FAT DADDY'S SPORTS
  • HOME
    • BIO
    • Reach Me
  • CARD SHOWS
    • Gonzaga >
      • Photos
    • MY SHOW! >
      • Smith & Gordon Show Photos 2014
      • 2015 Photos
      • 2016 Photos
  • STORE
    • eBay
  • PHOTOS
    • Card Show Photos >
      • 2012 Card Show Photos
      • 2013 Card Show Photos
    • Recent Pick-Ups >
      • Page 2
  • BLOG
  • LINKS
    • YouTube
  • STUFF
    • ARTICLES
    • BOOK REVIEWS
  • FAQ
  • BUYING

Never drink the night before a card show!!

9/25/2011

1 Comment

 
My weekend summed up in a nutshell -- pricing cards, movies, pricing cards, drinking, card show, drinking. I'm not quite sure how I'm coherent at the moment and am actually writing this blog. I got home from the day job Friday, ate some food, priced some cards, then stayed up all night watching movies on HBO. With two small kids, I don't normally get to watch movies that aren't made by Disney.  I think I caught up on all my movie watchin' in one night.  I slept all morning on Saturday then priced and sorted cards all afternoon. About 6 p.m. I went over to an old buddy's place for a barbecue and drank beer and ate food for about four hours. It was a good time. I don't normally go out without the wife and kids. I saw some old friends from high school, made a lot of new friends, and watched some college football. I somehow got my butt out of bed at 6 a.m. on Sunday and made it to the Orland Park Card Show, though I was hurtin' and hung over.

The crowd was a little lighter than usual today.  Quite a few regulars were missing.  A great deal of vintage was in the room. Rick was my first customer of the day.  He picked out a nice pile of '61 Topps. I was surprised he didn't pick out more '62s.  I refilled my '61 and '62 binders before the show.  Rick likes high grade cards and I thought the '62 book had quite a few more than the '61 book.  Dave was also an early customer today.  It's been nice to see Dave regularly. I keep forgetting to ask him how his fantasy baseball season worked out. Dave brought me a blues CD/DVD today which I hope to listen to this week sometime. We also made a nice trade today where I received a '57 Topps Brooks Robinson rookie in exchange for '66 and '67 Mantles. I'm real happy with the Robinson. I've never had the rookie before.  I had an opportunity to buy a really nice one a few years ago but was too cheap that day to pull the trigger and I've been regretting it ever since.  Dave also picked up some '56 Topps.  Chris bought quite a few '61s. Another regular picked up some '61s. My football binders got a workout today. I really need to update those books.  I've been working hard on the baseball books and haven't had a chance to get to the football. I'm hoping to knock out my '63 baseball book this week with time left over before the weekend to get to my '53 Bowman football. I sold a beautiful '48 Bowman Snuffy Stirnweiss to a customer today.  Another customer picked up some '53 Bowman color baseball. Though he seemed agitated over the pricing of one card which books at $20 and I had priced at $5.  In my opinion the card was in fair to good condition. No creases, some corner wear.  They main problem with the card is some small writing on the back in pen.  The customer thought 25% of book is too high for a card with writing.  I disagree.  If the front of the card is decent and the writing on the back is small, I think 25% is fair, and from my 30-plus years experience selling cards, so do most of my customers because I sell a ton of cards that have some sort of writing. 

I had pockets of dead time today. Last Orland show I was busy from start to finish.  Will picked up some '62s.  Derek picked up some '70s basketball. Tony Schaefer from Monster Cards picked up a bunch of good stuff like a '49 Bowman Roy Campanella rookie and a 1934-36 Diamond Stars Hank Greenberg. There were many others that made purchases but I was hungover and can't remember them all.  It was a fairly good show on the sales front though down from the past few.

On the buying front, I picked up a little pile of '50s and '60s cards that had a few stars in there.  I sold the '69 Ted Williams out of this pile to Chris.  I picked up some '68 baseball and a nice grouping of '72 football.  I also picked up several hockey from the late '50s/early '60s.  Old hockey is really tough to come by and I try and buy it on those rare occasions it comes to my table.  I saw Junior today and picked up a nice pile of cards from the '60s along with a 1915 Cracker Jack card of some random player on the Cubs.  I LOVE the Cracker Jack cards and rarely see them.  When I win the Lottery, one of my first purchases will be a Cracker Jack set.  I picked up my first Cracker Jack card, a Tris Speaker, at a show in the early 1990s and have been hooked ever since.  I even researched the Cracker Jack company history because I was curious to see if the building where Cracker Jack was made in 1915 still stood.  I learned that it was torn down long ago.  Though a later Cracker Jack building still stands near Midway Airport.  Cracker Jack is no longer an independent company and no longer made in Chicago, unfortunately.  Yet it is a neat part of Chicago history.

