Saturday, August 21, 2021, St. John's Lutheran Church, Woodstock, IL

It took me a while to get out of the house Saturday morning. Unfortunately, there is no quick way to Woodstock, just winding country roads. The nice thing is that the speed limit on these two-lane roads is mostly 55 MPH while the bad thing is I always get stuck behind someone driving just 35 MPH which sucks when I am running late. 

I made it to Woodstock in about 50 minutes. I stopped in McHenry for gas. I arrived around 9 a.m. Show does not open until 9:30 a.m. and many dealers arrived along with me. 

Once inside, I observed that Larry and Carol were already sitting at my table, creating a roadblock for my cart full of stuff. While talking to Larry, I spilled my large cup of coffee onto the floor. Ugh! I don't know why I use this mug where the top does not stay on. I think I'm retiring that mug.

Well, Larry likes my binders and I did not bring any binders, instead, I brought out four display cases. I forgot about Larry and should have brought some stuff for him. Hopefully, next time I'll remember to bring something for Larry. I think he was a little ticked off I did not bring the binders and kind of left in a huff. Sorry buddy!

I spent the next 20 minutes or so cleaning up the large puddle of coffee under my table. I could not find a mop and had to use the crappy paper towels from the bathroom. Ugh!

Thankfully, the day flowed much better after I finished cleaning up the coffee. I was able to place all of my high end baseball cards into the display cases. The dealer next to me called in and cancelled. Unfortunately, I did not bring more display cases, as promoter Curtis told me to spread out. I pulled some $10 cards and placed them on a corner of the open table.

One customer came around a few times and checked out all of my pre-War and early Bowmans. He ended up purchasing a T201 Ed Walsh and some 1951 Bowman commons. He told me that he grew up down the street from Whitey Ford in New York and attended the wedding of Whitey's son. All the Yankees were there like Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. Before the wedding, Whitey requested that all the guests refrain from fan hysteria and let the Yankees alone during the wedding. In exchange for the guests good behavior, Whitey placed piles of autographed photos featuring the Yankees players on a table for the guests to take home as a gift.

Another customer was working on sets from the 1950s and found a bunch of cards. He really didn't like my prices but I know what these cards sell for and I am not going to give them away. He settled down and purchased a bunch of cards and quizzed me as to which players had the most hits in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

Here's the list of decade hit leaders:

1940s: Lou Boudreau with 1,578
1950s: Richie Ashburn with 1,875
1960s: Roberto Clemente with 1,877
1970s: Pete Rose with 2,045
1980s: Robin Yount with 1,731
1990s: Mark Grace with 1,754
2000s: Derek Jeter with 1,940
2010s: Robinson Cano with 1,695

A customer that came out to one of my pop-up shops purchased a 1961 Topps Bob Gibson. I regularly get asked when I'm doing another pop-up shop. I really need to start planning for one as there seems to be a demand.

A young guy purchased a 1972 Topps Gale Sayers. Another customer purchased a 1972 Topps Dick Butkus. The dealer across the way purchased a pile of Ernie Banks cards including 1957, 1960 and 1969. Another customer purchased a 1969 Topps Fergie Jenkins. These are the sales I remember. I sold a bunch more stuff and had a surprisingly good day.

I bought some stuff as well. Scotty P. came down from Wisconsin to sell me some 1953 Johnston Cookies. Thanks Scotty! A young guy sold me a 1958 Topps Ernie Banks All Star.

So other than the spilled coffee, it was a really great day. I am still on the waiting list for this show, so I am not sure when there will be another opening for me. I really like this show and hope to get another table soon.

In the meantime, I have the bug and want to set up next week but there are few options. I put my name on the waiting list for the show in Peru, Illinois, a few weeks ago and it does not look like I'm getting in. There is a show nearby in Waukegan but I have not seen any promotion for this show other than a listing in Beckett. I won't set up at a show that is not well promoted.

I have been considering the new show at the Sheraton in Madison, WI, where the promoter does a nice job of getting the word out. Only issue is that tables cost $50 which I think is much too high and am not sure I would even make $50 at the show since I have never set up there. I have set up many times at the other show in Madison, operated by Darren. There were a few times were I barely made table fee at Darren's show while other times I did really well. Darren has been running shows in Madison for decades. I don't know if he is operating his show any longer. Does anyone know?

