Wednesday and Thursday, April 17-18, 2024, Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention, Strongsville, OH
STRONGSVILLE BLOG ONE
The Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention is an old-time sports card show that has been occurring just about every year since 1978. The show struggled in the 1990's and the original promoter shut it down. Paul Fusco from Fusco Auctions resurrected the show in the early 2000's, which was about the time I first contacted him for table space. Paul turned the show around and strictly enforced the vintage-only aspect of the show.
Paul was a tremendous promoter and greatly increased the popularity of the show. I had to go on a waiting list back in the early 2000's to get a table at the show. Paul Fusco was also quite a character. Once space became available, I had to prove to him that I was a vintage dealer. He chastised me and said if he ever saw any modern cards on my table, he'd kick me out of the show. Well, that has never been a problem for me because I have never placed modern cards on my tables in the all the years I have been setting up at card shows. I am truly a vintage dealer.
I became friends with Paul Fusco shortly after first setting up at the Strongsville show. I used to really enjoy chatting with him and I loved how he policed the room and shouted at guys with modern cards on their tables during the show. He was my hero!
Paul created the best and most unique show in the country. The dealers and their inventories were absolutely amazing. I never made much money there during my first few years as a dealer but I did not care because I just loved being in a room with wall-to-wall Ty Cobbs. Also, the dealers were a lot of fun. Dave and I used to regularly go out with Mark Smith, Hockey Greg and Craig from Akron, and we would have a grand time most nights after the show. Our neighbor at the show, Tim Payne was always smiling and cracking jokes. As a result, we had a good time at every single show.
Unfortunately, Paul died in 2019 just before the show that year. His wife and daughter soldiered on and thankfully held the show that year, which Dave and I attended. Then they sold the show to Leland's Auction House. I was initially concerned. I remember talking to the guy that Leland's first placed in charge of the show and he told me how he wanted to turn it into collectibles show for wrestling memorabilia and he had big plans to bring in all sorts WWE guys as signers. Ugh! I pretty much figured the show was going to die.
Thankfully, the wrestling guy disappeared, and Leland's largely kept the show as is. They placed Laura in charge -- she is terrific and a huge improvement over the wrestling guy. There were some minor changes when Leland's took over. They allowed modern cards, unlike Paul, who was fiercely against them. So a trickle of modern started to appear on dealer tables. Leland's also brought in more auction houses which to me is a huge waste a space at shows, especially small shows. I would have liked to see more vintage dealers than a bunch of auction houses giving away pens and promoting their auctions.
Leland's also brought in more autograph guests, which I totally have no interest in. I think autographs detract from the main focus of the show -- in this case, the most amazing vintage sports card inventory in the world! Why do anything else? I observed that the rabid Cleveland Indians and Browns fans that showed up for the autograph guests had absolutely no interest in vintage cards.
Autograph guests aside, space has always been a problem at this show. It was a tight room at the Holiday Inn every year. When the crowds were strong, it was tough to walk around. Paul told me that the show had always been at the Holiday Inn and he could easily move it to a larger venue but he was a stickler to tradition and said he would always keep it at the Holiday Inn, which eventually became a Best Western.
Well, Leland's broke with tradition as soon as they became the owners of the show by allowing modern cards which really, really bugs me. This year they really broke with tradition by moving the show next door to the Brunswick Ice Arena, a much larger space. The show was three times larger this year than in any previous year. Again, I was concerned. I know Paul wanted the show to stay at the Holiday Inn/Best Western. I wondered if the new larger venue would ruin the show.
I really had nothing to worry about. The show was pretty much the same just with more dealers. There were slightly more modern cards but still it was at least 95% vintage. There were also more autograph signers, which, again, I could care less about. Several customers complained to me about cancellations of certain autograph guests. I pretended to care.
The only thing I did not like about the new venue was the down grade in food options. The concession stand at the ice arena is crap while the hotel had set up concessions with some tasty options like pulled-pork sandwiches and decent burgers.
