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2024 National Observations

jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,439 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum

I have attended 9 of the last 12 Nationals and would urge every hobby enthusiast to go at least once. It is the Mecca of our hobby and the energy is simply unmatched at any other show. That said, here is what I observed this year in Cleveland.

1) THE HOBBY IS VERY HEALTHY: The show was packed with collectors 1-2 deep at every table.
2) PEOPLE ARE SPENDING: I routinely witnessed 4 and 5 figure deals on vintage and modern alike.
3) HIGH QUALITY ICONIC ROOKIES SCARCE: Tons of low/mid grade available, but dead centered iconic rookies in high grade were tough to find and sold quickly.
4) DEALERS NEED TO LEARN LESS IS MORE: Most display cases had no rhyme or reason and were cluttered. The dealers with fewer, more marquee items sold briskly.
5) KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR: With so much to browse, know the 10-20 cards you are prioritizing so you can efficiently walk the floor and not get overwhelmed or distracted.
6) CASH IS STILL KING: Cellular can be spotty, so have cash ready to make immediate deals.

Here was my favorite show purchase…

Comments

  • hyperchipper09hyperchipper09 Posts: 1,451 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jordangretzkyfan said:
    I have attended 9 of the last 12 Nationals and would urge every hobby enthusiast to go at least once. It is the Mecca of our hobby and the energy is simply unmatched at any other show. That said, here is what I observed this year in Cleveland.

    1) THE HOBBY IS VERY HEALTHY: The show was packed with collectors 1-2 deep at every table.
    2) PEOPLE ARE SPENDING: I routinely witnessed 4 and 5 figure deals on vintage and modern alike.
    3) HIGH QUALITY ICONIC ROOKIES SCARCE: Tons of low/mid grade available, but dead centered iconic rookies in high grade were tough to find and sold quickly.
    4) DEALERS NEED TO LEARN LESS IS MORE: Most display cases had no rhyme or reason and were cluttered. The dealers with fewer, more marquee items sold briskly.
    5) KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR: With so much to browse, know the 10-20 cards you are prioritizing so you can efficiently walk the floor and not get overwhelmed or distracted.
    6) CASH IS STILL KING: Cellular can be spotty, so have cash ready to make immediate deals.

    Here was my favorite show purchase…

    Nice Brady in the iconic UM colors :)

  • VagabondVagabond Posts: 584 ✭✭✭✭

    That is a sweat Brady auto card.

    How is the traffic there. Is there a line of cars just to get to the front? If so, how long is the wait?

    I really wanted to be there this year but pulled out at the 11th hour. I have attended the Chicago ones for the last three times it was there and plan to be there again in 2025. Great venue.

  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,405 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hiya Chris

    Super pickup buddy.

    Any other pics?

    I saw on SCI youtuber the setup by PSA - it's incredible - way more than ever before to include an upstair's loft with a great view of the floor.

    Sure miss going but don't think I'll ever get a chance again unfortunately.

    Mike
  • BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 8,968 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @brad31 said:
    I agree. Cash is more important than ever. Dealers will only deal on cash purchases. All of you observations were spot on. Cards were moving! Every vintage dealer was making 2-3 deals at a time.

    My goal was to get a PSA 7 Aaron rookie. Only one in the whole floor and they would not budge on price. Wanted $2700 over VCP average as their best and final. Pivoted and bought a dream card of mine instead. When I saw this I was just fine on not getting the Aaron. Not a great pic but have to share. Got this for less than they would have taken for the Aaron and to me a much tougher card. Am on cloud nine with the pickup.

    Excellent choice.

    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,405 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 27, 2024 6:47PM

    I took these from Geoff Wilson's video post on the National.

    Large crowds for sure.

    PSA - the loft included with the view from the loft.

    View from atop the loft:

    Mike
  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭

    I went on Thursday to try to get there before most of the stuff I look for (70s and early 80s) got picked through.
    But there was VERY little nice 70s stuff - whether raw or graded.
    I picked up a nice stack of NM/MT+ 1976T but virtually everything I saw in terms of 70s raw was pretty much VG/EX.

