Saturday, August 27, 2022, Sheraton Hotel, Madison, WI

I hate the drive but I love the show! Lots of traffic this morning on the roads and in the show. This was my best Madison show in months!!

I brought out 10 display cases. I also brought out my binder of 1971 Topps Coins for George as he requested that binder. George and Kristie were at my table early and purchased almost all of my coins! Thanks George!

A regular customer found some 1962 Topps baseball. My father and son team that loves football, purchased a pile of cards. The son purchased one of my 1938 Our National Game Pins. Thanks guys! Gil, my resident Giants fan, bought some cards. Thanks Gil!

Ben purchased some 1971 Topps baseball. I sold some 1975's to another customer. I sold a 1969-70 Topps Bobby Hull to a new customer. Brian was the big winner today as he purchased my 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1958 Topps All Star Stan Musial, and my 1956 Topps Harmon Killebrew. Thanks Brian.

Quite a few guys purchased cards but I don't remember exactly what sold, as usual. I ended up have a really nice day. 

On the buying front, I purchased a few more autographs from Ben. Bob offered me some high-end graded cards but I did not respond with an offer. I just had a feeling he wanted big bucks.

I have known Tom, the dealer set up across from me, for a long time. He used to set up at my show back when it was at the Clarion. I got to talking to his son, who told me he collects T206's. He is starting out slow but his goal is to complete the set. What a neat kid!

The dealer set up next to me, with what I call the couch-potato set up, was out the door by 1 p.m. Me and Kyle were the last dealers at the show. I was making sales late and got stuck chatting. I did not hit the road to home until 4 p.m. I pulled off the highway in Janesville and paid a mere $3.33 for gas. I filled up on my way out by my house for $4.09 a gallon. I also hit Wendy's in Janesville where I didn't notice until it was too late that they put cheese on my burger. My daughter ate the burger when I got home.

Pretty great day in Madison. The promoter Beau does a tremendous job. The Madison show is one of the most solid shows I regularly attend. Next Madison show is on September 24th. I plan on bringing binders to that one. I also had a request for my dime box, I'll try to remember to bring it out in September.

Up next, is Oak Creek on Saturday and Janesville on Sunday. I'm bringing binders to Oak Creek then display cases to Janesville. I would prefer to bring binders to Janesville but I did lousy with them last time so I gotta bring display cases to see if I can right the ship!

​See you this weekend!!

Pictured above is the very first show at the Clarion Hotel in Milwaukee in September of 2014.

In 2014, I was underemployed and trying to set up at as many card shows as possible to supplement my income. I was driving all over the Midwest for shows, regularly setting up in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Canton, Dayton, Grand Rapids and Jackson, MI.

All that driving grew tiresome and I was losing money on hotels. I thought there had to be a better way.

There just was not enough shows in the Chicago and Milwaukee area, my home bases, especially on Saturday. After considering creating a show close to home in Illinois, I decided that Milwaukee would be a better option because there were no Saturday shows in Milwaukee and the Gonzaga show was my best show at the time. I had great customers in Milwaukee. My goal was to lure my Gonzaga customers to a second show every month and eliminate my need to travel five, six hours for a show.

When I told my friend Mark Smith about my idea for a Saturday show in Milwaukee, he was all for it and offered to partner on the venture. I Googled event venues and found the Clarion Hotel. I got a price quote from Jeff, the Clarion manager. Mark and I both thought the price was reasonable and booked the Clarion from September through December 2014 for a once-a-month Saturday card show. I scheduled the shows on a date convenient for Mark to drive in from Michigan. Mark and I then split the cost of a large ad in the Milwaukee Journal.

I think we had 20 tables for that first show in September 2014. We were lucky that other dealers liked the idea of a Saturday show in Milwaukee. Well, that first one went according to plan as my regular customers from Gonzaga showed up and purchased cards at the new Clarion show.

Initially, the Clarion was a great venue. The room was usually set up when we arrived. There were classy tablecloths on each table. The venue provided jugs of water. Most of the dealers were vintage dealers. I started to hear some rumblings that there were not enough modern dealers at the show. Yet, my sales continued to be strong.

I booked the Clarion for 2015. Mark and I continued to take out expensive ads in the Journal and we continued to have decent shows. In April or May of 2015, we stopped the ads because they were just too expensive. Attendance dropped without the ads. Prior to the June 2015 show, just about all of the dealers dropped out, including Mark. It was just too far of a drive for Mark to do every month from Michigan.

The June 2015 show was a disaster. I only had about five dealers and 12 tables. I think we only had five or six customers through the door. I was in a tough spot. I thought about cancelling the show but I was on the hook with the hotel for six more months.

Fortunately, I am a very positive person and have experienced failure in the past and have always been able to learn from it and come out in a better place. Failure does not get me down, it gets me angry. I was determined to make this show a success.

I realized that if this show was to survive it would take a little creativity, some extra promotion, and some hard work. I leaned on my experience from various facets of my life up to this point to get this show on the right track.

In the past, I watched many other card-show promoters focus on trying to bring dealers into their shows. John Leary from the Orland show was relentless. If you set up at his show once, he would call you every month until the end of time. I always felt this practice was wrong. First of all, it annoyed the hell out of dealers. If they were interested, they would call John, he did not need to call them.

How do you get dealers interested in a show? Harassing them is definitely not the way to go. The answer is simple -- customers. Dealers will set up when there are customers in the room. I needed customers.

To bring in customers my first thought was doughnuts. Yes, doughnuts. I learned at my old job in the law department for the Illinois Secretary of State that fellow employees always attended meetings when doughnuts were present. I thought I could get customers to attend the card show if I gave away doughnuts -- it worked at the meetings, why not at the card show?

So I advertised free doughnuts for the July 2015 show at the Clarion. The doughnuts not only brought in customers, it brought me a few more dealers. The doughnuts were a hit! The July show was as big improvement on June. I was on my way!

While set up at the Fort Wayne show around this time, promoter Brian Mayne explained to me how he used social media to bring customers into his show. Upon Brian's recommendation, I immediately started a Facebook page for the show. I also began blogging more about the show. Folks noticed my Facebook page and my blog. Attendance at the show continued to grow. More dealers followed.

Then I remembered some things from my former life as a journalist and newspaper publisher. From 1994 to 2001, I operated a free bi-monthly newspaper in Chicago called the Barfly, a guide to the Chicago bars. It was distributed free to 700 bars and restaurants in Chicago. I made my money by selling advertising. Like my card show, my bar publication started out small and grew and grew. Hundreds of bars advertised in my newspaper. I recalled one tool that the bars used to bring in customers which was the "anniversary party." The yearly anniversary parties were always a hit for the bars, so I decided that the September 2015 show at the Clarion would be my first anniversary party where I would give away doughnuts and pizza.

