The National plus the Collector's Summit Meeting & PSA Registry Luncheon
dude
Posts: 1,454 ✭✭
I just returned from the National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. There's a lot to share about the Convention, the PSA Registry Luncheon, Superior's Auction and some hobby news.
But first, the tradition continued as the Registry Collectors held their Second Annual Summit Meeting on Thursday night. As many of you will recall, last year we met at Gibson's in Chicago for the First Annual Summit Meeting of Registry Members. This year the Second Annual Meeting was held over dinner at Sabatini's in Atlantic City.
Here's the group photo of all who attended.
Standing (l to r): Buckwheat, RayBShotz, Mitochondria, Wayne8348, RonRitt, Acowa, SJJS28, Dude
Sitting (l to r): Gaspipe26, KingKellogg, EJGuru
This event was every bit as sensational as the dinner last year. It lasted over 2-1/2 hours, and everyone had some great "war stories" to share about the hobby and there were tons of big laughs! Before I go into any details, I'll let the other attendees share their stories.
The second major bit of news was the PSA sponsored Registry Luncheon on Friday. It was a first class set up all the way with an excellent sit down dinner with an open bar. Once again, the Registry Community is for ever in debt for the efforts of PSA and especially BJ Searls and her associates for making the Registry what it is today.
BJ Searls
The luncheon was an open mixer for the first half hour and then while the Registry Members had lunch, PSA President Joe Orlando gave the State of the Registry Address. Joe was also gracious enough to answer a lot of questions regarding grading, the future of PSA, and shared some personal interest stories. Joe re-affirmed that PSA has no plans for using the half point scale and also mentioned that PSA is planning to release a video showing the step-by-step grading process. Once again, I'd like to see messages by other members who attended the luncheon regarding their thoughts about the event.
Joe Orlando answering some tough questions
at the Registry Luncheon
In addition to Joe's talk, the Registry Members heard the CEO of Collectors Universe, Michael Haynes, give a speech regarding the future outlook of Collectors Universe. Mr. Haynes assured the attendees that CU will continue their aggressive approach and leadership in the collectibles industry. From my personal viewpoint, I was quite impressed with his "hands on" leadership. Mr. Haynes was the auctioneer at the live Superior Auction and was also at the PSA booth a great bit of the time during the Convention answering questions and assisting the customers. He's a very approachable and personable gentleman.
CU CEO Michael Haynes speaking at
the Registry Luncheon
After the dinner broke up, I did get a chance to meet quite a few of the Message Board regulars. Here are some photos:
mikeschmidt
thegemmintman
tipem
playball
wolfbear
scoop
aconte
1954
Neil Downey & his son Eric
Perhaps the highlight of the event was the grand entrance of none other than KingKellogg:
KingKellogg
Also, one other surprise guest was theBobs. Come on back on the Board! Let's hear from you again!
theBobs
I also attended Superior's Live Auction on Thursday night. Collectors could bid on-line, by phone, via fax or live in person. It seemed like all four methods of bidding were actively in use while I was there. It will be interesting to see if Superior continues to use this format at future Nationals.
As for the Convention, from my personal perspective as a collector, it was OK but not great. It's clear that high-end vintage raw cards are very tough to find at the shows anymore. I did pickup some nice graded cards, but I was hoping to find a lot more graded items for sale too. I'll give more details later on in the thread. As for Atlantic City, in my opinion, it's a place that's seen better days in the distant past, and hopefully it will turnaround into the resort town it once was, but other than the casinos and the convention center, it really leaves a lot to be desired.
I'll post more on the events, dealers and hobby news later. I'd like to give other members some opportunity to share their experiences at Atlantic City.
But first, the tradition continued as the Registry Collectors held their Second Annual Summit Meeting on Thursday night. As many of you will recall, last year we met at Gibson's in Chicago for the First Annual Summit Meeting of Registry Members. This year the Second Annual Meeting was held over dinner at Sabatini's in Atlantic City.
Here's the group photo of all who attended.
Standing (l to r): Buckwheat, RayBShotz, Mitochondria, Wayne8348, RonRitt, Acowa, SJJS28, Dude
Sitting (l to r): Gaspipe26, KingKellogg, EJGuru
This event was every bit as sensational as the dinner last year. It lasted over 2-1/2 hours, and everyone had some great "war stories" to share about the hobby and there were tons of big laughs! Before I go into any details, I'll let the other attendees share their stories.
