Sunday, January 29, 2023, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

Doing the show Saturday in Rockford and dealing with a treacherous two-hour ride home really took a lot out of me. I could not wake up Sunday morning and left the house much later than I had wanted.

Thankfully, the roads were nice and clear down to Orland. Just a little wet. It was much colder on Sunday and I had a chilly load in. I had eight display cases Saturday in Rockford; I was able to fit 12 in Orland where I have more space. I actually brought 13 cases but did not have enough space to get that last one out.

It took me forever to fill all those cases with cards. I usually don't worry about it in Orland because the crowd normally arrives late. Figures that everyone was early on this day. I was deluged with people at the halfway point of loading the cases. I think I finished around 9:45 a.m. I gotta get to the show much earlier next time I do the display case thing!

I had priced a nice pile of new stuff for the weekend and was happy to get it all out in Orland. While I was loading the cases, my pals Will and Joe arrived with coffee and sausage McMuffins. Thanks guys! The sandwiches were cold by the time I got to them but I needed the sustenance.

Big crowd early on once again. Like I said, I was surprised to be busy early on. It seemed like everybody and their mother wanted my vintage hockey cards. I sold a bunch yesterday in Rockford and just about sold the rest of them in Orland. Hockey has always been a good seller for me but never like this! 

I have a nice backstock of hockey from 1968 through the 1980's but not much prior to '68. Older hockey is really hard to come by. I just loaded up my binder from 1976-77 hockey and will have it out at the February 26 Orland show.

There was also a lot of interest in my older basketball and sold some of those. Sold some of the usual suspects in football like Jim Brown and Bart Starr. My good buddy from Berwyn dropped some coin on a 1955 Topps Duke Snider and a 1955 Bowman Bob Feller. Thank you!

Will purchased a pile of stuff, including a 1975 Topps George Brett rookie. Thanks Will! I've got one regular customer who likes the oddball stuff and he purchased my 1952 Wheaties George Mikan. The big winner today was my pal Tony Schaefer, who purchased a nice pile of stuff including some T205s. Thanks Other Tony!

It sort of felt like I was busier at the last Orland show two weeks ago but when I got home and counted up my cash, I actually had a better show this time around. Woot! The Orland show never fails. Did I say that I am a huge fan of this show? Rich, the promoter, does hourly drawings where the winners receive a $25 gift certificate. I had two different customers pay me with the gift certificates which Rich redeems for all the dealers.

On the buying front, I purchased a stack of 1968 Topps baseball and a 1962 Topps Switch Hitter Connects PSA 3. I met Bob from Batavia, who was shopping a 1953 Bowman baseball set but I did not have the funds. Bob said he is a fan of this blog. Thanks Bob! Bob and I have a mutual friend in Ed Demask, who grew up in Lombard, IL, and now lives in Batavia. Ed and I were cub reporters for the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago back in 1990. We were more like partners in crime. Back in those days, cub reporters were shunned by the rest of the newspaper staff and given the worst jobs. Ed and I had to rotate each night sitting in the basement of the DuPage County Court House in Wheaton, IL, pulling all the criminal files for the police blotter.

Generally, at the Herald, Ed and I kept to ourselves and goofed off and often hit the bars after work together. I still have Ed's thesaurus that he gifted me when I left the Herald for the Des Plaines Times in 1992. Ed is the only one from those days at the Herald who I am still in touch with. My friend Patrick Kampert worked at the Herald but he was at the Chicago Tribune by the time I started covering the Wheaton Park District Board meetings for the Herald.

A couple more Herald stories... Sometimes I would write up the police blotter the next day after I gathered all the info from the courthouse. The cheap asses at the Herald paid me per crime I wrote up in the blotter. So, I would spend hours at the courthouse gathering details on as many crimes as I could. This one morning, some guy called me and begged that I don't put his crime in the blotter. At first, I did not know what he was talking about then went through my notes and saw he was arrested for flashing his wiener.

"Hell no," I told him after I learned of his misdeed. Scumbag was outed by my police blotter! I hope he lost his job and kept it in his pants after that! Creep!

My worst experience at the Herald was being assigned to a Glen Ellyn Park Board budget meeting where I had to arrive at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning and stay until noon, then go back to the newsroom and write up several stories based on the meeting. Ugh! Then there was the time I was assigned to report about the intricacies of judging goat udders at the DuPage County Fair. I was the butt of every joke in the newsroom for the longest time after that!

Anyway, back to the Orland show. I was wiped out after the show on Sunday and skipped the sub shop. I was actually supposed to go Downtown and have dinner with my folks but I was just too tired. I went home and passed out. 

Regardless, it was another great Orland show. A big thank you to Rich and his helpers, who treat me so well. I love these folks! Also a big thank you to everyone who bought cards from me. You guys rock! 

Next Orland show is February 26 and I plan to bring the binders for that one. 

​I hope to see everyone this coming Saturday, February 4, 2023, at my show at the Salvation Army, 8853 S. Howell, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Once again, I will have 180 tables spread out in five different rooms. Tons of vintage dealers. Come on out and fill your sets!!

On a sad note, I was crushed to learn that Bobby Hull died on Monday. Bobby Hull was my first sports hero. I know I told this story before but it is worth mentioning again: when I was a wee lad, the Blackhawks away games were on UHF Channel 44, the Hawks owner "Dollar Bill" Wirtz was too cheap to put the home games on and expected everyone to attend those games and purchase his overpriced swill beer.

Anyway, my older brother would place me in front of our small black and white TV that we had in the kitchen and ordered me to yell to him whenever Hull was heading toward the opposing team's net with the puck. Seems like I yelled to him every few minutes. It was exciting to watch. Hull was a beast. You could see the fear in the opposing goalies as that Hull slap shot came at their heads at more than 100 MPH. 

