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Sorry, just have to vent about this.
I love card shows. Always have, since I went to my first in 1981 at the Geoerge Washington Motor Lodge on Rt 309 in suburban PHL, which I think later became the hallowed 'Ft. Washington Show.' The idea of finding something new and unexpected, which could happen on any table any time, is very exciting to my hobby brain. But I live in Austin, TX now, which has been a frustrating experience as a baseball card and comic collector for years. The number of shops has shrunk down to about 5 or 6 for comics (and only 2 really worthy of the name), and 2 card shops, both of which I have problems with. But there was always a show. From before I moved here in 1992 till about mid-2007, there was a monthly show, regular as clockwork, and it had about a dozen regional dealers who would show up, mainly weekend-warrior types but they could be counted on to have acquired something worth looking at. I rarely had trouble spending all my money at these shows.
I noticed things changing around 2005. Attendance was way down. In 1993 they'd have lines of dozens of people waiting to get in, but by the end I doubt 50 people would come in during the whole day. Fewer dealers were showing up, and with lower quality, and much less rotation in their stock. Shows started happening every 2 months, then three. The show promoter had been saying for a long time that hotels were jacking up their prices on rooms and tables, especially if a new owner took over the place. Finally, the last show in Austin happened last April. Also, a large, thriving show for all kinds of collectors (cards, comics, games, postcards, tobacciana, breweriana, movies, posters, etc., really fun show) stopped happening around 2006. Since then, there has been nothing at all, till today.
A longtime regional promoter put on a show today, barely. I'd been looking forward to it for over a month when I saw it listed on the Beckett calendar. I was really hoping it would be a resurgence for the hobby, or at least a nice day out where I'd pick up some cool stuff. I mean, the only shows of any interest in the whole area were the twice-yearly San Antonio shows, which have diminished greatly themselves. There had to be pent-up demand, pent-up dealer inventory, and that pent-up energy of sports fans waiting to buy stuff to align themselves with their heroes. All that crap.
Well I got up excited today and got to the show promptly at the 10 AM opening. It wasn't what I hoped for but rather what I feared. Walking by the doorway trying to find the great hobby extravaganza, I noticed a sad, quiet space with empty 6-footers. One table had some mini helmets. Another had singles splayed out in little baskets. Another had some photos. Another had some McFarlanes. And that was it. There was one collector inside, a guy whose modus collecti is to go through dime boxes with a Beckett in hand and buy anything that books for more than a quarter. I couldn't even bring myself to pay the $2 admission fee to spend what I'm sure would've been 30 seconds of despair perusing the goods and quickly deciding there was nothing for me. I actually felt bad about it, because dealers need traffic to support them, and promoters need dealers to support them, and without promoters there are no shows. I left at about 10:02.
I'm sure the promoter took a hit on the event. That room and setup probably cost $800 or more, and he probably made at most $200 in table fees. Who knows how much in admissions, maybe just $2. I know the economy's down, but Austin's been largely unscathed so far. I know ebay and the net have crushed the idea of using Beckett as a price guide and so devalued dealers' inventory. And I know cost of product is up while demand is down. But Jeez, that show was so sad. It was likely the last one in Austin.
The next big San Antonio show should be happening in May, but there's nothing on Beckett yet. The last one in November saw me buy about 10 cards, the quality of material was so bad and boring and familiar. There's a big show at the Arlington Convention Center at the end of May that I may make the 3-hour drive for, but I'm dubious. I haven't been to that one in years, and the DFW area wasn't even that great a place for cards in the late-90s. That show depended on guys like 707 and Roger Neufeldt and other vintage dealers making the trip, plus a seemingly endless number of guys who had connections with Donruss down the road with displays packed full of rare Donruss inserts.
I know there are thriving shows somewhere. People regularly post their show finds and I'm insanely jealous. While I use ebay as much as anyone, and I'm part of the problem in that way, it also makes me sad that that might be my only connection now. I hope not, but if today was any evidence, I may have attended the last card show in this town.