I think the next closest shows are Lansing, MI, and Fishers, IN. I don't feel like driving four hours, so I am settling on the flea market at the Kenosha County Fair Grounds. I do not bring my usual set up to the flea market, largely because I don't want my cards to bake in the hot sun. So if anyone is planning to be at the Flea Market in Wilmot, WI, and wants me to bring something particular, let me know.

I love the flea market. Hopefully, I can rustle one of my kids to help me. Reminder, my next show at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in Oak Creek, WI, is on Saturday, September 4. Dealer tables are sold out. Also, I just contracted with Don August, former Brewers pitcher, to sign autographs at the October 2nd Sal Show. Don will sign autos for $15 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. I will have a supply of his cards for sale for $1 each at the show. Mail orders must arrive at my office by October 1, 2021. Make your check payable to Anthony Gordon and send to:

The Law Office of Anthony B. Gordon
201 E. Dundee Road, Suite 2
Palatine, IL 60074

A big thank you to everyone who bought cards from me at the Woodstock show. Come visit me at the Kenosha County Fairgrounds on Sunday, August 29, 2021.

​

Sunday, August 15, 2021, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

Flush with cash from the National, I invited some guys selling their collections to visit my office this week with their cards. The first guy arrived on Thursday with a near-set of 1956 Topps football and some assorted stars from 1968 Topps baseball. I bought the cards. Then the second guy came over on Saturday with three totes of complete sets. I bought all of the sets! I am no longer flush with cash from the National!

With empty pockets, my goal for the August Orland show was to sell cards, not buy cards. I really need to go to Sports Cards Anonymous and do something about this addiction. I had very little will power and self control at the Orland show as dealers lined up to sell me cards as soon as I entered the room to set up. I did buy some nice cards and am happy with my purchases. Pictured above are some of my purchases from the August 15th Orland show. I also was able to turn down some cards, which is rare for me.

I had a nice day selling cards but all my profits went into my morning purchases. I brought out all of my binders and sold a large volume of cards. Will, once again, was the overall winner, purchasing 1958 and 1971 Topps baseball. Another customer, whose name escapes me, was a close second by cleaning out my 1969-70 and 1970-71 Topps basketball binders. He also cleaned out my non-sports binder. 

Another regular purchased a nice stack of 1950 Bowman baseball. For shear volume, Joe was the big winner as he spent most of the day pulling cards from a variety of binders. "Volume" was the key word today as I sold a TON of cards. My binders are kilt. A new customer purchased my whole 1972 Topps baseball binder early in the morning. I hope to have a new '72 binder out sometime next month.

Like I said, my binders are kilt. I think I am going to bring out display cases for a while instead of binders until I complete some major reloads.

It was great to see Denny and his wife who I have not seen for several years. I purchased some 1966 Topps baseball from Denny, who gave me a nice deal. Thanks Denny! I got to see Gil for the second month in a row after a long hiatus. Gil purchased a bunch of 1954 Topps baseball. Thanks Gil!

Mike and his son have been purchasing quite a bit of hockey from me these past several months and purchased more at the August show. Mike's son is heading back to college, maybe he can come in for the September Orland show. I really appreciate your purchases guys!

Real nice crowd today. My sales were up from last month but I did not bring home a whole lot of money because I bought so much stuff! Now I really need to sell some cards. I am looking to add some additional card shows and am scheduled next Saturday, August 21, for the Woodstock show at St. John's Lutheran Church, 401 St. John's Road, in beautiful Woodstock, IL. I really need to sell some cards as I have some more deals lined up!!

Minor rant: please no politics at my tables. There was a heated discussion at my tables today between two customers that ended with these middle-aged men calling each other names. Do we really need this? I would really appreciate it if folks could avoid the political discussions at my tables. I am going to place a sign behind my tables at the next Orland show stating "Political Free Zone." Anytime someone gets into politics, I will point to the sign and ask them to leave. Card shows are for fun, not for calling each other names over politics. End of minor rant.

Besides these two goofballs, this was a really great Orland show. Hopefully I can reload some of these binders before the September 19 Orland show. In the meantime, come see me at the Woodstock show on Saturday, August 21. I need to sell some cards!!

Pictured below is Joe, Gil, and a third regular customer whose name escapes me. Thanks for your purchases guys!