The June 2015 disaster became a mere memory as that September 2015 show was packed. I ordered pizzas from the hotel which were devoured as soon as they were placed out. I took note that baseball-card-show customers liked free pizza.

Then I thought I would go a little Bill Veeck and create themes. I held a Halloween party at the October 2015 show and gave away Halloween themed cupcakes. For the November 2015 show, in honor of Thanksgiving, I gave away turkey sandwiches. For the December 2015 show, I gave away ham sandwiches in honor of Christmas. Crowds and dealers appeared and everyone loved the themes. 

Not only was I getting more customers and dealers but there was a great vibe to the show. Everybody who set up and attended all seemed to be really enjoy themselves. I definitely hit on something good.

Mike, who had a card shop in Lake Geneva and who has a relationship with many Illinois and Wisconsin former professional athletes, approached me at one of the early 2016 shows and asked if I wanted former Packer Gilbert Brown to sign at the show. YES!

Mike brought in Gilbert to the May 2016 show. Me and Gilbert pictured below. Man, Gilbert Brown could not have been nicer. I remember that Gilbert bought some cards from dealer Robin Gentilini. That was so fun! Robin and I still talk about it!

The June 2016 show was the complete opposite of the June 2015 show. I had a full house of dealers, probably more than any other previous show. I also had excellent attendance. The only issue, as some of you may recall, was that seemingly thousands of seagulls had stormed the parking lot. It was freaky!

By my second anniversary show in September of 2016, I had dealers from Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois. I got wise and ordered many more pizzas from the hotel. I also made an extra effort to get the word out about the second anniversary show. My efforts paid off with a packed house and a visit by the local Milwaukee CBS affiliate. A reporter interviewed me on camara!!

I also have to mention some dealers who were such great supporters of the show back in those days like Gary George, Jerry K., Larry Larsen, PJ, Bill Nest, Mike Johnson, Dennis Barrett, Alex Rauter, Dave Kania, Roger Baehr and Scott Ziegert. You guys rock! Thank you so much!!

I need to mention some collectors that have been great supporters since the early days as well like Mark, Jim K., Barry, Jack, Stan Atkinson, George, Larry, Jerome, State Farm Dave, Jim, Larry and Carol. Thank you guys!

The year 2017 started out with a bang as the Milwaukee ABC television affiliate mentioned the show on their morning program. We were packed!! Photo below is from the January 2017 Clarion show.

I had now fallen in a routine for the show. I tried to promote the show in some way each and every day. Then the morning of the show, I would hit either a Dunkin Donuts by my house or near the Clarion and buy four or five boxes of doughnuts and a jug of coffee. Sometimes I would get some Munchkins as well. I also started to give away free packs of cards as a promotional tool and to help out some of the wax dealers. I started regularly using a larger room at the hotel to accommodate all the new dealers.

The Third Anniversary show was a grand success in September of 2017. I gave away eight pizzas, three boxes of doughnuts and four boxes of cards. In October of 2017, I once again gave out Halloween cupcakes.

With rising popularity, came more work. I had to deal with many more dealers, some needed their hands held. My work situation changed and I went from being under employed to overly employed. I was crazy busy and losing my mind. I thought about cancelling the show again because it had become so much work and I was spending more weekends at my real job and attending fewer shows.

The thing that kept me going was all the great and regular compliments from both dealers and customers. It is nice to be appreciated. I succeeded in creating a really fun show. I brought out free turkey sandwiches for November and ham sandwiches for December. That food made everyone so happy! It was so cool to see!!

Pictured below is the December 2017 Clarion show.

​While I was a little overwhelmed as the show continued to grow, one constant was Clarion manager Jeff. I can't say enough about Jeff. He was a superstar. Well, the Marriot Corp. went out and bought the Clarion. They fired Jeff. They fired my other contact Betsy, who was also awesome.

New management came in and disrupted everything. I forget the name of this young punk of guy who thought his shite didn't stink. He was the new manager of the Clarion which was getting ready to change its name to the Four Points Sheraton. Punk jacked up my rental rate. He gave me a new contract which forbade outside food. I could no longer bring in doughnuts, coffee, cupcakes, sandwiches and pizza -- the things that really saved the show and made it popular. Punk wanted me to buy food from the hotel at 10 times the price. Who did he think I was -- John D. Rockefeller?

Well, I'm no Rockefeller. I was not making any money on the show. I charged dealers next to nothing to set up. There was no admission fee. I spent my own hard-earned dollars on advertising, food and cards that I gave away. I was happy to give this stuff away because people really appreciated it. It gave the show a festive atmosphere, unlike any other show. Everyone was happy, except the punk that took over managing the hotel.

I started to explore other venues but signed the new crappy contract for 2018 as I had no prospects for a new venue. This new guy and new situation sucked so bad. The show was doing so well! The year 2017 had been the best so far! Going into 2018, I was nervous. Would anyone attend if I didn't give away food?

Despite the punk, 2018 started off well. I no longer brought out doughnuts but gave out more packs of cards.

Pictured below is the May 2018 Four Points Sheraton show.

By April 2018, the punk was gone and a new manager came on. I don't remember her name so I am going to call her Pippi. So in April 2018, Pippi told me she was cancelling my June show. My response, we have a contract, you are not cancelling my June show. I recommended that we move the June show into the hotel restaurant and bar, there was plenty of space in there for my show. Pippi did not seem to care that we had a legally binding contract and she put down my suggestion of moving. I drew up a lawsuit and presented it to Pippi. Then I drew up a press release, slamming the hotel and management -- that netted me a meeting with the hotel's district manager.

The district manager was a dick. His first words to me were a flat out lie. He said the hotel was never going to cancel my June show. I told him we could litigate that issue. His tune changed and he advised that we move the show to the restaurant and bar. Wow! Great idea, genius!

So the June show went on without a hitch. Good number of dealers and a nice crowd. Pippi presented me with a new contract which stated the hotel could cancel my show at any time without any notice. I threw Pippi's contract into the garbage. We still had a binding contract for the remainder of 2018. I was not changing any of the terms.

The shows remained strong in 2018. For the first time, I had to turn dealers away. In August, I met a new manager at the hotel. Pippi was gone. I asked the new manager if I could renew my contract for 2019. That was a hard no. So the hunt was on for a new location.

I spotted one potential spot as I drove home, going south on Howell, the Salvation Army Community Center. I decided to call the Salvation Army after Scott Ziegert recommended it and told me that his daughters participated in sports leagues there. I called and talked to Mark at the Sal. We easily worked out the details and a contract was signed. New location easily found. Sayonara Four Points Sheraton. I knew that after four years of renting space at the Clarion/Sheraton, my card show was the only regular event at the hotel. In addition, the hotel got great exposure through my show as attendees saw the event space and some rented space for their events.  It will never make any sense as to why they messed with me and kicked me out. Their loss!