The biggest change for me was that this was the first time I had set up without Dave. Leland's dramatically bumped up table fee and Dave did not want to pay the increased fee. Dave was not alone. Many long-time dealers dropped out because of the fee increase, including my pals Mark and Greg. I was really disappointed that Dave, Mark and Greg would not be there! I too, did not like the fee increase but I had such a hard time getting into the show back in the day, that I was not about to drop out over a few hundred bucks. Plus, I just freaking love this show -- it is still all about vintage!! There is no other show like it!!
I recruited Tony Schaefer of Monster Cards to take Dave's place. I have known Tony for years. He is an amazing vintage dealer and a super great guy. We have set up together in the past at one of the old St. Louis shows and at the National and regularly hang out at random Midwest shows.
I have two tables at Strongsville. I would love to have both tables for myself but I cannot do this show alone. It is nice to split hotel costs and have someone there to watch my stuff so I can take bathroom and food breaks along with the ability to get away and walk the show. I also need someone around in case I have any health issues. Dave had to take me to the hospital last year as my blood glucose levels spiraled out of control. Thankfully, I felt much better physically this year and did not have any issues.
Sans Dave, I set out for Strongsville on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Last year, Dave and I set out on Wednesday as well and spent the night in New Buffalo, MI, at my folks' place. This year, I decided to drive to the Indiana/Ohio border, spend the night then take back roads into Strongsville on Thursday. Set up Thursday started at 4 p.m. So, this way I could explore northwestern Ohio all day Thursday. I am a huge Mark Twain fan and always considered myself to be a bit like Huck Finn. I love a little adventure.
I pulled off the highway in Montpelier, Ohio, and stopped at a Roadway Inn for the night. I was the only guest in the hotel! The room was cheap at $80. I wondered how they stayed open. It was nice and quiet. I planned on stopping at a local, old-time place for breakfast in the morning. I found several on Google.
To my surprise, one of the restaurants I found on Google the previous night just happened to be located next door to the hotel. I could not see it in the dark when I arrived Wednesday night. I had a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes.
Afterwards, I stopped off at the gas station located on the other side of the restaurant to purchase a map. Well, it is 2024, and maps are no longer sold at gas stations. I then went on my phone and found an Ohio road map on the Ohio Department of Transportation's website. I saw that State Highway 20 went from Montpelier to a town near Strongsville. Easy!
Oh my! What a pleasant ride through farms, small Victorian towns, and some hilly landscapes with winding rivers and lush flora. Here and there I came upon huge factories and steel mills that seemingly jumped out of the cornfields. All these places had massive signs out front begging for job applicants, so, despite what they say on Fox News, the American economy is doing quite well. Need a job? Want to live in a small town? Come to Ohio!
I spent about three hours on Highway 20. About 30 miles outside Cleveland, I turned on the GPS and hopped on I80 for the last leg of the journey to Strongsville. I arrived at the Brunswick Arena around 3 p.m. Thursday. There were a handful of cars in the parking lot. I saw Dave from Ohio, who had been my neighbor at the show for years. I was sad that I was no longer set up next to him along with his wife and son -- incredibly nice people. Dave is also a great vintage dealer. I was also sad that I would no longer be set up next to Tim Payne, another All-Star dealer, who along with his wife Susan had been my neighbors as well in Strongsville for years. I always enjoyed sharing laughs with Tim and Susan but Leland's reconfigured the whole room. Nobody had the same spots they had at the hotel, other than Leland's which still had the very first spot by the front door. But I did like the fact that my new spot was also located near the front door. Tim and Dave were still located close by for quick chats.
I walked into the arena and was greeted by the friendly Laura, who gave me my dealer wristbands and allowed me to walk into the room. "Wow," I thought, the show is huge compared to previous years. Prior, I was worried that the arena would be really cold because it is an ice rink. However, the ice was gone and the temperature was comfortable. Laura allowed Dave from Ohio, me and few others to load in early.
Once at my space, I was a little bummed out at the size. I thought I was getting a 6' by 8' booth. In reality, I had an 8-foot table with about three feet of space behind. I asked Laura if I could extend my booth into the aisle and place out some of my own tables. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to do so, so I just made do with the space.
