Insert the word "Diabetic" for the word "Purple" in the Jimi Hendrix classic song and you have my weekend in a nutshell. That Diabetic Haze had control over me the whole weekend. Needless the say, I had a very difficult weekend and probably should have stayed home. I just hate to be one of those "No Show" dealers who books a show and doesn't show up. So against my better judgment, I attended my regularly scheduled card shows.
For those that are regular readers of my blog, you know that I was diagnosed with diabetes about four years ago and am in a constant battle to stay on top of it. The main thing is I have to be extremely careful with what I eat. I am generally pretty good but I misjudged some food Friday night and was sent into a diabetic fog. Needless to say, I had a really rough night Friday. I somehow got to the show Saturday, February 21, 2015, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but I can't tell you much about the show because I didn't know if I was coming or going. The main thing I remember is having excessive nausea and making frequent trips to the bathroom -- two wonderful products of diabetes. I know I sold some cards to some guys I met last month. I'm pretty sure I did not buy any cards. My memory of that day is real hazy. I remember standing by the door talking with Brian and Seth when a lady came in and said she had some really old cards she wanted to sell. Even in my altered state, my spider sense told me that this lady had a bushel of 1988 Topps -- which are absolutely worthless. I was right, it was all cards from the 1980s and 1990s.
We had a good crowd at the show even though it snowed all day long. My main goal for the day was to just get through it and make it to a hotel. After the show, I was able to drive for about an hour, checked into a hotel and passed out.
I wish I had a better show report for Fort Wayne. I really like the show. I'm planning to head back there in May and should be in better health and will have a better account.
I felt a little better on Sunday. I still had a long drive to Canton. I rode Route 30 all the way to Canton. The scene outside my car was surreal. It looked like I was driving on another planet. Everything was caked with bright white snow. There was also heavy fog. The fog, snow and ice made for a scary drive to Canton. Though, for the most part the roads were clear until I got closer to Canton where the roads became messy. Shorty after I pulled up, I saw fellow Chicagoan Dell Heyn. He had the same story about the roads. We both wondered why they don't clear the roads in Canton.
There were quite a few vintage dealers Saturday in Fort Wayne and the vintage theme carried the day in Canton. It was a little tough to compete with all the vintage dealers but I had a few things on my table no one else in the room was carrying. I watched one customer walk around the room and ask the eight other vintage dealers whether they had a 1974 Topps Cleveland Indians team checklist. I was the only dealer in the room with the checklist.
I had a customer purchase a 1975-76 Topps Dr. J. There was a guy wearing a cool Topps hoodie who purchased some 1950 Bowman football. He wanted to sell me a Johnny Pro Baltimore Colts set. While I have seen the Johnny Pro Baltimore Orioles set, I have never seen the Colts set. He had a $500 price tag on it and I took a pass. I spent a lot of time discussing diet with his buddy who ended up purchasing some 1969-70 Topps basketball.
Another customer wearing a Cleveland Indians hat purchased some 1969 Topps baseball cards. Another collector purchased some 1966 Toppps baseball. A father and son team purchased a large number of cards from the 1950s through the 1970s. These guys made my day -- THANK YOU! A biker dude purchased some 1973 and 1974 Topps baseball.
I got into a discussion with a customer about all the great players that started with the Indians in the 1990s and left after a few short years. We were able to come to a deal on a 1966 Philadelphia Dick Butkus rookie. Then a Ohio State fan purchased some 1957 Topps football. A husband and wife team purchased some 1968 Topps baseball. My day ended with a father and son team that purchased some 1978 Topps football and some 1970 and 1972 Topps baseball. I allowed the father to pay me via PayPal which is pretty convenient for both me as a dealer and for the customer.
There was a real nice crowd in the room all day. I noticed there were quite a few kids. Jack, the vintage dealer across from me, said the hobby is dying. I disagreed and pointed to all the kids in the room. He walked away. I observed that he was busy all day. I'm not quite sure what possessed him to say the hobby was dying. Based on the Canton show alone, the hobby is alive and well.
On the buying front, I picked up a few cards including a nice stack of 1960s commons, a couple of 1934 Diamond Stars, a 1950 Bowman Enos Slaughter and a 1951 Bowman Packer common.
At the end of the show, Jane the promoter, held a drawing for the dealers. She called out Dell's name but he had already packed up and was on the road back to Chicago. A few names later, she called out my name. I won some cologne. I like Jane. She is a super nice lady and puts on a terrific show. I booked Canton again for March. It is kind of an ugly drive from Chicago but I really like this show.
I have been battling diabetic fatigue most of the week but I was able to finish reloading my 1975 Topps baseball binder. I started on the 1975 minis but I don't know if I'll have them done by this weekend. Sales on eBay have been lights out this week. Woot! I also had a record number of visitors to this site on Monday -- more than 1,600. Thanks everybody! I really appreciate the support.
Next up is the Smith & Gordon Show No. 6 on Saturday, February 28, 2015. We are in the larger Mitchell Room this time around with 30 tables and 16 dealers. There are just two tables still available for the first person to contact me. I'm also setting up at the Wyndham Garden in Schaumburg, IL, on Sunday. The weather report is clear for Saturday but it may get ugly on Sunday. Be safe out there and I hope to see some nice crowds this weekend in Milwaukee and Schaumburg!