Sunday, August 8, 2021, Buenavista Banquets, Milwaukee, WI

No rest for the weary. The day after the National ended, I was in court representing clients for my real job. I had a pretty busy week of work as I have been putting everything off for the National. When Saturday rolled around, I was dead tired but had agreed to join my parents and my brother for the Cubs/Sox game at Wrigley Field. I really was hoping for a rain out. No such luck.

When traffic is light, I can make it to Wrigley Field from my house in about 40 minutes. However, the Edens Expressway in Suburban Chicago was a parking lot when I got on at Lake Cook Road. Things opened up a bit when I got past a nasty looking accident by Tower Road.

Traffic tightened up and I got off at Peterson Road and drove down to Western and meandered to the Wrigley Neighborhood. I parked at Irving Park Road and Lincoln Avenue, near Timber Lanes (a great old-time bowling alley and bar, if you are ever in the neighborhood). I have lived at two different apartments near Wrigley Field and know the neighborhood well. One thing I observed was a ton of new restaurants and bars and need to come back and try these places on a non-game day. 

Pictured above is me and Jon at the game with a photo bomb from a random Cub fan. Man, oh, man, was it hot and humid on Saturday. I struggled walking to Wrigley from my parking spot. My dad had emailed me a link for the ticket prior to the game. This was the first time I entered a game with a ticket on my phone. They were giving out sunscreen as you entered.

It was jammed in Wrigley Field. My dad got us tickets in the upper deck behind home plate. Ugh! It was quite a walk. I purchased some water before finding my seat. I arrived as they were singing the National Anthem. My folks and my brother had already been there a few hours. My dad, who is always snarky, told me that he and my brother had a bet as to when I would arrive. He took the 7th inning while my brother said the 8th. 

Snarkiness aside, I enjoyed the seats.

Pictured above is my snarky dad, mom and me. My folks have been taking me to both Wrigley and Comiskey since the 1960's. We still go together every year. Dad was a beer/hot dog vendor at both parks in the 1950's. As you can tell, he was the only one in the park keeping score on a score card on Saturday.

​My mom grew up just down the road from Wrigley off Lawrence Avenue. My dad grew up in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. They were high school sweethearts at Chicago's Roosevelt High School, Class of 1955. Check out the lady behind us who covered up the Cubs logo on her jersey with a Yankees logo. Awesome!

So I am one of the rare Chicagoans who is a fan of both the White Sox and the Cubs. In the past, I would wear a Cubs hat to Wrigley and a Sox hat to Comiskey. But after the Cubs gutted the team, I do not feel I can ever support the Cubs again. I wore a Sox cap and rooted for the Sox at Wrigley for the first time in my life. The Sox did not disappoint. Rondon pitched a gem. Sox won 4-0.

​I was so hot and tired after the game. It was a struggle walking to my car. I slept a few hours after arriving home. Go Sox!

It was so hard waking up for the Buenavista show on Sunday. The heat and humidity felt worse than Saturday as I loaded my car Sunday morning. I was covered with sweat afterwords. I had an easy drive up to Milwaukee. I try not to speed but I was running late and averaged 90 MPH the whole way.

Load in and set up went smoothly. I brought out just about all of my binders including my newly reloaded 1976 Topps football binder. Attendance was nice early on. I had some nice sales. Robert pulled some nice piles of 1953, 1954, and 1955 Topps baseball. Thanks Robert! Dean found some cards and also lent me a book about Larry Doby and Satchel Paige. Thanks Dean!

A bunch of other regulars found some cards and I ended up having a decent day. Not quite the same amount of sales as my last Buenavista show in June but I'll take it. I also picked up some 1971-72 Topps hockey from Robin. Thanks Robin!

I once again chowed down on five steak tacos. Man, those tacos are good!

I was set up next to Tom John and Larry Larsen. Behind me was PJ and Nelson. I love hanging out with these guys. 

The show started to clear out around noon as folks were heading over to the Brewers game. I stuck around until about 1 p.m. then had an easy drive home. Once home, I went straight to sleep. 

I had a tough time waking up for work on Monday. I had two long cases in court that took all morning. Tuesday has been a fairly easy day at work as I do this write up. I hope to be rested for the Orland show on Sunday, August 15, 2021. I am probably going to bring out all of my binders and one display case to Orland. I had a request for some star cards from the 1950's, so I'll fill the case with that stuff. Hope to see you Sunday in Orland!