The November 2018 Four Points Sheraton Show was the largest to date. Management changed again, this time the new hotel manager was our own Mike Mahan, who regularly set up at the show. The last two months at the Four Points Sheraton were a breeze thanks to Mike.  

​Pictured below is the November 2018 Four Points Sheraton show.

I brought out doughnuts to give away at the December show. It was my last show, what could they do. Mike didn't care.

I was really sad at that December 2018 show. It had been a wild four years. The show almost died several times but it and I perservered. I had grown accostomed to my routine at the Clarion/Four Points. I was not sure what was in store for the future. The June 2015 show is forever cemented in my mind. I was concerned that now that I had worked so hard to establish the show at the Clarion/Four Points, would dealers and customers follow me to the Salvation Army?

                       HELLO SALVATION ARMY COMMUNITY CENTER!

I took January off for a much-needed respite. First show at the new venue was in February of 2019. From the beginning Mark and everyone at the Salvation Army worked as my partner. What a nice change from the Four Points Sheraton. That first show in February 2019 was a MONSTER show! Oh my. I was flooded with dealers and customers.

Pictured below is my amazing friend Larry Larsen at the very first Salvation Army show in February of 2019.

I don't know what I was worried about. The show took off! It has grown by leaps and bounds since it moved to the Sal. I think I had 25 or 30 dealers, 40 or 50 tables, for that first show at the Sal. I now have 90 dealers and 130 tables!

The growth of the show has presented all sorts of new problems but I seem to be able to tackle them all. The Sal provides a concession stand which is just awesome! We started out in the Fellowship Hall behind the gym and have grown to encompass Fellowship Hall, the gym, the Game Room and the Front Hallway. I may expand into the chapel.

In April of 2022, I started to charge a $1 admission to the show and donate the entire admission take to the Salvation Army. Also, all of the concession stand proceeds go to the Sal.

We are truly partners and work amazingly well together. I have held various fundraisers over these past four years to help support various Sal programs. They are a tremendous organization and have treated me like a prince. I am so appreciative. Mark is family. I love that guy!

I am so amazed at how the show has grown and continues to grow.

Only hiccup was the Pandemic. The pandemic was a crazy experience for me and the show. The Sal shut down the show from April 2020 through September 2020. I did not fight them on it and actually agreed that it was the right thing to do. This COVID business has been scary. I have known three people that have died from it. I have had it twice and it sucks!

During the shut down, I checked in regularly with Mark to see when we could restart the show. In September, Mark told me the higher ups from the Sal met and came up with some terms and restrictions for restarting the show in October of 2020. Obviously, everyone had to wear a mask. We placed all of the dealer tables six-feet apart to encourage social distancing. We limited all the dealers to just two tables max. I was fine with all of these restrictions but dealers and customers were not, so the headaches began.

Five months with no show drove me nuts. I was willing to do just about anything to get the show back up and running. I hated having to police the show once we restarted but I was worried it would get shut down. It was a battle.

Prior to the Pandemic, we had our largest show to date in March of 2020, the show was on a roll! The show slowly returned to its former glory by the end of 2020. Then in January of 2021, the show exploded. I don't have official numbers but we easily had well over 1,000 people attend that January 2021 show. Oh my! 

Yet, I still think of June of 2015 when nobody came out to the show. Each month I am still worried, to this day, that nobody is going to attend. Silly, really. My phone has been ringing off the hook for table space. I had to institute a wait list that grew to 70. I am still battling that wait list. In April of 2022, when we started to accept that admission fee, we finally had some numbers on attendance. April and May of 2022 saw more than 600 people attend the show. The last show in August of 2022 had about 500 people.

The show is alive and well and continues to morph and grow. I don't bring out any food because we have the concession stand. Though, I cannot afford to provide food for 600 to 1,000 people any way. I stopped giving away packs of cards when attendance took off last year but have restarted my giveaway.

We have autograph guests every so often like Dave Robinson, Dorsey Levens and Don August.

I am in shock and awe every month at the show. I can't believe the number of dealers. I can't believe the amount of people that attend the show each and every month. I can't believe that the people at the Salvation Army are so incredibly nice! 

The show is a machine now. There is a ton of work but it has become routine. Funny that I started the show as a way to sell cards. I never anticipated that the show would grow so large that I would be unable to sit at my table and sell cards, which is the only downer. I probably need to start collecting table fee in advance, so I don't have to spend all day visiting 90 dealers to get table fee.

I am still the cheapest table fee around. Most shows charge double my fee. I have thought about raising dealer table fee but everything is so perfect, I am afraid to change anything. There is the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

I also like that my low fee makes it possible for anyone to set up. If you set up and don't sell any cards, you are out a big 25 bucks. Unlike the Merriville, Indiana, show last weekend where I spent $200 on table fee and hardly sold any cards. I don't want anyone to face that kind of situation. I don't want the dealers stressed out. I want everybody to have a good time, which has always been my bottom line. This is a fun hobby, let's have some fun!

I gotta thank everyone who reads this blog, everyone who sets up at the show, everyone who attends and everyone from the Salvation Army. You all are just too good to me and I really, really appreciate you! 

There was a father at the last show, who thanked me profusely. He attended with his son for the first time and they had a great time. I hear this regularly, which is why I continue to operate the show after eight hard years. I've booked the Sal for 2023. Let's celebrate the eighth anniversary of the show on September 3 and celebrate our hobby and each other at that Sept. 3 show and each and every month thereafter!

​Love you all! - Tony

Pictured above is a shot of the April 2021 Salvation Army Show.

Pictured above is the March 2022 Salvation Army show. Yes, there was a time when this show had just five dealers and five customers! 

Fat Daddy's Sports Card Show is held the first Saturday of every month at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in Oak Creek, WI.

​Next show is September 3, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, August 21, 2022, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

The Orland Park show comes to the rescue after an absolutely horrible show the day before in Merriville, Indiana. I can generally count on Orland to fix all woes.

Terry was pleased as I brought out four showcases this morning in addition to most of my binders. The binders got some action right away as a bevvy of set builders arrived at my tables and began to find cards for their sets. Andy found a bunch of cards, my first sale of the day. Thanks Andy!

Will and Joe arrived while Andy was at the table, and they brought me coffee and sausage mcmuffins. Thanks guys! Joe told me a really funny story about his dad Will. If you know Will, you know that he always has a beard. I don't think I've ever seen him in the last 20 years without facial hair. Joe told me that when he was about 9 or 10 years old, Will shaved off his beard. Joe walked by the bathroom and saw his clean-shaven dad and did not recognize him. Joe said he ran and found his sisters and told them a stranger was in the bathroom. The girls had to calm Joe down and convince him that the stranger was just his dad, who had shaved for the first time in Joe's young life. Makes me wonder, if Will shaved before the September Orland show, would I or anyone recognize him?

