards but always has a few display cases of vintage and he has some amazing stuff! 

I finished setting up around 9:09 a.m. Normally, there are a few guys hovering over me while I set up. None on this morning which had me a little concerned. Attendance was light early on but picked up.

A regular customer started things off with some purchases out of my cheapy boxes. Those boxes attracted a crowd all day long. 

It was great to see my buddy Andy, in town from Orlando. Andy purchased my 1936 Goudey Premium Van Lingle Mungo (one of my favorite names ever!). Andy told me that he is in transition with his job, which currently allows him to work remotely, so he may not be around as much which is a huge bummer. Andy is one of my favorites.

Speaking of favorites, there is this really friendly father and son team from the Rockford area that I have gotten to know over the past year or so. I think the son is about 14 or 15 years old. I love how the dad is always telling the son that he should focus on vintage cards. The kid has taken his dad's advice and regularly purchases cards from me. They also collect Pee Wee Reese together and purchased my Reese Exhibit then came back later and purchased some cards out of my cheapy boxes.

I did not sell any of the sets. I am not sure if I want to lug those out anymore. Sets sell better on eBay than at shows.

I thought I would see Bob at Root River but he showed up in Madison. One of the cool things about setting up regularly in Wisconsin is that I have met many people who work at uniquely Wisconsin-type jobs like at breweries or in the dairy and cheese industries. Bob works at one of the big cheese companies, I wanna say like Sargento or one of the companies like that. Bob collects football cards and he purchased several. Thanks Bob!

I was happy to see that I sold several publications. An older guy bought a 1962 Sports pamphlet. A younger guy purchased a Sport Magazine with Mantle and Berra on the cover. Then a young couple purchased a 1960's Sports Illustrated with Bill Russell on the cover (RIP). The guy also purchased some basketball cards and was complaining that there was not much vintage basketball at the show. I have been working on pricing more vintage basketball. I brought a bunch of new stuff with me at the National.

Much of the day was slow which has been the trend of late at most every show. I started to pack up around 1:30 p.m. then Terry and a few other guys came by and made some purchases. Terry purchased my 1958 Topps Richie Ashburn. Terry always asks for a big discount. I did not argue this time around because I have a tough time selling Ashburn cards and was happy to see one go.

All in all, slow sales once again. I was talking about it with Mike, from the Rockford and Janesville shows. I think I got spoiled last year when card shows exploded once they were allowed to resume after the brunt of the Pandemic eased. I just killed it at just about every show last year. It was awesome! I think now we are back to the pre-Pandemic trends where sales are inconsistent.

Another issue now is high gas prices. I think gas prices may be keeping some regular customers away. As for me, I can't justify setting up at all these shows where sales are low, table fees are high and I have to spend a good 50 to a hundred bucks on gas.

I am not dropping out of Madison because it generally has been very good. But other shows, I just gotta let go. I might start replacing these slow one-day shows with bigger three-day shows across the country. I have been looking at the large Nashville shows. Anyone attend those? Are there vintage dealers and buyers in Nashville? I may set up at the October show.

While sales were slow at this past Madison show, buys were very good. There seemed to be more people walking around selling cards than buying cards. Early on, I met a very nice older lady, who had a variety of stuff from old to junk era. She gave me a nice price on a 1969 Topps Ernie Banks. She also had a pile of photos, that may be Sporting News inserts from the 1950's. She said another dealer told her they sell for $30 a piece. I am not all that familiar with those. I liked them but did not want to drop 30 bucks a piece on them. I really don't know what they go for and am always hesitant to buy unfamiliar items. I am kind of hopeful she comes back and we can work something out.

Then another older lady, older than the first one, came by and talked about her husband who recently died and now she is stuck with his cards. I got the feeling that she is savvy and knows she has some value in the collection. I am always honest and up front with everybody. I told her that I buy for resale and can't pay top dollar. She seemed to understand. I gave her my contact info.

I was kind of struck by some of the things she told me. Her husband's health deteriorated to the point where she could not care for him and placed him in a nursing home just before the Pandemic. She regularly brought him a box of cards to flip through while he was in the nursing home. She said it helped him with memory issues and he enjoyed it greatly.

Got me thinking -- this will be my wife and I in the not-so-distant future. I just love flipping through boxes of old cards. I do it every day! My wife better be prepared to bring me boxes after she places me in a nursing home!!

Then I met a really nice father and son who said they are big fans of this blog. Thanks guys! I appreciate you and everyone who follows my card adventures!!

