Orland Park Civic Center, August 19, 2018

My family went for one last summer vacation during the week prior to the Orland show. Unfortunately, I had to miss the August Gonzaga show. We went up to Minneapolis and hung out at the Mall of America. Shopping malls may be dying all across the country but not at the Mall of America. That place is amazingly massive and filled with hundreds of shops and thousands of people.

This was me and my daughter's second trip to the Mall of America and the first for my wife and son. My daughter and I hit it a few years ago when we were in town for a card show. Then and now we barely scratched the surface.

Upon arrival, we dined at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Restaurant which was okay. It was about what you would expect for a chain restaurant located in a mall. The wife and the son spent most of the day in the mall's indoor amusement park. The daughter and I shopped, mostly for her. I was impressed to learn that the mall has four Lid stores, you know the shops that sell baseball caps. I was unimpressed to learn that the inventory did not vary between the stores.

We also spent a day at the Minneapolis Zoo which is about as good of a zoo as there is. I got some good exercise in between the mall and the zoo. All in all, we had a nice time.

Back home at the Orland show, I was surprised at how light the crowd was. This was certainly the smallest crowd of the year. As a result, I had my slowest Orland show of the year. Nevetheless, I did sell a few cards.

A father and son team got things going. The son purchased some 1959 Topps baseball while the father purchased some 1961s. A regular purchased some early Bowman baseball and a 1933 Goudey Lon Warneke.

Larry purchased some 1974 Topps baseball. Rick purchased some 1975 Topps football. I put out my publications at this show and sold a Sport Magazine from the 1960's with Mickey Mantle on the cover. A regular purchased a 1966 Topps Don Sutton rookie and a 1957 Topps football Frank Gifford.

Dan purchased some 1954 Bowman baseball. A Cubs fan purchased some 1980-81 Topps hockey. A long-time customer purchased some 1960 Fleer baseball. Joel purchased some 1975 Fleer football and some 1960 Fleer baseball. Will purchased some 1963 Topps baseball. I know I sold some more cards but I got chatty and forgot to write them down.

On the buying front, I picked up a real nice box of baseball stars from the 1960s. Quick day, capped off with another fine meal at the sub shop with Will and Joe.

Time for a rant, the subject today: Graded Cards.

I first observed graded cards about 20 year ago. My initial thoughts, that I was fully qualified to grade my cards without the assistance of a third party, has not changed. I did not foresee how graded cards would affect the pricing of cards. The prices for high grade vintage cards have gone through the roof and these cards are no longer accessible to the regular collector. They have become luxury items for the rich.

While many folks claim that graded cards have helped stem the tide of fraud, I have to disagree. There are many fraudsters out there popping out high grade cards from their slab and replacing them with low graded cards or fakes and selling them on eBay. In addition, the grading process is heavily flawed and dishonest. PSA is prone to damage cards submitted for grading. To cover their tracks, the employees at PSA slab and give these damaged cards high grades. I was victimized by PSA years ago, when I submitted an absolutely beautiful and flawless 1953 Topps Roy Campanella. I gave the card to PSA staffers at the long defunct Sports Fest in Schaumburg, Illinois. A month or so later, I received my card slabbed in the mail. There was a huge crease in the middle of the top edge. Obviously, some moronic PSA staffer placed the card in a box with other cards then dug his or her thumb into the top edge when pulling a group of the cards out of the box. The card which should have been an 8 or 9 received a 5. With the crease, the card was more like a 2.

I see the PSA booth at all the big shows and it is staffed with young folks from California who are not card hobbyists. These kids don't care about your cards. They are just there to get paid. So, in my opinion, PSA is a sad joke and a detriment to the hobby.

If you follow the online threads about PSA on certain card collecting sites, you will read all sorts of PSA horror stories. The biggest PSA story concerns the Gretzky T206 Wagner in which convicted felon Bill Mastro admitted to trimming the card. There is conflicting accounts as to whether PSA knew the card was trimmed when they gave it an 8. 

Many believe that PSA gives better grades to its best customers such as large auction houses. Recently, the Miami Herald published a story in which a reporter gave some fake autographs to PSA which slabbed them and graded them as authentic.

The loser in this whole grading/PSA saga is the average collector who thinks he is buying a legitimately graded card or autograph when in fact he is not. As PSA continues to grow and influence the hobby, so does its negative impact. I personally view PSA as this monster lurking behind the scenes. 

Since they ruined my '53 Campanella, I've hardly submitted any cards. Recently, PSA slapped me in the face and I vow to NEVER submit a card to them again. My newest gripe about PSA concerns their online forum. For the past four years, I have been posting information regarding my Milwaukee show on the forum. I never took advantage and bumped my post like some other guys. I just put it out there and let people naturally respond. Over the years, a few guys came into the show as a result of my post on the PSA forum.

In August, I received the following message from one of the moderators of the PSA forum:

"Hi,

I just wanted to let you know we do not permit advertising of any kind on the boards. Your latest thread is unique in that it is a show ad primarily, so I just wanted to reach out to explain before just removing.

We certainly want to promote and support more show attendance, but the reason we do not allow ads on the site is because it then becomes a free for all. We just want to ensure the site doesn’t become a place to filter through a bunch of spam. 

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation moving forward.

Jackie"

So who is Jackie? Does she collect cards? As a card collector do you feel that information regarding shows are spam? As I said before, I have been posting info about my show monthly for the past four years without incident. I have not had a single collector accuse my posts of being spam. As a result of this latest insult from PSA, I will never again do any sort of business with them.  PSA has really taken much of the joy of collecting out of the hobby. Going forward, let's take back our hobby and boycott PSA! I know grading is a necessary evil these days so I plan to support the alternative grading companies such as SGC and Beckett. I hope you will as well. @#!$% you PSA!! 