Anyway, a bunch of regular customers pulled cards from the binders. Gil was the big winner as a he pulled a huge stack of cards out of my newly reloaded 1961 Topps baseball binder. Thanks Gil! Chris found some 1974-75 Topps hockey which was recently reloaded as well. Rick purchased a bunch of football and basketball cards out of my showcases, along with some 1961 Topps out of the binder. Thanks Rick! Will found some '72s. Thanks Will! My one customer, who is a retired school principal, found some cards. 

While sales were under my Orland average, they were still so far and above what I did in Merriville that I was happy.

On the buying front, I was lucky to snag some 1932 Orbit Gum pins from Walt as he was shopping his vintage cards heavily to all of the vintage dealers. Then Walt went home without taking back his vintage box from Tony Schaefer. Tony left the box with Rich, the promoter. I've seen Walt do this before. He luckily seems to always recover his boxes.

My good friend Paul P. gave me a pile of cards for free! Thanks Paul!!

Nice crowd. Real pleasant day in Orland. Will, Joe and I capped off the day at the sub shop. The weekend started off low but ended on a high.

Next week, a rarity, I am just setting up at one show, the Madison show on Saturday. I'm bringing showcases for that one. Let me know if you want to see any binders and I'll bring them along. I am still working on my 1976 Topps baseball binder. Not sure when I'll get that one done.

Next Oak Creek show, which is my Eighth Anniversary Show, is set for September 3, 2022. Remember when I started that show? Anyone at the first one in September of 2014 at the Clarion Hotel?

Have a great week everybody! See you in Madison!!

UPDATE! I JUST FOUND A PHOTO OF WILL WITHOUT HIS BEARD!! SEE BELOW!

Saturday, August 20, 2022, Da Region Sports Card Expo, Merrillville, Indiana

I am so disappointed. I had such a nice streak going but it all came to a screeching halt today in Indiana. I just bombed.

On the plus side, this was promoter Mitch LaRock's first show at the venue which is absolutely awesome. May be the best venue I have ever set up at.

Mitch has been running this show for about four years. I set up at the very first one but have not been able to make it back due to scheduling conflicts. Initially, this was a one day show. It is now a two-day show with several autograph guests. Horace Grant and Al Weis were signing at the show today.

I contacted Mitch a few weeks ago to see if I could just set up on Saturday because I had Orland scheduled for Sunday and I hate to miss the Orland show which is one of my best. Mitch said several dealers were setting up on just Saturday and I could as well.

One mistake I made, which I regularly goof up on, is that I failed to ask the cost of tables. I just regularly book shows and show up and pay whatever the promoter asks me to pay. I have never paid more than $100 for two tables except for the big shows. I only charge 50 bucks for two tables at my Oak Creek show. I learned upon arrival this morning in Merrillville that my table fee was $200. Ouch! I was required to pay instanter. Oddly enough, some the other guys setting up for one day were only charged $150. Not sure why I got charged more than others.

So, I had quite a hole to dig out of from the get-go. I really love the venue, though. An absolutely huge room. Great lighting. Lots of dealers... customers, not so much. Without my old friend Dave Frazier, I probably would not have sold much at all. This turned out to be a total loss. Probably my worst show ever because of the huge table fee.

Terry D., who hates when I bring my binders, is going to say my poor sales were the result of my decision to bring out binders. Though Terry may not believe it, there are many shows where I do very well with the binders. I have bombed out in the past with showcases. I don't think it was an issue of my display, there just were not many vintage buyers. 

It was nice to see Dave Frazier. I also found Dave's loupe when I was packing up which I am dropping in the mail. I also bought some non-sports cards from Dave, my only purchase of the day.

I did enjoy chatting with Tony Schaefer and his wife Kate, who went out and brought back lunch. Thank you, Kate! I also got to chat with Mike Johnson and Dennis Barrett, Jeff Talamantez, Dave Kania, Alex Rauter, Jim C., Terry, Mike Slinkman, Andrew Wipijewski, Derek, '86 Fleer Bill and Josh Brothers. So the day was not a total loss.

Oh well. This was not my first bad show and won't be the last. I am looking forward to rectifying the situation in Orland.

Pretty great venue... just not a great amount of people.

So a guy brought this oddball program to me asking if I knew its value. Inside was Cappelletti's signature and several more from the '64 Patriots. The only other autograph I could decipher was Babe Parelli. I could not come up with a value on this item. I advised the guy to submit to one of the large auction houses. He told me as I was leaving that he sold it for $1,000.

In the mid 1990's, I was a CEO of a publishing company and had absolutely no time to either set up or attend card shows. At the end of the decade, I shut down my company and decided to attend law school. Suddenly, I found myself with nothing to do for the first time in years. While I prepared to take the LSAT, I went back to my first love, setting up at card shows.

I was living on the Northwest Side of Chicago at the time, and the closest shows were all run by Fred Copp. I quickly became a regular at just about all of Fred's shows. One of my first regular customers at that time was Larry Loss.

I remember Larry was working on a 1960 Topps set in those days and I regularly supplied him cards for his set. Larry did not spend much money. I would get three or four crumpled dollar bills from him but after being out of the game for a while, I appreciated the attention. 

Larry was out of work, and at each show we would talk about his struggles to find a job. I was out of work as well but had put some money away. I also had just started selling on eBay and was bringing in some money from shows and eBay.

So, since 2001, I have been setting up at card shows just about every weekend. I got to know Larry and his girlfriend Carol. I always looked forward to seeing them because they were such nice people. 

Larry would tell me that his mother was having health issues. Between his job struggles and taking care of his mother, he seemed down much of the time. When his mother died, I could see the sadness but at the same time I could tell that a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders. 

Suddenly he had more money to spend and he was noticeably happier. Occasionally, he would sell me some old cards and some old publications, never charging me much money. I began to sell him cards on credit. He always paid.

He started to bring me gifts like a keychain with a Bears logo. There were sports related refrigerator magnets that are still on my refrigerator. Eventually, I gave him my home address and he sent me Christmas cards every year. After 20 years, I considered Larry my friend. When he did not appear at any card shows this year, I grew concerned.

Nobody seemed to know where he was. The last I heard from him was the Christmas card I received in December. I even asked aloud in this blog if anyone had seen him. No response.

I feared the worst. I finally learned of his death through happenstance. It was almost like Larry reached out to me from beyond the realm.

At last month's Madison show, I met a couple of really nice guys who offered to sell me some autographed Bears and White Sox cards. I initially decided against the purchase but the more I thought about it, I wanted the cards for my personal collection. The guys brought the cards out to the last Oak Creek show where I purchased a stack. I passed on an album of more cards.