Anyway, when the show ended today, I was hurtin'. I just don't ever go out drinking anymore.  I made it home about five minutes into the Bears/Packers game. In the middle of the third quarter, the wife, kids and I went over to a neighbor's house where I did some more drinking and am feeling no pain at the moment.  I'm a little afraid of tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I can get out of bed for the real job.

I also just heard some good news.  Tony Schaefer helped me out and got me into the St. Louis show next Sunday.  I'm looking forward to this show.  I've heard nothing but good things about it.  Also a good buddy of mine from law school is living in St. Louis and hopefully I can get him to come to the show. Life is good! 
1 Comment

Schaumburg a little slow today

9/18/2011

0 Comments

 
It's football season and that means card show attendance is going down.  Guys just don't come out to shows when there are games on TV.  It was slow going today at the Schaumburg show.  Today's dealers included Dan (The Woj), Tony (modern card Tony), Bill Nest from Milwaukee, Willie, Corky, Ted, Beanie Don, Dave, me and Fred.  A lot more vintage today than normal at this show. Bill especially had some real nice stuff, including some '61 Fleer football that I really wanted but didn't have the funds. I did have a few nice sales. One customer, who sets up occasionally at Fred's shows, bought out all my '71 Topps football. Larry picked up some '54 Bowman baseball.  My guy who buys my self-made quarter packs was there and grabbed a bunch of packs. I sold a smattering of cards out of my books, including some '70s basketball, which I didn't expect. That was about it. A lot of regulars were missing in action today, including my autograph hounds and Uncle Morty.  Fred says he hasn't seen Uncle Morty in a long time.  Junior wasn't around for the second week in a row.

On the buying front, I turned down a pile of '63 Topps high numbers that were in real nice shape but priced a bit high.  I picked up some '61 Topps football, some '66 Topps football, some '57 Topps baseball, some '71 Topps baseball, and some '75 minis.  A nice day on the buying front.  This is always a solid show for buying.

Not much else doing at the show today.  I stopped at Mickey D's on my way in and skipped the breakfast buffet.  I also missed the Chinese stewardesses.  There are always a large group of these pretty ladies in the hotel.  Dan told me they were out early today. Next Sunday it is back to Orland Park. I had my '61 book loaded for today.  I should have my '62 book reloaded by Sunday.  I'm also trying to reserve a table or two at the October 2, Two Hearts show in St. Louis.  I emailed the promoter last week but never heard back.  I'll put in a call today or tomorrow and hopefully I can get a table for that show.  St. Louis is about a five hour drive but I've heard this is an excellent show. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to Orland, I've got lots of new stuff to bring.
0 Comments

Double show weekend

9/11/2011

0 Comments

 
Well, I wiggled my way out of doing the Hesston Steam Festival over Labor Day Weekend. I was able to convince my dad that a four-day flea market out in the middle of nowhere on a rain-soaked weekend is a bad idea. I ended up having a nice weekend with the wife and kids.

I was back at it this past Saturday at Orland Park. There was an unusually large number of vintage dealers which I thought may be a bad sign.  Turned out that I was busy the whole day, especially in the morning.  Rick picked up a bunch of 63 Topps high numbers, some '58s and some more '55 Bowman.  Dave picked up some '59s. Dennis about emptied my '69 book and picked up all my '69 stars. Gil picked up a bunch of '58 & '59 Topps football. Gil and I also made some nice trades. I gave him quite a few '63 Topps stars and high numbers and in return I received a nice pile of '50s and '60s football and some '69 Topps baseball stars.  My '59 and '60 baseball books got hit pretty good. I sold a near set of '68 Topps Game. I also sold some '72s and '75s.  I sold a '58 Topps Mays to another Dave, who had me and Will mesmerized with some stories about his rock band in 1964 and pieces of rock guitar history.  This all started when Dave started telling us about his son in law, who is an amazing guitarist.  Dave's daughter recently gave him an old-time electric guitar and his son in-law is giving him guitar lessons.  Dave was the singer in the 1964 band. Quite a few guys bought cards from me and, as usual, I'm having a senior moment and can't remember everything I sold.  It turned out to be an excellent day.