They told me about a live auction they recently attended that featured a large collection of Chicago sports related items, including cards and autographs. They were able to win a few groups and brought some stuff to sell. They gave me a real nice price on a stack of White Sox cards from the 1950's and 1960's. Thank you!!!

They also had some groups of autograph cards. They were really cool!! I don't really sell autographs but I do collect them. If you guys are reading this, can you give me a price on those autographs at the show next month? The more I thought about it, the more I want them!!

With slow sales, I was short on funds at the show. I turned down quite a bit of stuff. I have one regular customer that always brings me a box. I told him, maybe next month.

I was soooo tired at the end of the day. I needed some extra caffeine for the drive home, which went smoothly. 

I thought I would pass out once I got home but ended up pricing cards for the National.

I want to end this blog with a shout out to my new buddy Gregg out in Atlantic City who is a fan of this blog and took care of me like family. Thanks to Greg, I knew I was going to have an amazing time at the National. I appreciate you! Thank you!! 

This blog is taking on a life of its own. Once again, many great compliments received in Madison. I can't thank you guys enough for the support.

Dave picked me up Monday morning around 9:30 a.m. Prior, I was worried about fitting everything in his car but everything worked out. I was more than gitty heading out to Atlantic City. I have never been to Atlantic City or New Jersey for that matter. I love to travel. I love going to new places. I especially love stuffing my face with food while traveling. I, of course, love cards. What could be better than trucking out to Atlantic City for the best card show in the world? Nothing!! Life is good!!

National blogs coming soon!

Below is a photo from the July 23rd Madison show.

Sunday, July 17, 2022, Root River, Franklin, WI

Dave is my hero! He arrived at my house around 7 a.m. and I loaded my stuff into his car and we were off to Franklin, Wisconsin. 

Easy drive up to Franklin. About 40 to 45 minutes. I was set up in my usual spot. I gave Dave one of my tables. He brought out three display cases of high grade vintage. I brought out six display cases, one more than yesterday in Woodstock. I was able to get out the rest of my highend doubles. I left the binders at home. There was no room for them in Dave's car. I did bring out my dime box, 50-cent box, and cheapy vintage box.

Another dealer kept hovering around my tables while I was setting up. Once I completed set up, he pulled a pile of cards out of the 50-cent box and we were able to come to an agreement on my 1978 Topps baseball set. It was a nice way to start out the show. Unfortunately, not much sales after that.

I observed that there were more dealers than I have ever seen at the Root River show. Early on, I assumed that we would have a big crowd due to all of these dealers. However, that big crowd never showed up.

A few regulars bought some cards, which I appreciate, including Jim, who seems to be looking for Braves cards. One of my autograph hounds found a nice pile of stuff. He showed me some photos of parts of his collection -- impressive! He is working on obtaining all of the cards of certain hall of famers and getting them all signed. 

There are so many different ways to collect cards, autographs and memorabilia which makes this hobby great!

I was surprised that a bunch of my regular customers missed the show. Where were you guys?

The day went by fast. Dave was a good sport for picking me up and sitting at the show all day without making any sales. We had a good time despite low sales. I am thinking of taking a break from the Root River show. This was my second show in a row with low sales. I hate to do it. Promoter PJ is my buddy and I would like to support the show but I need to start dropping out of these shows where sales are below par.

I don't know what is going on but after a really nice show in Oak Creek on July 2, the rest of my July shows have been lousy. Hopefully, I can right the ship in Madison next Saturday, July 23. I am probably going to bring out a similar inventory to Madison as I brought to Woodstock and Root River.

I am feverishly pricing cards for the National which is coming up on July 27. Then the next Oak Creek show is August 6 which should be a great show with 86 dealers and 124 tables. I am getting a lot of interest for that Aug. 6 Oak Creek show. Unfortunately, I am out of dealer space.

Come on out to Madison and help me break my lousy string of sales!

Saturday, July 16, 2022, St. John's Lutheran Church, Woodstock, IL

I thought the drive to Woodstock was only 40 minutes but it took me an hour each way. There is just no quick way to Woodstock and McHenry C0unty, Illinois. It is a lovely area but just isolated. Surrounded by farms and no highways.

There were a large number of cars in the parking lot when I arrived around 8:45 a.m. The show starts at 9:30 a.m. I wanted to get there earlier but could not get out of bed. I hit that snooze button a few too many times.

