never been to a card show

[michaelstepper]

Ok guys. Growing up in Alaska I never had the opportunity to hit a card show, let alone a real card shop. Now that i'm living in Iowa I'm 5 hours from chicago and planning a trip to the national in august. being a griffey and Felix collector i'm excited at the possibilities. my question is what should i bring? not bring? trying to take as much cash as possible obviously but what to expect as well?

 

[ChasHawk]

haven't been to a National myself, but having been to several large shows here in Chicago, I would think you can expect:

LOTS of vintage
Lots of modern FB and BKB autos/patches
some modern baseball autos/patches

You should also expect many, many tables/dealers to be grossly overpriced.

Best thing I can tell you is, have a price in mind for a card you want, offer that, and be prepared to walk away.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

wow, never been to a show and you have that amazing collection? impressive sir!

Keep these things in mind:

The National is THE show of the year, year in and year out.
You will see things there that will blow your mind.
A lot of the dealers there do not give a rats ass about what something sells for on ebay.
Cash is King.
Have a price in mind, and stick to it.
Do NOT be afraid to walk away.
Have a collecting Focus and stick to it, or you will go bonkers, especially at a show of this magnitude.

and Finally.....You cannot have everything, thats life and sure it sucks, but its true.

 

[BrewerSuperCollector]

You won't have time in one day to see it all. There is more than enough "museum" quality stuff to spend days looking at alone, so don't get side tracked if your going there for your wants. If you see something you want to go back for make sure you write the table number down. Otherwise, you'll never find it again. Stay in your row while looking, because if you start wandering you won't find your way back to the row.

Make sure you at least bring a pen. Ask for business cards of things you might be interested in. This way you can call them at home if you still want it.

Sunday is a wierd day. Some dealers will dump some of their goods to get as much cash as possible. Others will leave early or won't show up at all on Sunday.

Bring lots of cash.

 

[JVC]

I would say never go to a show expecting to find something in particular, especially if it's somewhat rare. You don't want to be disappointed if you don't find it or if it's extremely overpriced if you do find it. With a show of this size, just browse around and look for deals. There will be plenty to be had.

 

[michaelstepper]

wow, never been to a show and you have that amazing collection? impressive sir!

Keep these things in mind:

The National is THE show of the year, year in and year out.
You will see things there that will blow your mind.
A lot of the dealers there do not give a rats ass about what something sells for on ebay.
Cash is King.
Have a price in mind, and stick to it.
Do NOT be afraid to walk away.
Have a collecting Focus and stick to it, or you will go bonkers, especially at a show of this magnitude.

and Finally.....You cannot have everything, thats life and sure it sucks, but its true.

thanks for the kind words! ebay was a great thing for me living where I did. all advise so far is great.

 

[blanning71]

Comfortable shoes are a must. Also carry a backpack or computer bag. Makes for easier carrying of your haul.

I would also make a list of stuff I'm looking for. 75% of this show is vintage and older stuff. If you are looking for King Felix and Griff, be prepared to be patient. The newer product dealers are gonna be in shorter supply. I would also recommend you do some homework and know what price ranges these cards sell for before you go. If its a particular type of card you want, know the range and hold to it.

Drink and eat before going to the show. Last year, we dropped a TON at the convention center on food and drink. 4 bucks for a small bottle of water is NOT a good deal. Make sure you are hydrated and full on some nom nom goodness.

Please wear deodorant. I don't know whats worse than standing there with a bunch of guys who haven't showered and/or put on deodorant. Its very important. The girls at the show will thank you for it.

I would also carry some sleeves, toploaders, and a few magnetics. If you see something you like, you may need to trade it out from the case its in for protection. Also, if you break any wax, you will be able to protect your hits without dropping money on buying supplies at the show. Saves you money and time from having to track someone down that has supplies and potentially wasting time at other tables.

Grab a copy of this months Beckett Sports Card Monthly. It has a great article on the layout of the show and details where all of the dealers are going to be. It also can help you make a game plan as to where to start and what route to follow as you make your way thru endless tables at the show. Nothing worse than running around like a maze in there. Make a pattern and walk it. You can knock out more stuff that way and just won't get overwhelmed.

 

[Old Kentucky Shark]

Please wear deodorant. I don't know whats worse than standing there with a bunch of guys who haven't showered and/or put on deodorant. Its very important. The girls at the show will thank you for it.

Thanked. This seems to be a growing (and disgusting) trend lately. Atleast in Topeka, Kansas. :|

 

[tramers]

Take a notebook to keep track of what vendor has what you want and $$ just in case if you find another . Make offers !! Near end of show some will discount some - rather have $$ than repack .