​Come out to my show at the Four Points Sheraton, 5311 S. Howell, in Milwaukee on Saturday, October 6, 2018, and let's talk about PSA!

Four Points Sheraton, August 4, 2018

I had some concerns before this show. In 2014, my August show ran up against the National. I figured that the National being in Cleveland that year wouldn't effect my show in Milwaukee. Wrong! My August 2014 show was deader than a doornail. Seemed like most everyone was in Cleveland, both dealers and customers.

Well, four years later, I figured my show is on a roll and yes I would be losing some dealers and customers to the National in Cleveland again, but I had some confidence that the show would be fine. I lost dealers Gary and PJ to the National but I replaced them with Harry and Matt. So I still had a full house of dealers. I also purchased a nice variety of wax to giveaway. In 2014, I had no giveaways. Folks seem to really like my giveaways these days. 

I took my usual Facebook ad. I gave out a ton of fliers. I posted the show all over the internet and lo and behold I had an excellent turn out! All the dealers reported excellent sales. I gave away quite a few packs of cards and even purchased some boxes from Roger to maintain inventory.

The August 2018 show was great! Thank you everybody for attending my show!! My sales were terrific. I purchased some basketball cards from Bart. Tom brought me some old gloves. I ended up finalizing the deal on the Connie Mack autograph. Just a great day all around.

Surprise, I met a new manager at the hotel on the morning before the show. Maybe my fifth or sixth of the year. The new manager told me that Stephanie, the lady who had been giving me a hard time, was gone. I figured great, maybe I can keep the show at the hotel. She gave me an email address of the new manager in charge of booking events. I emailed the booking manager. No response! So I emailed the new manager I met at the show and she got the booking manager to respond. The booking manager actually called me. I asked to renew for 2019. She said no! I argued, basically stating the truth that my event is generally the only event in the hotel each month and they have eight banquet rooms... eight EMPTY banquet rooms. Why in the world wouldn't she want to renew my event? She said she would have to discuss it with higher management and get back to me.

This is all getting very complicated. So the event manager works at a management company out of Huntley, Illinois. She doesn't work for Marriott Corp., the owners of the Four Points Sheraton in Milwaukee. A few weeks go by and she calls stating I can only reserve a few months ahead of time, not for the whole year. I say that won't work, I need to reserve for the whole year so I can promote the show and lock in the vendors. She says sorry, she can't do a whole year. I tell her that if I ran my business that way, I'd be out of business. I said I would move my show elsewhere. She did not care.

I have been looking for a new venue for the past six or seven months. Every place is too expensive. I've had quite a bit of communication with a place that would work but the guy won't seem to commit. At the moment, I'm kind of back to square one and am open to suggestions.

When I first decided to create my show more than four years ago, I never anticipated that the most difficult aspect would be the venue. Ugh! I'm going to continue my search. Hopefully, I'll have some good news soon! In the meantime, I can't thank you guys enough. The support for my show has been tremendous. I feel like I owe it to everyone to find a new venue and keep the ball rolling. Wish me luck!

On a sad note, one of the hobby good guys, Abel Frausto, pictured below, passed away on September 26, 2018, after a long battle with cancer. Abel was the promoter of the monthly card show in Jackson, Michigan. Back four or five years ago, when I had more time on my hands, I was a regular dealer at the Jackson show. Abel was terrific. He always offered to take me out to dinner when I arrived in town the night before the show. He ran a great show which was always packed with dealers and customers.

He taught me a lot about promoting a card show. He explained to me the importance of social media in drawing customers and dealers. He showed me how he created a social media presence for his show. I basically copied everything he did in Michigan for my show in Milwaukee. I owe a lot of my success to Abel. He was so incredibly supportive of my show. Just recently he commented on my post last month on the WSCA Facebook page, offering congratulations on my Four-Year Anniversary of my show at the Four Points/Clarion.

When he was diagnosed with cancer, he vowed to fight. I followed his battle, along with many others, as he posted his ups and downs on Facebook. My heart goes out to his two young daughters. The world lost a real hero and the card-collecting hobby lost a champ with Abel's passing. RIP Abel Frausto.

Final note, my next Four Points show is coming up on Saturday, October 6, 2018. See you then!

Orland Park, Illinois, July 22, 2018

I am really thankful Rich brought me back to the Orland show. I have had a spectacular year in Orland thus far. While it has been three or four years since I was at a July show in Orland, this year's July show was like old times. I spent about 500 bucks before the show even opened! I picked up three shoe boxes of hockey along with piles and piles of non-sports cards.

In addition to some terrific buys, one of the best aspects of this show is that two guys that I consider to be the godfathers of sports card collecting in the Chicago area, Roger Marth and Pat Quinn, are always at the show. As I've mentioned before, about 40  years ago, when I was a young whippersnapper, I used to beg my dad to take me to their card shop, The Sports Collectors Store, which was the first card shop in the Chicago area, I believe. I have fond memories of that store on South Archer Avenue in Chicago. In 1979, when the first Beckett Annual came out, I had the whole book highlighted and marked up with cards I wanted to purchase at the Sports Collectors Store. Mr. Marth regularly buys cards from me these days for his Cubs collection. On this warm July morning, Mr. Marth purchased my 1959 Topps Cubs Clubbers. I suspect there probably is not a better Cub collection out there than the one in Mr. Marth's mancave (I'm assuming he has his stuff displayed in a mancave).

