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Good friends, nice cards, great Orland show

8/27/2013

Well, the kids are back in school so summer is officially over in my book. I had a crazy summer. I had a couple of vacations, I started a new job, I shared a booth at the National, I skipped a whole bunch of my regular baseball card shows, then my uncle died.

My Uncle Gil was the youngest of my grandmother's three sons. My dad is the oldest. My dad is 12 years older than my uncle. I always figured my uncle would be around forever. It is weird as hell when someone who is a constant in your life passes. I spent many a Thanksgiving watching football with my uncle at my grandparents' house, then later at his house. He had tremendous sports knowledge. He was a sports writer for the student newspaper at Bradley University in the early 1970s. His work was great. He could have been a professional sports writer if he wanted. He also had a tremendous collection of autographed postcards that he accumulated as a kid in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I loved looking at those postcards. My earliest memory of my uncle is from July 4, 1969. I was a little runt stuck standing in front of a wooden fence while a suburban parade went by. My folks couldn't care less that I was nose to nose with a rickety fence covered in lead paint but my uncle saw my disappointment, picked me up and placed me on the ground in front of the fence so I could see the parade. It's the little things in life that you appreciate. I always appreciated my uncle for that little act of kindness those many years ago. RIP Unc.

Well, it seems like forever since I was last set up at the Orland Park baseball card show. I think I missed three Orland shows this summer. One I skipped for my vacation to New England. A second show I skipped so I could prep for the National. A third show I skipped because it was the week after the National and I was too tired. It was good to be back this past Sunday, August 25, 2013.

Upon arrival to the Civic Center around 7:45 a.m., the back parking lot was jammed with people participating in some sort of bike ride thing. There was no place to park so I had to park in the side lot. In all the years I have been setting up at the Orland show, I've never parked in the side lot. Well, it wasn't too bad. It was almost easier to load in and out. I just may start parking there at every show.

There were quite a few empty tables which can be expected this time of year. With fall sports getting started, a lot of dads won't be around at the card show. The tables next to mine were empty which always bugs me. Nevertheless, customer attendance was pretty good. Dave snuck in around 8:30 a.m. and started checking out the plethora of newly reloaded binders I had brought to the show. By 9 a.m., I had a little mob scene in front of my tables. While I can't complain, I was a little unprepared. I did not expect that many people today. Plus, I am a little rusty at helping five or six customers at once. Then there are always new customers at the table and I'm always concerned that some cards are going to walk away. One new customer in particular had one hand on a binder and the other below the table. I get nervous when I can't see both hands. I've been ripped off too many times. Though, I don't think he stole anything.

I had a real nice time catching up with everyone. There is a tremendous group of regular customers/collectors at the Orland show, who I always enjoy seeing. The regulars today were Dave, Rick, Dan, Denny, Chuck, Joel, Paul, Steve, Gil, Jim, Derek, Rich, Chris, Joe, and Dennis. Thanks guys for making my day! Then Corey showed up out of the blue. Cory is affectionately known as "stats" because he has just about every baseball statistic memorized. I haven't seen him in about three years. I first met him when he was in eighth grade and his mom would drop him off at the Orland show. He's entering into his senior year now at Columbia College as a journalism major. He told me he has an internship coming up at the Sun-Times. Way to go Cory!

I also had a bunch of new customers today and a bunch more regular customers whose names I can't ever seem to remember. Early onset of alzheimer's. The "Other" Tony was up from Champaign. We partnered at the National. It's always great to the see Tony S. I also appreciate Tony's purchases. A big thanks to everybody today!! I had an absolutely terrific day!!!! I sold a ton of cards. I couldn't be happier.

I also bought a few things. I picked up some 1960s and 1970s football along with a few baseball stars from the 1960s.There weren't a whole lot of folks bringing me things to buy today. Denny had a nice stack of stuff but it was low grade and I can't offer much for low grade because i can't sell it for much. We couldn't agree on a price. Though we did make a trade.