I was devastated when Hull left the Hawks for the WHA. I watched him years later when he finished out his career with the Hawks but it was not the same. 

I was lucky to run into Bobby Hull at some point just about every year. Last year, I must have seen him five or six times. He signed autographs at the Orland show regularly. Then I saw him three or four days in a row at Harrah's in Atlantic City this past summer. RIP Mr. Hull and thanks for being so nice and accommodating whenever I saw you. Seems like all of my childhood sports heroes are gone. Sad times.

Saturday, January 28, 2023, IBEW Local 364, Rockford, IL

Leading up to the show, all the weather forecasts called for a major snow storm. Admittedly, I was very nervous. I hate driving in snowstorms. I also haven't really driven my new car much in snow so I was not sure how it would handle messy road conditions.

However, over the years, I have learned to take those weather reports with a grain of salt. More often than not, they are wrong. I am pretty sure that it is scientifically impossible to accurately predict the weather. Now, there are some weather patterns that we know as fact, like, weather generally moves across the United States from West to East. Weather can also form in the Gulf of Mexico and move northwest, hitting the U.S. along the gulf states of Texas, Louisiana and Florida. Sometimes those gulf storms move straight north and nail the Chicago area, but they usually are much calmer when they hit us along the shores of Lake Michigan. 

Saturday's storm was coming from the West and was supposed to start late morning and go into Sunday morning. I woke up Saturday at 6:30 a.m. and looked outside. All clear. Cool, I thought, and loaded up my car and was on the road around 7:30 a.m. Easy drive into Rockford.

I made it to Rockford around 8:30 a.m. Google maps took me to the union hall. I borrowed one of the carts promoters John and Mike leave for dealers and was able to get my stuff into the venue in one trip.

I thought the room looked real nice. Carpeted floors, wedding decor, nice black tablecloths on each table. The room was already just about filled with dealers. It was a lot tighter than the Rock Church, the former location of this show. John and Mike had to move the show because the church doubled their rate. Mike told me that just like the Woodstock show, there was some old bitties that did not like the show at the Rock Church. It is the church's loss, in my opinion. 

I brought eight display cases which usually fills up two tables, as was the case here. I had a little extra space and was able to place out some flyers for my Oak Creek show and a few 1962 Topps football cards. Into the cases went all of my baseball cards while only about half of my football cards.

John and Mike take good care of me, always. I love these guys. This show they placed me next to my pals Tom Mularz and Nelson Rodriguez. Good buddies Jeff Talamantez and Gary George were nearby. I did not get a chance to walk the room but I think Tom, Gary and I were the only vintage dealers. I saw Ray Stoner up against a side wall, who usually has some vintage. I did not really know too many of the rest of the dealers. I did see long-time friend Dell Heyn set up.

So, as I was driving in, I thought that I would be lucky to make table fee if it starts to snow. Boy, was I wrong. Nice crowd! It started to snow around 10 a.m. and I was surprised that so many people were undeterred. Excellent crowd all day long!

It did not take very long to earn table fee and much more. My first customers of the day was a father and son team, who I have met here in Rockford many times. The father is a tough cookie to work with but he always buys a card or two. Today he purchased a 1953 Topps Johnnie O'Brien.

Then I saw my one customer who is a vintage football card nut. Nice guy. I always forget his name. He is a local school teacher. He usually purchases various Packers but on this morning, he purchased a variety of cards from the mid-1950's, no Packers. 

Then I saw two guys that are regulars at the Rosemont shows. They always buy a bunch of cards from me at either the National for Sports Spectacular shows. It was nice to see them at the Rockford show and they recognized me and purchased all sorts of stuff from the late 1960's and early 1970's, including my 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle.

An older collector, who is building vintage sets, purchased a pile of 1962 Topps high numbers. He told me he is a Cardinals fan. I always thought folks growing up in Rockford were either Brewers or Cubs fans. I met another Cardinals fan, wearing a Cardinals jacket, who pulled all sorts of cards like 1970 Topps Bob Gibson and a '70 Topps Lou Brock.

I always get guys at my tables who just want to talk and they do not purchase any cards. This happens at every show. Usually, I don't mind, as long as I am not busy helping paying customers. There is one guy who I see at all of the Rockford shows, who is a talker and never a buyer. He is very enthusiastic. Problem is, he interrupts my conversations with paying customers. I have to figure out a polite way to tell him to come back when I am not helping a customer.

I have another regular talker at this show, who sometimes buys cards but clearly has some sociopathic issues. We had a weird encounter early in the morning when my dad called and I was stuck on the phone for a while. My dad and I had some things we needed to discuss regarding my brother Jon's estate. There was nobody at my table when I started on the phone. Shortly into the conversation, sociopath, an older guy, who is very demanding was in my face. I told him I would be with him when I concluded my phone conversation. I figured he would just walk the show and come back later but he just dug in and stood in front of me looking like my dog when he needs to go out.

Problem was that this was an important phone call and could not wait -- I needed puppy dog to wait! Apparently, he became frustrated waiting and took off and never came back, which is fine, he normally does not spend much money and just wants to trade. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I do not like to trade. I am pretty sure it was puppy dog who contacted me prior to the show with a list of 1980 Topps baseball cards he needed. I found a few and was just going to give them to him at no charge but he never came back. Should I hold the cards and bring them out to Rockford on February 11? I don't see why he could not just chill out for a while.

Then there are the talkers who have all sorts of stories they like to tell. They come to the shows just to tell their stories and not to purchase any cards. Usually, the stories told are similar ones I have heard before from many, many guys. To a man, the guys who come to shows just to talk and never purchase any cards have the WORST and most BORING stories. They also lack any semblance of story-telling skills. 