I brought out 13 display cases thinking I had all sorts of extra space. In reality, I was only able to place out six display cases. Still, two more than I was able to place out at the hotel which was always really, really tight.
Tony soon arrived and he too brought a whole mess of display cases. We both thought we had more space. Tony had Dave's spot in the corner, which was a little larger than my spot. I think he was able to place out 8 or nine display cases. We made it work. I have done so many shows over the years and learned long ago to just make it work.
My new neighbors soon arrived. Prior to the show, I was worried as to who would be next to me and would they pinch my space, would they be dickheads or what? Turns out that I totally lucked out! I had amazing neighbors, characters, all of them!
Next to Tony was Larry from Toronto who had jerseys and vintage hockey cards. Larry is a tall skinny guy, with long hair, tattoos and a constant smile that emitted one wise crack after another. He told Tony and I that he and his wife are race car drivers. His wife could not attend the show because she had a race in Toronto. Man, he was wheeling and dealing from the get-go. He seemed to know everyone. I think he sold out most of his stuff before the show even opened. I was eyeing a 1969-70 Topps Stan Mikita PSA 8 that he had in his case. When he ran out of cards to sell, he started to sell Viagra. Yes, Viagra. I learned that many vintage sports card dealers have some issues because Larry made brisk business selling Viagra to them.
Tony said he later spoke to a dealer that purchased some Viagra who reported that a half of tab was all he needed. Too much information.
Next to Larry was Dave from Pennsylvania. Another really nice guy who sold vintage non-sports cards. He also had a near-set of 1958 Topps baseball for sale along with some old Detective Magazines from the 1950's.
Both Larry and Dave left the show early. Dave left after the show Friday while Larry spent a few hours at the show Saturday, then left. Our area got substantially quieter once Larry and Dave vacated. They were a lot of fun and I was sorry to see them go.
Tony took over Larry's spot while Bryan Dec, who was set up next to Dave, took over his spot. Bryan is another nice guy with an amazing inventory of pre-War cards and memorabilia.
This brings me to my neighbor to my left -- Jerry Katz. Oh my! Jerry is one of the best neighbors I have ever had at a card show. Man, did I enjoy hanging out with Jerry all weekend! I saw a guy walking the show wearing a T-shirt that said "Mayor of Strongsville." He should have given that shirt to Jerry -- he is the mayor of Strongsville. Everyone and their mother knew Jerry. It almost seemed like each person was making a pilgrimage to Mecca when they stopped at Jerry's table.
In all of my years of attending sports card shows, going back to 1978, I have never seen a dealer with an audience at his table. Jerry did not have customers. He had an audience the entire show and he did not disappoint, he entertained us all!
I learned that Jerry was the Indians public address announcer during the 1990's and also a local radio DJ. He looked and sounded like a DJ. He is also a guitar player and we chatted about Fender guitars amongst many other intriguing subjects.
I did not really understand his set up but it worked tremendously. He had two display cases filled with stacks of vintage cards, including an Aaron rookie. He also had some boxes and binders filled with Indians and Browns that were constantly attacked by audience members. He told me that he sets up at local shows every weekend. It did not even seem like he was trying to sell anything. He enjoyed the interaction. I watched him tell audience member after audience member to leave his table because they see him every weekend and he advised they check out all these National dealers who they rarely see.
He also thought that I look like actor Evan Handler. That was a first. I feel like I owe Jerry some money because I was so thoroughly entertained all weekend. What luck being set up next to Jerry!
Funniest thing I heard him say -- "So there is a rumor going around that I banged Red Ruffing's daughter. Not true."
One of the audience members responded, "There is a rumor that I took Red Ruffing's granddaughter to prom. True. No sex, though."
Crazy!
Needless to say, I had an absolutely wonderful time in Strongsville this weekend! This show is still the best!!
More on the Strongsville show coming soon!