After the show, Chuck and I went over to Submarine City. Chuck did the beef while I had the meatball sandwich. I love that place. Since we lost the hot dog lady at the show, seems like Submarine City is mandatory after every Orland show.

Next Sunday (September 1, 2013) I'm setting up at the Best Western Plus in Schaumburg. It's been a while since I've been at the Schaumburg show. I don't know what Uncle Morty is doing without me. I'm currently working on reloading my 1964 Topps baseball binder. I should have it ready to go by Sunday. I also may work on some 1957 Topps football. Then I have a bunch of star cards I need to price out for my display cases. So, I should have a bunch of new material out Sunday. Hopefully, some of my Orland regulars can trek up to Schaumburg this Sunday. I'm looking forward to another great show!

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A Nice Day at the Wilmot Mountain Flea Market With My Son

8/18/2013

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My 8 year-old son Kolby has been asking me for a while now to set him up at a flea market to sell some of his toys. I finally pinned down a date, organized some junk from the house, along with some cards, loaded the van and headed to Wilmot, Wisconsin, this morning for a flea market in the parking lot of the Wilmot Mountain Ski Area. I've only been to Wilmot Mountain in the winter. It was kind of weird to see it in the summer. This is one place that is a lot better looking in the winter. The "mountain" is man-made and not very big. There's no trees on it, no rock formations, nothing to give it that "mountain" feel. It's kind of an ugly, run-down looking heap in the summer. The flea market, on the other hand, is pretty nice.

I generally love flea markets. I got my start in the 1970s selling cards at the old Twin Drive-In flea market in Wheeling, Illinois. I try and set up at least once a summer at a flea market. Last year, I spent a day at Wolf's Flea Market at the Allstate Arena, in Rosemont, Illinois. If you read my blog last year, you remember that it didn't go so well. My experience today in Wilmot was far superior.

First off, I just enjoyed the time with my son. It's not often that I get to spend a whole day with just the two of us. Well, I rustled him out of bed at about 5:30 a.m. He was trooper and didn't complain. Set up at Wilmot went smoothly. Kolby had two tables to spread out his toys and books. He kept changing up his display all day long which is kind of funny because his grandfather, a Chicago Maxwell Street veteran from the 1950s, always harped about the display when he used to set me up at the flea market some 35 years ago. Unlike gramps, I'm not such of a stickler on the display. The only words of wisdom I passed on was to make sure he didn't waste any table space. Pack that stuff in there. You can't sell it, if it's not out on the table.

I filled out the rest of the tables with some of my binders from the 1970s, my cheapy boxes, piles and piles of unopened packs of cards from the 1980s, some old programs, media guides and magazines, some of the kids' baby clothes, and assorted knicknacks including an old box radio I pulled out of my great-grandfather's Wicker Park apartment back in the 1980s. My guess is the radio is from the 1940s.

It was chilly in the early morning. Kolby was concerned right away that he hadn't yet had a sale, even though we had only been open for business for about 15 minutes. I had a customer right away. A nice lady who collects old basketball cards of the Chicago Bulls. She told me that she worked with former Bulls center Tom Boerwinkle at an oil company. She pulled all my Boerwinkle cards and a bunch more Bulls. I made table fee and was happy. Kolby was wondering where his customers were at.

I tried to explain the art of patience. I told him to just relax and wait. That's what the flea market really is all about. Just sitting back, enjoying the day, and waiting for some sales. Kolby didn't have to wait very long. Moms and grandmas seemed to purchase his books and smattering of toys all day long. He was fairly busy most of the day.

I had one guy, who I see from time to time at the Schaumburg show, buy a whole bunch of stuff, including some 1962 Post baseball, all my Exhibit cards from the 1950s and 1960s and all my 1964 Topps Giants. This guy made my day. By 9 a.m., I took in more money than I did that entire day out at the Allstate Arena last year.