As a card dealer, you are kind of trapped behind your table, cannot get away and are stuck listening to tales of guys purchasing cases of 1989 Topps back in 1989, only to find out in 2023 that those cases they saved will not provide that big payday they were banking on and are in reality, worthless. How many times do I have to hear this same story?!! I hear it over and over and over and over and....... 

There are some dealers that are very skilled at getting these guys to move on, not me, I just get trapped. I don't have the heart to tell them to bug off. I can tell that some of these guys really need someone to talk to, so I listen.

There were quite a few story tellers at this show. I wonder if it was the snow that brought them out. Weird things happen in a snow storm.

Incessant talkers aside, I was very busy. I sold a nice amount of cards and was very pleased. 

On the buying front, a few items were offered. An older gentleman was shopping a 1963 Fleer near complete set minus the Mays. He wanted $2K. I politely declined then went on eBay and saw that the last sale of a 1963 Fleer complete set with the Mays occurred on January 18 for a price of $250. Where did this guy come up with $2K?

Then a younger guy who I met in the fall at the Rock Church show brought me a box of late 1970's football. The cards were beat. I did not even ask for a price because I have  soooo much of this stuff. There was a stack of 1973 Topps in there. I must have 10,000 of them at home. I do not need any more There was also a stack of 1978 Topps football. I have three or four complete sets at home along with 5-10,000 more singles. I told the seller I need 1960's and older, I'm overrun with 1970's football, which is the truth. I did not get offered any other cards and made no purchases which is rare at the Rockford show. I usually go home with something.

Overall, a really good day. Unlike the serial talkers, I always have good conversations with fellow dealers Tom, Nelson and Gary. I always enjoy chatting with promoters John and Mike, who do an excellent job. They also operate shows in Janesville and Loves Park. The union hall show is scheduled through April, then starts back in November. I should be at most of them. The next one is coming up quick on February 11. I know a bunch of you wiseacres are going to start telling me about your warehouses of 1989 Topps. Looking forward to it!

So, the weather forecasts were actually correct. It ended up snowing all day, doubling my drive time home. I almost crashed a couple of times thanks to some idiot truck drivers. The new car did well in the snow, however. 

Let's talk snow, 1989 Topps, or whatever next Saturday, February 4, 2023, at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in lovely Oak Creek, Wisconsin. I know it is early, but the weather forecast is clear for Saturday. I've got 180 tables once again. A bunch of new dealers and all of your favorite regular dealers.

I still have a waiting list and ask that waiting list dealers be patient. I will get you into the show eventually. No need to contact me EVERY day!

I think I am going to bring out display cases to Oak Creek because I have not done a display case set up in Oak Creek since forever.

Dealers, set up time is 8 a.m. Please pay me in advance for your tables via PayPal at abrandongordon@hotmail.com. This should be another great Oak Creek show. Let's be vigilant and keep an eye out for thieves! We need to get these suckers!

Have a great week everybody!!

​Below are a couple more photos from Saturday's Rockford show.

I totally understand the guy on the right wearing shorts when it is 20 degrees out, heavy winds and blizzard conditions. It does not matter how crazy cold the weather gets around here because you will always find a guy wearing shorts.

Pictured here is dealer Nelson Rodriguez on the right. I have known Nelson for a good 20 years or so. He is just a great guy. One of the most knowledgeable dealers I know. He is my go-to guy when I have a question about modern cards. Nelson also was set up at my very first Milwaukee show I promoted at the old Clarion Hotel back in 2014.

​Come see Nelson Saturday in Oak Creek!

Saturday, January 21, 2023, Woodstock North High School, Woodstock, IL

Over the years I have watched many, many card shows come and go. I know first-hand that operating a card show is not as easy as it seems. The most difficult aspect, in my experience, is securing a venue. There just are not that many venues out there that have the right amount of space to house a card show at a reasonable price. Most venues want exorbitant prices to rent their space, making the proposed event cost-prohibitive.

Next issue to overcome is the venue's management which is often hostile to card shows because card shows do not spend thousands of dollars on catering. Venues want big-ass weddings where they can charge a huge chunk of change just for the space and then another chunk of cash for catering. Card shows just need the space sans catering, so often card shows lose out, as was my experience when I started my show at the Clarion Hotel in Milwaukee. After three simple uneventful years at the Clarion, the Marriot Corp. came in, purchased the hotel, and started giving me a beat down, eventually kicking me out. They were up front, albeit ass-wipes, and booted me because they could not make $30K on my event.  Thankfully, I landed on my feet at the Salvation Army in Oak Creek and the rest is history.

​My pal Curtis has undergone his own battles with his show in Woodstock, Illinois. I am not sure when he started the show, maybe five years ago. He had a nice, quaint location, at a neighborhood church. As I reported previously, the show went on for years without a hitch until a new pastor came in and booted him out.

Curtis then started the difficult task of finding a new venue. I received regular reports and was happy to learn that he found a new venue, not far from the church, a mile or so west, at Woodstock North High School.

The last show at the church was in November. The first show at the high school was last Saturday. Having no idea where this school was located, I plugged it into the Google Maps app on my phone.

Siri took me on a different route than I had been traversing to the church. This route seemed less populated and more pleasureable. Still lots of farms and windy roads. 

You may recall that my last venture to the church show in Woodstock resulted in a speeding ticket in the town of Lakemoor back in October. I have since attended court on my ticket which resulted in a nolle prosequi, which is lawyer-speak for a dismissal. 

I drove much slower this time around, especially when I arrived in Lakemoor. No issues on the drive. Woodstock North is a huge high school that looks brand new. Folks at the show told me it is about 10 years old. 

My high school, on the other hand, is old and crusty. They never cleared off the grime from the class of 1962. Woodstock North is spotless.

The show was held in the cafeteria which is beautiful with floor to ceiling windows, slate floors and excellent lighting. I felt like I was in a nice hotel lobby rather than a high school cafeteria.

