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Dealer reactions from the National

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BBCgalaxee

Well-known member
Sep 9, 2011
6,475
59
Beckett.com article

By Ryan Cracknell | Hobby Editor

The 2015 National Sports Collectors Convention has come to a close. Other than Sunday, typically a slow day, the Chicago crowds definitely felt busier than last year in Cleveland. But more people doesn’t always translate into more sales.

Talking with several dealers in the show’s closing hours, it appears that sports card sales were solid overall. Results varied greatly from dealer to dealer but the majority of the sellers I spoke with felt good about the week.


“It was a fun show,” said Floyd Soeder of Let’s Play Ball. “It kept five or six people busy during peak hours.

Soeder, who focuses primarily on vintage baseball, thought his diversity of sales was the highlight. He mentioned he moved everything a Mickey Mantle rookie card to off-grade singles.

Just Sports, a booth with lots of current singles, reported their best National ever. They have been doing the show for about 15 years.

The sentiments were echoed by Steve Hart, owner of Baseball Card Exchange. “This was the best National ever,” he said. And it wasn’t just because of the couple of boxes of Ren and Stimpy cards he bought and sold over the course of the show.

“There was lots of people, lots of buying and lots of selling,” Hart noted.

Specializing largely in vintage unopened wax, his top sale was a 1976 Topps Football cello case that topped $100,000.

All of the big online dealers for modern boxes that I talked to were pleased with results.

Tom Fish of Blowout Cards enjoyed the show and said sales for his company were strong. However, he was particularly happy for another reason. “Having that face-to-face interaction with the people we deal with online is what makes the National worthwhile.”

“It’s like Black Friday everyday — but in a good way,” according to Troy Lisastro of Dave and Adam’s.

Sean Bennett of Steel City Collectibles said, “It was a very solid crowd. Anything to do with the wrapper redemption sets were moving well.”

For Joe Monge, an individual setting up at the show to sell a wide range of modern singles, things weren’t so great. “There was lots of foot traffic but nobody was buying,” he said.

For Monge, his busiest day was Thursday and not the weekend like many would expect. This was something a couple of dealers mentioned, particularly if their products were centered more around single cards.

With 350,000 square feet of floor space, not all locations on the showroom floor are as good as others. As a result, some didn’t do as well as they’d hoped.

Steve Ryaning of SMR Authentics wished that some of the smaller dealers could set up in the middle of the show where it was mostly corporate areas. “It’s harder when you’re off to the side. We’re suffering because we’re back here. They’re going to the main booths anyway,” he said.

Chuck Blue, a vintage dealer reported good sales, particularly for 1950’s commons. However, he thinks that location also affected him. Located at the back of the show, he was near Topps.

“All the noise from the Topps booth was scaring customers away,” Blue said.

Throughout the show, the manufacturer drew big crowds for their pack wars. The chanting and yelling could often be heard throughout the show and the back of the hall was particularly loud.

Just like most any show, the range of dealer success varied. I spoke with several who had average shows, others who were beaming and some who regretted coming. There was a trend, though, of sales being better at the start of the National versus the end. It’s likely that those who came on Wednesday and Thursday were the serious collectors who had specific items in mind and the budgets to go with it.

Were you a dealer at the 2015 National? Let us know your thoughts on the crowds in the comments below.
Sent from my HTCONE using Freedom Card Board mobile app
 
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gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
It's true what they say about the dealers around the Topps booth. I did not linger in that area because the Topps spokesperson was incredibly loud and annoying. Kinda pissed me off.
 

ballerskrip

New member
Aug 7, 2008
11,531
0
Chicago Area
I tried to spend more money, but when every card I ask about is 50-75% above ebay, then I have to just walk. If it is within 20ish%, I will start negotiating.

Carlos Correa stuff was the biggest joke, well, at least by the time I got to them (sunday). The cheapest blue auto I could find was $1200, where the previous on ebay sold for $800. I tried, I asked on 6 different ones, no dice. So be it. I asked prices on probably 150 cards, bought 6-7. Don't complain cards didn't move if your prices are just stupid.....
 

TNP777

New member
Aug 7, 2008
3,528
1
the 209
It's true what they say about the dealers around the Topps booth. I did not linger in that area because the Topps spokesperson was incredibly loud and annoying. Kinda pissed me off.
For sure. I tended to stay away from their booth after getting caught near it on Thursday afternoon. I was at Mike McCann's table at the time and ended up leaving and coming back the next day to finish up looking through his stuff.
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
was there even a new baseball product released to coincide with the National and where the first boxes busted were by national attendees? The National is such a big deal you'd think a baseball product would make its release at the show.