A big thank you to everyone who bought cards and sold me cards at the Buenavista show. Once again I received many complements about this blog. I really appreciate all the kind words. Thank you!

Pictured below is a corner of the room at the Buenavista show on Sunday.

Sunday, August 1, 2021, Stephens Center, Rosemont, IL

Wow! Where did the week go? Time flies when you are having fun! Pictured above is me and Dave at our booth on Sunday.

So after looking at piles of doughnuts in the dealer hospitality room on Saturday, I decided to grab one on Sunday, only to learn that they don't provide the doughnuts on Sunday. Ugh!

Same routine as all week long -- rearranging the display cases first thing. As cards have sold, I have been able to add more cards to the display cases each day. It was nice to show new inventory each day.

I did not know what to expect on the last day of the National. I usually do not have very good sales on the last day. However, in 2019, I had a great day on Sunday. I was hopeful this Sunday would be a repeat of 2019.

Sales started to kick in early. I had some guys return who bought cards from me on Saturday. I had a few guys from Joliet stop by my table three or four times, each time making purchases. They ended up buying all of my 1915 Cracker Jack. Thanks guys.

I really can't remember what I sold but do remember that I had many sales early on during Sunday's show. I then spent quite a bit of time walking around, exploring and shopping. I thought one dealer was selling a 1956 Topps Jackie Robinson for $275, which is now a crazy cheap price for that card in nice shape. Turns out the 2 on the price tag was actually a 7. The card cost $725. Looks like if I want any Jackie cards in the future, I am going to have to shell out quite a few Benjamins.

Which brings me to a problem that I foresee: restocking. I sold a ton of cards this week. I know I will not be able to restock those cards at the same prices I paid more than a year ago. The value of vintage cards, especially HOFers, as gone waaayyy up. I am not sure how this is going to play out in the future. Hopefully, I can still find some deals. There certainly were not many deals available at the National. Yet, I really enjoyed walking around the show. I miss the days when I would attend the National as a customer and have all the time in the world to check out the dealer tables.

Surprisingly, I did not have any sales while I was gone from my booth. I have learned that if I am not at the booth, I really do not sell any cards. Sales started to pick up once I sat down behind my display cases. As a result, finding the time to walk the show is difficult.

Back to my friend Craig. Concerned, I texted him because I had not seen him all week. I always see Craig at the National. He texted back and said he was at a convention in Milwaukee. He did not say what type of convention. I advised the National was just down the road from Milwaukee. I am amazed he did not attend the National!

Dave and I were also wondering about our pal Bob because he usually stops in the National at least one day. I texted Bob a photo of Dave and I. Shortly thereafter, Bob showed up at our booth with a Dick Shiner card. It was great to see Bob!

Once Bob arrived, we started to get a crowd at the booth. Both Dave and I had some really nice sales on Sunday. Ross interviewed me for his National wrap up story in SCD. 

On my Day 1 report, I alluded to some trouble with PWCC. Generally, they were a good neighbor throughout the show except for Sunday afternoon when they placed a large table in front of my display cases, essentially blocking my portion of the booth. They placed five or six boxes of pizza on the table along with some soft drinks.

See photo below of the table blocking my booth and the PWCC staffers standing in front of my display cases chowing down on crappy pizza.

​A customer from West Virginia asked about the pizzas. I explained that PWCC placed that table there, blocking my booth and did not offer me any pizza. The guy then swiped a can of Coke from the table. He was very entertaining and he and his buddies bought a bunch of cards from me.

Normally, I sit around on the last day of the National but this year I was very busy and active. I think the only lull was between 4 and 5 p.m. when we closed up shop. Jon showed up to help me load out and with his help load out went much smoother than past Nationals.

Did I mention that Scott lost his cart early in the week? It showed up at the end of the day Sunday. Apparently, PWCC had taken it.

Once again, Scott, PJ and Dave were able to pack up and exit much faster than me. Jon and I were stuck there long after those guys got out of Dodge. As PWCC started to take down their booth, they started to wall me and Jon in. Luckily we got out when we did. 

Man, was I sad to see the show end. I had so much fun. I sold a TON of cards. I can't wait for Atlantic City!

In the meantime, I am setting up on Sunday, August 8, 2021, at the WSCA show at Buenavista Banquets, 7507 W. Oklahoma, in Milwaukee. I am not hosting a show at the Salvation Army this month. I need a break after the National. My next Sal show is Sept. 4. After a week of display cases, I am bringing out all of my binders Sunday at the Buenavista Banquets show. I should have my 1976 Topps football binder reloaded by Sunday. Hope to see you then.

