Sunday, July 16, 2023, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

Woke up in Michigan at 6 a.m. By 7 a.m. I had stopped for gas and paid $3.59 a gallon, a little cheaper than Woodman's in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, my regular spot. I arrived at the Civic Center at 8:15 a.m. I was surprised at the traffic the whole way on this Sunday morning. Why so much traffic?

I loaded in the same stuff I brought out yesterday to the Michigan City show. Though, I have more space in Orland, so I brought in more binders I had stored in the car. Sparse crowd early on which seems to be the trend in Orland. The crowd picked up significantly as the day went on.

I observed that Terry moved down to Jim's tables, as Jim is no longer setting up. Though he did attend and it was nice to see him. Set up next to me was Tommy Larson, who pretty much has the best cards out of anyone in Illinois. Tommy does not set up regularly but if you happen to catch him, you must stop to check out his stuff -- it is just awesome!

My pal Paul was there early. We had talked on Friday and I knew he was coming. Then Will and Joe showed up and it was like old times. Paul, Will, Joe and I have been hanging out together at the Orland show for a good 25 years. Paul doesn't always come out these days, so I appreciate the times he does attend.

Will brought me a sausage McMuffin and some coffee. The kind lady that operates the concession stand brought me some diet sodas. Man, all was right in the world Sunday at the Orland Park Card Show!

A nice crowd of the usual suspects soon arrived and pulled out their lists and started paging through the binders. A couple of guys, whose names escape me, purchased some cards. Andy bought some cards. Mike purchased cards and also gave me some money to have lunch with my son when I take him out to Michigan State University. Thanks Mike! Turns out Mike is a Michigan State Alumni. How cool is that!  My wife and I are bringing my son out to Michigan State next month. 

Oh, it is going to be tough to see him go. He is such a good kid. I am so lucky. He just learned that he is sharing a dorm room with three other guys. He showed me photos of the dorm room online. It looks really nice. Each guy has a bunk bed with a desk under it. They also have a bathroom, closet, dresser and a separate room with a couch, TV, minifridge and microwave. Looks like a nice set up for a group of 18 year-olds. I told my son he better keep that bathroom clean. I know from experience how those college bathrooms can get nasty in a hurry.

Back at the Orland show, I was busy all day long, unlike yesterday in Michigan City where I just sat around and priced cards all day. Now, if I could only remember who else purchased cards. Let's see... Chris was the first to crack open my newly reloaded 1964 Topps baseball binder. Chris is another Orland regular who I have known for a good 25 years. He always has something interesting for me. Today, he told me about the "Immaculate Grid," which is an online game from baseball reference. So with Immaculate Grid, each morning there is a new grid with 9 open spaces. You have to guess which players played on multiple teams throughout the history of MLB. I just popped it up on my screen and today it starts with a player that played for both the Yankees and the Phillies. Didn't Oscar Gamble play on both those teams? I'll type his name in the grid. Woot! I was right. Then it shows you how many people chose your guy. Just 2% chose Gamble. Pretty cool!

​That one couple that has been working on the 1977 Topps baseball set started on the 1978 Topps set and purchased a few cards today. Will started working on the 1971-72 Topps basketball set and pulled a pile. Thanks Will! A new customer purchased a 1987 Topps wax box along with a dozen or so unopened packs from the 1980's. I had a few young guys come by throughout the day and purchase some of my packs.

The one guy who has been buying 1972 Topps baseball from me for the past several years, pulled some more today. There is one guy who keeps asking for 1969 Topps baseball. I sold the whole binder a while ago. I really need to start on a new one. He did find some other cards to purchase. A new customer purchased some Exhibit cards. I have not seen Minnanette in a while. She was today's big winner and purchased piles of stuff. Thanks Minnanette!

I know a bunch more folks purchased cards but I can't seem to remember. I appreciate you all. Thank you!

On the buying front, I was not really looking to buy because I want to have some cash in my pockets at the National in a couple of weeks. A few things came by but were priced too high. My old friend Joe brought me three large boxes of cards from the early 1990's. While I don't normally like cards from this era, I took these ones because the price was right -- FREE! Thanks Joe!