I was considering purchasing the album but I wanted to make sure that the stack of cards I purchased was real. The guys told me they purchased the cards at a live auction in Illinois. I contacted my pal Willie, an autograph expert and asked if he would look over the cards to make sure they were real.

I told Willie about the guys who sold me the cards and that they purchased them at a live auction. Turns out Willie was at the same auction. He viewed the collection and saw a binder of 8 X 10 autograph photos of Chicago athletes. Also, pictured in many of the photos was Larry Loss. Willie, who also knew Larry for as long as I did, told me he believed the collection sold at that live auction was Larry's and that our old friend had died.

Crushed.

If you ever met Larry, you would see right away that he was completely genuine. Honest. Child-like. A kind, generous, good soul. 

He loved sports. He loved sports collecting. He loved card shows.

At the old Gonzaga shows, in Oak Creek, and Woodstock, Larry and Carol were always the first ones at my tables. They always arrived early and would patiently wait for me to set up.

It is so strange. I literally saw Larry every single month for the past 20 years or so. It has been so strange not to see him. Even stranger to know that he is gone. Even stranger yet is that some of his prized aut0graphed sports cards found their way to me.

One of the reasons I love card shows is that I get to regularly hang out with guys like Larry. I need to track down Carol to find out what happened. Larry was one of the good ones who I will never forget and will always miss. Thanks for being my friend, buddy.  

Sunday, August 14, 2022, New Berlin Ale House, New Berlin, WI

This is a relatively new show. As you know, I don't like to set up at new shows because my sales usually are not very good. But I thought I would give this show a try because it  is operated by Andrew Wipijewski who has been setting up at my Oak Creek show for a long time and he has been really hustling to promote his show. I really respect and appreciate his efforts. Finally, one his Andrew's dates fit into my schedule, so I booked two tables for the August 14th show.

Years ago, I actually looked into moving my show from the Four Points Sheraton in Milwaukee to the New Berlin Ale House. At the time, I thought the town of New Berlin was too far out of the way and I did not think my customers would travel there, so I eventually settled on moving my show to the Salvation Army in Oak Creek. Well, I learned on Sunday that customers are more than willing to travel to New Berlin. Excellent crowd!

It has been a few years since I was at the New Berlin Ale House and could not remember how to get there.  I plugged the address into my GPS and it was an easy ride. The New Berlin area is nice, very lush, lots of trees, open spaces, nice neighborhoods. It took me about an hour to get there from Northern Illinois.

As I pulled up into the parking lot, I saw Dave Kania loading in, and followed Dave's path into the building. I saw Tom Jahn as soon as I walked into the room and he proceeded to crack jokes about my arrival. Thanks Tom! Andrew had placed name tags on each table. I looked for mine but was having trouble. A young guy, kid really, who sets up all over the place with his brother and dad, saw that I could not find my spot and pointed me to my tables.

I was next to a dealer I know from the Root River show. There was another dealer, who I did not recognize, set up on my other side. Across from that dealer was Tom L., one of my favorite dealers. Next to Tom L. was a dealer I recognized from the Schaumburg show, I believe his name is Tom as well. Across from me was Tommy Cascio and his brother. I love those guys! Next to the Cascio boys was another dealer I did not recognize (his name was probably Tom).

Like the Rockford show on Saturday, I brought out nine display cases to New Berlin. I was a little quicker getting those cases filled than yesterday. I added some new stuff including a pile of 1961 Topps baseball high numbers.

While setting up, I saw my old friend Mark talking to Tom L. Mark likes to get to shows very early, before most dealers are set up. I can't blame him for hanging around Tom L's table because Tom L. always has unique stuff. There really is no one quite like Tom L. He has an amazing ability to find obscure publications, autographs, photos, cards and assorted memorabilia at garage and estate sales. He just has a nose for this stuff and his table is always a must see.

The room soon filled up fast. A lot of folks were checking out my display cases. Some I knew, but most were new customers. I forgot to take notes so I am not exactly sure what I sold but there were many sales. I know Bruce bought my graded 1965 Steve Carlton rookie. Thanks Bruce! I think Bruce only needs a handful of cards to complete his '65 set.

I talked to this one couple who I have met before. Incredibly nice folks. They have created some unique collections and found some cards at my table. A lot of folks looked at my stuff early then came back later to make purchases.

I was surprised when a kid, about 10 or 11, said he was working on a 1956 Topps set. He looked at my stack of '56 Topps and said he would be back later. He told me he was in town from California visiting family. His dad came by later to thank me for allowing his son to go through my cards. The dad was interested in my 1968-69 Topps Bobby Orr. He tried to tell me the card was short but I looked it over later in the show and the card measures up.

A customer I know from the old Gonzaga show was chasing around his young grandson. The little guy finally stood still long enough for Grandpa to buy a few cards. Lots of kids at the show. Nice attendance overall.

A younger guy purchased an SGC graded T206 common. He seemed really happy with the purchase. 

Sales were going great when my stomach started to rumble. I'm like freakin' Fred Flinstone and need a brontosaurus burger at all times. I noticed early on that there was a bar behind me and it looked like there was a bartender on staff. I went over there around 11 a.m. and ordered some coffee and a burger. The kind bartender gave me two cups of coffee. Later my burger arrived, and it was delicious! That burger was so good that I will come back to the New Berlin Ale House just for the burger.

While I did have lots of down time during the show, I did have many sales and was pleasantly surprised. Beforehand, I was a little worried there would not be any vintage customers but there were plenty! I even saw my buddy Jim, who never seems to come out anymore since he purchased a cabin up north. I also saw one of the other Jims, this Jim collects Braves and Pirates. He was disappointed I had recently sold my 1953 Topps Johnny Logan rookie. I gotta track another one down for Jim. Well, they come in threes -- I also saw Jim Ziegert.

On the buying front, nobody brought any cards to my table to sell. There were quite a few items on Tom L's table that I liked but they were priced too high. Tom L. gets good stuff! Tommy across the way also had some cool stuff like a 1953 Topps Satchel Paige.

I was really happy with my sales and enjoyed meeting many new customers. I checked my schedule to see if I can come back to this show but I have conflicts for all the remaining 2022 dates. My sales in New Berlin were much better than some of my other regular shows. Unfortunately, I have a rule that I won't cancel a show once I have reserved a table. You gotta have some sort of integrity in this or any business. So even though some shows are not as good as New Berlin, I won't cancel. However, I will probably not re-up at some of those shows next year if they are on the same day as New Berlin. I need to get this show into my regular rotation!

I was really impressed with the show. Andrew does a fantastic job. Kudos to Andrew. Job well done!