Funny, I have a son of my own who collects these things called Funkopops and he begs me to take him to Gamestop to get some just like I used to do to my old man with baseball cards. Now I know how the old man felt buying me cards. Just like my dad, I hate to spend money on Funkopops which are bobblehead characters from video games and movies. My dad thought cards were worthless and he wasn't willing to part with much cash for them. I feel the same way about Funkopops. The difference is I can't say "no" to my son. It was pretty easy for my dad to say no to me. Different times, I guess.

Back at the show, sales were brisk and often. A new customer purchased my 1961 Topps Roger Maris. Larry, pictured with me above, purchased a stack of 1974 Topps baseball. Rick picked up my 1953 Topps Billy Martin, a pile of 1953 commons, and a 1970 Topps Super Boog Powell. A regular customer purchased some 1954 and 1955 Topps baseball commons.

A new customer, who drove down from Wisconsin, purchased my 1956 Topps Willie Mays. Then I ran into an old customer, whose name I can't remember. I used to see this guy regularly at Orland then randomly at shows all over the country. He used to drive a truck and always hit a card show when he was on the road. He doesn't drive a truck any more but he did drive out to the Orland show from Michigan. He ended up purchasing a bunch of 1960 Fleer Greats of the Game.

I had my quarter box out at this show and it saw some action. A regular customer purchased some 1977-78 Topps hockey. Another regular purchased my 1964 Topps Sandy Koufax.

Then I think I pissed off Larry from Plainfield when I turned down his trade offer. Larry has been bringing me cards to trade at the Sun-Times and Orland shows forever. I'm more inclined to trade at the Sun-Times show where there is a lot of down time. At Orland, I'm slammed in the weeds, I really don't have the time to trade. So unless the offer is for something exceptional, I probably won't do it. Larry had some 1970 Topps stars which are a dime a dozen. He wanted my 1949 Bowman Phil Rizzuto. I flat out told him I'd rather have the '49 Rizzuto than a bunch of 1970 Topps. Sorry Larry!

A regular customer purchased my 1964 Topps Pitching Leaders and a 1962 Topps Don Drysdale. Man, from 9 a.m. to about 11 a.m. it was an absolute frenzy at my tables. I couldn't take a breadth!! I tried to write down my sales but there were just too many to keep track of.

Joel found some 1950 Bowman White Sox for his Sox team set. He also purchased some Bears from the 1970s. Some new customers, a husband and wife team, purchased some 1970 Topps baseball cards. A new customer, wearing a Yankees T-shirt, purchased some 1949 Bowman baseball. Andy from Orlando was still around and we made a nice cash and trade deal. Andy always has a box of cool stuff for trade, usually much more interesting than 1970 Topps. Sorry again Larry!

My man Paul purchased some 1979-80 Topps hockey. Also, Paul kept everyone honest with his biting wit. Speaking of wit, Will purchased all of my 1971 Topps football and a nice stack of 1963 Topps baseball. Thanks Will! Man, what a day! I capped it off with lunch with Will, Joe and Paul at the sub shop. 

I know I am way behind on the blog. I just have been crazy busy with work and family. I have been using whatever free time I have to update my binders. I'm almost done with all of my 1950's baseball binders. I'll try and get another blog done soon. In the meantime, come out to my show October 6, 2018, at the Four Points Sheraton, 5311 S. Howell, in Milwaukee. Dealer tables are sold out and it should be a great show!

Gonzaga Hall, Milwaukee, July 15, 2018

I had just returned from a really nice vacation, the subject of a previous blog, and was more than ready for the July Gonzaga show. I was greeted in the early morning with some extensive road construction along I94 in southeast Wisconsin. This road is under perpetual construction and it has gotten, oh, so old.

As I was setting up, I purchased some wrestling cards from Roger to give out at my Four Points Sheraton show. There was a nice crowd early on and I was busy with customers right away.

A husband and wife team flipped through my binders on the hunt for old Milwaukee Braves. They found a Felix Mantilla and were quite happy. Over the last several months, Paul has just about cleaned out my 1975 Topps baseball binder. He also purchased some 1974-75 Topps basketball. Thanks Paul!

A regular customer purchased some 1960 Topps baseball. Another regular purchased some 1948 Bowman basketball. Jason bought a bunch of stuff including some 1948 Bowman basketball, a 1959 Topps Ernie Banks All Star, a 1961 Post Mel Roach and a 1963 Post Frank Robinson. 

A regular customer purchased some 1965 Topps baseball while another regular purchased some 1969-70 Topps basketball. A new customer purchased some 1973 Topps baseball. A regular customer purchased some 1968 Topps baseball including a Mickey Mantle.

I'd now like to interrupt this account of my sales to talk about dealer etiquette. I've probably mentioned this before but it bears discussion once again. There are some unwritten rules regarding dealer behavior. The one I'd like to discuss regards approaching a customer while he is at another dealer's table and convincing the customer to stop looking at that dealer's cards and to come over to your table -- major faux pas.

When customers are at my table, they are MY customers until they leave. Other dealers should not approach them, especially from behind my table, which is my space that I paid for, and lure them away. I never engage in such activity. I may approach a customer when he is at another table just to say hello but I don't discuss cards or try to lure that customer from the other dealer. 

The customer will eventually visit my table and your table. No need to lure the customer away and deny me a sale -- which is so incredibly uncool. So other dealers, please stay in your space and don't use my table to conduct business. You have your own table. Enough said, now back to my sales, which were excellent on this day.

A regular customer with a handlbar moustache purchased some 1962 and 1963 Topps baseball. Bill from Illinois purchased oddball items from my recently reloaded oddball binders. A new customer purchased a Paul Westphal rookie. A regular customer purchased some 1970 Topps.