It was nice to see Mike Johnson at the end of the day. Mike lives up north in Wisconsin but was in Aurora, Illinois, this weekend fixing up his uncle's condo and decided to come out to the show. Thanks for hanging out Mike!

Once again, I had a really nice day at the Orland Park card show. I just love this show. Great folks operate the show. The other dealers are awesome and all the customers are terrific. 

Thank  you everybody for just a wonderful day!

It was nice to cap things off with Will and Joe at the sub shop after the show. I went with the shrimp this time. Will did a meatball sandwich and Joe went with a cheesy beef. Props to the sub shop which is always solid.

Next Orland Park show is slated for August 20, 2023. I will be there! 

In the meantime, it is my favorite time of the year -- NATTY TIME!  I will be in booths 2716 and 2617. I am pricing cards like crazy for the show. I'm bringing out display cases. Hope to have room for seven to 10 of them. I won't really know until I set up. Show goes from July 26 through July 30 at the Stephens Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Hope to see you there.

Also, the next Oak Creek show is slated from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in beautiful Oak Creek, Wisconsin. I have currently sold 178 tables and expect to sell out shortly at 180 tables. I am not sure if any of my newer dealers read this blog but if you do, could you please confirm for the August 5 show? I have a lot of dealer interest. Should be a good one.

Happy collecting my fellow card addicts!

Saturday, July 15, 2023, FOP Lodge, Michigan City, Indiana

I worked all day Friday then loaded up the car and drove out to Michigan to spend the night at my folks' house near New Buffalo. Horrible drive. Traffic was heavy.

Shortly after arrival, my dad drove my mom and I out to Portofino Grill in LaPorte, Indiana. The Portofino Grill is on a golf course and has both inside and outside seating. Dad said that he brings his cat sometimes and sits outside with the cat and eats at Portofino's. 

I was glad we did not bring the cat and ate inside because it was too hot and humid to be outside. The inside is nice. Fancy dining area with an adjacent bar with the White Sox game on TV. My kind of menu with steaks and chops. I went with the prime rib, pictured above, house cut, which was 16 ounces. They had a 21-ounce cut but I did not think I could finish it. Dad went with a New York strip. Mom went with the salmon.

My prime rib was delicious. Cooked medium rare, the way I like it. I got a side of grilled asparagus and ate every last drop of the whole meal. Dad finished off his steak and boiled potatoes. He had ordered a baked potato but our waitress was flighty and she brought him boiled potatoes instead. Dad likes to give waitstaff hell, much to my chagrin. I was thankful he was relatively kind to the young woman serving us. Mom did not like her salmon. It looked good to me but she was adamant that it was horrible. I hope she forgets about it because I'd like to come back to the Portofino Grill and try a steak next time.

Once back at the house, I had a tough time falling asleep that night because the air conditioning does not work at my parent's house. It was soooo hot in there! My dad is the worst at maintaining a home. Growing up, he never fixed anything. My kids would probably say the same thing about me, even though my A/C works perfectly while dad really needs to get his fixed. I got an A/C guy, I wonder if he'd come out to New Buffalo?

Anyway, I set my alarm on my phone for 6 a.m. which was a little complicated because we were right on the border of the Central and Eastern time zones in New Buffalo. I observed that my phone will fluctuate between both times zones when I'm there. So I was not entirely sure if I was going to wake up inside the Central or Eastern time zone. Turns out it was Central while the show operator used Eastern. I thought I might be running late but not too bad.

Dad was setting up with me and he likes to arrive early so he was a little annoyed. Turned out we were crazy early. Inside the hall when we arrived it looked like a couple dealers had set up the night before then there were just two or three other guys setting up. The rest of the tables were empty.

While loading in, I met promoter Mike Moldenhauer, who was real attentive. He stopped by our tables a few times to see how we were doing during the show. Then, around noon, Mike purchased McDonald's cheeseburgers for all the dealers. I like Mike Moldenhauer!

I had two tables while dad had one. I put out all of my baseball binders and the wax I had brought out last weekend to the flea market. With this being my first time at the FOP show, I did not really know what to bring out. Dad had two display cases and all sorts memorabilia. He's a garage sale/flea market nut and goes most weekends. He was selling the sports stuff he picked up at the sales.

