Sunday, April 24, 2022, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL
Back after missing the last March show which conflicted with Strongsville. Easy drive down to Orland on this overcast morning. I think I made it there in about 35 minutes, which might be a new record. I also beat the rain which came down hard shortly after I loaded in.
I was able to snag one of the large green carts for load in but was unable to get one after the show for load out. That large cart makes a huge difference. Unfortunately, there are always one or two dealers that hoard those carts after the show. Kind of a scumbag thing to do.
The group that caused an obstacle loading in a few months ago was back. They were down to just one table this time and placed boxes of worthless junk in front of their table. Of course, they were all standing in front of the boxes that were already out in the aisle, so navigating around them was difficult once again.
I really have to wonder if they sell anything. They have nothing but worthless memorabilia on their table like Starting Line-ups and bobble heads not even in the boxes. At the end of the show, I did not see any empty space on their table as they continued to clog the aisle while I tried to load out. It did not look like they sold a thing. With such a large group hovering around one table, it appears to be more of a social event than a sales event for these folks. I wish they would move to the side hallway. Better yet, why don't they skip the show altogether and hold a garage sale?
Anyway, I owed Terry some money from that last Lake Station show. Unfortunately, I spent all my cash the day before at Root River. I brought my checkbook and was able to pay Rich table fee with a check but Terry wanted cash. Then he sold me some more cards, digging an even deeper hole. I really did not want to run to an ATM and was hopeful that Orland would work its magic and bring me some cash!
Set up across from Terry was my good friend Carl, who offered to loan me some cash to pay Terry. You guys know Carl? He sells modern cards and sets up with his grandson. Extremely nice folks. Any day that I get to hang out with Carl is a great day!
Though, Carl, Terry and I had hoped to sell some cards on this great day but our prospects did not look so good as I observed rain through the window and empty aisles throughout the room. Slow arriving crowd. I am not sure if it was the rain or what. The few folks that did enter the show around 9 a.m. hovered around Record-Store Steve's table. Terry noted that the vintage crowd always starts out with Steve.
Terry was next to me at this show and he expanded to two tables and had a large selection. On the other side were two young guys selling modern cards. One guy had asked for one of my chairs. Normally, I would have handed him a chair but at this show, unlike any other show, I have a crowd sitting behind my tables, so I could not part with any of my chairs.
There seemed to be a chair shortage at this particular show. I saw a guy lift one of Terry's chairs while he was away from his table. I dubbed the chair thief Happy Quacky, because he is always so freaking happy, like overly happy, bordering on creepy and maniacal. He had just one table but placed five chairs behind it. Why did he need so many chairs behind his table?
Back at my tables, I brought out all of the binders again. I also put out the dime box and the two 50-cent boxes. Yesterday at Root River, I realized I could have used a second display case so I brought out an extra case to Orland.
Nothing in front of my tables to start the show but the wind. Pat Quinn soon filled the void. He seems to be the first guy at my tables at most every Orland show. I always enjoy chatting with Mr. Quinn, who is one of the godfathers of sports collecting in the Chicago area. I am pretty sure his card shop was the very first in Chicago and may be one of the very first in the country. I think I mentioned many times how I begged my dad to take me there as a kid in the 1970's. I always enjoy talking with Mr. Quinn and am glad to see him in good health.
Other than Mr. Quinn, I spent most of the early part of the show watching the clock turn and staring at the door waiting for my pal Will to walk through with some coffee. Sitting there, waiting for Will, my mind started to wander. I thought about Orland shows of old. What ever happened to Tom Ward? Anyone know? I haven't seen that guy in a good 10 years. How about Larry Weiss? I haven't seen Larry since the pandemic hit. Anyone talk with Larry Weiss? Like Will, Larry used to bring me a nice warm cup of coffee. I miss those guys!
I was a bit tired this morning and my mind started to play some tricks. These lyrics popped into my head:
Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Dancing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes
Sitting cross-legged on the floor
Twenty five or six to four
Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take
Should I try to do some more?
