Sunday, September 23, 2012, Bloomingdale, IL -- While the show began today at 9 a.m., it really began for me a week ago when I returned home from the Embassy Suites show and started pricing and sorting cards in preparation for the Bloomingdale show. Earlier in the week, I priced and sorted 1966 Philadelphia football cards and ended up with a near set of cards. I also went through mounds of 1978 Topps football to help Corky complete a set. I dug out some 1938 Our National Game Tabs, a 1948 Leaf boxing Kid Chocolate, a 1949 Bowman Pee Wee Reese and a 1951 Topps Red Backs Yogi Berra for Larry. I started pricing some 1964 Topps coins for a couple of guys. I added some cards to my 50-cent bins, reloaded my Cubs/Sox bin, then started to reload my 1967 Topps baseball binder. I didn't get very far with the 1967s and left those at home. I put some work on a 1978 baseball set then dug out a box of 1977 through 1983 Topps to have something a little different on my table.
With my car loaded to the hilt, I arrived at the Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale around 8:15 a.m. I find this is one of the toughest venues to load in. The sidewalk by the door is uneven. The doors have a lot of pull to them and it is hard to keep them open. The bottom of the door frame is a half-inch or so off the ground which always impedes my cart and causes my bins to fall. I've seen many-a-dealer lose a box of cards to this treacherous door frame. Today was my turn. A row of bins and my '77-'83 box went air-born as I passed over the bumpy door frame. The fallen bins actually softened the drop of the box but couldn't stop all the cards from falling out, leaving a mound of cards on the rocky walkway.
That was fun to pick up.
I won't be bringing that box out again any time soon. I don't know when I'll have the time to put those cards back in order.
Ugh!
But as they say in France, shit happens. I really didn't have any room on my table for the box anyway. Speaking of shit, I was slow as shit setting up today. I didn't finish setting up until 10:44 a.m. It was hard to set up because the crowd arrived early. Most everybody was an early-bird today because of the football games. This is the way things go during football season. No matter what show I'm at, the crowd comes very early and leaves by noon. Today, went according to schedule.
While I was setting up, a customer pulled out some amazing stuff for me to see. We're talking museum quality stuff. He had pinback buttons from the 1940s through the 1960s. I'm assuming these buttons were originally purchased at the ballpark. I've never seen those things before. He had a couple of Babe Ruth pins, along with some pins depicting Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Roger Maris. There was a Joe Black Negro League button along with Brooklyn Dodgers' buttons of Jackie Robinson and a Roy Campanella. Each button had either a ribbon attached or a metal mini baseball bat or glove. These things are cool! He also had a Cubs-player doll from the 1930s. I've seen similar looking dolls from that era but never a baseball one. But the coup de grace was a group of high grade T206, all PSA 7s or 8s. I thought the 7s were undergraded. There was a Hal Chase and a Frank Chance in the group. Just awesome stuff. A big thank you goes out to the owner of these fine items for sharing this grand collection!
When I was through drooling over those stellar T206s, a regular started things off for me by purchasing a variety of cards from my dime box, 50-cent box and dollar box. Another regular pulled some cards out of my dollar box, 50-cent box and some 1954 Bowmans. Larry and I made our usual cash and trade deal. I also made a trade with Chuck, who made his first visit to the Bloomingdale show. Thanks for coming out Chuck!! A regular bought most of the cards in my 25-cent album. He pulled 24 pages out of the book. Another regular pulled out some 1962 Post and some cards from my 50-cent box. Willie rounded out my day by picking up some 1966 Philadelphia football.
On the buying front, I saw some stuff I wanted on a couple of dealer tables, but I had to hold off because my sales weren't where they needed to be. Though, I did come home with some new cards from my trades with Larry and Chuck. There was also a deal I turned down. A card shop owner offered me an unopened box of 1979-80 Topps basketball. I've never dealt much with unopened wax. I Googled the box and saw that they go for about $160 a box. The guy wanted $150. I won't pay $150 to make a big $10. So I offered $110 with the hopes I'd make $50 on the box. The guy wouldn't take it. He thought I'd want the box to open up. I think the box is more valuable unopened. Cards from '79-'80 have very little value and there isn't much of a demand for that year. So I don't think I'd make more than fifty bucks if I opened all those packs which would have resulted in a loss of $100.
With the Bears playing the Rams at noon, the room emptied out quick. I was out the door fast. I also didn't drop any cards on the way out over that nasty door frame. I stopped at Portillo's on the way home and had a hot dog and a bowl of chili. I was amazed that Portillo's didn't have a TV in there so I could watch the game.
As I'm writing this, it's Monday night and the Packers-Seahawks game just ended. The Packers were absolutely robbed. The ref's call on that last play of the game was the worst call I've ever seen in an NFL game. I think the NFL needs to suspend the season until they can work out a deal with the real refs. This is a joke. I watched that Ravens-Patriots game last night and there were a ton of bad calls. The NFL is now a joke. Something needs to be done!! Actually, maybe more people will come out to the Orland show next weekend because it really isn't worth watching the NFL right now.