Terry purchased some 1957 Topps football cards. Andy was in from Orlando and purchased some 1970 and 1971 Kellogg's baseball cards. I got to talking to a new customer who told me how he purchased 1960 Fleer Greats of the Game when they came out in 1960. He had almost the complete set. He just needed the Ruth, Gehrig, Ted Williams and Marty Marion... which of course, I had. It was great to see him complete his set.

Chuck purchased a bunch of 1961 Topps baseball. A new customer, who drove up from Illinois, completed my day. He spent quite a while at my table and purchased some 1967 and 1968 Topps baseball along with a bunch of basketball cards. This ended up being one of my better Gonzaga shows of the year. A huge thank you to everyone who purchased cards. I tried to write all the sales down but was very busy and unable to do so. So, if I forgot to mention you, let me know and I'll get you in the next blog. I love it when people come up to me and talk about the blog! Quite a few guys mentioned the blog at this show.

On the buying front, I purchased a box of 1962 Topps baseball with some high numbers in there. I also bought a nice grouping of 1963 Fleer baseball.

I know I am a little behind on the blogs. It has been a very busy summer. In addition to my Michigan trip, I took the family up to Minneapolis in August and missed the Gonzaga show. We had a great time at the Mall of America. Work has also been very busy. So as I have been lagging on the blog, I have been working on reloading my binders. All of my Bowman baseball binders are reloaded. I finished 1952 and 1953 Topps baseball and am currently working on 1954 Topps baseball. I recently reloaded 1981-82 Topps hockey and 1975-76 Topps basketball. As always, I have priced a ton of new stuff for my display cases.

I hope to get some other blogs done soon! In the meantime, my Four-Year Anniversary Show at the Four Points Sheraton is coming up on Saturday, September 1, 2018. I have a full house of dealers and am trying to rent the small room next to the Rembrandt Room. The hotel is in disarray. The manager who gave me hell all year has quit. Yes! Unfortunately, they have not replaced her and I can't seem to get anywhere on renting the extra room. Also, since the nightmare manager is gone, I'm trying to renew with the hotel for next year. Hopefully, I'll have more information soon!

Four Points Sheraton, Milwaukee, July 7, 2018

We were back in our regular room for the July 7th show. No problems with the hotel to report other than they shortchanged me by one table. I went into a store room and helped myself to a table. I have to remember to contact the hotel prior to the August show to make sure they give me the appropriate number of tables.

I had a lot of great stuff for my customer giveaway. Prior to the show, I picked up 2016 Panini Baseball, 2016-17 Panini Basketball, 2015-16 Panini Basketball, 2016 Absolute Football, 2015 Contenders Football, 2015 Score Football, 2015/2016 UD Hockey, and 2018 Topps Series I baseball. For the July show I allowed all customers to choose three packs of cards. Unlike previous months, most customers went for the baseball. Usually, customers seem to like the basketball cards. During the show I purchased a box of 2017 Topps Heritage baseball to add to the pot. I will pick up additional boxes of wax for the August 4th show where I will again allow all customers to choose three free packs of cards.

On a side note, I stopped at a relatively new card shop in Illinois to try and get some wax for my giveaway. The shop did not have much wax and what he did have was priced extremely high. I think the shop opened in January or maybe last fall. I have driven by it a ton of times and did not have a chance to stop until recently. Well, I'm surprised the shop is still open. There is not much inventory. Very little vintage and prices are not marked. I told the owner that I was looking to buy wax to giveaway but I did not want to pay $100 a box. He went on a rant on how certain large wax dealers are cornering the market and inflating prices. I told him about one large wax dealer that has very reasonable prices. His response was that he is going to buy them out. Needless to say, I felt this guy was a little off and I won't be stopping there again. I'd be surprised if he stays open much longer.

I plan to stop in a couple other card shops, that are a little more friendly, before the show to pick up some wax for the giveaway. Just a heads up, for the September show, in honor of my four-year anniversary of running the show, I am going to change up my giveaway. At the September show only, I will provide a prize table where everyone who attends the show will pick a slip of paper out of a hat that will identify a prize from the prize table. I am still gathering prizes but so far I have several autographed items including a Warren Spahn autographed postcard, bobbleheads, modern and vintage cards and there will be an option for customers to choose four packs of cards.

Back to the July show, I had a full house of dealers and had to turn some away. Normally, I will bump up the show to a larger room in the hotel when I get a rush of dealers. This time, however, I was unable to get a larger room because guys were calling me the night before the show requesting tables. I can't get a larger room the night before the show. So -- Attention all dealers! Please call at least a week before the show if you want to secure a spot in the room!!

As usual, before the show, I had given out a large number of fliers, posted the show all over the internet and purchased an ad on Facebook. The result was a tremendous crowd. Thank you everybody!!

The large crowd turned into large sales for me. Jerome was there early, as usual, and he pulled a nice stack of 1978 Topps baseball. Paul pulled some 1975s. A father and son team spent most of the day going through my football binders and purchased stacks and stacks of cards.

Andy was in from Orlando and purchased a bunch of cards including some 1933 Goudeys. Bill came up from Illinois and found some Post Cereal cards. One of my regular customers just about cleaned out my 1969 Topps baseball binder. Quite a few other guys pulled cards from my binders. I also sold quite a few cards from my display cases.

On the buying front, I picked up a large group of 1964 Topps baseball cards and a stack of 1965 Philadelphia football cards.

When there was a break in the action, I went around the room to see how the other dealers had fared. I was surprised to learn that several guys reported slow sales while others reported excellent sales. I feel that my job as a promoter is to get customers to attend the show, which I regular achieve with great success. It is the job of the dealers to sell their items. When there is a large crowd, like there was at the July show, and you as a dealer don't sell much, that means it is time for you to reevaluate. 