The second major bit of news was the PSA sponsored Registry Luncheon on Friday. It was a first class set up all the way with an excellent sit down dinner with an open bar. Once again, the Registry Community is for ever in debt for the efforts of PSA and especially BJ Searls and her associates for making the Registry what it is today.
BJ Searls
The luncheon was an open mixer for the first half hour and then while the Registry Members had lunch, PSA President Joe Orlando gave the State of the Registry Address. Joe was also gracious enough to answer a lot of questions regarding grading, the future of PSA, and shared some personal interest stories. Joe re-affirmed that PSA has no plans for using the half point scale and also mentioned that PSA is planning to release a video showing the step-by-step grading process. Once again, I'd like to see messages by other members who attended the luncheon regarding their thoughts about the event.
Joe Orlando answering some tough questions
at the Registry Luncheon
In addition to Joe's talk, the Registry Members heard the CEO of Collectors Universe, Michael Haynes, give a speech regarding the future outlook of Collectors Universe. Mr. Haynes assured the attendees that CU will continue their aggressive approach and leadership in the collectibles industry. From my personal viewpoint, I was quite impressed with his "hands on" leadership. Mr. Haynes was the auctioneer at the live Superior Auction and was also at the PSA booth a great bit of the time during the Convention answering questions and assisting the customers. He's a very approachable and personable gentleman.
CU CEO Michael Haynes speaking at
the Registry Luncheon
After the dinner broke up, I did get a chance to meet quite a few of the Message Board regulars. Here are some photos:
mikeschmidt
thegemmintman
tipem
playball
wolfbear
scoop
aconte
1954
Neil Downey & his son Eric
Perhaps the highlight of the event was the grand entrance of none other than KingKellogg:
KingKellogg
Also, one other surprise guest was theBobs. Come on back on the Board! Let's hear from you again!
theBobs
I also attended Superior's Live Auction on Thursday night. Collectors could bid on-line, by phone, via fax or live in person. It seemed like all four methods of bidding were actively in use while I was there. It will be interesting to see if Superior continues to use this format at future Nationals.
As for the Convention, from my personal perspective as a collector, it was OK but not great. It's clear that high-end vintage raw cards are very tough to find at the shows anymore. I did pickup some nice graded cards, but I was hoping to find a lot more graded items for sale too. I'll give more details later on in the thread. As for Atlantic City, in my opinion, it's a place that's seen better days in the distant past, and hopefully it will turnaround into the resort town it once was, but other than the casinos and the convention center, it really leaves a lot to be desired.
I'll post more on the events, dealers and hobby news later. I'd like to give other members some opportunity to share their experiences at Atlantic City.
0
Comments
I have a few hundred extra PSA graded 1971 Kellogg's cards. E-mail for price list. Looking for 1970 Topps Supers in PSA 9 too.
I'll look forward to reading more about the show, luncheon and PSA's speeches.
As for the show, I was impressed with the number of dealers. Compared to Ft. Washington, I'd say 2-2.5X larger. Agree that vintage raw cards in NM-MT are very hard to find. Bought and broke a '67 Series I cello pack right at the PSA tables. Submitted a pair for 2 hour grading and nailed 1 (Yankees RC). Still working on the other card. Unfortunately, as many of you saw, the Robinson's card was decently centered but badly miscut. The Maris should 8--I just measured it!
Picked up some already graded cards to fit in my set for reasonable prices--PSA 8 commons. Also won a T-206 Mathewson PSA 4 at Friday night's session after being outbid 5-6X Thursday night. I too was impressed by Mr. Haynes (CEO/Auctioneer) and Chris Porter. Both were extremely accessible and customer/investor friendly. Perhaps good things are on the way in those areas. Also have to give much credit to Joe for taking the questions, and shooting as straight as it seemed he did. It was great to meet the dealers who don't usually make East Coast shows (BBC Exchange especially--they sold me the cello).
Hope to see everyone again next year (if not sooner!)...
EJ
Used to working on HOF SS Baseballs--Now just '67 Sox Stickers and anything Boston related.