The rest of the vendors arrived a good hour after we did. I knew several of them. Two of the vendors had set up in Oak Creek while one guy I knew from Orland. The rest I had never seen before.

I was impressed with the inventory in the room. Lots of vintage cards which is what I like! I figured with so much vintage, we would have a nice turn out of vintage collectors. No such luck. Show opened at 9 a.m. I don't think I had my first sale until 11 a.m. I ended up with just three sales. Dad had two sales. We still made plenty to cover the cost of the tables which were crazy cheap at just $20 each.

I spent most of the day pricing the remaining cards to fill my 1964 Topps baseball binder. So it was productive, even though my sales were poor. 

Regardless, I did enjoy myself because it was a freakin' card show. If you can't have fun at a card show then there is something wrong with you! My pal Mike drove in from the Chicago suburbs. Thanks Mike! I saw Bob Lucas and a couple of customers I recognized from Bob's Lake Station show. One of which was the famous Lowball Lonnie. Turns out Lowball Lonnie's real name is Joe and he knows my dad. The other Lake Station guy was Flaky Frank. Neither Lowball Lonnie nor Flaky Frank purchased any cards from dad or I. When I told dad how I dubbed Joe as Lowball Lonnie, he had a good laugh.

Then I met this older couple. The husband grew up in LaPorte while the wife was from California. They have a place nearby but spend most of their time living in California. The wife told me her husband is 80 years old. My dad is 86, so these contemporaries enjoyed talking with each other. After a while, the husband came over and showed me some of his childhood cards. He told me the name of the LaPorte pharmacy where he purchased cards from 1952 to 1956. While the building still stands, it is no longer occupied by a pharmacy.

Anyway, he showed me a beautiful 1954 Topps Jackie Robinson, a 1953 Topps Yogi Berra and a 1952 Topps Richie Ashburn. He wondered if he should get them graded. I advised that he indeed should get those cards graded. He had some money there. 

Interestingly, he said only one store in LaPorte carried Bowman baseball cards in the 1950's. He said many stores carried the Topps cards. However, by the fall, none of the stores in LaPorte carried the last series, so he was never able to purchase the high numbers as a kid.

Many stories were told on this day, most by my dad, who is quite the storyteller. Mike sat down and chatted with him for a while. He regaled many others with tales about his pal Ernie Banks. Dad and Ernie were close friends and hung out together often. They went out to dinner regularly and also went on vacation together. 

Unfortunately, dad never took me along when he hung out with Ernie. Only time I got to see him was when I had to go to Ernie's condo on the Lakefront in Chicago to drop off some paperwork, as my dad was also his lawyer.

One time in the early 1980's, Ernie wanted to play me in racquetball. He and dad played regularly but dad was poor competition, so Ernie wanted to give me a try. Unfortunately, Ernie wanted to play at 6 a.m. As you know, I am not an early riser, and was worse as a teenager in the early 1980's. I wanted to play racquetball with Ernie but could never wake up early enough! I can kick myself now. I was a dumb kid!

Anyway, for lunch, I had a chicken taco from the concession stand. Dad had a hot dog. Neither of us partook in the free Mickey D's cheeseburgers. I can't eat cheese and dad was filled up from the hot dog. Though, I still appreciate the gesture! 

Overall, I really like this show. Everybody was really pleasant. The promoter Mike is a great guy. I thought attendance was decent. I might give it another try down the road. I don't think dad will set up with me but maybe he'd come and hang out.

After the show, we went over to Timothy's in New Buffalo. Timothy's is a regular stop for my folks. We eat there most every time I come out to see them. It is an excellent restaurant. It is a little pricey but the food is worth it. I had fish and chips. Dad had halibut in a cream sauce while mom had shrimp scampi. My fish and chips were excellent. The fish was fresh and tender. Dad seemed to like his halibut and mom liked her shrimp. 

I may not have sold many cards in Michigan City but I had a nice couple of days with my folks. So, I definitely, gotta do this again. 

It was a double bill weekend with Orland on Sunday. Orland blog coming soon.

I don't have any shows coming up this weekend, July 22 and 23. There really aren't any shows to do nearby. I'd have to drive at least two hours away if I wanted to set up anywhere this weekend. So, with the National coming up, next weekend, I think it is best that I rest up. I recognize that I just can't go like I used to, even though I really want to! I'll just stay home and prep for the National this weekend.