I have been selling cards since the late 1970's and here is my advice to increase sales:
          (1) Review your inventory.
                 a.  You need to ask customers as they walk by what they collect and what are                             they interested in purchasing. If those items are not on your table, you need                         to start the process of obtaining inventory that will draw more interest.
                  b. Pay attention to what customers are purchasing at other dealer tables and                             obtain similar inventory.
           (2) Lower your prices.
                   a. If  your items are not selling, there is a good chance you have priced them                             too high. 
           (3) Place price tags on all of your items.
                     a. The vast majority of customers want to see a price tag. As much as they may want a card, the price is always the deciding factor. Many customers will not ask you for a price. You must have your items clearly marked.
           (4) Have fun and be friendly.
                   a. Nobody wants to stop at a table where the dealer is visibly distressed. People can sense these things. Chill out! Start up a conversation. Make a joke. Try and enjoy yourself. We're dealing with sports memorabilia -- it's inherently fun!
           (5) Change  your inventory from show to show.
                            a. If you bring the same stuff out to each show, you are wasting your time. You need to have a large enough inventory where you can rotate items in and out. I make sure I bring a reloaded binder or two to each show and add a large number of cards into my display cases. I also rotate stuff in and out like publications and autographs. I converse with all of my customers to learn what they are collecting. I have all sorts of sales before the show even begins by bringing in specific items for specific customers. 
                           b. Buy, buy, buy. You gotta spend money to make money. I probably go a little overboard and spend between $500 to $1,000 at every show. At the very least you need to drop $100 at each show on new inventory. You must have new items on your table at each show. If you can't buy at a show, buy online. The key is to buy, buy, buy. You need to keep adding new stuff to your table!
           (6) Self promote.
                             a. The show promoter can only do so much for you. You need to get the word out whether it be letting folks know you will be at a particular show, items you have on sale, or start a blog. This blog you are reading has resulted in a TON of sales. 

As I have said many times before, anyone can be a dealer. There is no licensing involved. All you need to do is call a promoter like me and reserve a table. You never stop learning. I am always trying new things to increase sales. If you have a lousy show, just change things up for the next. If you have never set up at a show, give it a try! It is fun!

My next show at the Four Points Sheraton is on August 4, 2018. I have a really great group of dealers lined up. The smart dealers will have new items on their tables. I will have a ton of new stuff on my tables like recently reloaded 1950 and 1951 Bowman baseball cards, 1981 Topps Football, and tons of new stuff in my display cases. I am currently working on 1982 Topps Football cards and plan to have those ready for the August show.

One final item, I really appreciate all the recommendations for new venues to host my show. I have recently been in contact with many places and hope to have a new venue lined up shortly. With all the great support for this show from customers and dealers alike, I definitely will continue the show into 2019 and beyond. Stay tuned for updates on the new venue. In the meantime, I hope to see everyone on August 4th!!
        

I attempted to attend a Cubs-Dodgers game at Wrigley Field at the end of June with my sister, who was in town from Colorado and her fiance. I got there extra early to make sure I picked up a Jason Heyward bobblehead. It may have been the first time I watched batting practice since the late 1970s. Oddly enough, I remember it was a Cubs-Dodgers game as well back then and I was at the game with my sister. The memory is clear because Steve Yeager came over and started hitting on my sister, who was in high school at the time. This time around, no Steve Yeager but I did get a glimpse of Tommy Lasorda, pictured above (Tommy is in the middle of the crowd), while waiting to get into Wrigley Field. We ended up sitting at Wrigley for two hours before the game was called due to rain. 

My sister and her fiance took a train in from the suburbs. I offered to drive them back. I had parked a few miles away, like I normally do, to avoid spending a hundred bucks to park near Wrigley. I used to work and live near Wrigley, so I always enjoy walking around the area. I had a really pleasant walk to the game. I stopped in one of my old haunts for a hot dog. The owner remembered me, which was cool.

The walk back to my car was not as pleasant. My sister's fiance was freaked out, thinking we were going to get shot. So here is some insider information from a fourth-generation Chicagoan. As I told my sister's fiance, who didn't believe me, you are NOT going to get shot anywhere near Wrigley Field. The neighborhood that contains Wrigley is called Lake View, it is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Chicago and is very expensive to live in. While there are some trouble spots due to the large number of taverns in the area, shootings are rare. If you stumble out of a bar at 3 a.m. and are one step away from losing your cookies, yes, you may get conked on your head and lose your wallet. But if you are walking around at 4 p.m., you may just pass a local family or two out for a stroll. There are no gangs in Lake View. Shootings are rare. It is a really nice place. Over the years I lived in two different apartments in Lake View and rented an office there. The only problems I ever had were with Cub fans who couldn't handle their liquor.

I know Chicago is regularly in the national news for violence and shootings but these things are largely confined to parts of the South and West sides of the city where poverty is high and gangs are rampant. Chicago is a very large city and Wrigley Field is located on the North Side, well away from the violence that regularly takes place on the South and West sides. So rest assured, you will NOT be shot near Wrigley Field. 

Note to self, never offer to give sister and her fiance a ride.

​Anyway, I took my family on a little vacation around the Fourth of July. We decided to go to Mackinac Island in Michigan, to recreate a trip my wife and I took shortly after we were married 20 years ago. We started out in the New Buffalo area and spent the night with my folks, who have a cottage there.

For as long as my family has been in Chicago, well over a hundred years, my family has been spending summers in southwest Michigan. Somewhere there is a photo of my grandmother on the beach in the 1920s. In the late 1800's, there was a wealthy lady in Chicago named Jane Adams who assisted immigrants with her settlement house called Hull House. Jane Adams assisted my great-grandparents by getting them a farm in the town of South Haven, Michigan. 