Twenty five or six to four
Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Searching for something to say
Waiting for the break of day
Twenty five or six to four
Twenty five or six to four
Then like clockwork, Mr. Will walked through the door with Chicago as his soundtrack! What a sight for sore eyes and for a gullet desperate for some warm flowing coffee. Joe had the coffee this morning. Will had the sausage mcmuffins. I love those guys!!!
The party started with Will and Joe! Thanks guys! Customers finally made it to my tables and eyes were down, binder pages were flipped and stacks of cards started to form. Yes, there is magic at the Orland show!
While sales started out slow, by 10 a.m., sales were steady for the next several hours. I ended up having a really nice day and was able to pay Terry that cash I owed him.
Let's see, what the heck did I sell? Mark, who is a big fan of this blog, was one of my first customers. Thanks for the kind words Mark and thanks for the purchases! My guy, who has been slowly building a 1975 Topps baseball set at my tables, brought a pile of lists this time around and pulled out a pile of cards from many different years.
Rick purchased some 1960 Topps and some 1972 Topps baseball. Thanks Rick! My guys who recently finished a 1972 Topps set at my tables started on a 1973 set. Thanks guys! My one guy who only buys out of the cheapy boxes found some cards in my 10-cent box. Thanks for the three crumpled up dollar bills! Phil, who purchased a pile of 50-centers at the Woodstock show purchased another pile at the Orland show. Thanks Phil! I was also able to give Phil his cards that he left with Gene at the Woodstock show.
One of my regulars pulled out a nice pile of cards then had to race out to an ATM to pay me. He took quite a while. I almost put the cards back but got distracted and he finally made it back to pay me. Another regular purchased my 1959 Topps Norm Cash rookie. Terry purchased my 1966 Topps Jim Palmer rookie.
Duke, who I met at this past Fanatics show, purchased a 1966 Topps Pete Rose. He was disappointed that I did not have more display cases out, like at Fanatics. As I was telling Terry, my buyers at the Orland show are set builders and they want to see the binders, so that is what I bring out. I did have two display cases out. Maybe I'll add a third next month.
Gil pulled a nice stack from the 50-cent box. Mike found some hockey cards. A new customer, that Carl sent over, found some 1960 Topps cards for his set. Then I saw a guy who was a regular customer years ago. Of course, I can't remember his name but I do remember that he was a principal at a local grade school. He remembered me and said he was working on his 11th 1970 Topps baseball set! He needed a Bench and a Ryan to complete the set. I did not have the cards. He later came back and showed me some that he purchased elsewhere.
Will purchased a pile of 1956 Topps stars. He also started a 1969 Topps football set. Thanks Will! It is a rare show when Will is not my best customer. Somehow he got outflanked by another customer, who I have not seen in months. Of course I do not remember his name but I do remember that he is a Chicago firefighter. He purchased a ton of cards! Mostly basketball and hockey.
Another customer, who reminded me that we met at one of Fred Copp's shows years back, found a pile of cards as well.
I saw a guy wearing a T-shirt advertising Lottie's Pub, one of my old hangouts in Chicago. We got to talking about Lottie's and another popular Chicago bar called the Lodge, where he used to work. Somehow we got on the subject about how the neighborhood around Wrigley Field has changed since the 1970's. Another customer chimed in and said he grew up in the neighborhood back then and said that the Cubs hired him as a kid to clean uniforms after the games. Some pretty cool stories.
Speaking of stories, one of the best story tellers around, Paul P., graced us with his presence and treated us to a bevvy of old neighborhood stories. Paul needs to write a book. You guys ever read anything by James Farrell? He wrote the Studs Lonigan trilogy in the 1920's or 1930's. Paul was a Studs Lonigan-type character growing up on Chicago's South Side and has many similar stories.
Great sales, great company, and great stories equals a great day in Orland, despite the rain and slow start. Will, Joe and I capped off the day at the sub shop. Now I am looking forward to the next Orland show on May 15.
In the meantime, come visit me in Madison on Saturday or Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday. Next Oak Creek show is May 7th. Be there or be square!
As I stated in my Root River blog, I forgot my phone at work on Friday so was without a camera. No photos from the April Orland show. Below are some photos of my Orland purchases.