I changed my set up to try and change my luck after a spate of lousy sales the past few weeks. I brought out five display cases and filled them up with complete sets, lots, my higher end doubles (I am saving my good stuff for the National), and my oddball display case stuff like Exhibits and Red Mans. Then I brought out baseball binders from 1949 to 1973, as I had a request for them. I also brought out the hockey binders which were requested as well.

There were the usual suspects set up along with a few new guys. There is this one dealer I have seen before, not sure where, maybe Rockford or Madison, he sells Pokemon. No problems with him but his buddy, a teenager, was a nutter. He kept making weird noises like he has Tourettes or something. He did it all day long and it was real annoying. It seemed like he was doing it for attention. I always ignore those who act weird for the sole purpose of attention. I'm not one to feed lunacy.

Then there was this other long-time dealer who can be annoying, but in a different way than the Tourettes kid. Someone pointed him out to me early on as he put two chairs together and went to sleep. Now, I can see falling asleep when things are slow at the end of a show but this was first thing in the morning and things were hoppin'. Real nice crowd. Yes, annoying dealer was sound asleep.

When he woke up, he started playing a movie on his phone, LOUD! I could not talk to my customers over the sound of his stupid movie. Luckily, this is the only show I ever run into this guy.

Annoying was a theme this day. Later, a guy approached my table who looked like he just crawled out of a cave. He had real long hair and a really long beard. In fact, he won the longest beard award at the show which is quite an accomplishment because there were many big beards in the room.

He told me he had a large box of old cards and asked if I would be interested in purchasing it. I replied that I was indeed interested in purchasing the box of cards. He asked for my phone number. I handed him a show flyer with my email address and told him to send me an email.

Then his whole demeanor changed. Apparently, I insulted him by suggesting he send me an email. He clenched his teeth and said he does not use email because he is environmentally friendly. I just looked at him with my mouth agape. Then he went off on bit coin in Unibomber style. What? I was totally confused.

He said if I only knew the real story behind emails, I would not use them. Again, what? We then argued about emails. I do remember the days prior to the internet and emails and am not interested in going back. He got angrier and angrier, so, I stopped arguing with him. Though, I was a little afraid he would later attack me or something. Weird, weird, dude. When I was loading out of the show, I scanned the parking lot first to make sure he was not waiting for me. Luckily, I think he went back into his cave. I hope I don't see that guy again!!

It is my curse in life. I seem to attract all of the loonies.

Thankfully there were plenty of pleasant people at the show to drown out the crazies. Like Angel, who contacted me prior to the show and requested my early 1960's baseball binders. He was one of my first customers of the day and pulled out a couple of nice piles of cards.

Then I saw Rich, who brought his whole family. His sons were wearing some cool Brooklyn Dodgers caps that they bought in Cooperstown. His wife went to the nearby farmer's market and said it was excellent. I know Rich purchased a card from my display case but I can't remember which one.

I saw Larry last week in Schaumburg and he requested the hockey binders. He purchased a few cards. A couple of other regulars purchased some cards. A new customer purchased a pile of cards to send out for autographs. Phil purchased a 1949 Bowman. A new customer purchased my 1971 Topps lot. That was about it. I had many tire kickers, which has been my theme of late. A lot of people come looking but they don't buy.

Young Nick offered me a pair of 1978-79 Topps basketball cards that I purchased. Nothing else was offered.

The day went by pretty quick. I wished I had brought out some cards to price for the National as I had planned but, of course, forgot on the morning of the show.

I enjoyed meeting the young dealer set up to my right. He lives near me and we talked about the long drive to Woodstock. He also has some vintage cards that he is going to get me a price list on. He had some real nice vintage stuff on display but priced a little too high for me.

On my left, was my old pal Lou and his son Anthony. Incredibly nice folks. Where there is Lou, there is Donny, who I always look forward to seeing. Nice day with these guys. I also saw my buddy Tom Mularz. We are both setting up in Madison this coming Saturday, July 23, 2022.

As I was loading out, I saw the church pastor walk into the room looking for Curtis, the promoter. I did not overhear their conversation but apparently the pastor recently started at this church and does not like the show. Afterwards, Curtis, who is the nicest guy in the world and a top-notch promoter, was concerned about the future of the show. I hope the new pastor does not shut down the show! I have seen this before at church shows where a new pastor comes in and finds a need to exert his authority and harass the show. 