But by 10 a.m., the sun had cleared some trees to the east and began cooking everything in sight. I was hot. Kolby was hot. We drank lots of Gatorade and water but we were still hot all day. I only had a smattering of customers the rest of the day. One lady claimed she grew up with Jerry West in Virginia. An older fella, who wasn't interested in any of Kolby's stuff but was impressed with his work ethic, gave Kolby a dollar. Quite a few people stopped to look at my great-grandfather's radio. An older couple gave me a low-ball offer that I politely declined. The vendors that were set up next to us stopped to chat. One guy buys stuff at an auction in Genoa City, Wisconsin, to sell at the flea market. The lady on the other side used to own a jewelry store in Delavan, Wisconsin, but shut it down to take care of her sickly husband.

There was a good number of vendors and a good crowd of customers. We had a steady flow of people walking by all day. There was one guy who had three or four different Chicago Cubs tattoos on his arms. I like the Cubs too but to tattoo their logo onto my arm is not even a remote possibility. I don't have any tattoos. I don't hate them, I just can't think of anything I'd want permanently drawn onto my skin -- least of all the Cubs' logo. I regularly see guys at card shows who have some sort of sports logo tattooed to an arm or calf. I don't get it. Someone needs to explain that one to me. My dedication to my teams doesn't go past the occasional donning of hat or a T-shirt. There were lots of tattoos out today.

There were also a lot of cigarette smokers. There was a time, way back when, when guys used to smoke at the card shows. Thankfully, those days are long gone. At this flea market, however, it seemed like most everybody had a cigarette dangling from their mouth. I was worried someone was going to drop an ash onto my cards. I saw one idiot pushing a small child in a stroller while a cigarette drooped from his lower lip and ashes dropped onto the child's head. It took a while to get used to all the cigarette smoke. Kolby held his nose or pulled up his shirt collar over his nose anytime someone walked by with a cigarette.

"Mommy told me that you lose seven minutes of your life every time you smoke a cigarette," Kolby said. That's right my boy. Smoking cigarettes is one of the stupidest things you can do. Might as well drink some tar, it has the same effect on your health.

Speaking of unhealthy habits, there were quite a few people drinking today. They had a full bar at the ski lodge along with a mobile bar which consisted of a woman driving around in a golf cart with a large sign reading "Bloody Mary's." While lots of folks were drinking today, nobody seemed drunk and stupid. I remember I always had to deal with drunks at the old Twin Drive In. There were also quite a few drunks at the old Friday night show in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. It's next to impossible to negotiate the price of a card with someone whose speech is slurred to the point where they can't formulate words.

Customer traffic died around 2 p.m. and we started to pack up. We were on the road by 3 p.m. Kolby passed out in the van on the drive home. While we didn't get rich today, we had a nice time together and we both went home with cash in our pockets. Hopefully, we get to do this again. I really enjoyed myself.

Next week, I'm getting back into my usual routine and plan on setting up at card shows on most weekends. Orland is scheduled for Sunday, August 25. It's been a while since I've been at Orland and my regulars have not seen my newly reloaded 1960 through 1963 Topps baseball binders, along with some 1963 Post, some 1955 Bowman football and 1956 Topps football. I'm looking forward to the show on Sunday and will be glad to be indoors away from that hot flea market sun. Have a great week everybody and hope to see you Sunday!

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The Fifth And Final Day of the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention

8/4/2013

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I have been home for a little while now. I finally went out and unloaded the van. Unloading the van after the National is a bear because I have extra stuff like seven card tables, an extra bin of cards, and a pile of tarps. I'm tired. It was a grueling five days.

A lot of dealers didn't bother showing up today and many more left by noon. Also, today's show had the smallest attendance of all five days. This was probably the lightest Sunday crowd of any National I have ever attended. Thankfully, the collectors were back today and I had a steady stream of sales. Sales were up. I don't know what happened yesterday. There was a big crowd but most dealers I talked to had an off day on Saturday. I big thank you to Andy and his son for making my day. They spent a few hours at my table. Andy's young son is working on a 1973 Topps baseball set and a 1970 Topps football set. It seemed like Andy was working on a lot of upgrades. Too bad I only get to see these guys once a year because they live in Florida.