A huge thank you to everyone who purchased cards from me at the National. I appreciate you! It was so great to meet so many new people. I hope we meet again!

Now for some final thoughts on the 2021 National and our hobby in general. Our great hobby is as healthy as can be based on the huge crowds and large sales at this year's National. I saw a report that the 2021 National attendance was the second best all-time behind the 1991 National in Anaheim. 

Besides the crowds and great sales, the thing that has struck me most is just how much the hobby has changed over the years. I first started collecting baseball cards as a kid in 1975. Every kid I knew back then collected cards. We had no idea that these things had any value or that they would eventually have value. We sorted the cards by team, kept them in rubber bands in a shoe box, and marked off the players on the team checklist. We placed the cards in the spokes of our bikes to get that motorcycle sound. We taped our favorite players onto our bedroom wall. We bragged to one another about having a Hank Aaron or a Frank Robinson. 

I will never forget 1975. It was so much fun. All I needed to do back then was rustle 15 cents from a drawer in my kitchen and walk up to the pharmacy and buy a pack of cards. I loved hanging out with my friend Adam, who lived behind me. We would spread our cards out on his bed and have marathon trading sessions. It is sad to me that those days are long gone. Kids will never collect cards again for the shear joy of collecting because all cards have a dollar value now and even kids see these things as a commodity. 

Though, thankfully, most everyone who participates in the hobby is a sports fan so there still is a certain appreciation for the players depicted on the cards. I hope that never goes away.

I observed quite a few booths at the 2021 National that were all about "investing" in sports cards. I really hate the "investors." They are predators in my book. This is a hobby, it is supposed to be fun. If you make some money at it, great. I just really dislike the corporate attitude that is seeping in. I have to wear a tie to my day job, am I going to have to wear a tie to attend card shows in the future? Will I have to obtain the advice of a financial analyst before I purchase a card? 

I watched one of the hundreds of YouTube videos from the National. I watched an "investor" drop $10K on a new soccer card then another $10K on a new basketball card. I just cannot comprehend. I discovered vintage cards around 1978 and since then the hobby has been all about vintage cards for me. Modern cards will never have much value in my book, even as I witness crazy money exchanging hands for those shiny things.

These investors are not so much interested in vintage cards, which is actually a good thing. They prey on these modern cards and jack the prices into the stratosphere. I find it mind-boggling the number of folks buying and selling cards at $10K a pop. I just feel like that aspect of the hobby is due for a major crash. Ja Morant is no Michael Jordan and I think the cards of all the Ja Morants of the world are going to be worthless down the road. Somebody is going to feel some pain.

In all my years in the hobby, I have never observed a major drop in the value of vintage cards. I think the advent of third-party grading has caused the prices for high grade vintage to soar into the stratosphere. I am not sure if those cards can maintain their value but I have more confidence in a 1956 Topps PSA 9 Jackie Robinson keeping its value over a 2021 Panini Zion Williamson 1/5. Zion could have a career ending injury tomorrow and no one will ever remember him.

I do not know if it is a good thing for the hobby that modern cards are much more popular now than vintage. It just seems like a bubble to me. I am in for the long haul. This has been my hobby for the past 46 years and will continue to be my hobby until the day I die. I do not expect the bulk of the folks that attended the 2021 National to be as dedicated and to be involved in the hobby for very long. I think many are carpet baggers of sort. They are here today for some quick cash then they'll be gone tomorrow.

At some point, I think the hobby will contract some but all these new aspects will remain such as breakers, vloggers, and investors. I think the card companies are quite brilliant in milking the investors and creating "rare" cards for them. It is as new day in the sports card hobby. It is strange that vintage is now a niche when it was once so dominant.

I am going to continue buying and selling vintage cards. I still enjoy putting sets together. I still enjoy collecting. At the same time it is fun to make some money selling cards but much more fun to purchase vintage cards. I will do it for as long as I physically can. I still look forward to setting up at shows on the weekends. I love hanging out with folks who enjoy vintage cards as much as I do. 

Though, I can't help but think about what a strange new world the hobby has become. I am thankful that card shows are still alive and as strong as they have ever been. I went to my first card show in 1978 and have never stopped going. I know that far more cards are bought online these days than at card shows but shows are still viable and still enjoyable. I hope to see you at a card show soon!