I have never understood why shows get harassed by venues, all venues, not just churches. My problems at the Four Points Sheraton are well documented in previous blogs. Card shows are such low-key events. We are nerdy guys, mostly middle aged, who collect baseball cards. None of us cause any problems. We're just happy being around other card nerds. Yet, we seem to get hassled by every type of venue. It makes no sense to me. Wouldn't you want to rent your venue to a bunch of conscientious nerds? Anyway, I hope things work out for Curtis and his card show because he runs a top-notch show and does not deserve the grief.

The next Woodstock card show is scheduled for August 20. I am not sure if I am setting up yet. Check Curt's Cards or Midwest Sports Card Shows on Facebook for updates on the Woodstock show. Don't check Instagram for info about this show! Some idiot on Instagram posted that the July show was cancelled when it obviously was not. Thankfully that Instagram post did not affect attendance as it was excellent. As far as I know, the August 20th show is on! So please don't spread any info to the contrary!!

I had another double bill weekend with Root River on Sunday. Root River blog coming soon.

In the meantime, my string of double bill weekends is ending with just one show next weekend -- Madison. Then Dave and I are heading out to Atlantic City for the National. Come visit us in Booth 657. As soon as we return, the Oak Creek show is happening on August 6. I am up to 85 freakin' dealers for the August 6 Oak Creek show!

Have a great week everybody!

Below are some photos from the July Woodstock show.

Sunday, July 10, 2022, Woodfield Hyatt, Schaumburg, IL

I love this show for the sole fact that it is 20 minutes from home. After waking up at 4 a.m. then driving three hours to Fort Wayne on Saturday, it sure was nice to sleep in until 6:30 a.m. then just hop, skip and a jump to Schaumburg.

Today the show was located by the front door, in two rooms and a hallway. I was located in the second, smaller room. The show is normally located in the basement which I don't really like because I have to cart my stuff in an elevator to get down there. It is so much easier to load in and out on the first floor.

Nice crowd though it seems like they stayed in the hallway and the other room. Our room was dead most of the day.

I was set up next to my pal Tony Schaefer who has some of the best vintage cards around. I love looking through his display cases. Tony was set up on Saturday at the new show at the Skyline Room in Rosemont. I did not set up at the Rosemont show because I already committed to Fort Wayne.

Looks like this Skyline Room show is sponsored by four or five different groups. I learned that one of the sponsors is this real dickhead who I have had problems with in the past. He hides the large green carts that the folks at the Orland show provide to the dealers to use to load in and out. So, he'll sit there at the end of the show and not let anyone use the cart. I once asked him to use the cart and he said no. It is not HIS CART! Super A-hole. So you won't ever find me at the Skyline show, EVER!

Tony said the Skyline Room show had a nice crowd but hardly any vintage buyers. I figured there would not be much in the way of vintage dealers or buyers at that show since Mr. Dickhead is a modern card dealer. Usually if it is a new show and the promoter is a modern card dealer there is not much vintage at the show.

I received flyers at the Schaumburg show for two more new shows. I won't set up because I know there won't be any vintage buyers at those shows.

I felt bad for Tony who had a rough show in Rosemont then a rough show in Schaumburg. I don't know why I set up at the Schaumburg show because there are very few vintage buyers there. I had a lousy show as well.

The thing is that Tony's set up is freakin' phenomenal!! There is no reason he should not kill it every time he sets up. The quality of my set up pales in comparison to Tony's. I brought out some 50-cent boxes, sold a little; all of my baseball and football binders, sold a little; and my display case of sets and lot which did not sell at all.

Tony had T cards, Goudeys, and big name post-War galore. Just an amazing set up.

A big thank you to Randy, Rich and a couple of new customers who did make some purchases with me.

I did make some nice buys. I bought a Bob Griese rookie off of Junior. Then a random guy had about 200 1964 and 1965 Philadelphia football cards with a handful of stars which I purchased for $100. I was really happy with the football cards.

Even though I kind of really sucked it on my sales, I had a real nice time. I don't get to see Tony that often so it was fun to hang out with him. Then on my other side was Tom Mularz who I always enjoy hanging out with. It was also real nice to see Lou and Donny, who were set up out in the hallway. Then I got to chat with Dell, Jeff P. and Jeff T., Ed and John. All good guys who I enjoy hanging out with.

So I went home with a few pennies but a smile on my face because I had a good time.

I have to mention Joe the promoter of the Schaumburg show who is just an outstanding dude who gave me a break on my table fee when he learned that I bombed out. Super nice guy. I was willing to pay full price. It wasn't Joe's fault that my sales were poor. He does an excellent job bringing in a large crowd.