Quite a few other guys visited my table today. A guy from New York purchased my 1953 Topps Jackie Robinson. Another guy from New York picked up a 1954 Topps Phil Rizzuto. A guy from Iowa purchased several hundred 1970 Topps baseball. My tablemate, the other Tony, purchased some cards from me as well today. One of the dealers next to me purchased a bunch of football rookies. I had quite a few other guys dinking around buying cards all day. It all added up and I was very happy. There were also the OBC guys who made some scattered purchases. A minor rant about the OBC guys. Many of them this year would only pay 5 to 7 percent of book for cards. Needless to say, I didn't sell much or anything to those few guys. I'm a little disappointed with those OBC guys only willing to pay 5 to 7 percent of book. They need to realize that dealers can't purchase their inventory at 5 to 7 percent of book so how can we sell them to you at that price? Most of the OBC guys are reasonable and terrific. There are a select few, though, that are a little ridiculous.

On the buying front, sellers were much more reasonable today. The dealer across the way offered me a binder of football cards from 1952 to 1963. The cards booked out at $4,700. The condition was way off grade and we couldn't agree on a price. I forgot this dealer's name but I've seen him for years at the National and at the Sun-Times show. He's a nice guy but was just a tad too high with these football cards. A guy came near the end of the show who was incredibly reasonable on a stack of star cards that included a pair of 1959 Eddie Mathews, a '62 Lou Brock rookie, a '62 Aaron, a '62 Eddie Mathews, a '62 Spahn, a '64 Koufax and a bunch of other stuff that I can't recall. The cards are still buried in my bins somewhere. I also purchased the latest Beckett football annual for $25 from the Beckett booth. The thing lists for $35. I would have purchased the annuals for the other sports if they would have been cheaper. At the 2010 National, Beckett was selling all their annuals for just $10 a pop.

I made it through the five days without having lost anything to theft. Though, I heard a dealer lost a binder with a complete 1960 Topps baseball set today. I know I have some young readers of my blog so I won't say the four-letter words I'm thinking about at the moment. The folks who run the National really need to hire security for the show. They're charging 20 bucks for admission and $1,100-plus for booths. Spend some of that money making this thing secure for your dealers!

I visited the Expoteria for the last time this morning and enjoyed some bacon and eggs. I'm going to miss that place. I was also a little melancholy this morning knowing this was the last day I was going to be surrounded by the most amazing assortment of vintage sports cards in the world. I may complain about this or that but when it comes right down to it the National is AWESOME! I was also lucky to spend that past five days with the best tablemates you can find in Jim and Scott Ziegert, Tony Schaefer and Dave McDonald. Thanks guys for a terrific five days!

Dave and I are talking about teaming up to do the National next year in Cleveland. I'm pretty sure we're going to do it. Time to plan for the next one! In the meantime, I'm taking a couple of weeks off and will be back at it for the August 25 Orland show. My next project is reloading 1955 Topps All American football and 1963 Topps baseball. I can't thank enough all the guys that purchased and sold me cards these past five days. You guys are the best! THANK YOU!!!!

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Day Four of the 2014 National Sports Collectors Convention

8/3/2013

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Well, I kinda felt like Johnny Rivers today, just slow dancin' and swayin' to the music. Unfortunately, it wasn't just me and my girl, it was me in a room of a few thousand people where I spent nine hours watching them walk on by my table. My expectations for today were crushed. I usually do well on the Saturday at the Sun-Times show and I expected a great day today at the National. I can't remember if the Saturday at the 2010 National was a bomb. I do remember that Sunday was terrible, which doesn't bode well for tomorrow. Today was terrible.