Oh, and a big THANK YOU to everyone who came to my booth at the National with nice comments about this blog!! I am honestly thinking about entering the vlogging world but I will need help as this tech is over my head. Anybody able to help?

Photo time....

REA had this Wagner at their booth. It is always cool to see the T206 Wagner, which is still the holy grail to me, no matter what price Lebrons and Bradys are receiving in Goldin Auctions.

Now for my Natty pick-up, pictured below. My buying wasn't as good as past National but I did find some stuff....

SEE YA!

Saturday, July 31, 2021, Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL

I am not sure how many Nationals I have set up as a dealer. I think it may be seven or eight. I do know that the one constant has been my pal Dave McDonald. I love setting up with this guy. He is one of the most knowledgeable guys I know. We also enjoy a lot of the same things like vintage cards, classic rock, food and a good laugh. We always have a great time at the National.

At that very first National with Dave, we were joined by our pal Bob. I think Bob set everything up the first time. He registered us for the tables and charted out our layout. It was great. Unfortunately, Bob's work and family schedule makes it tough for him to set up. So the second National I set up at as a dealer, I made the reservation and recruited additional guys.

I also registered the group for the third National I attended as a dealer. At that one, we were set up across from PJ and we agreed to join forces. PJ has been registering the group for the last several Nationals now.

I remember when I was registering the group, it was real easy to get space. However, I observed that there has been an increase in demand for dealer space at these past few Nationals and PJ has had to really hustle to maintain our regular spot at the Chicago Nationals.

PJ and Dave also set up at some Cleveland Nationals that Scott and I were unable to attend. As a general rule, it is really hard for me to get the time off work to set up at the National, a five-day show. At every other National in the past, I have needed someone to watch my booth so I can represent clients in court in the morning then head over to the convention center.

This time around, I made an extra effort to schedule my court cases before and after the National. It was difficult to do but I was able to get it done. I have been thinking about the 2022 National in Atlantic City and decided just before this year's Chicago National that I want to set up in Atlantic City next year. 

I have been talking about it with Dave, PJ and Scott. They do not seem all that interested. I cannot do it alone, I need a second person. I enlisted by brother Jon who has agreed to attend the 2022 National in Atlantic City with me. Thanks Jon! I have never been to a National outside of Chicago so I am already excited for 2022. Also, I have always wanted to go to Atlantic City. Jon and I love to  gamble. Our dad taught us how to play craps when we were toddlers -- we're from Chicago, what can I say!

So in order to reserve space at the 2022 National in Atlantic City, I had to attend a dealer space lottery on Saturday morning. I was very concerned about making it to the lottery at my allotted time of 8:20 a.m. because I am a terrible morning person.

Thankfully waking up was not a problem and I made it to Rosemont in about 15 minutes, in plenty of time. I have never participated in this lottery before as space used to be simple to obtain back in the day. PJ advised I use his name for registration because he was a "5" and I was a "2." The 5's get called for booth selection well before the 2's. When I arrived to Room 12, there was a crowd already there. I observed folks filling out paper work. I grabbed some papers and a pen, went into the dealer hospitality room where folks were chowing down on complementary doughnuts, and filled out the forms.

I saw Tony Schafer in there grabbing some doughnuts. We had talked about possibly teaming up for Atlantic City and the next Chicago National but I wanted to ensure I had some space so I joined this lottery deal.

With the paperwork complete, I got in line in Room 12. I handed my paperwork to a lady and watched her fumble with the forms and she seemed to be matching my paperwork with a list of names.

She told me that I am not a 5 but I am a 2 and had to register with the 2s. I explained to her that I partner with PJ and he is a 5 and I would like to register under PJ Sports. She said no. I had to register under my own name. I then attempted to explain my situation to a guy sitting to the her left. He said no, I have to register under my own name and had to redo the form with my name. They could not find a notecard with my name and wrote my name on a piece of paper and told me to hand it to a guy at the front of the packed room at a podium. I complied.

I sat down next to Gary George (love that guy!) and told him my situation. Gary was sympathetic. I am thankful that he'll be at Atlantic City so I know I'll see a friendly face next year. I scratched out PJ's name on the form and put my name on there and waited for the 2's to be called.

