Saturday, August 2, 2025, National Sports Collectors Convention, Rosemont, IL
Saturday at the National is dealer booth-lottery day for purchasing a booth for next year. Dealers are given a number based on the number of Nationals they have done under their own name. I’ve set up at 12 or so Nationals but have only done six in my name. As a result, I am near the bottom of the barrel for the booth lottery.
However, being at the bottom of the barrel does not bother me. I just want to set up. Any booth works fine for me. This was my second year at my current booth. After such a great show, I want to get the exact same spot for next year.
So I had an easy plan for Saturday morning. Arrive around 8 a.m. for the booth lottery then go set up for the day — easier said than done!
My helper for the day was Donny, who arrived at my house earlier than scheduled. Great, I thought, because I wanted to make sure we arrived at the booth lottery on time. We hopped in my car and drove to Rosemont.
As we pulled off the highway onto River Road, I realized I forgot our badges. Ugh! We had to drive back to my house and get the badges. I was not going to be early to the booth lottery. Not sure I was going to be on time.
I drove back to my house like a bat out of hell. Sorry Donny! He did not realize he signed up for some crazy driving by yours truly.
We got back to my house. I ran inside and grabbed the badges. Hopped back in the car and drove back to Rosemont like a bat out of hell, again. Sorry Donny!
We made it back to Rosemont and into the room with the booth lottery just as they were finishing up the sixes. I was able to get my booth for next year. I also voted for Detroit for the location of the 2028 National.
Crisis averted. On to preparing for Saturday.
I had major open space in my display cases due to monster sales all week long. I pulled out most of the stuff I had left over that would not fit in the cases previously. I still had space so I had to place some of my National purchases into the cases to fill up the holes.
Now I needed food and caffein. I went to check on the line at the Starbucks in the lobby. Long.
The bar in the lobby did not have a line at all and it also served food. I ordered a coffee and some avocado toast. The coffee was crap but the caffein worked. The avocado toast was surprisingly good.
The show was very crowded today but action at my booth was the slowest it had been all week. Sales were still good and better than Saturday last year in Cleveland but just not as good as the previous three days.
Donny was an excellent helper. Thanks Donny!
On the buying front, a near set of 1966 Dexter Press walked up and included a graded Mickey Mantle and Elston Howard — what a fun purchase!
After the show and on our way to the parking garage, I noticed the line wrapped around the building for trade night. There was all sorts of stuff to do each night after the show but I was much too tired and hungry to attend any of them. I took Donny over to Russell’s for dinner. He had never been and we had some great food and called it a day.
Saturday at the National is dealer booth-lottery day for purchasing a booth for next year. Dealers are given a number based on the number of Nationals they have done under their own name. I’ve set up at 12 or so Nationals but have only done six in my name. As a result, I am near the bottom of the barrel for the booth lottery.
However, being at the bottom of the barrel does not bother me. I just want to set up. Any booth works fine for me. This was my second year at my current booth. After such a great show, I want to get the exact same spot for next year.
So I had an easy plan for Saturday morning. Arrive around 8 a.m. for the booth lottery then go set up for the day — easier said than done!
My helper for the day was Donny, who arrived at my house earlier than scheduled. Great, I thought, because I wanted to make sure we arrived at the booth lottery on time. We hopped in my car and drove to Rosemont.
As we pulled off the highway onto River Road, I realized I forgot our badges. Ugh! We had to drive back to my house and get the badges. I was not going to be early to the booth lottery. Not sure I was going to be on time.
I drove back to my house like a bat out of hell. Sorry Donny! He did not realize he signed up for some crazy driving by yours truly.
We got back to my house. I ran inside and grabbed the badges. Hopped back in the car and drove back to Rosemont like a bat out of hell, again. Sorry Donny!
We made it back to Rosemont and into the room with the booth lottery just as they were finishing up the sixes. I was able to get my booth for next year. I also voted for Detroit for the location of the 2028 National.
Crisis averted. On to preparing for Saturday.
I had major open space in my display cases due to monster sales all week long. I pulled out most of the stuff I had left over that would not fit in the cases previously. I still had space so I had to place some of my National purchases into the cases to fill up the holes.
Now I needed food and caffein. I went to check on the line at the Starbucks in the lobby. Long.
The bar in the lobby did not have a line at all and it also served food. I ordered a coffee and some avocado toast. The coffee was crap but the caffein worked. The avocado toast was surprisingly good.
The show was very crowded today but action at my booth was the slowest it had been all week. Sales were still good and better than Saturday last year in Cleveland but just not as good as the previous three days.
Donny was an excellent helper. Thanks Donny!
On the buying front, a near set of 1966 Dexter Press walked up and included a graded Mickey Mantle and Elston Howard — what a fun purchase!
After the show and on our way to the parking garage, I noticed the line wrapped around the building for trade night. There was all sorts of stuff to do each night after the show but I was much too tired and hungry to attend any of them. I took Donny over to Russell’s for dinner. He had never been and we had some great food and called it a day.
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