Back after missing the last March show which conflicted with Strongsville. Easy drive down to Orland on this overcast morning. I think I made it there in about 35 minutes, which might be a new record. I also beat the rain which came down hard shortly after I loaded in.
I was able to snag one of the large green carts for load in but was unable to get one after the show for load out. That large cart makes a huge difference. Unfortunately, there are always one or two dealers that hoard those carts after the show. Kind of a scumbag thing to do.
The group that caused an obstacle loading in a few months ago was back. They were down to just one table this time and placed boxes of worthless junk in front of their table. Of course, they were all standing in front of the boxes that were already out in the aisle, so navigating around them was difficult once again.
I really have to wonder if they sell anything. They have nothing but worthless memorabilia on their table like Starting Line-ups and bobble heads not even in the boxes. At the end of the show, I did not see any empty space on their table as they continued to clog the aisle while I tried to load out. It did not look like they sold a thing. With such a large group hovering around one table, it appears to be more of a social event than a sales event for these folks. I wish they would move to the side hallway. Better yet, why don't they skip the show altogether and hold a garage sale?
Anyway, I owed Terry some money from that last Lake Station show. Unfortunately, I spent all my cash the day before at Root River. I brought my checkbook and was able to pay Rich table fee with a check but Terry wanted cash. Then he sold me some more cards, digging an even deeper hole. I really did not want to run to an ATM and was hopeful that Orland would work its magic and bring me some cash!
Set up across from Terry was my good friend Carl, who offered to loan me some cash to pay Terry. You guys know Carl? He sells modern cards and sets up with his grandson. Extremely nice folks. Any day that I get to hang out with Carl is a great day!
Though, Carl, Terry and I had hoped to sell some cards on this great day but our prospects did not look so good as I observed rain through the window and empty aisles throughout the room. Slow arriving crowd. I am not sure if it was the rain or what. The few folks that did enter the show around 9 a.m. hovered around Record-Store Steve's table. Terry noted that the vintage crowd always starts out with Steve.
Terry was next to me at this show and he expanded to two tables and had a large selection. On the other side were two young guys selling modern cards. One guy had asked for one of my chairs. Normally, I would have handed him a chair but at this show, unlike any other show, I have a crowd sitting behind my tables, so I could not part with any of my chairs.
There seemed to be a chair shortage at this particular show. I saw a guy lift one of Terry's chairs while he was away from his table. I dubbed the chair thief Happy Quacky, because he is always so freaking happy, like overly happy, bordering on creepy and maniacal. He had just one table but placed five chairs behind it. Why did he need so many chairs behind his table?
Back at my tables, I brought out all of the binders again. I also put out the dime box and the two 50-cent boxes. Yesterday at Root River, I realized I could have used a second display case so I brought out an extra case to Orland.
Nothing in front of my tables to start the show but the wind. Pat Quinn soon filled the void. He seems to be the first guy at my tables at most every Orland show. I always enjoy chatting with Mr. Quinn, who is one of the godfathers of sports collecting in the Chicago area. I am pretty sure his card shop was the very first in Chicago and may be one of the very first in the country. I think I mentioned many times how I begged my dad to take me there as a kid in the 1970's. I always enjoy talking with Mr. Quinn and am glad to see him in good health.
Other than Mr. Quinn, I spent most of the early part of the show watching the clock turn and staring at the door waiting for my pal Will to walk through with some coffee. Sitting there, waiting for Will, my mind started to wander. I thought about Orland shows of old. What ever happened to Tom Ward? Anyone know? I haven't seen that guy in a good 10 years. How about Larry Weiss? I haven't seen Larry since the pandemic hit. Anyone talk with Larry Weiss? Like Will, Larry used to bring me a nice warm cup of coffee. I miss those guys!
I was a bit tired this morning and my mind started to play some tricks. These lyrics popped into my head:
Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Dancing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes
Sitting cross-legged on the floor
Twenty five or six to four
Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take
Should I try to do some more?