Wow!!! What can I say your the best. Thats what it's all about. Wish I would have
made the trip. Dam weddings oops aren't I supposed to be at the reception.
Anyhow thanks for letting me get a peek at that motley crue. King Kellogg especially
for thats about what I expected. Schmidty and Playball also so many transactions
and not a handshake.
Anyhow you all rule.
OUSTANDING!
Yes I am yelling! Thanks for the updates as always, I will continue to read this thread as I am sure there is much more to follow.
Dave
Collector of Vintage Golf cards! Let me know what you might have.
dave
FINISHED 12/8/2008!!!
EJ,
I second the fact on the free beer!!!!!!!! WE WANT BEER
KING for president.
Gator
The tenor of the correspondence that takes place on these boards plays especially well in a forum like the Nationals, the event that brought us all together in AC where we can let it all hang out.
The base of knowledge is incredible and refreshing. I was thrilled to rub elbows with all of you and share in it.
Great to see you 69'ers - Ron Hobbs (extra special thanks for some great cards I needed for my set!), Bob Cacamese ( for spearheading another great Thursday event), Dan Markel (great thread and enjoyed sitting with you at the dinner) and Ron Sanders (thanks for your interest in Janelle and her cards). Nice meeting with and enjoying show moments with Jeff Gobin and my Jersey Friend Frank Bakka.
John C, Dave R. and Dave J. I hope to meet you at some point in the future too.
Thanks for your comradery Eric -EJGuru...see you soon in Vacationland!
Special thanks goes out to my Jersey hitchhiker friends, Neil Downey & son Eric...we mutually anticipated this event for the last year and a half and it exceeded our expectations.
As for the cards, as I mentioned Ron Hobbs did me a solid. He brought all his nice PSA 8 and 9 Topps 69' baseball to the show and I was able to fill some very nice holes in my set. I was able to scoop up a handful of additional raw cards and submitted those as well.
The show was really about the people for me this time. If I missed anyone outside the 69' group it was defintely great to talk with you especially the "Gaspipe Gang" assembled in the top photo. Just captivating.
Last but not least, BJ is da' bomb! Thanks so much for your help over the years and it was a pleasure to swap stories with you. I hope you enjoyed the Eagles and I'll think of you when I watch Austin City Limits the next time.
For any of you that missed this one or have never been to a National, think Cleveland 2004!
RayB69Topps
RayBShotz
Ray Boehm
My other highlights were:
Watching Eric (ejguru) open the 1967 Topps cello pack ... or actually being next to Eric and almost seeing him open the pack. Anyways, that was a highlight because it makes you realize just how special some of these vintage high grade sets are. Out of 12 cards, I think 6 were submittable and only 1 or 2 looked worthy of a 9. It is pretty neat getting a Maris and Brooks & Frank Robby card # 1 all in the same cello pack.
Watching bidders pay more for a 1975 George Brett PSA 10 than a1934 Goudey Dizzy Dean PSA 9 and Gehrig, Cobb, etc PSA 8's. If you had the money...there were some pretty attractive prices on high end pre war superstars. Needless to say, I dont get it. Superior did an excellent job with the auction and it was first class for the people who bid in person.
Meeting so many new people from the boards was great as well. I especially enjoyed getting to hook up with Twinron, Tipem, 1954, Playball, Neil Downey, Steve Saldutti, RayB. and a bunch more.
My biggest diappointment was not getting to meet aconte. I happened upon a guy flipping through some high end Redmans and I stopped and asked him if he was Tony...but I had just missed him.
I was able to pick up a few 1964 TallBoy hockey cards along with some low pop ungraded commons of other baseball sets. My biggest purchase was a group of 1962 Topps Baseball PSA 8's in the Superior auction that I didn't really need but couldn't pass up.
All in all, I enjoyed it as much or more than any National that I have attended.
Regards,
Alan Cowart
And anyone who pushes for free beer is #1 in my book. King Kellogg is the man!
Mike
Henry.
Sooooo Cooooool!!! Thanks for bringing it to the boards. I hope to see all at Clevland.