About 30 minutes later, I was called to come up and select my booth from a large map. I know nothing about the Atlantic City show and just randomly picked a spot. When I finished selection, I observed that only a handful of booths were available. The 2022 National was just about to sell out of dealer space.

I handed my form to a guy I recognized, I am pretty sure my pal Mark Smith introduced me to this guy in Strongsville and we had dinner together after one of the shows. I tried to explain my situation and he said that I could not register under PJ's name. I sucked it up and paid the famous Megan. If you ever registered for the National, you spoke to Megan at some point. I paid for the booth. I then was directed to hand my paperwork to my friend Gizmo. I received a fist bump from Gizmo and am now all registered for 2022. Woot! Now I need to obtain a hotel room....

That lottery was exhausting. Gizmo advised I go back to my booth and make some money. I made no argument. Back at the booth, I began to rearrange my display cases and informed the troops that I could not register under PJ's name. So this will affect us for the lottery in Atlantic City when I try to get booth space for 2023 in Chicago. I will have to wait until the end of the lottery to select booths for the 2023 National in Chicago. Ugh! Hopefully there will still be space available!!

So I waited too long to write this blog and cannot remember what I sold on Saturday. I was much too tired Saturday night to do a write up. I know I had steady sales all day long. Sales were not nearly as strong as Thursday or Friday but still much better than Wednesday.

Another big crowd on Saturday. My pal Ross Forman, who writes for SCD, told me the autograph line on Saturday wrapped around the building. I also watched a YouTube video of the line just to get into the building. Man, oh, Man!

And what was the deal with all of the video taping? I have never seen this before. Starting on Wednesday and continuing throughout the show, I observed folks making video of the show either using just their cell phones or various types of video cameras and equipment. Camera after camera went by our booth. Often they were in groups. I  thought the ones videoing by themselves were talking to themselves before I realized they were talking to a camera.

There were many impromptu interviews at PWCC's booth. Crazy. I need to go on YouTube and start watching all of these videos. I made many a goofy face when I realized I was on camera. Maybe I need to start doing vlogs instead of blogs which seems to be the trend.

I bought a few more things on Saturday but not a whole lot as stuff to buy because cards just did not show up at my booth, unlike past Nationals where I was overrun with people selling cards.

The bathroom was still gross. Someone dropped a can of Miller Lite in the toilet I was about to use. Nasty.

Regardless, Saturday was another fun day. I was tired when the show ended at 6 p.m. but was looking forward to dinner with Dave, PJ and our friend Larry at Tom's Steakhouse in Elmwood Park, near Rosemont. Tom's is an old-time restaurant. It is rumored to be a mob place. I think it was bombed in the 1970's. I first went there in the mid-1980's when my girlfriend's parents took us there for dinner. I loved it then and love it now. My own parents love Tom's and have taken me there many times. Then my wife and I went there when we lived nearby.

It has been a while since I have been at Tom's. Maybe 10 years. One of the things I loved about Tom's in the past was it's 1960's decor and the "Relish Cart" which is a cart the waitress brings over before your meal and is filled with pickles, olives, spiced veggies and the like. I observed that the 1960's decor was gone as is the Relish Cart. Nevertheless, my strip steak was absolutely awesome! Tom's soaks each steak in au jous sauce and it is just awesome. We had a great meal! Thanks Dave!

I was beat when I got home and watched "Venom" with my kids. What a silly movie. I slept hard that night.

​Photo time...

I had an opportunity to walk around the show today and saw all sorts of cool memorabilia. Pictured above is a 1934 Detroit Tigers pennant.

I thought this signed 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson was really cool. Above it there is also a signed Jackie Robinson Exhibit card.

Another cool item is this 1923 New York Yankees opening day program. There is just so much cool stuff at the National. I love walking around and checking everything out.

I ran into my old friend Jeff Bornstien. He used to have a card shop in Phoenix. Anybody know Jeff? I've known him my whole life. Our parents are close friends. His father was an amazing guy and he used to own one of the original Batmobiles from the 1960's TV show. When I was a kid, Jeff's dad drove the Batmobile over to my house. The Batmobile was in my driveway! Anyway, I saw Jeff at the end of the show Saturday over at the PWCC booth. He offered to sell me this Mantle wire photo. Even though it is cool, I did not buy it because I do not know the value of wire photos. Anyone know anything about wire photos? What does this thing sell for? Anyway, it was great to see Jeff.