STRONGSVILLE BLOG ONE
The Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention is an old-time sports card show that has been occurring just about every year since 1978. The show struggled in the 1990's and the original promoter shut it down. Paul Fusco from Fusco Auctions resurrected the show in the early 2000's, which was about the time I first contacted him for table space. Paul turned the show around and strictly enforced the vintage-only aspect of the show.
Paul was a tremendous promoter and greatly increased the popularity of the show. I had to go on a waiting list back in the early 2000's to get a table at the show. Paul Fusco was also quite a character. Once space became available, I had to prove to him that I was a vintage dealer. He chastised me and said if he ever saw any modern cards on my table, he'd kick me out of the show. Well, that has never been a problem for me because I have never placed modern cards on my tables in the all the years I have been setting up at card shows. I am truly a vintage dealer.
I became friends with Paul Fusco shortly after first setting up at the Strongsville show. I used to really enjoy chatting with him and I loved how he policed the room and shouted at guys with modern cards on their tables during the show. He was my hero!
Paul created the best and most unique show in the country. The dealers and their inventories were absolutely amazing. I never made much money there during my first few years as a dealer but I did not care because I just loved being in a room with wall-to-wall Ty Cobbs. Also, the dealers were a lot of fun. Dave and I used to regularly go out with Mark Smith, Hockey Greg and Craig from Akron, and we would have a grand time most nights after the show. Our neighbor at the show, Tim Payne was always smiling and cracking jokes. As a result, we had a good time at every single show.
Unfortunately, Paul died in 2019 just before the show that year. His wife and daughter soldiered on and thankfully held the show that year, which Dave and I attended. Then they sold the show to Leland's Auction House. I was initially concerned. I remember talking to the guy that Leland's first placed in charge of the show and he told me how he wanted to turn it into collectibles show for wrestling memorabilia and he had big plans to bring in all sorts WWE guys as signers. Ugh! I pretty much figured the show was going to die.
Thankfully, the wrestling guy disappeared, and Leland's largely kept the show as is. They placed Laura in charge -- she is terrific and a huge improvement over the wrestling guy. There were some minor changes when Leland's took over. They allowed modern cards, unlike Paul, who was fiercely against them. So a trickle of modern started to appear on dealer tables. Leland's also brought in more auction houses which to me is a huge waste a space at shows, especially small shows. I would have liked to see more vintage dealers than a bunch of auction houses giving away pens and promoting their auctions.
Leland's also brought in more autograph guests, which I totally have no interest in. I think autographs detract from the main focus of the show -- in this case, the most amazing vintage sports card inventory in the world! Why do anything else? I observed that the rabid Cleveland Indians and Browns fans that showed up for the autograph guests had absolutely no interest in vintage cards.
Autograph guests aside, space has always been a problem at this show. It was a tight room at the Holiday Inn every year. When the crowds were strong, it was tough to walk around. Paul told me that the show had always been at the Holiday Inn and he could easily move it to a larger venue but he was a stickler to tradition and said he would always keep it at the Holiday Inn, which eventually became a Best Western.
Well, Leland's broke with tradition as soon as they became the owners of the show by allowing modern cards which really, really bugs me. This year they really broke with tradition by moving the show next door to the Brunswick Ice Arena, a much larger space. The show was three times larger this year than in any previous year. Again, I was concerned. I know Paul wanted the show to stay at the Holiday Inn/Best Western. I wondered if the new larger venue would ruin the show.
I really had nothing to worry about. The show was pretty much the same just with more dealers. There were slightly more modern cards but still it was at least 95% vintage. There were also more autograph signers, which, again, I could care less about. Several customers complained to me about cancellations of certain autograph guests. I pretended to care.
The only thing I did not like about the new venue was the down grade in food options. The concession stand at the ice arena is crap while the hotel had set up concessions with some tasty options like pulled-pork sandwiches and decent burgers.