Up next, I am trucking down to Merrillville, Indiana, this coming Saturday, August 20, for Da Region Sports Card Expo. Then I am trucking over to Orland Park for the Civic Center show on Sunday, August 21. 

Next Oak Creek show is September 3 -- 90 Dealers, 130 Tables! Should be awesome! 

​See you soon! 

Pictured above is one of the many unique items on Tom L's table at the New Berlin show on Sunday.

It was too bad that I had to eat this amazingly delicious burger at the New Berlin show on Sunday.

Saturday, August 13, 2022, Rock Church, Rockford, IL

Rolling along. Shows have definitely been much better lately, including the Rock Church show. I brought out display cases again. Nine of them this time. It took me a while to fill the cases.

I knew it was going to be a good show when Tim started things off by purchasing my 1961 Topps Mickey Mantle All Star. Thanks Tim! Tim said he recently purchased a near set of '61s and decided to complete the set. I do the same thing when near sets come my way. I am always working on several sets.

I had a nice display of vintage football stars today. My regular football guy came out with his daughter this time around. He said his son would not get out of bed. He purchased my 1967 Philadelphia Bart Starr. I sold several other Bart Starrs as well.

Real nice crowd. I had a lot of interest in my cards. A regular customer purchased a 1961 Topps Felipe Alou. An older customer purchased a pile of stuff including a 1961 Topps Bill Mazeroski, a 1961 Topps Luis Aparicio All Star, 1964 Topps Stand Ups Jim Fregosi and Joe Torre and some 1962 Topps high numbers.

A kid, maybe about 10 years old, was hovering around my table. I am always ready to help out the kids and answer any questions they may have about vintage cards. He did not have any questions and picked out a 1958 Topps Lenny Moore and purchased it. Thank you!

An older guy wearing a White Sox cap purchased some 1969 Topps variations. A customer wearing a Louisville Slugger T-shirt purchased my 1968 Topps Dick Butkus, my 1968 Topps Mike Ditka, my 1969 Topps Carl Yastrzemski, and some 1963s. Denny purchased a bunch of cards but I don't remember exactly what. Another regular pulled a pile of stuff from my display cases for his sets.

I sold many, many more cards but memory fails once again. It was a really good day. One of my best Rockford shows in quite a while.

On the buying front, I bought some 1972 Topps baseball, including some high numbers, from Terry. I don't really need the cards but the price was right. I was telling Tim that I have 15,000 or so '72s. Many near sets that I am slowly building. I have to do the all-1972 display that I mentioned a while ago. I need to get working on that one.

Another regular had a stack of cards largely made up of the Kellogg's 3-D cards from the 1970's. He wanted $110 but I just did not see the value there. I would probably be a buyer at $50.

Just days before the show, Jim found me through Google and said he had some baseball picture cards from the 1920's that he wanted to sell. I learned he lived near Rockford and we agreed to meet at the Rock Church show. Jim is a really nice guy and it was great to meet him. Initially, I was a little skeptical because I was not sure what his baseball picture cards could be. The 1920's was a weird decade for baseball cards. The tobacco companies that produced all those great T cards in the teens, were bought out and stopped producing cards. The 1920's had strip cards, which get the W label like Exhibits. The strip cards are very ugly, in my opinion and not nearly as popular as the T cards. There are also the E cards, that I call candy cards because they were inserted into packs of candy during the 1920's. I like the E cards more than the strip cards but they are more expensive.

I figured Jim had some sort of reprint cards. I figured wrong. He pulled out a complete set of 1929 Kashin Publications cards, still in the original box. I forgot about the Kashin cards, which also get a W designation. The Kashin's are oversized, not quite as large as Exhibits. I have had these in the past but always in low, low grade. I have never seen a complete set before -- including Ruth, Gehrig and Hornsby. The box was a little tattered but the cards were beautiful. Though, the Ruth looked a little short.

Jim said that these were originally his grandfather's cards and they got passed down to him. He said he brought them to school when he was a kid and is glad he did not damage them.

I am no expert on the Kashins and did not know what to offer Jim for the set. As a veteran buyer of cards, I know that every seller has a price in mind, even if they won't admit it. Jim really wanted me to make an offer. I honestly did not know what to offer. I probably would have been comfortable with $3,000 to $4,000. Jim admitted that he looked up the cards on eBay and saw a graded Gehrig listed for $18,000. This is a problem I have mentioned before when seller's look up listings on eBay but do not look at the "sold" listings. The sold listings give an actual idea of the value of a card since it, well, sold, and there is a price from the sale. The regular listings are all over the board and a seller can pick any random price but those cards may never sell.

Jim wanted $10,000 for the set. I don't know if I could sell the set for $10,000 and declined. Later, I looked at the eBay sold listings and saw commons sold for $12 to $15 and the stars from $50 to $250. There was not any sales data on the Gehrig. I would love to have these cards but I just can't do $10K. It sure was fun to look at them, though.

After chatting with Jim, I started to get hungry. Tim, his daughter and I were all looking forward to the taco truck which broke down. My buddy Phil and his lovely wife ordered me an Italian sausage sandwich from Rosati's, a northern Illinois chain of pizza places. There is a Rosati's by my office. I regularly order from there. This was my first time trying their Italian sausage sandwich. I ordered it with sweet and hot peppers. It came on fresh Italian bread, covered in marinara and the peppers. Oh, that was good. 

After lunch, several folks asked about my binders. I will probably bring them out next month to the September 10 Rock Church show. I will also have the binders out this weekend in Merrillville and Orland.

I had a chance to chat with Mark from Iowa, who was set up near me in Rockford. Mark said he had some cards stolen at the last Madison show. He is always set up behind me and I try to keep an eye on his stuff and I know he does the same for me. I don't know how we missed the thief. I think we might place some chairs to block entry behind our tables at the next Madison show.

Next Oak Creek show is September 3. Dealer tables are sold out. My waiting list is growing again. I really wish I could provide dealer space to everyone who wants to set up but I am just overrun right now. If this keeps up, I may expand into the chapel area. Though that space is really pricey and I would have to bump up table fee to do it. I don't know if I want the extra headache. I had about 90 dealers at the last Oak Creek show and managing so many people is very difficult.

During the past several months I have been able to get many new dealers into the Oak Creek show which has been nice but it looks like space is tightening up for the foreseeable future. If you are interested in setting up in Oak Creek, send me an email at abrandongordon@hotmail.com and I will add you to my waiting list.

A big thank you to John and Mike for running an excellent show in Rockford. A huge thank you to everyone who bought cards from me in Rockford. I appreciate you! Next Rockford show is September 10. In the meantime, come see me this weekend in Merrillville and Orland!!

Below are some photos from the August Rockford show.

I stopped for gas just outside of Rockford since it is much cheaper here than by my house. At the gas station, I snapped this photo of the big sky and corn field that seems to go on forever. I love getting out to the country.