We had lunch in South Haven which is quite the tourist town these days. We wanted to go to the beach but it was too crowded, there was no place to park. We stopped in St. Joseph as well and had ice cream. My dad recommended Saugatuck. We stopped there and tried to find a place for dinner but the town was jammed. We walked around then continued north.

We settled down for the night in Holland, Michigan. I've actually done card shows in Holland but never had a chance to explore. We spent the morning touring a Victorian Dutch windmill, pictured above. We then continued our drive north along Route 31 and made our way to Traverse City. The scenery along Route 31 is something else -- rich, dark green forests, golden bluffs with tremendous views of Lake Michigan.

In Traverse City, we arrived during the Cherry Festival. This part of Michigan is known for its cherries. There was an art fest and carnival in the center of town. My kids enjoyed the carnival. Below is a picture of my daughter at the carnival. I really like Traverse City, it is a beautiful old-timey town on a bay along Lake Michigan. The only downer is a restaurant called The Towne Plaza where we made the mistake of dining. The hostess was snooty and rude. After we left, I realized the waitress short-changed me by five bucks. Avoid the Towne Plaza restaurant in Traverse City at all costs.

The best part of Traverse City is actually a short drive away in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. Here we found some beautiful beach front and spent the day swimming in Lake Michigan.

​After a few days in Traverse City, we were off to Mackinac. Before the trip, my wife reserved a room at the Bavarian House, a resort in St. Ignace, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, along Lake Huron. From Traverse City, we continued north on Route 31 and drove across the Mackinac Bridge, the dividing line between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The bridge is something else. It was the largest of its kind when constructed in the 1950s.

Our room at the Bavarian House was scented with mold which was a bummer. Though, out the back door was our own private beach on Lake Huron with a view of Mackinac Island across the bay.

I have been lucky enough to have traveled to Mackinac Island many times. It never gets old. I love it. If you have never been to Mackinac Island, you must go! The center piece of the island is an old fort that dates back to the Revolutionary War. There are actors that give tours and shoot off muskets and cannons.

The most unique aspect of Mackinac Island is that motors are not allowed. There are no automobiles there. The only modes of transport on the island are bicycles and horses. Also, the only way to get to Mackinac Island is by boat. There are two ferry companies in St. Ignace -- Shepler's and Star Line. Shepler's is nice because parking is free and it is only a 15 minute ride to the island. Star Lines charges extra to park and is slightly more expensive than Shepler's. The nice thing about Star Lines is that it is a longer ride and takes you under the Mackinac Bridge.

So the whole island is on the National Register of Historic Places. It became a tourist designation in the 1800's. There is the famous Grand Hotel where the movie "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve was filmed in 1980. We arrived at the Grand Hotel on the Fourth of July where the hotel was hosting a carnival. My son enjoyed playing games at the carnival and he spent the day attempting to win a silly hat, which he won after several hours of play, pictured below.

While my son was playing games, my wife, daughter and I sat on the amazing front porch of the hotel. The wife and I drank a few cocktails and enjoyed the old-time jazz band performing below at the carnival. We then took a horse and buggy tour across the island. The tour would have been enjoyable except for a large group of folks sitting behind us with a ton of small kids. The group was so loud that we could not hear the tour guide. I was a little peeved because I dropped 80 bucks to take my family on the tour. We hopped off the tour by the fort and headed for fudge shops.

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Mackinac Island features dozens of fudge shops and for some reason fudge tastes better on Mackinac Island than any other place in the world. We brought a bunch of fudge home. I'm a stickler for the traditional chocolate fudge. My wife likes blueberry and my son like mint chocolate chip.

When the sun went down on the fourth of July, we were able to watch the St. Ignace fire works from the beach behind our hotel. We could also see fireworks being shot off the island.

On the way home, we thought we would explore central Michigan. Ugh! Big mistake! There is nothing in central Michigan except farms and run-down towns like Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Next time, I will stick to the coasts. I would really like to explore the Lake Huron coast on the east side of Michigan. That will be a trip for another time.

In the meantime, I recommend a trip along the west coast of Michigan. It is amazingly beautiful and the towns are wonderful.

Orland Park Civic Center, June 24, 2018, Orland Park, IL

I had to miss the May show because it was scheduled the same day as the Gonzaga show. So I was really looking forward to the June show. I had reloaded all of my 1970s baseball binders and added some neat stuff to my display cases like 1948 Bowman basketball.

It is a long meandering drive from my house in Lake County, Illinois, to Orland Park which is in the southern end of Cook County. If you have never been to the Chicago area, Cook County holds Chicago and a large chunk of the surrounding suburbs. More than five million people live in Cook County. It is massive and to drive from one end to the other is at least an hour drive on the highway on a Sunday morning. Heading back in the afternoon is an hour and a half or longer. So I am always relieved when I arrive at the Civic Center after that long drive.

However, as long as my drive may be, others travel much further than I do for this show. There's Walt that drives a couple hours up from central Indiana. I saw Jim from Michigan at this show. I also met another dealer from Michigan as well. There are usually a few guys that make the trip from Wisconsin. I saw a dealer from Iowa at the show, though he wasn't set up, he came as a customer.

Needless to say, the Orland show is pretty good and getting better under the leadership of promoter Rich Troy. My only complaint is that Rich slightly moved my tables for the April and June shows. I take three tables up against the west wall. The room has a goofy design where every 20 feet there is a doorway. The walls jet inward at each doorway. So my middle table is at a doorway with the walls that jet inward. The result is that there is a degree of difficulty walking behind my three tables because of the doorway walls that block the middle table. I have to put my display cases on the far left and far right ends of my set up which really drives me crazy. I like my display cases to be in a row. This is causing me a real problem. As, I've stated before, I set up at shows for fun, not to be aggravated. This set up is driving me nuts. For the next show, I am going to pull my tables way out into the aisle. I don't know what else to do. I am going to have to figure this one out because I can't keep setting up this way.