Speaking of the National, I am sharing booths 3716 and 3617 with my pals Dave McDonald, Paul "PJ" Balistreri and Scott Ziegert. As you know, I freaking love the National. There is nothing quite like it!

Then the weekend after the National, I better find some energy because the Oak Creek show is August 5. Dealer spaces are filling up fast. I should have 180 tables sold out for that show. Woot!

Hey! My blog did not get one comment in Michigan City. Do I have any blog followers in that area?

​Anyway, see you at the National!!!

Below are some photos from the Michigan City show.

Pictured below is my dad telling his tales about Ernie Banks.

Pictured below is an old photo of my dad with Ernie Banks. That is my mom smiling in the background.

Sunday, July 9, 2023, Wilmot Flea Market, Wilmot, WI

I attempted to set up at Wilmot earlier in the spring but each day was drowned out by rain. Finally, a dry day where I had nothing to do!

It has been a couple of years since I was last set up at Wilmot. I tried to make it last year, but again, rain ruined my plans. I have been setting up at this flea market sporadically for years. 

I have a long history of setting up at flea markets. My dad used to load up the family station again in 1978, when I was 12, and set me up at the Twin Drive-In Flea Market in Wheeling, Illinois. Those were glorious days when there were more than a dozen vendors selling sports cards along with dozens upon dozens of customers looking for cards. I made a killing as a 12-year-old! As a result, I have always had a love and a passion for flea markets.

The Wilmot Flea Market is the closest thing I have found to the old Twin Flea Market. JR and Chris K. were also set up in Wilmot on Sunday, so there were at least three of us selling cards. I must have run into 10 or so guys I knew from card shows like Scotty P., Keith K., Andy, Donny, Bill, Kevin (nice to meet your wife!), Malcolm, and one guy I met years ago at the Fred Copp shows but I've forgotten his name.

The beauty of the flea market is I can sell much more than cards. I brought out some old kids clothes, toys, books, stuffed animals, some of my wife's old jewelry and other assorted junk.

Scotty P. was the big winner and purchased several boxes of old wax. Thanks Scotty! I brought out a lot of wax because I sold out last time I was set up. No such luck today. My best seller was my kids' stuffed animals. I had dozens of them to start the day and went home with just three or four. They were selling so well that the vendor next to me ran over to ask what was going on. I told him I had no idea. I was only selling them for $1 each because I wanted to get rid of them. I know I paid a lot more than $1 for them, so maybe my cheap price drew people in.

While I do love the flea market, it is a looong day starting Saturday when I was busy pricing stuff and loading the car. I was up at 4 a.m. on Sunday. I almost stayed in bed. It sure was tough to get going!

I made it to Wilmot in about 40 minutes, arriving around 5:40 a.m. There was a small line of vendors ahead of me. I was hoping to get a spot up front or way in the back. I like to be in an area where there are bunches of vendors. The Wilmot layout is weird and many vendors are located off the beaten path. I did not get the front or the back, they gave me the middle, which wasn't so bad. I was close to the concessions and the bathrooms.

The price of space has gone up since my last visit when it was just $25. It costs $35 now. Still a bargain when I consider I was able to put out 9 or 10 tables of stuff.

So I had an old guy that drove a 1950's hotrod set up on my left, a young couple on my right (I loved the dude's mullet), and an old, old guy across from me. On the other side of hotrod guy was a loud guy. There are always loud vendors at the flea market. I do expect it but I still find them annoying. This one loud guy was especially annoying. I could hear every word he said all day long. His voice projected, overtaking my serenity, then rattled around in my head.

I could not help but learn that he worked a catering gig the night before and recovered some cupcakes that were going to be thrown out. He offered everyone who walked by a cupcake. There was something not right about the guy and I would never accept a cupcake or anything from him.

Unfortunately, a steady stream a kids showed up at my tables with cupcakes in hand and had the need to touch my stuff with frosting-laden fingers. In addition, this flea market has as full bar and people came by all day long with beers and cocktails and set them down on my tables. Years ago, I had a guy spill a can of pop on my binders in Orland so I hate when folks place their drinks on my tables. On top of it, most of these folks were snockered. I have to admit that I did consider getting a bloody Mary but I knew it would just dehydrate me in this heat, so I held off.