The biggest change for me was that this was the first time I had set up without Dave. Leland's dramatically bumped up table fee and Dave did not want to pay the increased fee. Dave was not alone. Many long-time dealers dropped out because of the fee increase, including my pals Mark and Greg. I was really disappointed that Dave, Mark and Greg would not be there! I too, did not like the fee increase but I had such a hard time getting into the show back in the day, that I was not about to drop out over a few hundred bucks. Plus, I just freaking love this show -- it is still all about vintage!! There is no other show like it!!
I recruited Tony Schaefer of Monster Cards to take Dave's place. I have known Tony for years. He is an amazing vintage dealer and a super great guy. We have set up together in the past at one of the old St. Louis shows and at the National and regularly hang out at random Midwest shows.
I have two tables at Strongsville. I would love to have both tables for myself but I cannot do this show alone. It is nice to split hotel costs and have someone there to watch my stuff so I can take bathroom and food breaks along with the ability to get away and walk the show. I also need someone around in case I have any health issues. Dave had to take me to the hospital last year as my blood glucose levels spiraled out of control. Thankfully, I felt much better physically this year and did not have any issues.
Sans Dave, I set out for Strongsville on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Last year, Dave and I set out on Wednesday as well and spent the night in New Buffalo, MI, at my folks' place. This year, I decided to drive to the Indiana/Ohio border, spend the night then take back roads into Strongsville on Thursday. Set up Thursday started at 4 p.m. So, this way I could explore northwestern Ohio all day Thursday. I am a huge Mark Twain fan and always considered myself to be a bit like Huck Finn. I love a little adventure.
I pulled off the highway in Montpelier, Ohio, and stopped at a Roadway Inn for the night. I was the only guest in the hotel! The room was cheap at $80. I wondered how they stayed open. It was nice and quiet. I planned on stopping at a local, old-time place for breakfast in the morning. I found several on Google.
To my surprise, one of the restaurants I found on Google the previous night just happened to be located next door to the hotel. I could not see it in the dark when I arrived Wednesday night. I had a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes.
Afterwards, I stopped off at the gas station located on the other side of the restaurant to purchase a map. Well, it is 2024, and maps are no longer sold at gas stations. I then went on my phone and found an Ohio road map on the Ohio Department of Transportation's website. I saw that State Highway 20 went from Montpelier to a town near Strongsville. Easy!
Oh my! What a pleasant ride through farms, small Victorian towns, and some hilly landscapes with winding rivers and lush flora. Here and there I came upon huge factories and steel mills that seemingly jumped out of the cornfields. All these places had massive signs out front begging for job applicants, so, despite what they say on Fox News, the American economy is doing quite well. Need a job? Want to live in a small town? Come to Ohio!
I spent about three hours on Highway 20. About 30 miles outside Cleveland, I turned on the GPS and hopped on I80 for the last leg of the journey to Strongsville. I arrived at the Brunswick Arena around 3 p.m. Thursday. There were a handful of cars in the parking lot. I saw Dave from Ohio, who had been my neighbor at the show for years. I was sad that I was no longer set up next to him along with his wife and son -- incredibly nice people. Dave is also a great vintage dealer. I was also sad that I would no longer be set up next to Tim Payne, another All-Star dealer, who along with his wife Susan had been my neighbors as well in Strongsville for years. I always enjoyed sharing laughs with Tim and Susan but Leland's reconfigured the whole room. Nobody had the same spots they had at the hotel, other than Leland's which still had the very first spot by the front door. But I did like the fact that my new spot was also located near the front door. Tim and Dave were still located close by for quick chats.
I walked into the arena and was greeted by the friendly Laura, who gave me my dealer wristbands and allowed me to walk into the room. "Wow," I thought, the show is huge compared to previous years. Prior, I was worried that the arena would be really cold because it is an ice rink. However, the ice was gone and the temperature was comfortable. Laura allowed Dave from Ohio, me and few others to load in early.
Once at my space, I was a little bummed out at the size. I thought I was getting a 6' by 8' booth. In reality, I had an 8-foot table with about three feet of space behind. I asked Laura if I could extend my booth into the aisle and place out some of my own tables. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to do so, so I just made do with the space.