 

[Zan]

And most of all, have fun! I went to my first national last year and it was something I'll never forget

 

[shayscards79]

Make sure you have your haggling skills down pat, like it was mentioned a lot of guys overprice stuff.

Also, get to Rosemont early so that you can get a parking space in the CTA station, it'll be your cheapest parking option unless you don't mind walking a much longer distance.

 

[TBTwinsFan]

Never been to the National, and even though I want to go, I probably will never get there, but here is something to think about:

The bigger the show, the better the cheap-y boxes.

 

[tonsofcommons]

First of all, welcome to the best damn state in the US of A! It's always nice to see a fellow Iowan. Where are you at in IA?

Secondly, depending on where you are at, there are some nice shows in Iowa and surrounding area.

Des Moines-

• Urbandale- 3rd Sunday of every month. Run by FCB's own ryanscardz
  Merle Hay- 1 weekend every month. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. This is just trying to get started back up.
  Oskaloosa (plugging own show)- Saturday, September 24th. I promote this. Nice little show.
  Cedar Rapids- There is a show in Cedar Rapids at the Clarion Hotel (next one in September I think) and then they also have a show in the Lindale Mall.
  Mason City- Good show with a good variety
  Fort Dodge- Another good one.

By the way, have a great time at the national, but really, if you have never been to a card show before, I think you are going to be quite overwhelmed.

 

[MarinerswinWS]

As a side note very nice Larry Bernandez icon :lol:

 

[rymflaherty]

Just wanted to say thanks for posting this question, because at some point I was going to ask pretty much the same thing. :lol: So this thread is helping me as well.

I've never been to a card show either and being here in Chicago, I certainly plan on attending the National.

 

[michaelstepper]

First of all, welcome to the best damn state in the US of A! It's always nice to see a fellow Iowan. Where are you at in IA?

Secondly, depending on where you are at, there are some nice shows in Iowa and surrounding area.

Des Moines-

• Urbandale- 3rd Sunday of every month. Run by FCB's own ryanscardz Merle Hay- 1 weekend every month. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. This is just trying to get started back up.
  Oskaloosa (plugging own show)- Saturday, September 24th. I promote this. Nice little show.
  
  By the way, have a great time at the national, but really, if you have never been to a card show before, I think you are going to be quite overwhelmed.

• 
  
  DUDE! i'm on ryancardz mail list for the urbandale show, Just haven't made it yet. I live in osky when and where do you get anything besides walmart?
  
  

  As a side note very nice Larry Bernandez icon :lol:

  
  THANKS! I tried to start something on facebook to get them to put larry on the all star ballot. :lol:

 

[MarinerswinWS]

As a side note very nice Larry Bernandez icon :lol:

THANKS! I tried to start something on facebook to get them to put larry on the all star ballot. :lol:[/quote]

Really, sweet. If it happened maybe ONE of the 'ernandez's would have played. lol

 

[yankeesfan24]

haven't been to a National myself, but having been to several large shows here in Chicago, I would think you can expect:

LOTS of vintage
Lots of modern FB and BKB autos/patches
some modern baseball autos/patches

You should also expect many, many tables/dealers to be grossly overpriced.
Best thing I can tell you is, have a price in mind for a card you want, offer that, and be prepared to walk away.

wasn't the case last year. there were so many dealers with the highend stuff that they had to be competitive on prices. the only cards that i saw that were overpriced were the 1/1 logos. (07 SPA Steve Smith NYG logo auto - $1200)

 

[Big Mac McGwire]

I went to the national last year. 

Take your time. 
Dont be in such a rush to buy something. 

If you see a card you like, get the guys business card and circle on the map layout 
Where his table is located. 

Also , the fun thing about massive shows like this is you really have no idea what you will come across. 
I went looking for McGwire UD autos. 

I came home with 
Evan Longoria GU helmet
Evan Longoria GU jersey

And I happened to stumble across the rarest Year to find for 
A McGwire GU Bat - 1997 

Never in a million years did I think I would see that. 

Also don't ignore the small tables off to the side. 
There are hidden gems at a show like this. 
If it wasnt for my friend I woulda walked right past the table that had the McGwire bat. 

Good luck!

I'm saving up for next years show as it's coming back to Baltimore.


I bought all 3 unsigned , then had them signed at signings etc. 

The find of the year in 2010
The hardest to find year for McGwire Game Used Bat - 97

 

[All The Hype]

I agree with the posts that say go with an open mind.


The first time I went to the national, I made a big buy list complete with ebay prices, the prices I was willing to pay, etc.

I only found one thing I was looking for out of about 25, and it was priced about 4x higher than it should have been.

I DID find a number of nice cards for good prices and ended up leaving the show quite happy. It wasn't what I expected, but it was a ton of fun. I can't wait to go again this year.