I think Curtis had about 30 tables out. He used a little less than half of the cafeteria so he can fit another 30 or so tables in there easily. He told me the venue only has 32 8-footers, so he is limiting the tables to 32. I volunteered to bring my own, if need be. There is definitely room here to grow.

There was so much space that Curtis urged all the dealers to bring an extra card table -- most dealers complied, myself included. With the two eight footers and a card table, I was able to place out just about all of my binders. There was so much space between vendor tables that I even set out four of my bins and placed binders on top of them as well. I think I had just three or four binders that I could not get out.

The school was hopping on this chilly morning. There was a band event in the adjacent auditorium along with a swim meet on the other side of the building. I was happy to see a concession stand where I dined on a brat, which actually tasted more like a Polish Sausage, and a hot dog along with several diet Pepsis.

Nice crowd! I was a little concerned at the beginning, knowing there were competing shows on this day in Janesville and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, both just an hour or so away from Woodstock. We had a real steady crowd most of the day. Probably a larger crowd than I have seen at any of the church shows.

Leading up to the show, I was not sure what to bring out. The church shows were not very strong for me. I really struggled to lure in vintage collectors/buyers. I initially had just one table for the high school and was thinking to bring out some 1980's/1990's unopened wax boxes and my vintage cheapy boxes. However, I put out a message on my Fat Daddy's Facebook page and several guys responded that they wanted to see the binders, so binders it was.

I was elated to see some new customers first thing in the morning with lists in hand. Vintage set builders are my people. This show had a surprisingly large number of vintage set builders. They all pulled out some cards from various binders.

Long-time customer Angel arrived early. Prior to the show, Angel had requested 1971-72 Topps basketball. My basketball binders have been hit pretty good but Angel still was able to find some cards. In addition, he pulled a large pile from several baseball binders. Thanks Angel!

Quite a few new customers pulled out cards from my late 1970's football binders. Thanks guys! Hope to see you again! I had one new customer that combed through my baseball binders from the 1970's looking for clean checklists. He was very disappointed that all my 1975 Topps checklists were marked. He did find some clean ones in my 1977 Topps baseball binder.

Matt asked for 1965 and 1971 baseball binders prior to the show. He was able to find some cards. Though, I need to reload those as well. I am currently working on reloading 1978 Topps baseball. The '78 is a huge set. I am not sure when I will have that one done.

Also, prior to the show, Phil had asked for 1978 through 1983. I did not bring out the '78s and my '79 binder is low on cards, so I brought out a couple of 10-cent boxes that had cards from 1976 through 1984. Phil did not look through the boxes. He about finished off my '79 binder. Thanks Phil!

Even though I brought those boxes out for Phil, I was surprised that many other guys dug through them and found cards. Big Tom pulled a large pile. Thanks Tom! Tom's pal Kevin pulled out a bunch of cards from my 1962 Topps baseball binder. Thanks Kevin!

Then there is Jim, who I see absolutely everywhere! Jim uses an old Beckett Annual from the 1980's as a checklist. He found a few cards and gave me lots of compliments about the Oak Creek show. Jim says his wife loves the Oak Creek show because there is real nice shopping for her nearby.

Then a few parents from the band concert dug through my binders. No bites. They had lots of questions of which I was happy to answer. Overall, sales were much better than expected.

Also better than expected was the opportunities to buy. I bought a small box of cards from Ron. Thanks Ron! Phil had some George Gervin cards from the 1970's that I purchased. I purchased a 1968 Topps Roberto Clemente Sporting News All Star from a random customer. Then I purchased 1970 and 1971 Topps Super Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. The seller gave me a nice price on the Mays and Aaron cards but was too high on a binder of others.

Then I turned down a few other items. A guy was walking around a few basketball binders from the 1990's. No thank you. Then a lady had a binder filled with 1969 through 1972 Topps baseball. This was her childhood collection and it showed. The cards were beat. She pointed to a 1969 Topps Roberto Clemente and told me it was a valuable card. Unfortunately, her Clemente looked as if she crumpled it up, placed it into her pocket, brought it to school, stomped on it then taped it to her bicycle spokes. I explained to her that the card has practically no value in that condition. The most I could offer for the binder was $100. I am pretty sure she went home with them. I am happy to purchase off-grade cards but I need them cheap because I cannot sell them for much. I just won't spend more than I can earn on reselling the cards. Unfortunately, many folks think their off-grade cards have much more value than they actually do.

I was busy all morning then things quieted down at my tables in the afternoon. Though, there were still people in the room when I packed up and went home around 2:15 p.m. 

One last note, remember my buddy Phil who I talked about in my last Orland blog? Well, Phil brought me a copy of his newly released CD which I played on the way home from Woodstock. Sounds like Muddy Waters meets Black Sabbath with female vocals. I enjoyed it. See Phil at the Orland show for your copy!

Next Woodstock show is Saturday, February 18, 2023. I plan on setting up, even though Curtis did not guarantee me a spot. There is so much space here. There has gotta be a spot for me!

In the meantime, I have a double bill weekend coming up. The first one is Saturday, January 28, 2023, in Rockford. The show is no longer at the Rock Church, which double their rental rates. John and Mike found a new location at IBEW Local 364, 6820 Mill Road, in Rockford. Then on Sunday, January 29, 2023, we are back in Orland for a second January show. I am bringing out display cases this weekend. I have a lot of new items priced and ready to go. Let me know if you want me to bring any binders.

A big thank you to Curtis and everyone in Woodstock. I had a really nice time!

In other news, I am sorry to report that our good friend Carl Zechel has died. Carl was a vintage dealer and a regular at just about all of the Wisconsin shows. Carl would set up with his wife Anne. Extremely nice folks. My condolences to Carl's family and friends.

