Sorry for the delay. Crazy busy week and I did not get a chance to work on the blog. Anyway, this blog is for the Fort Wayne show, pictured above, on October 24, 2015, and my show at the Clarion in Milwaukee on October 25, 2015. As usual, I was late for the Fort Wayne show. I had spent Friday night in New Buffalo, Michigan, which I learned creates problems with my alarm clock on my phone because New Buffalo is located just across the Eastern Time Zone. When I set my alarm, my phone showed Eastern Time. However, when I awoke, my phone showed Central Time. So, once again, I showed up after the show had opened and probably lost a bunch of sales.
There was a really nice crowd, as there usually is at this show. Unfortunately, purchases at my tables were few and far inbetween. Most of my regular customers were not in attendance, which hurt. I was able to get a few new customers but not a significant amount. I was very impressed with all the other dealers. There was tremendous stuff in that room -- a TON of vintage. Tim, who I met earlier in the year on eBay, has a tremendous vintage inventory. On this day, he had a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth in his display case. I ended up buying a few cards from Tim, who always gives me a really nice deal.
For lunch, I went with the fish and chips from the hotel restaurant which was very good. I'm always a little hesitant getting any type of fish because when it is bad, it is bad.
I think I was on my way home around 2 p.m. I decided to shoot up north on I69 to I80 West. This little excursion probably cost me an extra half-hour because I69 angles to the northeast. Though, I found this a much more pleasant ride than the quicker Indiana Route 30. After getting caught in a speed trap on Route 30 a few months ago, I've decided to avoid that road, if possible.
Back safely in the Central Time Zone, I had no issues the next morning and was at the Clarion by 7 a.m. It was nice to see Tom Risen back and Gonzo/Serb dealer Larry gave my show a shot. Tom had all sorts of cool stuff on his table. I purchased a 1961 Post Sandy Koufax from him. Larry always has tremendous deals on his tables. He seemed to have the most customers. Scott Ziegert and PJ were also set up. I had one no-show in Joe Slusin, which is pretty lame. No call, nothing. Mike Johnson arrived late and spent his time at the show making a large deal with Gizmo, who also purchased a bunch of 1933 Goudeys from me.
While I was disappointed with the turn out, I ended up doing very well. Mark and Jim bought a bunch of stuff. Thanks guys!! Quite a few other guys found cards at my tables. Bill came up from Illinois and found a lot of stuff in the room from most every dealer to help with his sets. I also picked up a bunch of stuff from Bill. Thanks Bill!! I also purchased a few cards from Robin. Thanks Robin!!
On the way home, I was surprised that the price of gasoline in MIlwaukee was the same as the Chicago area. Usually, Milwaukee gas prices are a good 10- to 15-cents cheaper than Illinois. Oh well. Overall, I had a real pleasant weekend. I may have not made any money in Fort Wayne but I really like the promoter and the dealers at that show. It will probably be a while before I can head back to Fort Wayne. Once again, I started a new job and will have difficulty getting out of the Chicago area on Friday night for a Saturday out-of-town show. I will probably be sticking with Milwaukee and Chicago for the foreseeable future. I'm heading to Cincinnati during the Thanksgiving break, which will probably be my last show on the road for a while.
I took Halloween weekend off to be with my family. I really needed the break. I'm in for some busy weeks ahead as I return to full-time work during the week and card shows on Saturday and Sunday. I will probably revert to one show a weekend in 2016.
Up next on the agenda is my Clarion show set for this Saturday, November 7, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Like I said, turn out was slow last time, I'm hoping for a larger crowd on Saturday. So if you are reading this blog, please come out to the Clarion (5311 S. Howell, Milwaukee) for my card show! Larry, who was quite popular last time, is returning. Gary, who was at the September show, is coming back. Gizmo told me that Gary just purchased a huge Mantle collection, so expect some pretty amazing stuff on his tables.
I am working on reloading 1970 Topps baseball. I hope to get some other stuff loaded up as well. We will have some great stuff on Saturday so get yer butt to the Clarion!!!!
There was a really nice crowd, as there usually is at this show. Unfortunately, purchases at my tables were few and far inbetween. Most of my regular customers were not in attendance, which hurt. I was able to get a few new customers but not a significant amount. I was very impressed with all the other dealers. There was tremendous stuff in that room -- a TON of vintage. Tim, who I met earlier in the year on eBay, has a tremendous vintage inventory. On this day, he had a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth in his display case. I ended up buying a few cards from Tim, who always gives me a really nice deal.
For lunch, I went with the fish and chips from the hotel restaurant which was very good. I'm always a little hesitant getting any type of fish because when it is bad, it is bad.
I think I was on my way home around 2 p.m. I decided to shoot up north on I69 to I80 West. This little excursion probably cost me an extra half-hour because I69 angles to the northeast. Though, I found this a much more pleasant ride than the quicker Indiana Route 30. After getting caught in a speed trap on Route 30 a few months ago, I've decided to avoid that road, if possible.
Back safely in the Central Time Zone, I had no issues the next morning and was at the Clarion by 7 a.m. It was nice to see Tom Risen back and Gonzo/Serb dealer Larry gave my show a shot. Tom had all sorts of cool stuff on his table. I purchased a 1961 Post Sandy Koufax from him. Larry always has tremendous deals on his tables. He seemed to have the most customers. Scott Ziegert and PJ were also set up. I had one no-show in Joe Slusin, which is pretty lame. No call, nothing. Mike Johnson arrived late and spent his time at the show making a large deal with Gizmo, who also purchased a bunch of 1933 Goudeys from me.
While I was disappointed with the turn out, I ended up doing very well. Mark and Jim bought a bunch of stuff. Thanks guys!! Quite a few other guys found cards at my tables. Bill came up from Illinois and found a lot of stuff in the room from most every dealer to help with his sets. I also picked up a bunch of stuff from Bill. Thanks Bill!! I also purchased a few cards from Robin. Thanks Robin!!
On the way home, I was surprised that the price of gasoline in MIlwaukee was the same as the Chicago area. Usually, Milwaukee gas prices are a good 10- to 15-cents cheaper than Illinois. Oh well. Overall, I had a real pleasant weekend. I may have not made any money in Fort Wayne but I really like the promoter and the dealers at that show. It will probably be a while before I can head back to Fort Wayne. Once again, I started a new job and will have difficulty getting out of the Chicago area on Friday night for a Saturday out-of-town show. I will probably be sticking with Milwaukee and Chicago for the foreseeable future. I'm heading to Cincinnati during the Thanksgiving break, which will probably be my last show on the road for a while.
I took Halloween weekend off to be with my family. I really needed the break. I'm in for some busy weeks ahead as I return to full-time work during the week and card shows on Saturday and Sunday. I will probably revert to one show a weekend in 2016.
Up next on the agenda is my Clarion show set for this Saturday, November 7, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Like I said, turn out was slow last time, I'm hoping for a larger crowd on Saturday. So if you are reading this blog, please come out to the Clarion (5311 S. Howell, Milwaukee) for my card show! Larry, who was quite popular last time, is returning. Gary, who was at the September show, is coming back. Gizmo told me that Gary just purchased a huge Mantle collection, so expect some pretty amazing stuff on his tables.
I am working on reloading 1970 Topps baseball. I hope to get some other stuff loaded up as well. We will have some great stuff on Saturday so get yer butt to the Clarion!!!!
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