Joe's kindness is one of the main reasons I am coming back on August 7. I am not sure what to bring out, though. I won't bring out the football binders. I don't think I sold any football cards. I'll bring out the hockey and basketball and see how it goes. If you are planning on attending the August 7th Schaumburg show and want me to bring out something particular, let me know.

In the meantime, I have another double bill weekend scheduled with Woodstock on Saturday, July 16, and Root River on Sunday, July 17. I think I am a little burnt out on the binders after having three lousy shows in a row with them. I won't bring them out until I finish reloading my 1961 Topps baseball binder. I am bringing out the hockey binders next weekend as I had a request for them.

But for the most part, I will be bringing out some display cases next weekend, along with some cheapy boxes. I might bring out some 1980's and 1990's wax after watching my neighbor in Fort Wayne sell out of his wax on Saturday. I also might give the publications another try. Then I haven't brought out my vintage baseball gloves in a while. I might dust them off and bring them out next weekend. I gotta improve my sales which are in steep decline these past three shows.

I think the problem is there are just too many shows and too few vintage buyers. It is a modern card world. Tony was commenting on Sunday that when he started setting up at shows it used to be 80 percent vintage, now it is like 5 percent vintage. It is a strange new world, especially for us vintage guys.

Even though there are more and more new shows popping up, I am probably going to cut back on my show schedule real soon. The sales just are not there for me. 

However, I have been tossing around this idea for a while -- how about a vintage-only show in beautiful Palatine, Illinois. Anybody interested? There is a community center down the street from my office in Palatine that would be ideal for a vintage-only show. If I can get enough interest, I'll go ahead and book the show. Let me know if you would be interested in setting up as a dealer or attending a vintage-only card show.

UPDATE: So after I wrote this blog, I started thinking more about a vintage-only show in Palatine. I decided to resurrect my Pop-Up Shop at my law office. Folks really liked those when I ran them last year. I am going to change it up and allow other vintage dealers to set up with me. I can probably fit 11 or 12 tables in my office. One or two tables per dealer. Just 25 bucks per table. I am going to run the first one on September 25. If I get an overwhelming response from dealers, I'll move it to a larger location nearby. If you are a vintage dealer and want to set up at my Vintage-Only Pop-Up Shop, let me know. You can email me at abrandongordon@hotmail.com 

Speaking of vintage, there is always a TON of vintage at my Oak Creek show. Next Oak Creek show is August 6. 

​See you soon!

Saturday, July 9, 2022, Allen County Fairgrounds, Fort Wayne, IN

I can't remember the last time I was set up in Fort Wayne, maybe five or seven years ago. I used to set up regularly back when there were no Saturday shows in Illinois and Wisconsin. Now, everybody and their mother are running Saturday shows. 

But I have been meaning to get back to Fort Wayne and finally had an opportunity last Saturday. The Fort Wayne show used to be at a Ramada along the highway. The show was founded by Brian Mayne, a great guy who unfortunately died a few years ago. I have talked about Brian before. He was a real innovator and an excellent show promoter. Gone way too soon!

Thankfully, the show is in excellent hands as Brian's brother Greg has taken over and is helped by his kids, Brian's wife and her kids. It is a real nice family operation. I love that dealers can text Greg during the show and order some snacks and Greg's wonderful daughter will bring the snacks to your table.

Greg moved the show to the Allen County Fairgrounds a few years ago. Brian was still with us but too ill to visit the show which is located in two large exhibit buildings. I plugged the address of the fairgrounds into my GPS when I left home around 5:30 a.m. Easy drive through Chicago at that early hour. Much of the drive was spent on Indiana State Route 30. 

Once I arrived in the Fort Wayne area, and lost an hour due to the time change, the GPS took me through some hyper rural back roads. Corn, corn, corn. I thought the GPS was taking me to some random cow pasture while winding through these little roads dotted with picturesque farms. I was relieved when I saw a sign for the fairgrounds and started to head into civilization.

I arrived around 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. The show starts at 10 a.m. I was able to score rock star parking in front of Building #4, the location of the show. I loaded up my cart and walked into the building and was greeting by Brian's wife and Greg's daughter, who walked me over to my tables. 

Easy load in as many dealers arrived at the same time as me. I saw Walt as I was being lead to my tables. Walt is from Indiana and sets up at the Orland Park show. Back in the day, I always saw Walt at the Fort Wayne and Indianapolis shows. Good guy.

I brought out all of the baseball and football binders along with one display case that I loaded up with some complete sets and lots. I was able to finish setting up by the opening bell at 10 a.m.