Another problem with the Orland show is thieves. This has nothing to do with the promoter. For whatever reason, this show attracts middle-aged men who don't look like criminals but have dancing hands and swipe cards. There is one guy in particular who usually wears some sort of Hawaiian shirt. He looks to be 65 years old or so, he swipes cards from me every show. The problem is that I never catch him in the act but I know he's taking cards. I enlisted my pal Will to keep tabs on the thief at this show. This thief is well schooled. He was able to take a handful of cards out of my 50-cent box without me or Will seeing him. Will's son Joe saw the thief in the back hallway pull a handful of cards out of his pocket. The cards were in my holders. So maybe he stole three or four bucks worth of cards. Not a big loss but it still sucks that this guy is at every show swiping cards from me and other dealers. To all my regular customers, please help me keep an eye on this guy. I want to catch him in the act and have him arrested. 

The June show itself was excellent. I was mobbed as usual. Dave, Rick, Will, Chris, Larry and Paul bought a bunch of stuff. Like I said in my last Gonzaga blog, I'm horrible with names. Please give me a reminder and I'll list you here in the blog. I really appreciate everyone. There is a great group of guys that regularly buy from me at this show and we have such a good time.

I made the mistake of talking politics which never goes over well. I think we would all be better served if we stick to discussing cards and sports at the shows. There is a huge political divide in this country right now and I am not going to be able to convince anyone to think like me and no one is going to be able to convince me to think like them. Cards and sports are a happy medium and we can usually agree. I respect everyone and you have the right to think in any manner that you please, as well as do I. Let's just agree to disagree.

So, I ended up selling a ton of cards this show. One guy spent a few hours at my table amassing huge piles of cards from my 1970's binders. A huge thank you to everyone who bought cards!

I also bought a TON of stuff. Junior came around a few times. I can't remember what I bought from him. I few other guys sold me some odds and ends. One customer sold me a large box of old football cards along with two large boxes of publications. I was concerned I would not be able to fit everything into my car but I was able to make it work.

After the show, Will, Joe, Paul and I went over to City Barbecue up the street. Paul had recommended the place and he was spot on. I had an amazing BBQ turkey sandwich with a side of BBQ beans that had chunks of brisket in it. A few days letter, I saw that a City Barbecue had opened up closer to home in Deerfield. I went there and bought a sample platter that had everything on it like turkey, chicken, ribs, and brisket. Oh my, that was awesome! 

I will be set up at the July Orland show this Sunday, July 22. I'm hopeful I get my old set up back. It will be another frustrating day if I have to battle that doorway again. Ugh! Though, if I can hit City Barbecue again after the show, all will be right in the world.

Four Points Sheraton, Milwaukee, June 2, 2018

In case you have not been following my blog, I have been locked in a battle with the management of the Four Points Sheraton. They wanted to cancel my June show and I basically threw a fit. 

After a tense couple of months, we came to an agreement at the April show where we planned to move the June show into the hotel's restaurant. All was quiet leading up the June Four Points show. A little too quiet. I was worried that I would show up at the hotel, the door would be locked and the room would not be set up. 

To my surprise, the back door was open and the restaurant was set up for the show! Not only was the restaurant set up but the set up was awesome! The hotel lined up the restaurant tables for us to use, brought in more tables, gave us tables in the hallway and in the bar!! We had a ton of space!! Needless to say, I was pleased.

Normally, before the show, I draw up a little map of the room and figure out where to place all the dealers. For this show, I did not know how the hotel was going to set up the room so I winged it that morning and let the dealers choose their spots. We had so many tables that I was able to give most all the dealers a free table in addition to their regular tables.

Roger was there waiting for me when I arrived. I let Roger pick his tables. As each dealer arrived, I did the same thing and let them pick out their spots. Once everybody was set up, I thought the place looked great. I even had room to let in a random dealer, who was in town for a couple of days from Dallas. Of course, I've already forgotten his name. He was a nice guy who had some nice modern cards. The only drawback that day was the dim lighting in the bar. If we ever have this set up again, we need extra lamps for the bar.

Now if you have been to my show in the past, you know that the lower level of the hotel is just about all banquet rooms. On this day, a gaming convention had taken all of the banquet rooms. I was a little worried that the sports card crowd would not find us back in the restaurant so I placed flyers all over the hotel. Also, the folks operating the gaming convention were very kind and directed folks back to the restaurant. In return, I directed quite a few of the gaming crowd to their registration area. Then many gamers came into the show and purchased cards. Woot! I love when that happens!!

I was happy to see that our regular crowd found us in the restaurant. We had a steady flow of customers in the morning. I gave out three free packs of sports cards. I picked up some really nice wax from Roger to give away like 2018 Allen & Ginter. I really appreciate everyone who attends my show and I want to show that appreciation with some nice giveaways.

Like always, we had a lot of new customers to go along with the regulars. I love when new customers bring cards in to sell to the dealers -- something I really encourage. All the dealers buy cards both new and old. My show is a great place to lighten your load of cards. I purchased a box filled with 1964 and 1965 Topps baseball.

My sales were once again excellent. There were quite a few set builders at this show who found cards in my binders for their sets. It was nice to see Mark back after a long absence. Mark picked up some oddball cards and some old football cards. Thanks Mark! John purchased a Billy Williams autograph. Jerome spent some time in all of my binders and found quite  few cards. Many other guys went through my binders. I'm so bad with names. Please remind me of your name and I'll get you into the blog.