The highlight of my day was an extremely odd fellow who came by early in the morning. He asked if I buy cards. I said yes and he handed me three cards. One was a fake 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle which he wanted $350. The other was a fake 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan that had a fake autograph. I didn't ask him for a price on the fake Jordan. He also had some sort of Curtis Granderson signed insert card that I had no interest in. When I gave him his cards back he offered to sell me some 2013 Detroit Tigers pocket schedules for 25 cents a piece. "The Tigers are going to win it all this year," he remarked, holding out the skeds like they were some sort of valuable artifact.

I had a tough time registering anything this guy said to me because his toupee was cockeyed and looked like it was going to fall off. I wanted to reach over, grab his head and straighten out that rug. I wonder if he lost that thing at some point during the show. A little bit about the fake '53 Mantle he tried to pass as real. He ran a reprint through the washer. It was so heavily water damaged to the point where the paper must have peeled right off. You could see where he peeled off the part of the paper on the back that should have read "Reprint." While I hate thieves and scam artists, I actually liked this guy because he was the best entertainment of the day. You should have seen that toupee! Too bad I wasn't on the ball enough to snap a photo.

I had a few sales. Chuck bought some cards. Thanks Chuck! A couple of the OBC guys purchased some cards. A few other guys dinked around and made some purchases. I spent most of the day just watching people walk on by. It was weird. This is the National. This is supposed to the place where the hardcore collectors congregate. I have many questions with very few answers.

I bought a couple of cards but I was too depressed to really shop. I picked up a 1939 Play Ball Bobby Doerr and a 1965 Topps Roger Maris. There really wasn't a whole lot of good stuff brought to my table. Most guys coming around today were overpriced.

I did take some time to walk around today because nothing else was doin'. The Topps, Upper Deck, Panini and Beckett booths were jammed packed. At the 2010 National, Beckett was selling their annual priceguides for 10 bucks a pop. Today, the books were between $25 to $35. I'm hoping they drop the price tomorrow and also that some of the dealers have some firesales. I'm not expecting much tomorrow. And, honestly, after four days, I'm sick of the place. It's a shame I gotta go back. I wish I could pack up early but the folks that run the show won't let you pull up and load until 5 p.m. Ugh! Oh well, if you're planning on coming out tomorrow stop by booth 305 and brighten my day!! Please!!!!! Below are some photos from today.

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Day Three of the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention

8/2/2013

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I seem to always run into someone I know in the morning walking into the show. This morning I ran into Scotty from Milwaukee. It took me a short while to set up this morning. I rearranged the cards in my display cases to fill all the blank spots from cards that were sold yesterday. While I was rearranging, my pal Mark Smith sent an autograph hound over to go through my binders to find cards to send out for signatures. As usual, I forgot his name but he is a very nice guy from the Cleveland area. He pulled a nice little pile and it was a great way to start off the day.

While the crowd yesterday seemed pretty good, today's crowd seemed even larger. The room seemed awfully crowded by 10 a.m. I had a smattering of sales early then made a break for the cafeteria where I chowed on some bacon, eggs and sausage. The 2013 National seems to be the year of the Expoteria for me. I've been eating in that cafeteria each day. The food in the cafeteria is soooo much better than the food at the snack bars. New this year is a full bar near the snack bar. I saw a few guys drinking cocktails early on.

After breakfast, three brothers from Madison, Wisconsin, spent a good chunk of time going through my stuff and making some nice purchases, including both of my 1953 Bowman Color Larry Dobys, my 1956 Topps Pee Wee Reese PSA 4, and a bunch of old Milwaukee Braves cards. Thanks guys! Madison was an early theme for me today. Tim from Madison arrived shortly after the brothers and made his usual large-group purchase. Thanks Tim! Tim also brought a friend by who picked up a bunch of cards out of my 25-cent box, some 1961 Topps baseball, and my 1955 Topps Duke Snider and Gil Hodges. Thanks new customer whose name I already forgot!!