Anyway, it seemed like hotrod guy did not sell much. Loud guy certainly did not sell much, as I could hear him bitching about it all day long. Mullet guy sold some stuff. Old, old guy did very well.

When old, old guy started to pack up, I followed suit while Mullet, hotrod and loud guy kept trying to sell. I heard loud guy (how could I not?) turn down an offer on something. When the buyer made it down by me, loud guy started talking trash about him. Customer told him to $#@% Off! Loud guy came running and got into his grill. I thought these two idiots were going to throw punches. I started to debate with myself about breaking it up or not. After a heated exchange, the customer walked away and loud guy went back to his tables and got even louder. Ugh!

I could not pack up fast enough. I had had enough of loud guy, though, despite him it was a relatively pleasant day. The weather was perfect. Scotty got me some water. Andy got me some coffee. Keith watched my stuff a few times so I could take bathroom breaks. Thanks guys! So despite loud guy, I did have fun. The weather was absolutely beautiful which may have kept some people away. I thought the crowd was a little thin.

I am pondering heading back to Wilmot in two weeks when I have another free Sunday. Though, I don't think I could deal with loud guy again. I might seek out a different flea market, one that may be a little more peaceful!

I am back at card shows next weekend - a double bill. I am trucking out to Michigan City, Indiana, on Saturday, July 15, and setting up for the first time at the FOP Lodge show. I reserved an extra table for my 86 year-old dad who has all sorts of sports-related junk. It should be fun to hang out with my dad. 

Then on Sunday, July 16, I am back at the Orland show after missing the June show. I am looking forward to Orland and hanging out with my pals Will and Joe. I plan on bringing binders to both shows. I am furiously working on my 1964 Topps baseball binder and hope to have it reloaded by Saturday.

The next Oak Creek show is coming up on August 5. My phone has been ringing off the hook. I hope to start returning all the messages soon. Please be patient with me!

Have a great week everybody!

July 1, 2023, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

An incredible amount of work went into this one starting with a ton of paperwork thanks to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. I still have not finished up the paperwork from the June show. I hope to have it done this week then it is on to the paperwork for the July show. Ugh!

Seems like I spent every minute of every day since the June show talking with dealers and potential dealers. A lot of my regular dealers had other plans for the holiday weekend. Then I had a nice number of new dealers that wanted to set up. Then there is the ongoing problem of dealers cancelling either the day before, or on the day of the show, or just not showing up. To those dealers, I say: YOU SUCK! I don't want you setting up at my show if you are going to pull this shite.

Then I spent a ton of time in June promoting the July show. I thought attendance would suffer due to the holiday weekend and other competing shows. Well, my hard work paid off because we had 600 people through the door, the same number as June. I was so relieved and happy. A huge thank you to everyone who attended the show. You guys rule!

As usual, Lisa and I drove up Friday night. There is a sweet young lady who sets up the show for us, I forget her name. She did a much better job this month. It is a confusing set up. Lisa and I come in after she sets it up to fix things to my liking and to place out more than 100 dealer name plates and a dealer newsletter. It took us about three and half hours, which was quicker than any previous month.

Our pal Bronko showed up to help. Thanks Bronko! He was also able to set up his tables as well. I am thinking of allowing guys who bring their own tables to come in Friday night to set them up if they want. Load in is such a cluster@#$% that we need to have some people set up early to ease things on Saturday morning. The Salvation Army has blocked off the front of the building, which hampers load in. So maybe we can ease this up by a Friday night load in.

I was set up in the Chapel this month. With a bunch of last-minute cancellations, I gave myself a large space. I was able to put out all of my binders. Business was brisk early on. One of my favorites, who I have known since the Gonzaga Hall days, Dean, purchased a nice pile of 1953 Topps baseball. Thanks Dean!

For the second month in a row, I got to see another Gonzaga regular Jeff. Thanks for coming Jeff and purchasing a pile of cards! There are so many regulars that I enjoy seeing like Mark, Bruce, Bob, Robert, Eddie, Dennis, Eric, Larry, Mike, Jack, Craig and Doreen, George and Kristy, Steve, John, Anthony D., Joe, and many others. Thanks for coming out!!