I love card shows. Always have, since I went to my first in 1981 at the Geoerge Washington Motor Lodge on Rt 309 in suburban PHL, which I think later became the hallowed 'Ft. Washington Show.' The idea of finding something new and unexpected, which could happen on any table any time, is very exciting to my hobby brain. But I live in Austin, TX now, which has been a frustrating experience as a baseball card and comic collector for years. The number of shops has shrunk down to about 5 or 6 for comics (and only 2 really worthy of the name), and 2 card shops, both of which I have problems with. But there was always a show. From before I moved here in 1992 till about mid-2007, there was a monthly show, regular as clockwork, and it had about a dozen regional dealers who would show up, mainly weekend-warrior types but they could be counted on to have acquired something worth looking at. I rarely had trouble spending all my money at these shows.
I noticed things changing around 2005. Attendance was way down. In 1993 they'd have lines of dozens of people waiting to get in, but by the end I doubt 50 people would come in during the whole day. Fewer dealers were showing up, and with lower quality, and much less rotation in their stock. Shows started happening every 2 months, then three. The show promoter had been saying for a long time that hotels were jacking up their prices on rooms and tables, especially if a new owner took over the place. Finally, the last show in Austin happened last April. Also, a large, thriving show for all kinds of collectors (cards, comics, games, postcards, tobacciana, breweriana, movies, posters, etc., really fun show) stopped happening around 2006. Since then, there has been nothing at all, till today.
A longtime regional promoter put on a show today, barely. I'd been looking forward to it for over a month when I saw it listed on the Beckett calendar. I was really hoping it would be a resurgence for the hobby, or at least a nice day out where I'd pick up some cool stuff. I mean, the only shows of any interest in the whole area were the twice-yearly San Antonio shows, which have diminished greatly themselves. There had to be pent-up demand, pent-up dealer inventory, and that pent-up energy of sports fans waiting to buy stuff to align themselves with their heroes. All that crap.
Well I got up excited today and got to the show promptly at the 10 AM opening. It wasn't what I hoped for but rather what I feared. Walking by the doorway trying to find the great hobby extravaganza, I noticed a sad, quiet space with empty 6-footers. One table had some mini helmets. Another had singles splayed out in little baskets. Another had some photos. Another had some McFarlanes. And that was it. There was one collector inside, a guy whose modus collecti is to go through dime boxes with a Beckett in hand and buy anything that books for more than a quarter. I couldn't even bring myself to pay the $2 admission fee to spend what I'm sure would've been 30 seconds of despair perusing the goods and quickly deciding there was nothing for me. I actually felt bad about it, because dealers need traffic to support them, and promoters need dealers to support them, and without promoters there are no shows. I left at about 10:02.
I'm sure the promoter took a hit on the event. That room and setup probably cost $800 or more, and he probably made at most $200 in table fees. Who knows how much in admissions, maybe just $2. I know the economy's down, but Austin's been largely unscathed so far. I know ebay and the net have crushed the idea of using Beckett as a price guide and so devalued dealers' inventory. And I know cost of product is up while demand is down. But Jeez, that show was so sad. It was likely the last one in Austin.
The next big San Antonio show should be happening in May, but there's nothing on Beckett yet. The last one in November saw me buy about 10 cards, the quality of material was so bad and boring and familiar. There's a big show at the Arlington Convention Center at the end of May that I may make the 3-hour drive for, but I'm dubious. I haven't been to that one in years, and the DFW area wasn't even that great a place for cards in the late-90s. That show depended on guys like 707 and Roger Neufeldt and other vintage dealers making the trip, plus a seemingly endless number of guys who had connections with Donruss down the road with displays packed full of rare Donruss inserts.
I know there are thriving shows somewhere. People regularly post their show finds and I'm insanely jealous. While I use ebay as much as anyone, and I'm part of the problem in that way, it also makes me sad that that might be my only connection now. I hope not, but if today was any evidence, I may have attended the last card show in this town.