I was located in the back corner of the room. On my right was a dealer I recognized but I can't remember where I know him from. Maybe I met him back when I used to regularly set up at the Ramada show in Fort Wayne. He is super nice and used to have a card shop. On his table was 1980's and 1990's wax which he sold out of by 11 a.m. I was jealous because sales were slow at my tables.

Across from me was a super nice couple that had modern wax and a few display cases of modern cards. The guy had on a Nolan Ryan shirt and came over to talk about his Nolan Ryan collection. I watched them sell a great deal of wax and almost all of the cards in their display cases. Again, I was jealous because there was not much action at my tables.

As I scanned the room, I recognized a few dealers from the old days. One was a guy, a little older than me, who was up against the back wall. Man, he had some nervous mannerisms. He could not sit still. He stood up, sat down, stood up, sat down. He paced back and forth behind his tables then sat down, stood up and paced some more. I watched him as he organized the cards on his tables then reorganized the cards on his tables, only to organize them again... and again.

I walked over and looked at his display case which was chock full of vintage but an absolute mess. It looked like he stuck as many cards as he could, all in Card Savers, into the case then shook it up. Weird.

There was another modern dealer I remembered and am pretty sure he was wearing the same Reggie Wayne jersey when I saw him five years ago.

I also remember a few of the customers, especially this one older guy who came over and asked if I had any 1967 Topps baseball high numbers -- which was a theme this weekend where five or six guys at the Fort Wayne show asked for '67 highs and four or five guys at the Schaumburg show on Sunday asked for '67 highs. Unfortunately, I don't have any right now. 

Anyway, that older guy used to beat me up on my prices then try to sell me cards that were way overpriced. You would be surprised how often this happens. There is always someone who will fight you on your prices then refuse to lower their prices when they try to sell you some cards. I don't understand these folks. Didn't they ever hear of quid pro quo?

By 11 a.m., sales started to trickle in. An older guy walking with a cane, sat down and went through my 1960 Topps baseball binder and pulled a small stack of cards. A guy wearing a Johnny Bench T-shirt and told me he came in from Ohio, which is just a short drive from Fort Wayne, pulled some Reds out of my 1975 Topps binder.

A guy who I think buys from me at the big shows in Rosemont spent a good hour at my tables pulling cards from a variety of binders. He pulled a nice stack of cards. An older guy pulled some 1951 Bowman baseball. He came back later and tried to beat me up on my 140 card lot of 1955 Bowman baseball. I have the lot reasonably priced at $300. He wanted the lot for $200, which is less than $1.50 a card. I would lose money at that price. I can't purchase '55 Bowmans that cheap, let alone sell them at a loss. He was really fighting for the $200. No means no. I am not there to give my cards away.

He then asked for a price on my early 1950's Bowman binder. I had to add up all the cards to come up with a price. I hate doing this because nine times out of 10, the buyer does not pony up the cash. This guy was a firm no. I don't know why he thought I would give my cards away. Again, I was there to sell cards, not give them a way.

My next customer was obsessed with 1971 Topps baseball. He purchased a few and we had a lengthy discussion on '71 Topps. He also had a binder of '71s that he was selling for $150, which I thought was a reasonable price but I have an absolutely huge inventory of 1971's and won't purchase any more unless there are some Aarons, Clementes, Mays and Banks in the group. This guy's binder had a few stars like Willie Stargell and Steve Carlton but not enough to pique my interest.

A young couple spent a lot of time at my tables. The guy pulled out a nice pile of cards from my 1975 Topps binder. A lot of other guys dinked around in the binders and pulled out $3 to $4 cards. My last customer of the day was in town from Houston visiting his father. He told me Fort Wayne is at a much slower pace than Houston. I did not have a comment for him because I do not know much about Fort Wayne other than its card shows. I've been to Houston once. My sister lived there for a few years in the 1990's. She was able to purchase a huge house in Houston for the same price of a small house in the Chicago area, where I live. 

The Houston guy wanted my 1973 Topps baseball lot of 350 cards real cheap. I told him that I could not sell him the cards that cheap, we did eventually agree on a price.

The day went by pretty quick. Sales were not as good as I would have liked. I did have an opportunity to walk both rooms. There were at least 120 tables at the show. I observed a handful of no-shows. Greg told me he will let those guys back in the show if they pay for their no-show and pay in advance for the next show. I told him I don't let them back into my Oak Creek show when they skip out on me.