Twenty five or six to four
Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Searching for something to say
Waiting for the break of day
Twenty five or six to four
Twenty five or six to four
Then like clockwork, Mr. Will walked through the door with Chicago as his soundtrack! What a sight for sore eyes and for a gullet desperate for some warm flowing coffee. Joe had the coffee this morning. Will had the sausage mcmuffins. I love those guys!!!
The party started with Will and Joe! Thanks guys! Customers finally made it to my tables and eyes were down, binder pages were flipped and stacks of cards started to form. Yes, there is magic at the Orland show!
While sales started out slow, by 10 a.m., sales were steady for the next several hours. I ended up having a really nice day and was able to pay Terry that cash I owed him.
Let's see, what the heck did I sell? Mark, who is a big fan of this blog, was one of my first customers. Thanks for the kind words Mark and thanks for the purchases! My guy, who has been slowly building a 1975 Topps baseball set at my tables, brought a pile of lists this time around and pulled out a pile of cards from many different years.
Rick purchased some 1960 Topps and some 1972 Topps baseball. Thanks Rick! My guys who recently finished a 1972 Topps set at my tables started on a 1973 set. Thanks guys! My one guy who only buys out of the cheapy boxes found some cards in my 10-cent box. Thanks for the three crumpled up dollar bills! Phil, who purchased a pile of 50-centers at the Woodstock show purchased another pile at the Orland show. Thanks Phil! I was also able to give Phil his cards that he left with Gene at the Woodstock show.
One of my regulars pulled out a nice pile of cards then had to race out to an ATM to pay me. He took quite a while. I almost put the cards back but got distracted and he finally made it back to pay me. Another regular purchased my 1959 Topps Norm Cash rookie. Terry purchased my 1966 Topps Jim Palmer rookie.
Duke, who I met at this past Fanatics show, purchased a 1966 Topps Pete Rose. He was disappointed that I did not have more display cases out, like at Fanatics. As I was telling Terry, my buyers at the Orland show are set builders and they want to see the binders, so that is what I bring out. I did have two display cases out. Maybe I'll add a third next month.
Gil pulled a nice stack from the 50-cent box. Mike found some hockey cards. A new customer, that Carl sent over, found some 1960 Topps cards for his set. Then I saw a guy who was a regular customer years ago. Of course, I can't remember his name but I do remember that he was a principal at a local grade school. He remembered me and said he was working on his 11th 1970 Topps baseball set! He needed a Bench and a Ryan to complete the set. I did not have the cards. He later came back and showed me some that he purchased elsewhere.
Will purchased a pile of 1956 Topps stars. He also started a 1969 Topps football set. Thanks Will! It is a rare show when Will is not my best customer. Somehow he got outflanked by another customer, who I have not seen in months. Of course I do not remember his name but I do remember that he is a Chicago firefighter. He purchased a ton of cards! Mostly basketball and hockey.
Another customer, who reminded me that we met at one of Fred Copp's shows years back, found a pile of cards as well.
I saw a guy wearing a T-shirt advertising Lottie's Pub, one of my old hangouts in Chicago. We got to talking about Lottie's and another popular Chicago bar called the Lodge, where he used to work. Somehow we got on the subject about how the neighborhood around Wrigley Field has changed since the 1970's. Another customer chimed in and said he grew up in the neighborhood back then and said that the Cubs hired him as a kid to clean uniforms after the games. Some pretty cool stories.
Speaking of stories, one of the best story tellers around, Paul P., graced us with his presence and treated us to a bevvy of old neighborhood stories. Paul needs to write a book. You guys ever read anything by James Farrell? He wrote the Studs Lonigan trilogy in the 1920's or 1930's. Paul was a Studs Lonigan-type character growing up on Chicago's South Side and has many similar stories.
Great sales, great company, and great stories equals a great day in Orland, despite the rain and slow start. Will, Joe and I capped off the day at the sub shop. Now I am looking forward to the next Orland show on May 15.
In the meantime, come visit me in Madison on Saturday or Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday. Next Oak Creek show is May 7th. Be there or be square!
As I stated in my Root River blog, I forgot my phone at work on Friday so was without a camera. No photos from the April Orland show. Below are some photos of my Orland purchases.
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