The next group of customers all seemed to be from Ohio. I sold a bunch of Cincinnati cards to several guys. Kevin from Cleveland came by twice to purchase large piles of 1975 Topps baseball. Thanks Kevin! Chris for the Orland shows was around early on and picked up a nice pile of 1960 Topps. I also saw Steve, a dealer from the Orland show, walking around. Another Orland customer also named Steve was there as well. A few other well-known faces from Orland stopped by. I, of course, can't remember their names. I'm lucky I remember my own name. Old age is settling in.

A couple of guys from New York picked up a bunch of 1959 Topps baseball. They were very concerned about the A-Rod situation. They were asking if I heard any news as to whether he's been suspended. Sales were pretty steady most of the morning. I can't remember everyone who came by or what I sold. Freakin' alzheimers!

Our groupie Steve showed up around 1 p.m. with a couple pounds of locally made Polish sausage. Steve stopped at a neighborhood store before the show, picked up the sausage, some fresh baked bread and some fragrant pickles, then cooked up the sausage and brought it out to the show. OH MY GOD! It took me an hour and a half to eat the best Polish sausage I have ever tasted. Our booth was stinking badly of polish sausage and pickles for the longest time. See sandwich pictured below.

The afternoon was a little slower than the morning with intermittent sales. I had a steady stream of small sales out of my binders and my cheapy boxes. I sold some basketball cards from the 1970s out of my display case. I also sold my 1956 Topps Ted Williams to a guy from Schaumburg. I'm setting up at the September 1, Best Western Plus, show in Schaumburg. Hopefully, I'll see this new customer again at that show. Another new customer picked up my 1934-36 Diamond Stars Frankie Frisch. Willie came by again and picked up my 1952 Berk Ross Bobby Doerr. I sold a 1955 Bowman Sal Maglie to another new customer.

Overall, sales weren't quite as strong as yesterday but still pretty good. I'm having a nice show and am on pace to beat my sales total from the last National I attended in 2010. Other familiar faces I saw today include my old friend from junior high, Ross Foreman, then Gary, a flea market dealer, and Larry B., who was sporting a sweet Nolan Ryan Astros jersey. Speaking of jerseys, the most popular jersey today seemed to be the one from the Bad News Bears movie from the 1970s featuring the "Chico's Bailbonds" sponsor on the back. Lots of guys brought out there wives and girlfriends today. It's nice to actually see some women at a show. Lot's of kids around today, as well, which I think is very important to keep the hobby alive for many generations to come. Also, the girth factor didn't seem as high today, though there were a couple of guys sporting some super-sized models.

One customer got angry at me in the morning because I had taped my binders to the table. He wanted to pick up my 1970 Topps binder and look at it on an angle to avoid the glare from the overhead lights. I tried to explain to him why I taped the binder but he sneered, walked away, and barked, "Next time don't set up under lights!" That was a new one on me. Nobody has ever complained that there was too much light. Usually, they're annoyed that the lighting is poor. All the rest of the customers today were pleasant.

Another great day on the buying front. Jeremy from Virginia sold me a nice grouping of 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards. Thanks Jeremy! My tablemate Dave brought me a bunch of 1958s. My other tablemate, the other Tony, sold me a shoe box of goodies. Then I made a small purchase of cards from a random customer, featuring five different Ernie Banks, a few Willie Mays, Hank Aarons and a 1959 Topps Roger Maris. Tim sold me some 1961 Topps baseball and his friend traded me a 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle. Thanks guys!! I also wandered the room late in the afternoon and picked up a couple of old autographed postcards, including a 1934 Bob Boken, who played that one year for the White Sox and a 1952 Bob Romazotti of the Cubs. The show box of purchases is pictured below. Also pictured below is a Babe Ruth cancelled check that a customer had authenticated at the PSA booth today and brought by for show and tell. That Ruth check is cool!!!

I was relieved at the end of the day to find that nothing was stolen. At the 2010 National, it was the Friday show where my binder was stolen. Unfortunately, a few guys late in the afternoon were talking about some thefts. One dealer had a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle stolen from his display case. I also heard that a 1951 Bowman Mantle was stolen from a display case. Another dealer had some basketball cards stolen. If any dealers are reading this blog, be on alert tomorrow. It looks like there is a group of thieves working the room.