It was great to see Greg. In the old days he had some great vintage in his display cases. I observed that he had just modern cards this time around. However, there were five or six excellent vintage dealers at the show. I was impressed with their inventories. Some of them were priced reasonably, others were silly high. I did not know any of these vintage dealers. I wonder how their sales went.

I did see Duke, who I met at the National last year and have been seeing him regularly at the Orland show. I am not sure if he lives in Illinois or Indiana.

So the drive to Fort Wayne was easy. It took about three hours. The drive home was horrible. I was stuck in road construction and traffic galore. It took about five hours to get home.

I really like the Fort Waye show and the new venue but it is just too far of a drive for me. I may set up again but probably not for a while.

I stopped off at a Burger King in Wanatah, Indiana, on the way home. As I was munching on my Whopper this older lady in a Burger King uniform came in and gave me that boss look, like I was slacking and should start mopping the floors. She was intimidating. If she would of handed me a broom, I would have started sweeping.

Then I saw a large map of Indiana on the wall with a star showing the location of Wanatah, which got me wondering about this little burg. The Wanatah Wiki Page says this town was founded in the 1850's and named after a local Indian chief. Only about 1,000 people live in Wanatah. Not much doing in Wanatah. I think Wanatah might be at a slower pace than Fort Wayne and Houston.

Anyway, I arrived home around 6 p.m., ate some food and passed out. It was a double bill weekend. I was set up in Schaumburg on Sunday. Schaumburg blog coming soon.

In the meantime, I have another double bill weekend ahead. I will be set up in Woodstock on Saturday and Root River on Sunday. I am bringing out display cases this coming weekend. If you want to see any binders let me know.

The next Oak Creek show is August 6. I have added a few new dealers and have a couple of spaces still available. Send me an email at abrandongordon@hotmail.com if you are interested in setting up in Oak Creek. As usual, new dealers have to bring their own table.

Have a nice week everybody!

Sunday, July 3, 2022, Janesville Conference Center, Janesville, WI

I always have a difficult time sleeping the night after my Oak Creek show. This past weekend was no exception. I was dragging Sunday morning and somehow made it to Janesville. 

Large amount of dealers once again. This time I was set up next to Phil and behind Dell. That was two days in a row I got to hang out with Dell, who I have known for a long time and is one of my favorite dealers.

I brought out the binders again, like Oak Creek. It sure was nice keeping my car loaded. I added two more binders for Sunday, including my 1979 Topps football and my autograph binder.

Surprisingly, sales were flat. I thought attendance was excellent but I just could not give my stuff away. Note to self -- don't bring binders to Janesville. I also had out my dime box but did not get any sales out of the box. 

On the buying front, quite a few cards offered, unfortunately, everything was way too high. One of my regular customers offered me a small box of cards, mostly commons. I just did not see the value in the box. He wanted $200, I offered $100. No deal.

Then another regular customer offered me a near set of 1963 Fleer baseball. Unfortunately, he did not have a price in mind and wanted me to make an offer. I really had no idea what to offer, so, again, no deal. The same customer had a near set of 1964 Topps Giants. He wanted $900 which is crazy high. I can purchase a complete set of those for $300 all day long, every day. I think I need to remember to not even engage this guy next time around.

He had one more item, a photo of the Chicago Cubs supposedly from 1885. The photo was framed. I did not ask him for a price because I was unsure whether the photo was real and not a reprint. It looked real. He said he got it from his barber but he did not know where his barber obtained it. I took a photo of it, posted below, because I thought it was cool.

I was disappointed that there was no drink/food stand. Mike told me the hotel fired the young lady who ran the stand last month, even though she did an excellent job. Hopefully, there is a drink/food stand at the next show.

I was able to walk up to the breakfast buffet and snag some sausages, a cinnamon roll and some coffee. Later I bought a Coke in the hotel lobby.

​I left the show early because I was so tired due to lack of sleep and lost my motivation due to lack of sales. I don't believe there is a Janesville show in August. I will be back for the September show but will make sure I bring display cases.

I do appreciate the hard work that promoters John and Mike put into the show. They do an excellent job and bring in a lot of dealers and a lot of customers. I know I have said this many times, as a dealer, when sales are flat and customers are in the room, I need to change things up for the next show to spur some sales. I hope to have better luck next time!

In the meantime, my next Oak Creek show is on August 6. I have already received a couple of dealer cancellations for that show and have added one new dealer. A few tables are available, contact me at abrandongordon@hotmail.com for table info.

​Next up is Fort Wayne on Saturday, July 9, and Schaumburg on Sunday, July 10. See you next weekend!!

