Do You Still Get Excited for Card Shows?

[chompsmcgee]

HPC - You going to the Paradise Valley show Sat?

Kurt Warner, Beanie Wells, and (my fav) Darryl Strawberry on hand to sign...

I went to the one last month and it was the best I've been to in the valley yet. Good ones are hard to find around these parts...

I am out of town on business and won't be back until tomorrow night so I'm gonna miss it.

Hope you get some nice finds! REALLY wish I could attend...

 

[Viking4Alpha]

0 excitement. I don't go to shows or card shops anymore. Waste of time and money.

Same. The body odor clouds, the numbnut sellers (majority, not all), the poisonous food...

If there was no Ebay, this hobby wouldn't exist to me.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Going to shows reminds me how great eBay really is.

 

[ChasHawk]

Im really looking forward to the Sun Times show tomorrow. I know its mostly vintage, but at least I'll save $ on supplies at the VERY least.

Skrip - why'd it suck so much?

Just the fact that is was 60-65% vintage, and almost everything modern is way overpriced, including supplies.

You'd be much better off ordering supplies from leatherman(david).

The guy that had the biggest selection of magnetic holders, had them at $2 for 70pt, $2.50 for 100pt, $3 for 130pt, and $4 for 180 pt.

Terrible prices, imho.

 

[Austin]

I would get excited if they had any card shows in Hawaii.
There hasn't been a card show here in years!
We have a few card shops here on Oahu, but I prefer bargain hunting at shows like I did when I lived in Dallas.
That was during the baseball card boom of the '80s and early '90s when there were big shows every week.

 

[G $MONEY$]

Absolutely love going to shows, especially the big ones. Cant wait till the next big one in May.

 

[predatorkj]

I used to but haven't been in some time. The only show worth going to around here is the one in either Live Oak(which is actually a 3 hour drive for me) or the one Tristar hosts at the George R. Brown. Those shows are great for bargain hunting. The one at the hotel they have like every month or two blows big time. Same dealers, same cards, same prices. Stagnation like you wouldn't believe.


Oddest damn thing though...if you are looking for astros stuff...save maybe one dealer...don't bother. And all of his stuff is 1995 and older. Apparently Houston is not a city that supports its baseball team enough for people to bother bringing cards of the hometown team to shows. When Pence was a rookie...there was some nice Pence stuff to be had but now...nothing.

 

[ChasHawk]

I used to but haven't been in some time. The only show worth going to around here is the one in either Live Oak(which is actually a 3 hour drive for me) or the one Tristar hosts at the George R. Brown. Those shows are great for bargain hunting. The one at the hotel they have like every month or two blows big time. Same dealers, same cards, same prices. Stagnation like you wouldn't believe.


Oddest damn thing though...if you are looking for astros stuff...save maybe one dealer...don't bother. And all of his stuff is 1995 and older. Apparently Houston is not a city that supports its baseball team enough for people to bother bringing cards of the hometown team to shows. When Pence was a rookie...there was some nice Pence stuff to be had but now...nothing.

:lol: There were 2 guys out of 200+ tables today selling anything from local Chicago teams. :lol:

Every show I go to just reaffirms that eBay is the best thing to ever happen to the player/team collector.

 

[predatorkj]

I used to but haven't been in some time. The only show worth going to around here is the one in either Live Oak(which is actually a 3 hour drive for me) or the one Tristar hosts at the George R. Brown. Those shows are great for bargain hunting. The one at the hotel they have like every month or two blows big time. Same dealers, same cards, same prices. Stagnation like you wouldn't believe.


Oddest damn thing though...if you are looking for astros stuff...save maybe one dealer...don't bother. And all of his stuff is 1995 and older. Apparently Houston is not a city that supports its baseball team enough for people to bother bringing cards of the hometown team to shows. When Pence was a rookie...there was some nice Pence stuff to be had but now...nothing.

:lol: There were 2 guys out of 200+ tables today selling anything from local Chicago teams. :lol:

Every show I go to just reaffirms that eBay is the best thing to ever happen to the player/team collector.

Which is why I love going to shows because I collect a hell of a lot more than just astros players(thank god!). So...its always nice to find stuff I don't have to pay a local premium for and that I don't have to fight tooth and nail with player collectors for. Which is why I think there are deals to be had. Not on prospects or vintage. But anything in between and you might have some luck.

 

[manningmurphyfan]

I believe I would if I had any nearby. I'm not going to drive 90 min to Omaha as I used to live there and the shows weren't the greatest (used to set up at them regularly). The last big show I went to was Sun Times in Jun 07 and I had a good time there. I enjoy looking at the stuff and also got to meet Dale Murphy which was cool.

I actually haven't been to a card show in two years when we lived in Tucson. Crappy mall show but I usually bought some wax and every once in a while found some great deals.

I'm here in Des Moines this weekend (work/in-laws) and unfortunately no shows here this weekend.

 

[gt2590]

I do but then i get there and remember how crappy and overpriced they are.

Exactly! I do enjoy digging thru piles of boxes. Although I think the ease of checking prices on eBay has made it harder to find "steals" that the dealers overlooked.

What I just don't understand is all the work the "dealers" do dragging around over-priced, unmovable inventory, then complaining all the time, and still not being very educated about the state of the hobby or figuring out better ways to move the inventory.
If you're doing that much "work" and don't enjoy it, then stop doing it. Seems pretty simple to me...

 

[subpop77]

Have not been to a card show in 10+ yrs I would like to go to one but not any around here

 

[theplasticman]

I do but then i get there and remember how crappy and overpriced they are.

Yes. Unfortunately most shows around here are either full of Vikings/Twins stuff (I collect neither) or high end stuff I'm just not after. The card show scene in MN has absolutely crashed.

 

[JackLondon]

It has been sooooo long since I have gone to a show, I know that I would be super excited if I were going to one.

Just a ton of fun to be able to look through the display cases.

 

[Lally1]

Yeah man, I get pretty pumped for Twinsfest every year!

 

[brouthercard]

I always love a good treasure hunt.

 

[Liberate Baltimore]

I'm looking forward to the national this year which is in my back yard. However, I almost always get embarrassed when I go to card shows. Being around so many social inept people (both dealers and customers) really creeps me out. Sometimes I ask myself, how did I get into this hobby?!

 

[HPC]

As a followup, I went to the show and (definitely not to my surprise) it sucked.

I went looking to buy, and everyone with decent stuff was either not willing to move, or wanted waaaay too much even after dealing: like 2x over current sv.

One guy I tried to work a deal with had his cards priced 2x sv, then offered to take some money off, trying to make it seem like hes giving me a smokin deal.

I wish I could say i was surprised, but im not.

 

[bear0555]

Most of the dealers seem to be in the hobby for the money. There are a couple guys who are always great to talk to and it's always great to be around others who have the same passion for collecting.

 

[1st4040]

I've always enjoyed card shows whether or not I even buy a card.. its fun to search through boxes.. takes me back in time to a place in my life where I had alot less responsibility.. when life was simple and still fun. shows of today are a whole different animal than what I was used to back in the late 80's and early 90's..I have to search much harder just to find a card or two I need if Im lucky. I get to sort through alot of nice 90's inserts though in the process which I find to be alot of fun though all buy itself..I missed out on that whole craze as I had moved away from collecting into my early adulthood. Its all new and alot of fun to me and I'll buy other players cards just to own some of these crazy inserts. This has always been an enjoyable relaxing hobby for me and that hasn't changed. Anther thing I like about going to shows is I go with my brother just like in the old days.. its a bonding thing of sorts and getting his son involved makes it reach a whole new generation.