Well, tomorrow is another day. Saturday is usually my busiest day. Based on the crowds we've had thus far, I'm expecting frenzied action tomorrow. Once again, I'm in booth 305 and hope more familiar faces come on by. Pictured below are some more interesting memorabilia I viewed today. Hope to see everyone tomorrow!

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Day Two of the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention

8/1/2013

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Waking up this morning wasn't as easy as yesterday. I didn't pop out of bed. Though, I was still pumped for another day of the National. It just took me a little longer to get going. I had all these grand plans of stuff I was going to get done before I went to the Stephens Center -- nope, didn't get anything done. My ride to Rosemont was smooth once again. Though, I heard stories all day long about traffic tie ups in the area due to the opening of a new "high-end" outlet mall. Can someone please explain to me how "high-end" and "outlet" somehow go together?

Anyway, I walked in and stopped and chatted with dealer Mark Smith. Mark is one of my heroes. He sets up at shows all over the Midwest on most every weekend. I tried driving to out-of-own shows last year. While I enjoyed the shows themselves, I didn't like all the driving. Mark puts in a lot of hours on the road and is still able to bring a smile at each show. Mark and I both thought the crowd was a little light yesterday. Well, today was the exact opposite. Someone opened the flood gates. The show was crowded from start to finish. It was great to see the crowds fill that huge room.

My tablemate Dave was busy all day. My other tablemates Scott and Tony seemed to have their moments where they were very busy. The morning was a little slow for me. I lot of windowshoppers. Around 11 a.m., it seemed to pick up for me and I was busy the rest of the day. After just two days at the National, I've already surpassed my sales totals for three days at the Sun-Times show this past March. Which solidifies what I already knew -- Sun-Times bad, National good. Dave and I are talking about setting up at the National in Cleveland next year.

I sold a ton of stuff today. A big thank you to TJ, Andy, Willie, my new friend John from Ohio, one of my regular autograph hounds from Milwaukee, and many others for purchasing cards. I sold a 1933 Goudey Lloyd Waner, some '53 Bowman Colors, a large pile of '74 Topps football, a couple of Fran Tarkentons from the 1960s, my Ditka rookie, a 1952 Topps Ted Kluszewski, a 1961 Topps Frank Robinson, some '75 baseball, and all sorts of stuff out of my baseball binders from the 1950s and 1960s. The cheapy boxes also got a workout today. A lot of cards went out the door today. Too many for me to remember.

A bunch of stuff came in, as well. I picked up a nice grouping of 1956 Topps commons, some 1964 Topps commons, some 1953 Topps high numbers, and near sets of 1966 and 1967 Philadelphia football.

A few observations from the show today. The Topps and Upper Deck booths were mobscenes when I walked by. The girth factor was extremely high all day long. Bill Simmons from ESPN stopped in front of my table and held up some poster he just purchased while his buddy snapped a photo. I was too slow to jump behind the photo and get my ugly mug on the Grantland blog.

After the show today, the other Tony and I went to the Old Warsaw Polish buffet on Lawrence and Harlem. This is one of my old haunts and it was great to be back there. The food is just as good as I remember. I also took the other Tony for a little tour around the old hood. I gotta say that I do miss that part of town. I think I have to make this a regular event at all the Rosemont shows -- hitting some of the great restaurants on Harlem. Well, day three is waiting right around the corner. I don't have any photos from the show today because my cell phone didn't seem to be working right. I'll try and get some photos tomorrow. If you're heading to the National, find me in booth 305. See you tomorrow!

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Good friends, nice cards, great Orland show

A Nice Day at the Wilmot Mountain Flea Market With My Son

The Fifth And Final Day of the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention

Day Four of the 2014 National Sports Collectors Convention

Day Three of the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention

Day Two of the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention

Tony Gordon

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