I'm working on 1967 Topps baseball for the Orland show. I may get some '70-'71 Topps hockey done as well. I'll also have a stack of star cards new for my display cases. I'm looking forward to Orland on Sunday and hopefully we get a real nice turn out. Like I said, there's not reason to watch the NFL with this crappy officiating -- so come out to the show!!
Pictured above and below are the amazing pieces of memorabilia a collector brought into the Bloomingdale show.
With my car loaded to the hilt, I arrived at the Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale around 8:15 a.m. I find this is one of the toughest venues to load in. The sidewalk by the door is uneven. The doors have a lot of pull to them and it is hard to keep them open. The bottom of the door frame is a half-inch or so off the ground which always impedes my cart and causes my bins to fall. I've seen many-a-dealer lose a box of cards to this treacherous door frame. Today was my turn. A row of bins and my '77-'83 box went air-born as I passed over the bumpy door frame. The fallen bins actually softened the drop of the box but couldn't stop all the cards from falling out, leaving a mound of cards on the rocky walkway.
That was fun to pick up.
I won't be bringing that box out again any time soon. I don't know when I'll have the time to put those cards back in order.
Ugh!
But as they say in France, shit happens. I really didn't have any room on my table for the box anyway. Speaking of shit, I was slow as shit setting up today. I didn't finish setting up until 10:44 a.m. It was hard to set up because the crowd arrived early. Most everybody was an early-bird today because of the football games. This is the way things go during football season. No matter what show I'm at, the crowd comes very early and leaves by noon. Today, went according to schedule.
While I was setting up, a customer pulled out some amazing stuff for me to see. We're talking museum quality stuff. He had pinback buttons from the 1940s through the 1960s. I'm assuming these buttons were originally purchased at the ballpark. I've never seen those things before. He had a couple of Babe Ruth pins, along with some pins depicting Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Roger Maris. There was a Joe Black Negro League button along with Brooklyn Dodgers' buttons of Jackie Robinson and a Roy Campanella. Each button had either a ribbon attached or a metal mini baseball bat or glove. These things are cool! He also had a Cubs-player doll from the 1930s. I've seen similar looking dolls from that era but never a baseball one. But the coup de grace was a group of high grade T206, all PSA 7s or 8s. I thought the 7s were undergraded. There was a Hal Chase and a Frank Chance in the group. Just awesome stuff. A big thank you goes out to the owner of these fine items for sharing this grand collection!
When I was through drooling over those stellar T206s, a regular started things off for me by purchasing a variety of cards from my dime box, 50-cent box and dollar box. Another regular pulled some cards out of my dollar box, 50-cent box and some 1954 Bowmans. Larry and I made our usual cash and trade deal. I also made a trade with Chuck, who made his first visit to the Bloomingdale show. Thanks for coming out Chuck!! A regular bought most of the cards in my 25-cent album. He pulled 24 pages out of the book. Another regular pulled out some 1962 Post and some cards from my 50-cent box. Willie rounded out my day by picking up some 1966 Philadelphia football.
On the buying front, I saw some stuff I wanted on a couple of dealer tables, but I had to hold off because my sales weren't where they needed to be. Though, I did come home with some new cards from my trades with Larry and Chuck. There was also a deal I turned down. A card shop owner offered me an unopened box of 1979-80 Topps basketball. I've never dealt much with unopened wax. I Googled the box and saw that they go for about $160 a box. The guy wanted $150. I won't pay $150 to make a big $10. So I offered $110 with the hopes I'd make $50 on the box. The guy wouldn't take it. He thought I'd want the box to open up. I think the box is more valuable unopened. Cards from '79-'80 have very little value and there isn't much of a demand for that year. So I don't think I'd make more than fifty bucks if I opened all those packs which would have resulted in a loss of $100.
With the Bears playing the Rams at noon, the room emptied out quick. I was out the door fast. I also didn't drop any cards on the way out over that nasty door frame. I stopped at Portillo's on the way home and had a hot dog and a bowl of chili. I was amazed that Portillo's didn't have a TV in there so I could watch the game.
As I'm writing this, it's Monday night and the Packers-Seahawks game just ended. The Packers were absolutely robbed. The ref's call on that last play of the game was the worst call I've ever seen in an NFL game. I think the NFL needs to suspend the season until they can work out a deal with the real refs. This is a joke. I watched that Ravens-Patriots game last night and there were a ton of bad calls. The NFL is now a joke. Something needs to be done!! Actually, maybe more people will come out to the Orland show next weekend because it really isn't worth watching the NFL right now.
I'm working on 1967 Topps baseball for the Orland show. I may get some '70-'71 Topps hockey done as well. I'll also have a stack of star cards new for my display cases. I'm looking forward to Orland on Sunday and hopefully we get a real nice turn out. Like I said, there's not reason to watch the NFL with this crappy officiating -- so come out to the show!!
Pictured above and below are the amazing pieces of memorabilia a collector brought into the Bloomingdale show.
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