Another thing I have to add about this show is that the main hotel antagonist was not present. The hotel staff that was there was super friendly and helpful which was much appreciated. After the show, I didn't get charged for the room and assumed the hotel was trying to make good by giving me the room for free. No such luck. Nearly a month later, on June 28, my credit card was charged for the room. 

Anyway, I'm glad that mess is seemingly behind me. Moving on, I'm setting up tomorrow, July 15, at Gonzaga Hall in Milwaukee. I'll be at the Orland Park (Illinois) Civic Center on July 22, and then back at the Four Points Sheraton in Milwaukee on August 4. We will be in the Rembrandt Room for the August 4th show. Lots of dealers are signing up! Woot!

May 20, 2018, Gonzaga Hall, Milwaukee

I know, I know, I've fallen behind again on the blog. As they say, no rest for the weary, I just have been too busy to get it done. One of the problems with being late is that I forget what occurred at the show and have trouble offering up a report.

Sadly, I don't remember the May 20th show much. I know the crowd was down from April but my sales were up. As I've learned over the years, a large crowd does not necessarily mean big sales. Sometimes it just takes the right guys to be at the show and sales soar -- this was one of those shows.

With this early onset of Alzheimer's, I can't remember what I sold or who was at the show. I do remember purchasing a large pile of 1955 Bowman baseball cards.

June 10, 2018, Gonzaga Hall, Milwaukee

Foggy recollection once again. I do remember the crowd was up from May but my sales were down. Of course, I can't remember what I sold or who was there. I bought a box of Coca Cola football bottle caps from the 1960s and 1970s.

The next Gonzaga show is coming up this Sunday, July 15, 2018. Maybe I'll take some notes this time so I can give a proper show report.​

Orland Park Civic Center, Orland Park, Illinois, April 22, 2018

Upon arrival around 8 a.m., I observed that my neighbor Phil had purchased an extra table which resulted in my normal three tables being pushed down one. I was thrown off and not sure how to do my normal set up. Normally I start by placing my display cases on my first table next to Phil's last table. I noticed that the first table today, normally my second table, would not work with the display cases because there is a little wall that jets out and would block my access to the display cases. I was a little dumbfounded for a while. 

I decided that instead of putting my five display cases in a row like normal, I placed two next to Phil's last table and three on my last table. I have three tables total. I did not really like this set up but I could not put all the display cases in a row because the wall blocked my access to them. I filled up the  rest of the space with binders. I did not bring out the majority of my football binders because I knew I would not have the space for them. Well, during set up, I realized I did not have enough space for all of my baseball, basketball, and hockey binders. I also brought out some cheapy boxes. I was dumbfounded again by the lack of space.

It did not look like anyone was taking the open table to my left (Phil is set up to my right). I asked the promoter Rich if I could purchase the open table. Rich is a superstar and said he had someone scheduled for that table but would move him elsewhere and give me the table. After a while, I was able to put out all my wares.

Before long, my four tables were mobbed with customers. I normally don't get concerned manning my tables but I was a little overwhelmed dealing with four tables surrounded by an onslaught of customers. It was a little hairy there for a few hours. I had customers in front and behind the tables. I was trying to help eight to 10 people at once. Thankfully, everyone was patient with me. I don't think I've ever been so overwhelmed at a show before.

I was selling cards, trading cards, and buying cards all at once in the middle of this mob scene. It all happened so quickly, I don't know if I can even recall exactly what occurred but I will try. There was my long-time regular customer Larry, one of many customers of mine named Larry. Larry used to live in Berwyn but I think he moved out to Plainfield. He has a funky last name which I have no idea how to spell. When he says it, it sounds like Boo-Shawn. French, I think.

Larry always brings me a stack of cards. I usually trade him some cards and give him a little cash for his stack. I can't even remember what he brought me this time. We did our deal and had a conversation while I was working with several other customers on transactions. Whew, it was tough.

Rick was there as usual and dug through my 1972-73 Topps basketball. Dave F. was there! I hadn't seen Dave in a year or so then I see him twice in one month!! Dave pulled out quite a few cards from my 1975 Topps minis. Thanks Dave!

Another customer named Larry, spent some time in my 1973 Topps baseball binder. This Larry is a retired Chicago firefighter and lives nearby.  Hopefully, I can remember to bring out my entire backstock of '73s for Larry to go through at the June show.

Along with dealing with multiple guys name Larry, I had multiple guys named Chris at my tables today. Chris from Lombard and Chris from Orland. Both guys purchased a bunch of cards. Thanks guys! 

Will purchased just about all of my 1973-74 Topps hockey. Gil purchased some 1958 Topps. I had many, many, more sales but it was such I frenzy that I can't remember who purchased what. Quite a few regulars purchased cards along with some new customers. It was crazy! I had a great show!!

On the buying front, I bought some stuff from Junior, as usual. A good customer named Neil offered me some graded cards at the price he paid for them. Unfortunately, he paid too much for the cards. I could not make the purchase because I would not be able to sell them at that price or above. Neil is such a good guy that I felt bad not buying the cards but I got to be able to turn my purchases into profit. Sorry Neil!

I was so busy that I forgot that there was a political button show on the opposite end of the building and that my dad was set up there. As I was loading out, I saw my dad in the other room. When I finished loading up, I went to help my dad load out. 

After loading up my dad's car with buttons, I went to meet Will and Joe at the Sub shop to cap off a perfect day.

A huge thank you to everyone at Orland Park, from Rich to all the great folks that mobbed my tables. That was fun!

​Come see me at the next Orland show on June 24th! Also, my next Four Points show is July 7th!!