Considering what Beckett's been launching lately and the lack of finding a baseball checklist posted for a product released at the National, it almost seems like cards are dying and memorabilia is where it's at when it comes to the National.
 
Jun 30, 2010
726
0
Excellent show for me. If it wasn't in my showcases or on my tables it probably wasn't going to be sold due to no time to look for cards in the many boxes that I brought. Was set up close to the middle. I was not near the Topps booth and the noise irritated the tar out of me. Traffic was good throughout, even on Sunday. There should be no reason for a dealer not to have had a good show. That is, unless you were next to Topps......
 

A_Pharis

Active member
Excellent show for me. If it wasn't in my showcases or on my tables it probably wasn't going to be sold due to no time to look for cards in the many boxes that I brought. Was set up close to the middle. I was not near the Topps booth and the noise irritated the tar out of me. Traffic was good throughout, even on Sunday. There should be no reason for a dealer not to have had a good show. That is, unless you were next to Topps......

I'm glad you had success! ;-)
 

weight333

New member
May 28, 2013
581
0
Milwaukee, WI
This was my fourth National I've attended. I'm always diligent of looking thoroughly over the near-back booths as those are generally the ones that sell the more modern era cards a player collector like myself am looking for. I found 24 Bonds cards I needed along with many other 90/00's cards that caught my eye. Great show IMO.
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
This was my fourth National I've attended. I'm always diligent of looking thoroughly over the near-back booths as those are generally the ones that sell the more modern era cards a player collector like myself am looking for. I found 24 Bonds cards I needed along with many other 90/00's cards that caught my eye. Great show IMO.

Awesome , 24 is a nice chunk when you are as far a long as you are. Anything "big"

Ryan
 

Hawk8

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2013
8,376
229
Louisiana
It's true what they say about the dealers around the Topps booth. I did not linger in that area because the Topps spokesperson was incredibly loud and annoying. Kinda pissed me off.

I also quickly left the Topps area after making sure there were no Dawson cards I needed.

I tried to spend more money, but when every card I ask about is 50-75% above ebay, then I have to just walk. If it is within 20ish%, I will start negotiating.

Carlos Correa stuff was the biggest joke, well, at least by the time I got to them (sunday). The cheapest blue auto I could find was $1200, where the previous on ebay sold for $800. I tried, I asked on 6 different ones, no dice. So be it. I asked prices on probably 150 cards, bought 6-7. Don't complain cards didn't move if your prices are just stupid.....

There was exactly one Andre Dawson PSA graded card for sale at the show that I found. It was a 1978 Topps PSA 10 which I have been actively searching for. I asked the dealer what price he had on it and he turned it over and said $275. He was so much higher than eBay that I didn't even make an offer. Near the end of that day I went back and asked if he would take $150 for the card and he said he didn't know that he had $275 on it, I told him if he cant it's fine, all I can do is ask. He said he would take $200 for it and couldn't go any lower. There was one on eBay for $151 at the same time. I'm not spending an extra $50 on a card because it is the National.

Excellent show for me. If it wasn't in my showcases or on my tables it probably wasn't going to be sold due to no time to look for cards in the many boxes that I brought. Was set up close to the middle. I was not near the Topps booth and the noise irritated the tar out of me. Traffic was good throughout, even on Sunday. There should be no reason for a dealer not to have had a good show. That is, unless you were next to Topps......

It was nice to meet you!
 
Jun 30, 2010
726
0
I was set up with Greg Lambert, and we were across form BGS & Topps - I wanted to kill Topps because of all the noise. lol.

If I ever hear another countdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Something really needs to be done about that next year. You know its a problem when you are with a customer and both of you stop what you are doing until the shouting stopped.
 

chris19978

Active member
Aug 30, 2011
978
25
I bought a few cards no Jeter's though only one I seen I needed and he wanted too much. Overall it was good sold some cards finally met a few of the other Jeter collector's and it's good to put a face with a name. My wife liked it and wants to go next year.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Freedom Card Board mobile app
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
If I ever hear another countdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Something really needs to be done about that next year. You know its a problem when you are with a customer and both of you stop what you are doing until the shouting stopped.

flood the promoter's email with comments about that and maybe something might be done next year about it (or not, the promoters seem dead set against having a NSCC west of Chicago).
 

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