Also, sorry to report that the New Berlin show has suspended its operation until a new venue is found. Gary told me a couple of weeks ago that the venue was raising its rental rate. As I stated earlier, it is soooo difficult to find an affordable venue. I really like the New Berlin show and am hopeful Gary and Andrew find a new location soon! Good luck guys!

Next Oak Creek show is coming up on February 4. I have many new vendors lined up. Vendors, who read this blog, could you please pay me for your space in advance? With around 130 vendors now, it has gotten too difficult for me to walk the building and collect table fee from everyone. Send me PayPal, friends and family, using my email abrandongordon@hotmail.com

Sunday, January 15, 2023, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

Outside of the Sun-Times/Fanatics shows, I have been setting up in Orland longer than any other show currently active -- about 22 years. It is always good to be at this show which feels like home.

The folks that run this show treat me so well, I don't know what I did to deserve it but I sure do appreciate it. This past show I received two condolence cards along with gifts from these super kind folks. Such incredibly nice people, I appreciate them so much!! My wife swiped the super soft stuff animal gift as soon as I got home after the show. I guess what is mine is yours and what is yours is mine. In retaliation, I'm stealing her lip gloss today!

Another great aspect of this show is that I get to hang out with my good buds Will and Joe, who brought me some coffee and sausage McMuffins. Will and Joe Rule!

I gotta tell you about another character at this show. His name is Phil. He has the first table to the left as you walk in the main room. Phil is a retired police officer, who loves sports, collecting sports cards, flea markets, music and playing the guitar. I told Phil that I play guitar as well so we always talk guitar. He told me he recently recorded a CD with another police officer and I can't wait to hear it! Phil has always got a smile on his face and is just a joy to be around. There are just so many great people at the Orland show!! 

Orland and Oak Creek are my top shows. My sales are consistently strongest at these shows. This past Orland show was no exception. I brought out all of my binders but I could only get out a couple of the hockey. New binders were 1962 Topps baseball and my vintage programs binder. I also placed out three display cases filled with graded vintage and some raw vintage stars. 

Sales were excellent. Once again, I was busy all day. Chris got things going with some '62s. A bunch of regulars pulled cards out of various binders. Will worked on '74 baseball and '72-'73 basketball today. Thanks Will! Andy arrived early on and purchased some cards. Thanks Andy! I sold several programs including a 1967 Baltimore Orioles game program and a 1959 White Sox game program.

Nick bought several autographs. Thanks Nick! Then Tim, who I met at this show back when I started 22 years ago, purchased some cards. Thanks Tim! Eddie purchased my 1941 Double Play Tommy Heinrich and my 1954 Bowman Gil Hodges, both graded. A new customer purchased three 1970-71 Topps graded hockey cards.

I also sold a bunch of the raw star cards throughout the day. Mike purchased his usual pile of stuff. Then my pal who grew up in Berwyn and who I see at the Rockford show, purchased a pile of stuff. Thanks buddy! A father bought his young son a graded Frank Thomas.

Longtime customer Mitanette capped off my day with a large purchase of cards. Mitanette is a reseller and regularly purchases cards from me for her auctions. She emailed me last week asking that I put a box together for her. Seems like an easy request but it is actually difficult for me to do. While I have a large inventory of cards, I do not have it sorted by price. Mitanette wanted a box of quarter cards. I just could not get it done.

Maybe half my inventory is sorted by year, while the other half is just sitting randomly in boxes. It is quite a job to go through all of these boxes to gather cards by year so I can refill a binder. I would not know how to begin to search out quarter cards. So at the show, Mitanette had me go through a pile of binders and pull out all of the quarter cards. It gave me something to do at the end of the show and I appreciate Mitanette's purchase. I think I will slowly start to fill a box of quarter cards for Mitanette. I don't know when she will be back but I do know that she will definitely be back. 

On the buying front, I purchased a small pile of 1954 Red Hearts, which is one of my favorite vintage issue of cards.

Tremendous crowd. It was packed early on then thinned out by the afternoon. We did not hit the sub shop after the show because Will and Joe had some errands to run. I went home, ate some food, slept, then worked on refilling 1976-77 Topps hockey.

I had a really fun weekend between New Berlin and Orland. We're back in Orland in just two weeks with a second January show on Jan. 29th. I think I am bringing out all display cases for that one. I need to change it up after bringing out all the binders.

If you are a vintage collector, you are not going to want to miss this January 29th Orland show. Jim C. told me our good friend Tony Schaefer is setting up. Tony has the best vintage inventory around. Add him with me, Jim C., Terry, Record Store Steve, Mark A., Phil and possibly Kevin Farrell and you are looking at a lights-out inventory from pre-War through post-War vintage. I can't wait for that show!!

In the meantime, come see me at Woodstock North High School, 3000 Raffel Road, Woodstock, IL, this Saturday, January 21, 2023. I am taking requests prior to the show. What do you want me to bring out?

Also, next Oak Creek show is February 4, 2023. Tables are sold out. 

See you in Woodstock!

​

Saturday, January 14, 2023, New Berlin Ale House, New Berlin, WI

I brought out all my baseball and football binders once again. There are a lot of set builders at this show. Guys arrived early with their lists in hand. My first customer of the day was working on 1975 Topps baseball. He found a pile. Later, a second customer pulled a pile out of the '75 binder as well.

Another customer, who I recognize but do not know his name, pulled a pile of 1960 Topps baseball. Bob came by looking for a 1969 Topps Brian Piccolo rookie. I've got to remember to bring one out for him. Bob's buddy, whose name I always forget, pulled out a pile of stuff from a variety of binders.

Tom probably spent a good hour at my table cleaning out my 1973 Topps football binder along with several others. I enjoyed listening to Tom's stories about getting Braves autographs when he was a kid at old County Stadium.

There were others who made purchases, but I can't remember exactly what I sold. I was busy most of the day. Though, sales were down from the last time I set up at this show. 