I also enjoy the fact that quite a few guys are reading this blog. One customer was telling me how he enjoyed my bio and that he too worked all sorts of odd jobs like shoveling snow to earn money to buy cards at the pharmacy near his house in the mid-1970s.

I picked up a tremendous amount of cards.  I got a whole shoe box full of 1965 Topps high numbers.  A 500-card grouping of cards from just about every year in the 1960s.  Another box filled with '69s.  A pile of '59 Topps high numbers.  A large pile of really clean '62 Post baseball.  A couple of small boxes of early '70s baseball including some '73 and '72 high numbers.  I picked up some '72-73 Topps hockey.  I also picked up some 1970s and '80s non-sports.  A guy came in with a laundry basket of stuff and he had everything in baggies.  I picked up a large baggy filled with cards from the TV shows Mash, Three is Company and Happy Days. There were also movie cards from Close Encounters, Superman II and Star Trek.

I was one of the last guys to leave the room.  I could tell the big ugly bald guy was upset. He kept coming in the room and walking out.  I don't understand why he didn't start taking down the empty tables if he needed the clear the room. He normally starts to take down the tables while dealers are packing up.  I didn't get out the room until around 2:30 p.m.  Though John seemed okay with it.  Bill was still packing up when I left, so at least I wasn't the last one to leave.

When I got home, I played with my kids for awhile and watched some TV then passed out around 8:30 p.m.  That ugly alarm clock got me up at 6 a.m. and I was on the road to Milwaukee by 7 a.m. on Sunday morning for the Gonzaga show.  I arrived at the hall around 8 a.m.  I went into Gonzaga thinking I was going to have a really good show because I had a terrific show there last month, the next largest vintage dealer Mark Smith was skipping Gonzaga for a show in Cleveland, and the Packers had already played on Thursday and the Brewers game wasn't until 4 p.m.  Well, the show was a little slow. There was a steady flow of people in the room but not the usual large Gonzaga crowd.

Mark picked up some '73 Kelloggs and some '65 Topps football. Jim bought some '53 Bowmans.  Jason picked up a bunch of cards from the mid-60s. Another customer bought quite a few '59 and '60s.  A few guys picked up some Braves from the '50s. My one customer who picks up Italian ball players from the '50s found a few today.  Quite a few guys came by with their lists and each picked up some cards.  I had quite a few small sales but very few large sales.  I thought Gary was going to pull the trigger on my '57 Mantle/Berra but he didn't like a printing mark on the card. Steve picked up a really nice '54 Bowman Don Larsen rookie. I didn't sell any graded cards today.  This show is usually a solid show for graded.  Even though sales were down, I still had a good time.  I had my cake and sloppy Joe.  I picked up some '71-72 hockey.  I mentioned to a customer last month that I needed a '78 Manny Trillo and Rick Miller to complete a set.  He brought me the Trillo today.  I searched the room for the Miller but nobody had '78 commons.  One lousy card! I hate when I need a single dime card to complete a set.  I'll end up spending $5 on eBay to complete the set.

I had much nicer guys behind me today.  The long-hair modern seller was nowhere to be found.  In his spot was a modern seller who drove in from Detroit.  He was a real nice guy.  Also, Dave Horshack was back.  I haven't seen him for a few shows.  He sells photos, autos and bobble heads.  He had some real nice framed photos today.  I'm hopeful the October Gonzaga show will be better on the sales front.  All in all, it was a good weekend.  Next weekend I'm setting up at Fred Copp's show at the Radisson Hotel on Algonquin Road in Schaumburg.  It's been a few months since I've been there and am looking forward to the show.  I'm going to work on reloading my '61 Topps baseball book for the show. Hopefully, I'll see everyone I saw this past weekend out at the Schaumburg show.  If nothing else, the show is worth the trip for the Radisson's breakfast buffet!

 
0 Comments

    Tony Gordon

    Vintage Sports Cards Addict

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.