Show report: Commerce,Ga

Hallco

I normally don't post these, but Just wanted to give some of my own opinions of my experience today! This is a fairly new show in a small town close to me in the NE Ga. Mountains. This was my first time attending. I follow the show organizer on Instagram and we have been communicating for several months. The advertised table count was 45 and I only saw a couple that were not being used.

The Good:

1)All of the dealers were friendly and interacting with folks at their tables. I saw very few instances of ignoring because of being on a phone, tablet or other device. I have read in other reports this is becoming more of an issue at recent shows. I was glad to see this at the show.

2)I arrived shortly after the doors opened and there was a good sized crowd already inside. Even in this small town, the interest in this cards/memorabilia and the like is still growing.

3)There were 4 former Georgia Bulldog football players(no huge names that I recall) in attendance to sign and the prices being asked for the different types of autographs seemed fair(although I don't personally collect autographs, I could be wrong).

The "Not so good"

1)The overall organization at the majority of the tables had no structure. The cases had variety of course which is good, but the "bargain boxes" and others that had cheaper or the better cards were all lumped in together. Out of all of the tables, I could count on one hand the ones that had things organized by sport, team, year, etc...Because of this, I found it frustrating and gave up even going through them in a short period of time. The selection was limited overall. I only saw one table offering non-sports, I saw very little basketball which seems to be extremely popular right now and many of the baseball cards were raw cards in monster boxes without penny sleeves(from 50's to current). Yes..a 1958 Topps Smoky Burgess in poor condition was right in front of 2021 Donruss Diamond King Nm-Mt Ketel Marte! My mind must just not be programmed for the rummage mentality.

2) Many cards were not priced. This isn't huge for me, but I did hear some people complaining about it walking around the show.

3)The only other thing that I can include with the not so good was the fact that I came home with nothing. I found a multi relic/patch Ronald Acuna National Treasures. I passed on it when I first saw, but then decided to go back and get it a little while later. Went back....gone! It happens!

All in all, I'm a little disappointed, but not sure what I expected, so that may be unfair. Yes, I admit I do have a small focus area with not as popular players, but I thought I might at least find something I wanted. My look list for the day included more well know names in several sports(Freddie Freeman, and Acuna as I mentioned Tom Brady and Kevin Garnett). I found very little to none of these. I had a few cards I was willing to trade or sell, but no one even inquired. That was a little different than the last show I went to in 2021. It was nice to get away for the morning. It was a 45 minute drive each way. The Philly cheese sub after from Jersey Mike's was delish! Thanks for reading.

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nam812

Thanks for the comprehensive report Shawn, I enjoyed reading it.

NGS428

Thanks for the report. The lack of organization would get me too.

shawther

Thank you for your report. I am from the Blue Ridge area and really wanted to check it out. It would be around a 2 hour drive for me each way. I was considering setting up for the show but too busy this weekend. I still may check it out some point. I just started setting up at shows the last few months as my wife wanted me to clear out a room and closet in the house. I admit my table lacks a little organization at the moment but it gets exponentially better with every show. I think my favorite part about setting up is the interaction with other collectors.

BLUEJAYWAY

Always enjoy reading about shows across the country. Gives you a hands on feel for the goings on within the hobby.

1959

Thanks for the up-date.