Lisa has decided that she will be the one to collect table fee from the dealers so I can stay at the tables and sell cards. That woman is worth her weight in gold! I enjoy the show so much more when I get to stay at the tables, chat, and sell cards.

Another benefit of staying at the tables is it increases my buys. I bought a TON of stuff at this show! It was awesome! A long-time customer brought me two large bags of cards along with some baseball books from the 1960's. One of my T206 guys was there and I picked up a few more. Then I purchased a 1962 Topps Jim Brown from Larry. Thank you everybody! It was a nice haul!!

Everybody was talking about new dealer Shawn who had unopened wax from the 1970's. Did you see his tables? It was pretty cool!

I had a chance to chat with dealer Tom Daniels, which is always fun. Tom and his wife Anita are known across the country, having set up at every single National. Tom told me he attended his first card show in 1974. By 1975, he was placing ads and buying collections. He was also one of the first members of the Wisconsin Sports Collectors Association (WSCA) -- a group that is still active today and promotes the bi-monthly show at the Roma Lodge in Racine. Next Roma Lodge show is Sunday, August 20, 2023.

Recently, I purchased a WSCA show program from 1977 on eBay. The program is cool! There are a bunch of hobby-related articles in there but many of them fail to state who wrote them. I am pretty sure Tom wrote one of them because the article mentions his travels with his wife Anita. I asked Tom about it but he could not remember. I need to bring the program to the August 5th Oak Creek show and show it to him, maybe he will remember upon seeing the article.

Anyway, I about drooled all over myself when Tom told me about the deals he had in the 1970's. He told me he purchased a collection of 1952 Topps that included a Mickey Mantle for 10-cents a card! Yes, he purchased a '52 Mantle for just 10 cents!! He told me he sold the Mantle in the late '70's for $250. Oh my!

He has endless stories. He told me that in the mid-1970's, he picked up 15 sets of 1953 Topps baseball for about $150. Can you imagine? I need to find some time to sit down with Tom and get all of this stuff documented!!

I am sorry to report that I am losing two regular dealers who I really, really like -- Maria and Josh. Maria is moving to Colorado. She has been selling Pokémon at the show for years. Good luck in Colorado Maria! Then my pal Josh is cutting back his show schedule. Josh, his wife Kelly and son Conner have been regular fixtures at the show for a long time. Josh also sells Pokémon. I am going to miss you guys!

Unfortunately, there has been a revolving door of dealers since I started the show almost 10 years ago. I hate to lose the long-time dealers but it is cool to see new dealers and their inventories like the amazing stuff on Shawn's tables.

Regardless of the revolving dealer door, attendance has been excellent! The support for this show is just outstanding. I appreciate you all!

Next Oak Creek show is August 5. This is going to be another difficult one for me to manage with tons of dealers returning after sitting out July and a whole new large roster of new dealers. Expect a packed house of dealers for the August show! Hopefully, I can figure out how to fit everyone in!!

I don't have a show scheduled to set up at until Orland on July 16. I may add a show before hand or may pop up at a flea market.

As you know, the National is coming to Rosemont, Illinois, at the end of the month and I'll be set up with the usual suspects in Dave, PJ and Scott. I am working on pricing cards for the National. 

Oddly, each year as the National approaches, I tend to have nightmares about the show. Last year, I had these reoccurring dreams where my booth was located in an odd spot and no one purchased any cards. Lately, I have been having this really weird dream where I set up at the National on Wednesday then forget about the show on Thursday and Friday, go hang out with friends, then go back on Saturday. Weird! What does this mean?

Anyway, I am looking forward to the National. It is always a great time!! No more nightmares, please!!

A quick shout out to my pal Mark, who runs things at the Salvation Army for us. His sweet wife Deb is having some health issues and we are sending good vibes her way!! Also, many thanks to the volunteers who collect admission fee, who work the concession stand and those who take down the tables and chairs and clean up after us at the end of the day. You guys are the best! Most of all, THANK YOU for attending the Oak Creek show!!! 

See you soon!

Below are photos Lisa and I took at the July 1 Salvation Army show. Enjoy!

Below are some pictures of the unopened vintage wax on Shawn's table. Shawn will be at the August 5th show. Come on out!