Sunday, August 7, 2022, Hyatt Hotel, Schaumburg, IL

It sure was nice to sleep in a bit after waking up before dawn for the Oak Creek show. Only bummer this morning was the light drizzle. We were back in the basement for this one and I was in my usual spot.

I brought out the same stuff, seven display cases, as I had the day before in Oak Creek. That way I did not need to unload the car after Saturday's show. I have been a little down on the Schaumburg show as sales have lagged as of late. The August show was a pleasant surprise.

Once again, the show was jam-packed with dealers. Nice crowd early on and steady throughout the day.

There is a collector who I regularly see in Orland and Schaumburg, he even came out to my pop-up shops last year. I am so bad with names, and I just can't seem to remember his name. Anyway, he started my day off on the right foot by purchasing my 1969 Topps Ernie Banks PSA 8. Woot!

Ernie Banks was the theme this morning as a regular customer purchased my 1958 Topps Ernie and my 1959 Hustler Banks action card. Switching over to Roberto Clemente, my old friend Chuck purchased my 1969 Topps Clemente. Thanks Chuck! A new customer then purchased my 1978 Topps Eddie Murray rookie. Things were cookin'!

That July slow spell is now nothing but a memory. The National, then Oak Creek and now Schaumburg have been excellent!

Set up on my left in Schaumburg were two adults and two children with modern cards. One of the kids wanted to buy out the room. I enjoyed watching him beg his dad for $900. Dad was a no go on the $900. I remember when I was that age and my dad brought me to card shows. I, too, would beg my dad for money but never quite so much money. I remember asking for $20, which my dad usually gave me.

Dads, wives, and kids regularly walk by my tables and comment that they see me everywhere. Yes, I set up at as many shows as I can, one, because I really enjoy it and two, it is a great way to promote my Oak Creek show as I always have a stack of flyers for the Oak Creek show on my tables. There are many tools I use to promote my show. I am always looking for more ways as well. I have learned that in order to have a successful show, I must do whatever I can to get the word out and get people in the door.

For the most part, I feel like I am doing a decent job letting folks know about each and every Oak Creek show. Yet, I always get a wakeup call that reveals my efforts are not good enough. I need to find more ways to let card collectors know about the Oak Creek show. For example, at this past Schaumburg show, I met a couple of guys who drove down to Schaumburg from Oak Creek, and they had no idea that I operated a monthly show in their backyard -- one that is five times larger than Schaumburg, or most any other monthly show for that matter. Hopefully, they attend my September 3rd Oak Creek show and that they tell all of their friends. It definitely pays to set up at as many shows as I can!

Back to my sales at the Schaumburg show, which were excellent. A new customer purchased my 1972 Topps Johnny Bench, 1976 Topps Hank Aaron, and 1976 Nolan Ryan. Joe, a new customer as well, purchased a bunch of cards including my 1962 Topps Switch Hitter Connects Mantle. Joe's buddy bought my 1967 Topps Billy Williams, my other 1976 Topps Aaron, my 1968 Topps Roger Maris, and my 1978 Topps Nolan Ryan Record Breaker.

Then a guy wearing a Cubs hat bought my 1982 Cal Ripken Jr. rookie. Another new customer bought my 1954 Bowman Minnie Minoso. I know I had a bunch more sales, but I can't seem to remember exactly what else I sold.

I think I forgot to mention my Oak Creek purchases in that blog the other day. Of course, I can't exactly remember what I purchased but I do remember buying cards and placing piles of stuff on the bench behind my tables.

I also went on a buying spree in Schaumburg. Flush with cash, I spent a pile of it with Junior on a bunch of cards including 1961 Topps Billy Williams and Ron Santo rookies. My friend George also came by to collect on some cash that I owed him. George comes to my office most every week to sell me cards. I don't always have money on me at work, so I pay him down the road. It seems to work out.

So, I was really happy with the Schaumburg show and my huge jump in sales. I know a few guys were bummed out that I did not bring my binders. I will probably bring the binders out to the September 11th Schaumburg show.

As my friend Stan reminded me recently, I am really behind on my blogging. I hope to catch up soon. I still need to blog about the Rockford and New Berlin shows.

I love how so many people come up to me at each and every show to discuss the blog. Thanks guys! Let's talk blog this weekend when I am set up on Saturday, August 20, at Da Region Sports Card Expo in Merrillville, Indiana, and on Sunday, August 21, at the Civic Center in Orland Park, Illinois. I am leaning towards bringing out the binders this weekend. Newly reloaded are the 1961 Topps baseball binder and the 1974-75 Topps Hockey binder. I am currently working on reloading 1976 Topps baseball... that one is going to take a while.

Next Oak Creek show is Saturday, September 3, 2022. See you soon!

Pictured below is Joe, my favorite customer from the August Schaumburg show. I have to say that folks at all of the shows lately have really stepped up their T-shirt game. I am seeing so many great shirts lately!!

Saturday, August 6, 2022. Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

Got back from the National on Monday, worked all week, then up at 4 a.m. for the Oak Creek show on Saturday. Once again, Andy met me at the Sal at the crack of dawn and was a huge help in rearranging the tables and chairs. I was up to 90 dealers for this show and it took some extra time to get everything in place.

Though, with Andy's help, we seemed to wiz through it and I opened the door for dealers at 7 a.m. I am surprised at the number of dealers sitting in the parking lot at 7 when official load-in time is 8 a.m.

The morning was hectic. I tried to be thorough to make sure there was a name tag out for each dealer but there were a few I forgot. A few other dealers wanted to rearrange their location. Several dealers were no shows. One dealer, Matt Skaggs, had COVID, and did not attend. Saw Matt the following week and he is feeling better. Seemed like I was running around all morning.

Another issue was my layout near the concession stand. I placed too many dealers nearby and aisle space was tight. I'll fix that for the September 3rd show.

I placed my tables in the front hallway. I brought my own tables, thank you. I brought out seven display cases and placed out the remainder of my cards priced for the National. Sales were excellent in the morning.

At 11 a.m., Jason took over so I could collect table fee from the mass amount of dealers. I believe this was my first show where two different dealers had 1933 Goudey Babe Ruths in their display cases -- Tommy Larson and Mike Slinkman. Cool stuff!

We had two dealers that drove up from Indiana -- Jim C. and Bob Lucas. Thanks for setting up! I also met a customer who drove in from Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Attendance was steady all day. We ended up with 475 people through the door, though, I know many more came in early before we had a volunteer at the front door. There was probably closer to 500 people in attendance. I was a little concerned competing against the State Fair but it did not affect attendance.

Most dealers reported excellent sales. Some said sales were off. Most were in a good mood.

I really appreciate all of my dealers and everyone who attended the show! I had a really good time and was sorry to see the show end. 