    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,439 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Vagabond said:
    That is a sweat Brady auto card.

    How is the traffic there. Is there a line of cars just to get to the front? If so, how long is the wait?

    I really wanted to be there this year but pulled out at the 11th hour. I have attended the Chicago ones for the last three times it was there and plan to be there again in 2025. Great venue.

    I knew there were two lanes that pull into the IX Center, so I stayed in the left lane the whole time and moved quickly past the right lane that was standing still. Arrived at 9:00am and it only took me about 20 minutes to get in, parked and walk into the building. I heard others say they sat in traffic for over an hour. As others have said, Chicago is a much better venue and I am looking forward to an even better experience next year.

    @brad31 said:
    I agree. Cash is more important than ever. Dealers will only deal on cash purchases. All of you observations were spot on. Cards were moving! Every vintage dealer was making 2-3 deals at a time.

    My goal was to get a PSA 7 Aaron rookie. Only one in the whole floor and they would not budge on price. Wanted $2700 over VCP average as their best and final. Pivoted and bought a dream card of mine instead. When I saw this I was just fine on not getting the Aaron. Not a great pic but have to share. Got this for less than they would have taken for the Aaron and to me a much tougher card. Am on cloud nine with the pickup.

    Wow…what a blazer! Love that pickup. Excellent eye on a very undervalued RC of an all-time top 10 player. Congrats!

  • AhmanfanAhmanfan Posts: 4,384 ✭✭✭✭

    Would folks suggest Chicago is the one to hit if wanting to just go once to see it?
    Thx

    Collecting
    HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭
    edited July 28, 2024 4:25AM

    @Ahmanfan I’d put it this way. . .I don’t know if the dealers or material on offer would change much. But. . .in Chicago I’d expect a much better-run event with a lot fewer headaches. i.e. parking, rest rooms, food, temperature of the rooms, etc

    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,405 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @mcastaldi said:
    @Ahmanfan I’d put it this way. . .I don’t know if the dealers or material on offer would change much. But. . .in Chicago I’d expect a much better-run event with a lot fewer headaches. i.e. parking, rest rooms, food, temperature of the rooms, etc

    The same promoters currently run The National, regardless of location. Last year in Chicago, the heat inside the building was extreme. They blamed it on having to have dock doors open for too long while the big boys moved stuff in, to the point that the outdated and overworked A/C could never recover.

  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭

    @countdouglas said:
    The same promoters currently run The National, regardless of location. Last year in Chicago, the heat inside the building was extreme. They blamed it on having to have dock doors open for too long while the big boys moved stuff in, to the point that the outdated and overworked A/C could never recover.

    That’s true, but the things I listed are all handled by facilities management and are outside of the organizer’s control. Outside of site selection, of course.

    My point was I expect most or all of those things to be better in Chicago.

    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,405 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I don't know. It appears that they thought that they had it all figured out already this year.
    .
    https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/2024-national-sports-collectors-convention-preview/

  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭
    edited July 28, 2024 7:24AM

    I stand corrected. Reading the article, it sounds like the BoD for the National identified several issues ahead of time and failed -miserably - to address them.

    • Wi-Fi was abysmal - to the point cell coverage was better. And being right next to the airport, that’s saying something.
    • There was a pretty dramatic temperature difference between the two sections. If you were in the section with the autographs, I’d guess it was at least 5° warmer.

    • Then this passage from the article was telling - “The biggest misconception is everybody thinks Chicago was so much bigger of a show. While technically that’s true because of the square footage, the Cleveland building lays out much better than Chicago.”
      As any realtor or interior designer will tell you, there’s no substitute for square footage. On Thursday, I walked the entirety of both spaces and there was no moment I didn’t feel over-crowded. I can’t imagine what it was like yesterday or today.

    • As for parking, I’ll be curious to hear the BoD’s response to complaints about this.

    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
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