On the buying front, I was really surprised by the number of purchases I made. I did not expect to buy anything and blew through my money buying stuff. Jim had his ususal stack of stuff for me, including some 1962 Topps baseball high numbers. I purchased a pile of 1960 Topps baseball from Robin. Then Scott had an amazingly cool Cincinnati Reds program from 1934 that I purchased along with some 1952 Topps baseball. 

A regular customer came by with a 1960 Topps Jim Brown that looked freshly printed. My initial thought was that the card was fake because the border was so white, the color was so rich and the card was perfectly centered. However, the back looked legit. Usually the fakes have a yellow tint on the back. I am not 100 percent sure but I think the card was real. Fellow vintage dealer Tom Jahn thought it was real as well. The customer was stoked. Both Tom and I advised he get the card slabbed. 

The same customer offered me a pile of cards but his prices were way too high. Another dealer offered me a box of a few hundred 1959 Topps commons in VG shape at best. He wanted $2 a card. I sell those for a buck a card so I took a pass.

For lunch, I made sure to dine on a burger because the New Berlin Ale House's burger is one of the best around -- today's burger did not disappoint.

Overall, I really like this show. There is always a nice mix of modern and vintage. The promoters, father and son team Gary and Andrew, do an excellent job and are super nice guys.

My only issue, as I told Gary, is this show butts up against many of my other regular shows and I cannot attend most of them. The next New Berlin show is February 19 and I'll be set up at the Roma Lodge that day. Unfortunately, I can't make it back to New Berlin until the May 28th show.

Anyway, I did enjoy myself and highly recommend this show. I will be back... eventually.

Next up for me is the Woodstock, IL, show which has moved from St. John's Lutheran Church to Woodstock North High School, 3000 Raffel Road, on this Saturday, January 21, 2023. I only have one table and am taking requests. So far I have requests for 1971-72 Topps basketball and 1978 to 1983 baseball. Anything else?

Next Oak Creek show is February 4, 2023. Tables are sold out. 

​See you soon!

Sunday, January 8, 2023, Bridgeview Community Center, Bridgeview, IL

I flew down to Bridgeview Sunday morning, making it there in about 35 minutes. I was super tired because I fell asleep after the Oak Creek show on Saturday then woke up at midnight and could not fall back asleep. I was tired!

I had the same spot as last time when I was set up here in October. I brought out all of my baseball and football binders, remembering I had a very nice show in October with the binders.

Nice crowd. Far more people than last time. There were also lines to get autographs from former Bears quarterback Mike Tomczak, current Cubs announcer Pat Hughes and former Bears flanker Denis Gentry.

One of the keys to this show is the concession stand where I was able to caffeinate on several cups of coffee and enjoy a cookie for breakfast. Later, I snacked on a hot dog.

I had folks at my table all day long. Now let's see what I can remember. One of my Madison customers purchased a pile of Cubs cards from the 1970's. He stopped by a few times. Then Will purchased a pile of 1974 Topps baseball. Thanks Will! A young couple pulled some cards. My old friend Chris T. bought some cards. Thanks Chris! Chris told me that those 1970's 3-D cards from Kellogg's have been selling real well for him on eBay and Sportslots. Another good seller he talked about was a 1969 Topps Dock Ellis. I am going have to dig this stuff out and throw it on eBay.

I met Al from Net54 who purchased a pile of stuff. Thanks Al! I spent a lot of time chatting with a new customer, who wore a Sox hat. He told me his name but of course, I have since forgotten. Anyway, he purchased a pile of stuff, mostly White Sox cards.

Scott was the big winner today. He purchased a pile of autographs. Thanks Scott! Scott also gave me a big bear hug when he saw me, and we talked about my brother. I wore one of my brother's Marist T-shirts which was spotted by cross-country coach from Chicago's St. Rita high school, who figured out I was coach Jon's brother. He said he knew Jon well and had a lot of nice things to say. Thanks coach!

Overall, sales were good. Not quite as good as October but I'll take it!

I gotta say that this is a terrific show. Promoter Nick Parsons does an excellent job. I just wish it did not regularly conflict with other shows. I don't think I can make it back until the May show. I sure would like to set up at this one monthly.

On the buying front, Terry offered me a box of cards with some low-grade stars, a couple of rows of 1977 Topps baseball and half a row of 1950's and 1960's baseball. I just did not see the value in the box and took a pass. Never hurts to look and I appreciate Terry making the offer.

I walked the room in search of a 1971 Topps Roberto Clemente that I need to complete a '71 set. I forgot to look for the Clemente Saturday in Oak Creek. Nobody in Bridgeview had one. Maybe I can find one next week.

Speaking of next week, I have another double bill weekend planned with New Berlin, WI, on Saturday and Orland Park, IL, on Sunday. These are two excellent shows, and I am looking forward to both of them. I am leaning towards bringing binders to both shows. I recently reloaded 1977 Topps baseball and 1981 Topps football. I am currently working on 1962 Topps baseball and hope to have it done by Saturday.

Oh, it feels so good to be back doing shows regularly. Next Oak Creek show is February 4th. Hope to see you in either New Berlin or Orland this weekend. Have a great week everybody! 

​

Saturday, January 7, 2023, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI

Big crowd, tons of dealers, a few thefts and a few stories pretty much describes the first Oak Creek show of 2023.

We had 771 people through the door. Our largest crowd since we started keeping tabs last year. We initially had 180 tables but as show day approached two dealers cancelled because their wives were sick. Two other dealers cancelled because they were sick. Still, two more dealers cancelled because they had car trouble. Then two more dealers just did not show up, no call, text, nothing. I was able to fill a few of the tables but we did have several open spots. There were probably 175 tables total at the end of the day.

Man, it sure was nice to be back after two weeks without attending a show. I know Bob had a show in Lake Station, Indiana, on New Year's Eve which I contemplated, but in the end, decided to sleep in.