Dave
I was able to meet Eric and Ron Ritt during the show at the PSA table but not many others. Eric made the comment that he wishes that he could be in my position, being young and collecting PSA graded cards and building sets, and I found that rather ironic as I stood next to he and Mr. Ritt, both of whom, Mr. Ritt especially
I would like to thank the King as well. During the luncheon I was a little shy and stayed to myself but he and Gemintman (cannot recall your "real" name
All and all, I had a blast at the National and had an even better time at the Luncheon.
-Ian
Eric
Thanks for taking the time to take the pics and to post them for all to see. Nice to see some faces with a name. We havent done it in awhile maybe we should post are pics. I will Sunday to get the ball rolling.
JAMES
thanks dude its always a blast seeing all the pictures....thanks a lot.
Groucho Marx
As far as cards, I didn't pick up too much. I picked up a common 61 PSA 10 that Acowa led me too. Thanks Alan!!! I also picked up a nice 61 PSA 9 Mays MVP from Peter Lalos of Champs and Bums.
I agree with the others about the Luncheon, BJ and Joe. I sat next to Tipem (Vic) and his son, as well as Ron Sanders and Wayne.
The dinner Bob (Gaspipe) put together and the luncheon were the highlights for sure. Great food and company. The luncheon was much nicer than I expected it to be. Thanks Bob and BJ!!
Atlantic City was actually nicer than I thought it would be. (I didn't expect much). There seems to be a lot of new construction going on between the convention center and the casinos. The boardwalk was clean and full of interesting things. The casinos were huge, and shared some of their fortune with me!!
I was able to spend a little time with Al Zouky(Hubcap) and Marshall Fogel. Both are great guys.
I only had a day and a half at the show. I could have easily filled all four days. Lots of tables I never even got to.
PSA definitely had the biggest presence. I saw a few GAI and SGC cards, but 90% were PSA cards for sale. Most of the raw cards I found were billed as nm/mt, but were more like ex/mt. I did pick up some nice ones from Kyle of Kyle's Sportscards, but Keith Abrams(Andie Haley) had already picked through his cards a few weeks earlier.
If someone will tell me how, I will post a few of the pics I have.
Rob
I want to join the group and thank you for the photos. I wish I could have made the trip, but it just wasn't in "the cards" for me. Great thread and looking forward to hearing more.
Luke
54 Red Hearts
and now 64 Stand ups
Great job on the post! Even now, I look at the photos and say "yeah - remember him, remember him, remember him, met him but don't remember him, etc...".
The registry lunch was a blast! My wife and I arrived a bit late and grabbed seats at the table with Ray Boehm and Neil Downey and his son. It was great to finally meet King Kellogg, Tipem, Gobin, Ron Ritt, Rob McBride, Ian Riccaboni, Wayne Sanders, Marc Schoenen, Ron Sanders and re-meet Eric Sanders, Bob Cacamese (pre-kidney stone) Chet Woods and a few others! And its always a blast running into the tag team duo of Steve Pekovich and Brian Simon! The food was good (AND FREE!!!) and I thought that Joe Orlando's speach and Q&A session were informative.
Many thanks to BJ for setting this up!!!!!! (Oh... and if they haven't graded Ray's 69's yet - I was only kidding about just saving time and giving him all 6's....)
My thanks to three dealers that helped me find some REAL nice raw stuff! Set Builders, Kyle's Cards and Cracker Jack Cards! I could have run through DOUBLE what I spent and still not grabbed all of the NM-MT raw that I wanted!
Sets - 1970, 1971 and 1972
Always looking for 1972 O-PEE-CHEE Baseball in PSA 9 or 10!
lynnfrank@earthlink.net
outerbankyank on eBay!
I feel like I attended thanks to your efforts. Awesome stuff.
FB,
Man, did your post make me jealous!!! I'm happy it went well for you, though. It's still possible to find nice, raw cards if you're looking. I have yet to have a crisp, centered '72 Sanguillen ring my doorbell...
dgf
<< <i>Dude is Mr. Class himself. There is nothing else to say. He's a true gentlemen and you can tell how dedicated he is to this hobby. The hobby needs more people like Dan. >>
I took this quote from part of a GMM post (if you don't mind GMM), I am in full agreement that this is the bottomline on Dan.
thanks for sharing.
I wish all who couldn't make it will try to make at least one National sometime in the near future. It's worth the trip itself for meeting the collectors, and the show is something else.