Not a whole lot to report. There were no issues other than several no-show dealers. My waiting list for dealers continues to grow so I will not have a hard time replacing those no shows for the September 3 show.

My pal Dave had a scary drive to the show. He told me that while he was driving 75 mph on I94, someone hit him from behind. He fish tailed a little bit then pulled over. The other guy pulled over for a second and took off. Hit and run. Dave suffered some damage to his vehicle. He also might have a little whiplash but I am glad he is okay! Scary! Be careful out there, there are so many lunatics on the road and not nearly enough police.

Thankfully, we did not have any issues during the show. This show has really grown into the best show around... and I am not just saying that because it is my show. There are now 90 dealers! An amazing variety. I take pride that the show has more than triple the number of vintage dealers than any other show around. I think we have something special here for vintage collectors, modern collectors and Pokemon collectors. Great stuff!

I gave away packs of cards at my tables. Donny pulled a Yadier Molina jersey card numbers 34 out of 50. Be sure to stop at my tables and visit me, Jason and Rachel for a free pack of cards.

​I am expecting more of the same for the September 3rd show. Just plugging along. Thanks for coming out everybody! Next one is September 3rd!!! 

​Below are some photos from the August show:

Sunday, July 31, 2022, NSCC, Atlantic City, NJ

Bittersweet waking up on Sunday. My last look at our glorious view from the 41st floor of the Harrah's Casino Resort. Our last walk around the casino. Our last time getting lost in the casino. 

We left our room then walked around looking for a spot for Bob to pick up a cab to the airport. We had a great time. Bob bought a ton of cards. I love all the T206s he purchased. Cool stuff. We bid farewell to Bob. Dave and I then drove one last time to the convention center.

Pictured above is a partial shot of Harrah's as we drove away for the last time on Sunday morning. What an amazing place!!

We talked all week about how we were going to exit the convention. We essentially had three options. One, wait until the end of the show and move the car to the loading dock at 5 p.m. Two, move the car to the parking garage at 5 p.m. and take a freight elevator down to the garage. Three, load out to the dealer parking lot on the far end of the building and across the street.

We did not see how option one could work with the tiny size of the loading dock and hundreds of cars attempting to fill that tiny space. Dave seemed to like option two but I felt there would be a long line for the freight elevator. Option three seemed like our best bet. It was a bit of a walk but we only had two trips to take.

The show was dead on Sunday. It seemed like all of the air had gone out of the room. We met Matt who grew up in Cicero, Illinois, on Saturday. He purchased just about all of my 1971-72 Topps hockey. He also purchased a pile of cards from Dave. Matt now lives in Houston and we enjoyed talking about all the old hot dog and beef joints in and around Cicero.

Matt came back on Sunday and purchased more cards from Dave. I was shut out Sunday morning. I sat and sat and sat. No customers. A few lookers. Some that I had seen all week but did not make any purchases.

I started to get depressed. I have never been shut out at the National. I was on my way to having my best National ever. It all came to screeching halt on Sunday. Around 1 p.m., I started to pack up my graded cards. Dave packed up all of his cards quicker than you could say Philly Cheesesteak.

Dave loaded all of his stuff onto the cart and set out for the dealer parking lot. I moved my remaining cases to Dave's primo spot in the main aisle. I then attempted to pull my cards out of the display cases but, out of nowhere, I was mobbed with customers. All of the sudden I was helping three, four customers at a time and they were all buying cards. 

In the hour it took Dave to walk his stuff over to the parking lot, unload and return, I sold a TON of cards. I was still selling cards when Dave returned. When Dave saw that I had hardly packed up, he blew a gasket. I was not going to fight with him. We drove all the way out to Atlantic City to sell cards. After being shut out in the morning, I needed these sales.

He kind of pushed me aside and tried to help the customers so I could pack up. I tried to pack up but the customers kept coming. Frustrated, Dave took off. I don't know where he went. I tried to pack up. Gavin, who visited my booth all five days without buying any cards, wanted a deal on a bunch of cards as I was packing up. At this point, I just wanted to pack up. I did not need to give away my cards. We finally agreed on a price which was lower than I wanted but I needed Gavin to go away so I could pack up.

A little after 2 p.m., I was finally able to load the cart and head out. Many other dealers nearby and done the same thing. Dave was still hot and did not accompany me to the car. He sat at the empty booth while I slowly maneuvered out of the building. As Dave warned, it was hotter than Hades outside. That heat sucked.

I made it to the car, no problem. Broke a sweat loading my stuff in. As I was finishing up, Dave came out and we hit the road for home.

A few hours into the drive, we pulled over at some random rest area along the Pennsylvania Turnpike and ran into Jeff Talamantez, also driving home to Chicago.

This was one of only three stops on the way home. Dave, a madman, drove straight through while I slept. We pulled up into my driveway around 5 a.m. on Monday morning. I was and still am amazed that Dave was able to drive all that way. 

My final thoughts on the 2022 National:

The hobby is alive and well. My sales just fell short of 2021 but I am more than pleased with the results. I wish I would have had more time to walk the show. I only saw about a third of it.

As I previously stated, the National is being taken over by the corporate and breaker booths. I feel like something is being lost. There is definitely a need for more vintage shows on a national level. I would like to see a time where vintage dealers make a break from the National and have our own vintage-only shows. However, in the meantime, I will continue to set up at the National, as long as I make it through the dealer lottery alive.

I hope to have my own booth at the 2024 National, wherever that may be. The time has come for me to set up on my own and not deal with the idiosyncrasies of others. The few times I moved my cases to the primo spot in the main aisle, my sales took off. I think my sales will definitely improve with my own booth.

So in 2023, I will be setting up with Dave, Scott and PJ for the last time. It has been a good run but it is time for me to spread my wings and present the full Fat Daddy's Sports experience in my own booth.

I really enjoyed meeting so many people from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the surrounding areas. A lot of great folks attended the show in Atlantic City.

We never came across the crime that so many people warned us about. We were insulated from it thanks our good friend Gregg Klein and his wonderful Harrah's Casino Resort. I cannot say enough about Harrah's. What a wonderful place! The room, the view, the restaurants, the casino, it was all amazing! I hope to head back with my wife for a vacation.

A huge THANK YOU to Gregg Klein and everybody who attended the show and purchased cards from me. Let's do it again in 2023 in Chicago!!

I did not walk around the show on Sunday. I took one photo, below, as I walked to the concession stand. This was an old carnival game used by some outfit called "WhatNot." The kids played the horse race and the winner received a pack of cards.

An hour into the drive home, we were stuck in traffic in Philadelphia. I thought it weird that on the way in the GPS took us around Philly while on the way out it took is right through Philly and into traffic. 

​Anyway, thanks for following along on my little adventure!