For those that are regular readers of my blog, you know that I was diagnosed with diabetes about four years ago and am in a constant battle to stay on top of it. The main thing is I have to be extremely careful with what I eat. I am generally pretty good but I misjudged some food Friday night and was sent into a diabetic fog. Needless to say, I had a really rough night Friday. I somehow got to the show Saturday, February 21, 2015, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but I can't tell you much about the show because I didn't know if I was coming or going. The main thing I remember is having excessive nausea and making frequent trips to the bathroom -- two wonderful products of diabetes. I know I sold some cards to some guys I met last month. I'm pretty sure I did not buy any cards. My memory of that day is real hazy. I remember standing by the door talking with Brian and Seth when a lady came in and said she had some really old cards she wanted to sell. Even in my altered state, my spider sense told me that this lady had a bushel of 1988 Topps -- which are absolutely worthless. I was right, it was all cards from the 1980s and 1990s.
We had a good crowd at the show even though it snowed all day long. My main goal for the day was to just get through it and make it to a hotel. After the show, I was able to drive for about an hour, checked into a hotel and passed out.
I wish I had a better show report for Fort Wayne. I really like the show. I'm planning to head back there in May and should be in better health and will have a better account.
I felt a little better on Sunday. I still had a long drive to Canton. I rode Route 30 all the way to Canton. The scene outside my car was surreal. It looked like I was driving on another planet. Everything was caked with bright white snow. There was also heavy fog. The fog, snow and ice made for a scary drive to Canton. Though, for the most part the roads were clear until I got closer to Canton where the roads became messy. Shorty after I pulled up, I saw fellow Chicagoan Dell Heyn. He had the same story about the roads. We both wondered why they don't clear the roads in Canton.
There were quite a few vintage dealers Saturday in Fort Wayne and the vintage theme carried the day in Canton. It was a little tough to compete with all the vintage dealers but I had a few things on my table no one else in the room was carrying. I watched one customer walk around the room and ask the eight other vintage dealers whether they had a 1974 Topps Cleveland Indians team checklist. I was the only dealer in the room with the checklist.
I had a customer purchase a 1975-76 Topps Dr. J. There was a guy wearing a cool Topps hoodie who purchased some 1950 Bowman football. He wanted to sell me a Johnny Pro Baltimore Colts set. While I have seen the Johnny Pro Baltimore Orioles set, I have never seen the Colts set. He had a $500 price tag on it and I took a pass. I spent a lot of time discussing diet with his buddy who ended up purchasing some 1969-70 Topps basketball.
Another customer wearing a Cleveland Indians hat purchased some 1969 Topps baseball cards. Another collector purchased some 1966 Toppps baseball. A father and son team purchased a large number of cards from the 1950s through the 1970s. These guys made my day -- THANK YOU! A biker dude purchased some 1973 and 1974 Topps baseball.
I got into a discussion with a customer about all the great players that started with the Indians in the 1990s and left after a few short years. We were able to come to a deal on a 1966 Philadelphia Dick Butkus rookie. Then a Ohio State fan purchased some 1957 Topps football. A husband and wife team purchased some 1968 Topps baseball. My day ended with a father and son team that purchased some 1978 Topps football and some 1970 and 1972 Topps baseball. I allowed the father to pay me via PayPal which is pretty convenient for both me as a dealer and for the customer.
There was a real nice crowd in the room all day. I noticed there were quite a few kids. Jack, the vintage dealer across from me, said the hobby is dying. I disagreed and pointed to all the kids in the room. He walked away. I observed that he was busy all day. I'm not quite sure what possessed him to say the hobby was dying. Based on the Canton show alone, the hobby is alive and well.
On the buying front, I picked up a few cards including a nice stack of 1960s commons, a couple of 1934 Diamond Stars, a 1950 Bowman Enos Slaughter and a 1951 Bowman Packer common.
At the end of the show, Jane the promoter, held a drawing for the dealers. She called out Dell's name but he had already packed up and was on the road back to Chicago. A few names later, she called out my name. I won some cologne. I like Jane. She is a super nice lady and puts on a terrific show. I booked Canton again for March. It is kind of an ugly drive from Chicago but I really like this show.
I have been battling diabetic fatigue most of the week but I was able to finish reloading my 1975 Topps baseball binder. I started on the 1975 minis but I don't know if I'll have them done by this weekend. Sales on eBay have been lights out this week. Woot! I also had a record number of visitors to this site on Monday -- more than 1,600. Thanks everybody! I really appreciate the support.
Next up is the Smith & Gordon Show No. 6 on Saturday, February 28, 2015. We are in the larger Mitchell Room this time around with 30 tables and 16 dealers. There are just two tables still available for the first person to contact me. I'm also setting up at the Wyndham Garden in Schaumburg, IL, on Sunday. The weather report is clear for Saturday but it may get ugly on Sunday. Be safe out there and I hope to see some nice crowds this weekend in Milwaukee and Schaumburg!
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