I'd like to recognize a few of the dealers that really help out the collectors in the Registry.
As many of you registery members know, if anyone is looking for nice raw cards, Set Builders (Joe Tauriello, CU ID: norty), is usually the first table collectors go to at the show. Even after I've bought the cards that I need from Joe, I'll usually go back to his table once in a while and typically find other registry members there buying cards. That's where I first met FB and King Kellogg. It's definitely a Registry Hot Spot!
norty
I'd also like to recognize Rob Hobbs (twinron) who was also set up at the National. Ron was selling some very hard to find '69 PSA 7 cards at pretty much giveaway prices. I spoke to Ron for quite a while and he's put in a lot of time with BJ trying to fix a few of the errors in the Pop Report and the Registry, particularly on the variations. Thanks Ron for your effort. We all appreciate it!
twinron
I had a real nice long talk with Joe Delgrippo. Joe gave up his card business to work for Mastro for several years. The good news is that Joe is back as a dealer now, so he'll be listing his high grade vintage cards on eBay real soon. Another big bit of news from Joe is that he bought the near complete '68 PSA graded set offered by Superior. He plans to break it up and sell it. That's good news for '68 set collectors!
Joe Delgrippo
Other first class dealers that I recommend are Paul Sjolen, Paul Starks, Peter Lalos, and Steve Peckovich. I bumped into Steve at the National and he told me that he picked up four nice raw sets. I forgot which years. I guess we'll find out soon when he lists the graded cards on eBay.
The highlight of the National was definitely the Registry luncheon. Didn't realize it was going to be so formal, so I had to send my wife and baby home. I got there a little late (had to get my Mike Schmidt autograph), and didn't get to meet anyone before the presentation, but I met some of the board members after it. I enjoyed chatting with the Gemmintman, riccaboni, dude, theBobs, Aconte, and Acowa. Alan, your much nicer in person.
I, for one, was fascinated trying to match real faces with the "images" in my mind. Needless to say, I was WAAYYY off. Anyhoo, it was a real treat.
Some other lesser highlights.....
Entered the VIP slot tournament on Wednesday, and while I waited for the top 10 to post, I sat at a slot machine, and hit a $1000 jackpot! When the scores posted, I finished sixth and won a cordless phone. Not bad for an hour of my time.
Watched, who I believe to be, my 1940 Play Ball nemesis plunk down some serious coin for a PSA 9 Ted Williams, and a GAI 9 Joe Jackson. Must be nice to have a National budget higher than my yearly income.
Meeting Gene Simmons of KISS and his "lady friends" on Tuesday. Ah, the life of a rock star.
I only picked up 5 cards at the show, and overall the National was a HUGE letdown in terms of selection of cards I was looking for.
Hope everyone had a good time in Atlantic City. See, my little neck of the woods isn't that bad.
Currently collecting.....your guess is as good as mine.
I actually made it down and one hour on Thursday. One hour to search the biggest show I had ever seen - not an easy task. I did find one card I needed though and had a nice convo w/Shoeless Joes as always. It was hard leaving, as being only 1.5 hrs away and not being able to attend due to my brothers wedding in Cape Cod. Plus, I missed the open house at the "Link" and a chance to see where I will be watching the Eagles this year - great wedding for a great bro though!
Eric - I would have loved to see you open the pack, no doubt.
Anyways, I am NOT missing the next show. I have aleady talked to my wife about going out to Chicago for two nights next year - it is in Chicago right?
Somewhat funny story .... justification needed!
Thusday night I was telling my wife about the show, the cards, the size and how Superior was having this auction. I signed on the eBay live, and could only imagine what the auction floor was like. It was very cool to watch this on eBay. The auction is moving along, and I want to place the opening bid on cards that I knew I would have no shot in winning but I refrain ... "What if I win?" I ask myself. Michele comes upstairs at 11:30ish, and asks if I won anything with a smirk on her face. I say no, but I want to place the opening bid on the card after next - The 1967 Kahn's Rose PSA 9. The estimate is 2500 to 3500 - with an opening bid of 1K. I tell here there is NO WAY I will win this card. Period. She gives me a look of "OK, but you better not win. I place a bid, and 10 secs go by, then 30 and BOOM - I am the winner. If looks could kill ....