I was so enthusiastic for this show that I went to the Sal early Friday and ended up staying for five and half hours, setting this thing up. It has become a herculean task to do. One of the new things I did this time around was draw out a map after I figured out where I was placing all of the dealers. This map made life much easier on Saturday.

I ended up with around 120 dealers. Collecting table fee from all 120 dealers was a real chore. A few pre-paid which is so incredibly helpful. If any dealers are reading this blog, and want to help me out and pre-pay for the February 4 show, send PayPal to abrandongordon@hotmail.com -- I would greatly appreciate it!

This blog seemed to get a lot of play at the show. Lots of great comments as usual. Dealer Kyle Brown told me that someone recently told him about this blog and when he found it, he spent the next hour and half reading it. Thanks Kyle!

Another dealer, Kevin Farrell, told me that he asked a few of his customers if they read the blog and their was response was like, "A blog? How '90's!" I'm old school. Still blogging! 

And speaking of the dealers, I had a minor issue with a couple of them. Apparently one dealer was wearing some serious stink and the dealers next to him complained and asked to move. Since I had a couple of no shows, I was able to accommodate them to an area sans stink. I implore all dealers to bathe prior to the show and do what you can to limit the unpleasant aroma! It is one thing to chase another dealer away but we don't want to chase our customers away!!

Then there is that dealer from last month -- the guy who used to set up with Roger. Last month he was telling anyone within earshot that I cheated him out of a table, claiming Roger prepaid, when he did not. So this month, I did not see him, thankfully, but another dealer asked for a second table to give it to that guy. No way! I don't need that guy at the show. I am also not a big fan of dealers purchasing a second table to give to someone else. This usually ends up with me having an empty table when I could have sold it to someone legit.

Annoying guy aside, it was a pretty great day. I was on my feet and tired but enjoyed chatting with dealers and customers. Did anyone get a coupon for a free hot dog from the Mears Auction booth? I thought that was a pretty cool promotion!

As I was walking around the building, I heard someone ask their buddy: "Where is the live auction?" The buddy responded that there is no auction at the Oak Creek show, which is true. In hindsight, I should have directed him over to the Mears booth. Troy from Mears holds a monthly online auction which is far superior to anything I could do live at the show. Be sure to check out Mears at www.mearsonlineauctions.com.

Now for the bad news -- near the end of the show, someone told me that dealer Terrance Wimberly had a $4K card stolen. I did not believe that the card was stolen because Terrance never came over to tell me about the theft. I did not learn that it truly occurred until later that night when I saw Terrance's Facebook post about the theft.

I need dealers to inform me right away. I pay an undercover police officer to work the show. I would have liked to put our officer on the trail of the thief, not only to prevent additional thefts but to take this guy out in cuffs. Terrance described the thief as a white male between 17 and 23. Another dealer, Megan Cota, said the same thief hit her table. Again, I did not learn about Megan's theft until later that night.

Attention dealers! Thieves are at the show!! If something is stolen from your table, please let me or our police officer know right away!! 

Attention dealers!! Thieves are at the show!! YOU MUST KEEP ALL VALUABLE CARDS LOCKED IN YOUR DISPLAY CASE!!!

Again, I request everyone who attends the show to keep their eyes open and let me know if you see anyone commit a theft.

Terrance had an autographed Michael Jordan card stolen. Below is a picture of the stolen card. If you have any information regarding this theft, please contact me at abrandongordon@hotmail.com.

As far as display cases go, I have found that the best ones are those from the Allstate Manufacturing Co. out of Ohio. They are made of sturdy aluminum, have glass tops and either lock from the side or the back. You can purchase them directly from the company. Contact Allstate via their website www.allstatemfgco.com. 

I cannot tell you how much I hate thieves. Unfortunately, they are a fact of life at card shows. All shows. I, myself, have been hit many times. It just plain sucks. We did catch a thief once at the Oak Creek show. Hopefully, we catch the Jordan thief soon!!

Yet, so many positive things happened at this past show that I don't want to dwell on the thefts. They are what they are and those that commit thefts are about as worthless as they come.

Despite these thefts, I saw hundreds of happy faces on Saturday. Folks seemed to line up to tell me how much fun they were having at the show. I was impressed by the number of people that told me they drove three, four hours or more to get to the show. Several dealers were a buzz about a guy who drove down, about five hours, from Minnesota. He stopped at all the vintage tables and pulled out some of his amazing cards to show off like a 1914 Cracker Jack Christy Mathewson and several Ty Cobb T206s. He also dropped some significant coin at the show. I was too busy walking the show, so I did not get to meet him. I hope he comes back!!

Dealer Jim C. had the story of the day. Jim told me that a customer sat at his table for quite a while pulling cards from various boxes. At one point, a kid, about 11 years old, walked up and asked Jim about a 1973 Topps Robert Clemente that Jim had in his display case. The kid asked that Jim hold the card while he goes and finds his dad.

When the kid left, the customer sitting at Jim's boxes, handed Jim the $40 for the Clemente. The kid came back, and Jim handed him the card, letting him know that an amazingly nice guy purchased it for him. The kid was ecstatic! So were his parents. So were me and Jim!!

It is easy to get down about one a-hole thief but in reality, we have hundreds of amazing people who attend this show. I can't tell you how many people came by to offer their condolences for my brother. There is a reason, I set up at shows every weekend. There are so many amazing people in this hobby. I see them in Oak Creek. I see them at every show I attend. 

​We have 11 more shows to go in Oak Creek for 2023. Look forward to seeing you at the February 4 show!!!

A huge thank you to all the dealers and all the customers who attended the January 7th show. You guys rule! I also have to thank my main man at the Salvation Army Mark Lewis, a true gem. I also must thank all of the Salvation Army volunteers who work the concession stand, the front door, and who set up and take down the tables, and who clean the place up after us messy card guys leave. You guys are awesome!