I brought out 13 display cases thinking I had all sorts of extra space. In reality, I was only able to place out six display cases. Still, two more than I was able to place out at the hotel which was always really, really tight.
Tony soon arrived and he too brought a whole mess of display cases. We both thought we had more space. Tony had Dave's spot in the corner, which was a little larger than my spot. I think he was able to place out 8 or nine display cases. We made it work. I have done so many shows over the years and learned long ago to just make it work.
My new neighbors soon arrived. Prior to the show, I was worried as to who would be next to me and would they pinch my space, would they be dickheads or what? Turns out that I totally lucked out! I had amazing neighbors, characters, all of them!
Next to Tony was Larry from Toronto who had jerseys and vintage hockey cards. Larry is a tall skinny guy, with long hair, tattoos and a constant smile that emitted one wise crack after another. He told Tony and I that he and his wife are race car drivers. His wife could not attend the show because she had a race in Toronto. Man, he was wheeling and dealing from the get-go. He seemed to know everyone. I think he sold out most of his stuff before the show even opened. I was eyeing a 1969-70 Topps Stan Mikita PSA 8 that he had in his case. When he ran out of cards to sell, he started to sell Viagra. Yes, Viagra. I learned that many vintage sports card dealers have some issues because Larry made brisk business selling Viagra to them.
Tony said he later spoke to a dealer that purchased some Viagra who reported that a half of tab was all he needed. Too much information.
Next to Larry was Dave from Pennsylvania. Another really nice guy who sold vintage non-sports cards. He also had a near-set of 1958 Topps baseball for sale along with some old Detective Magazines from the 1950's.
Both Larry and Dave left the show early. Dave left after the show Friday while Larry spent a few hours at the show Saturday, then left. Our area got substantially quieter once Larry and Dave vacated. They were a lot of fun and I was sorry to see them go.
Tony took over Larry's spot while Bryan Dec, who was set up next to Dave, took over his spot. Bryan is another nice guy with an amazing inventory of pre-War cards and memorabilia.
This brings me to my neighbor to my left -- Jerry Katz. Oh my! Jerry is one of the best neighbors I have ever had at a card show. Man, did I enjoy hanging out with Jerry all weekend! I saw a guy walking the show wearing a T-shirt that said "Mayor of Strongsville." He should have given that shirt to Jerry -- he is the mayor of Strongsville. Everyone and their mother knew Jerry. It almost seemed like each person was making a pilgrimage to Mecca when they stopped at Jerry's table.
In all of my years of attending sports card shows, going back to 1978, I have never seen a dealer with an audience at his table. Jerry did not have customers. He had an audience the entire show and he did not disappoint, he entertained us all!
I learned that Jerry was the Indians public address announcer during the 1990's and also a local radio DJ. He looked and sounded like a DJ. He is also a guitar player and we chatted about Fender guitars amongst many other intriguing subjects.
I did not really understand his set up but it worked tremendously. He had two display cases filled with stacks of vintage cards, including an Aaron rookie. He also had some boxes and binders filled with Indians and Browns that were constantly attacked by audience members. He told me that he sets up at local shows every weekend. It did not even seem like he was trying to sell anything. He enjoyed the interaction. I watched him tell audience member after audience member to leave his table because they see him every weekend and he advised they check out all these National dealers who they rarely see.
He also thought that I look like actor Evan Handler. That was a first. I feel like I owe Jerry some money because I was so thoroughly entertained all weekend. What luck being set up next to Jerry!
Funniest thing I heard him say -- "So there is a rumor going around that I banged Red Ruffing's daughter. Not true."
One of the audience members responded, "There is a rumor that I took Red Ruffing's granddaughter to prom. True. No sex, though."
Crazy!
Needless to say, I had an absolutely wonderful time in Strongsville this weekend! This show is still the best!!
More on the Strongsville show coming soon!
Pictured on the very top of the page is some random small town along Ohio Highway 20 in northwestern Ohio. Pictured above, here, is the room at the Brunswick Ice Arena around 3 p.m. on Thursday before most of the dealers arrived and started loading in.
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