Saturday, July 2, 2022, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

After nearly nine years of operating the show, things have become routine. I wake up at the crack of dawn -- 4 a.m. Drive up to Oak Creek. I usually get there between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Once at the venue, I hit the ground running and start rearranging the tables and placing dealer names on all 122 tables. 

It was warm in the building on Saturday and I broke a sweat early. I heard dealers pound on the door around 6:30 a.m. I don't let anyone in until I finish. Guys get frustrated with me but I got get everything done first! I tell the dealers to be there at 8 a.m., not 6:30 a.m., which gives me enough time to complete all my tasks.

With 84 dealers, this was my largest show to date. I find it funny how pessimistic some guys are. Many dealers were worried that no one would show up because of the holiday weekend. Well, I have been setting up on the Fourth of July weekend for decades and attendance as always been good. This day was no exception -- 432 people through the door! More than last month!! Take that, Pessimists!!

Most dealers reported good sales. Some had amazing sales. There were others that had poor sales. Like I said, there were 432 people in the building, if your sales were poor, that is on you, not me. I did my job. 

Regular dealer Steve Zinn cancelled at the last minute so I set up on his tables in the gym. I had planned to set up in the gym any way because I observed last month that there were crowd flow issues. I observed big crowds in the front hallway, decent crowds in the Game Room and Fellowship Hall but lesser of a crowd in the gym.

I was hoping that by placing myself in the gym it would bring more people in there for my free packs of cards. I thought flow was better than last month but still needs some improvement.

I had nice sales at my tables early on. I was down to one helper as Rachel had to work at her real job. I was so thankful for Jason. What a great kid! Without him I would not have been able to set up. 

There were a handful of no shows, the bane of card show promoting. Oddly, two guys who reserved tables, showed up but did not want to set up. One of them paid me, the other did not. If you reserve that space, you are required to pay for it!!

While I had the most dealers ever at my show, I had a hell of a time contacting folks on the waiting list prior to the show. It always surprises me when folks don't respond to my messages. Why get on the list then? I spent a ton of time contacting folks on the list. Then there are the guys who won't set up when I tell them they need to bring their own table. Prima donnas. You can purchase a table at Target and Walmart. What gets me is I see these same dealers set up at other shows where maybe 40 people walk through the door all day. I had 432 people walk through the door on Saturday! Go buy a table at Menards, you moron!!

Operating this show is tough! Jason relieved me at my tables at 11 a.m. then I spent the next several hours walking all four rooms collecting table fee from the dealers. I really appreciate the dealers who pay me first thing in the morning. Though, it is nice being able to chat with all 84 dealers. I had a bunch of new guys this month. The new guys are usually really enthusiastic and a real pleasure. A big thank you to all the dealers. You guys make the show. You are the reason 432 people came out on a holiday weekend!

I had one customer call me from Las Vegas and say he was flying in for the show. I wonder if he actually came out?

We had quite a few people drive up from Indiana, including dealer Jim C., who sold me a bunch of 1961 Topps high numbers. Thanks Jim! Paul P. also drove up from Oak Lawn, IL. Thanks Paul!

I gotta say I enjoyed being set up next to Scotty P., Jason G., Mike J. and across from my pal Dave M. It was a real nice day. I had Sloppy Joe around 9:30 a.m. for breakfast then I grabbed a brat around 1:30 p.m. I really appreciate the volunteers that work the concession stand.

Not a whole lot to report. The show ran smoothly. Attendance was great. I sold a bunch of stuff. I bought a bunch of stuff. Pretty much a perfect day.

I submitted my show dates for 2023 prior to the show and now have all those dates reserved for next year. I'll be running 12 shows on the first Saturday of every month in 2023. My only concern is that Mark warned me that the venue may increase my rental fee. I hope not but if it happens, I will have to raise my table fee. I am still the cheapest game in town at just 25 bucks a table, so I don't think it will be much of an issue if I gotta raise it to $30. Especially when I know I bring in more people than any other show around.

This show continues to roll! I really appreciate everyone who attended on Saturday. I know you had many other options on that day and it means I lot that you chose to come out to my show!

Next one is August 6 and I expect more of the same. I should have a bunch of new vendors as well. 

In the meantime, I am setting up at two shows next weekend. I'll be in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the first time in years on Saturday, July 9. I am looking forward to that one. Then on Sunday, July 10, I'll be back at the Schaumburg show for the first time in a few months.

See you guys next weekend!

Below are a couple of photos from the July 2, 2022, Oak Creek show.