​Below are some photos from the January 7th show....

Pictured above are two Milwaukee card show icons: P.J. Balistreri and Jack Martin. PJ said Jack was the promoter of the first show he ever attended back in 1989.

Sunday, December 18, 2022, Roma Lodge, Racine, WI

There is no better place to celebrate my birthday than at a card show. It was pretty awesome to be greeted by birthday cake/cookie courtesy of Keith. Thanks Keith! I sliced it up and handed pieces out. Then another awesome guy gave me a box of doughnuts which I passed out as well. Then Stan bought me a meatball bomber. Thanks Stan! Thank you everybody for such a nice birthday!!

I had one minor hiccup. On Saturday, I went to Home Depot and bought a new cart. I learned Sunday while I was attempting to load into the Roma Lodge that my new cart is too small. Ugh! I am going to work on replacing the tire on my old cart before the January 7th Oak Creek show.

Keith put out a memorial display to our good friend Roger Baehr. I still can't believe Roger is gone.

On a happy note, we had an excellent crowd at the show. Maybe the largest so far. I was busy all day! I much prefer to be busy than sitting around. Jim got things going with a purchase of bunch of cards. Thanks Jim! Robert was the big winner today with a purchase of a pile of 1960 Topps baseball. Thanks Robert! I know I sold a bunch more cards but I waited too long to write this blog and cannot remember what I sold and who else bought some cards. I do remember that I had a nice day, better than expected.

I needed all that money and more because a pile of T206s walked in, pictured above. I did not have the money initially. A big thank you to Scotty P. for loaning me the funds to make the purchase!! Later in the show, with money in my pocket I purchased a bunch of Brooklyn Dodgers yearbooks from the same seller. Needless to day, I was really happy with my purchases.

I was having such a good time that the day went by very quickly. I was home by 3 p.m. where I shoveled some food down my gullet and took a nap for a few hours. Then me, the wife and kids drove to Downtown Chicago to meet my folks, who live down there. We then went over to Ron of Japan for an excellent birthday dinner. 

Pretty great day. Though I sorely missed my brother Jon. It was my first birthday without him in 51 years. This is going to take a while to recover from. A big thank you to all the guys who gave me their condolences at the Roma Lodge. I appreciate you. 

I really need card shows right now but unfortunately, I have none scheduled until Oak Creek on January 7th. I was noticing that I have a lot of holes in my 2023 show schedule. I hope to fill it up soon.

Anyway, Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks for following along my 2022 Card Show Journey. I look forward to another year filled with shows and vintage cards.

See you in 2023!

Sunday, December 11, 2022, Civic Center, Orland Park, IL

Man, do I love the Orland show. I get treated so well here. Like a king, really. The kind ladies that run the show gave me a cake for my birthday! I love them!!! Then a steady stream of guys asked about my brother. Love you guys!

Then my first sale was for more money than I made all day in Green Bay. My neighbor at the show, Terry, purchased a few piles of cards. Thanks Terry! Then Will purchased his usual pile -- '74 Topps baseball this time. Gil purchased my 1957 Topps Don Drysdale Rookie. Another customer purchased my 1957 Topps Frank Robinson Rookie. I can't remember everything I sold but there were several significant purchases. A really great day.

On the buying front, I purchased some cards from Junior, as usual. A few from Walt. There was a guy shopping around a game-used ticket from Don Larson's perfect World Series game, pictured above. He said he inherited it from his uncle, who attended the game. I have no idea of the ticket's value so I did not make an offer.

I skipped the sub shop today because I was tired out from Green Bay yesterday. Next Orland show is January 15.

A big thank you to everybody who has been sending me kind messages regarding my brother. He's only been gone six days and already I miss him terribly. I just want to talk to him. I wish I could tell him about his funeral. All the kids from Marist High School came. It was a beautiful sight. Then the athletic director from Marist spoke and said such wonderful things about Jon. He would have just loved it.

​Jon's favorite movie was Rocky. Below is a link to the Rocky theme song in tribute to my brother Jon.

Rocky Balboa - Theme Song (HD) - YouTube

​Here a couple of photos of Coach Jon...

Saturday, December 10, 2022, KI Center, Green Bay, WI

Card shows have been my happy place since I first started attending them as a kid in 1978. I really needed to be in my happy place after my brother died on Friday. I thought about cancelling but did not want to sit home and cry all day. I wanted to go to my happy place and forget about the real world for a while.

The Green Bay show did the trick for me. I drove in drizzle for three hours before I arrived at the show a little after 8 a.m. Scotty P. let me use his cart to load in. Thanks Scotty.

My tables were on the far end of the room next to Greg Christianson. Greg kindly watched my tables at various points during the show so I could take some breaks. Thanks Greg!

It was really nice to spend the day with some great people like Scotty, Greg, Scotty Z., Mike J., Dennis B. and Matt L., who runs one great show. Big crowd, big number of dealers.

Unfortunately for me, a lot of tire kickers. I did not have too many sales unlike the last show in September where sales were excellent. I had fun anyway. Matt does such a nice job with this show.

It was nice to see Greg Miller, who I have not seen in years. Gonzaga old timers might remember Greg. I took over his tables at Gonzaga when he decided to get out of the card business. So glad he is back! Hope to see Greg again soon!

I can't make the April Green Bay show as I'll be at the Strongsville, Ohio, vintage show. I will try and make the Fall show.

Next up for me is the WSCA show this Sunday, my birthday, December 18, 2022, at the Roma Lodge, 7130 Spring Street, Racine, WI. I am going to bring out display cases and binders.

Also, first Oak Creek show of 2023 will be on January 7. Mark your calendars!! Hope to see you Sunday in Racine!!!

Below is a photo of the great crowd at the Green Bay show.