I spend the next hour apologizing, even though it was not my intent on winning the card.
Good purchase? Was it too late in the auction for everyone to see? Was it fate that a Pete Rose collector got lucky?
Gentlemen, all advice especially justification is needed and appreciated.
Bernie,
I was actually only nicer to you. If it makes you feel any better, I was pretty much a jerk to everyone else.
Regards,
Alan
Dude & The Board Members at the National-
Great Job with the National coverage (again). Thanks to all of the guys who have shared their stories regarding the National. The one common thread that everyone has mentioned is the meeting and subsequent conversation with fellow board members.
With all of the BS, rumor, and policy changes that have been posted on this board over the last 6 months...it is a nice change to read a thread that truly shows what this hobby is all about: friends (old and new) getting together to celebrate the hobby that we all cherish.
I cannot wait to meet all of you guys next year in Cleveland (as it is my home turf).
Best of Luck and Good Fortune till the next National,
John Basilone
1967 Kahn's Rose PSA 9
My wife would have killed had I bid on something like that for that much $$.
or maybe
My wife would have killed me if she found out that I bid on something like that for that much $$
Congratualtions and I hope you can enjoy the card!
Great buy on the Kahn's Rose. What does the wife get now? If I remember correcly, you're a newlywed? You might have gotten away with that now, but try pulling that in 5 years!
BTW, I'm not married - I'm just guessing this to be the case.
JEB.
I hope to be there next year in Clevelend to meet everyone.
Mike Pawlus
The Pawlus Collections
Interested in Topps Baseball 1968-1975
Rob
Rob, thanks for the approval. Just what I was looking for. I was never in the "dog house", but I do have to sell some stuff now - we agreed that 750 would be an acceptable amount.
I look forward to meeting as many of you guys next year - this is what it is all about.
I almost didn't make it to the show at all. About 20 minutes after flying out of Cinncinati on of the engines on our plane went out and we had to turn around and head back. The captain said that all of the fire engines and emergency vehicles on the ground at the airport were only precautionary. THAT DID NOT MAKE ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE SITUATION. But we landed safely and had to wait for another flight. I flew in with (thebobs) and we roomed with Dave Cahill (sellerman23). Its funny because none of us had ever met but we had all collected the 65 set so we talked and met up together. Both guys are great guys and I ejoyed meeting them.
When we finally caught another flight they flew us into Philadelphia. Instead of waiting for the bus we rented a car and sped towards Atlantic City and ended up making the dinner about one half hour late. It was great meeting a few new folks and seeing most of the others from last year. I sat near Rob (Buckwheat), Dan (everybody knows Dan), Ray, and Alan. They are all great guys and I enjoyed the conversation.
The show was good but not great. I upgraded 9 cards for my 74 set which was better than I expected to do but there just wasn't any raw cards around. I should have paid for Mike Castaldi's trip in hopes of him helping me find raw 74's. I think he must have a card detecter built in with the way he finds cards. There were several dealers not there that I was hoping to see such as Natex. But overall it was good. It seems that gai has made up some ground this past year but not much.
The registry luncheon was a class act! The food and service were fantastic, Joe did a great job answering questions head on, and meeting so many folks there was great. Ian - it was great to see you hanging out with all of the old folks! I met so many folks and it's great putting faces with names. What amazed me most was how young mikeschmidt is. He has so much knowledge that you would think that he must be 82. It was great meeting you Marc.
The superior auction was a class act and very well run. I wasn't going to go to Chicago in November but I might if there are auction items I'm interested in. My props to Chris Porter and superior for doing a great job! One thing that I think is pretty clear is that large lots bring far less than they are worth being sold individually. Most lots brought about 65% of smr and most were bought by dealers or individuals to resale them. On the other hand, low pop cards, rare cards, and WAX went very well. Many bids far exceeded expectations. I think that consignors just need to be smart about what they consign but in my opinion superior is definitely the way to go. I wouldn't consign a partial set with them of high pop psa 8's unless I wasn't tied to what I get but I would definitely call them on a rare non-ebay type item.
Eric - I really enjoyed watching you open that 67 pack! You are much braver than I am. I'm glad it worked out. (It was even a gai 9 pack)
King - Many times people are much different that what you think they are when you meet them in person. However, you're just like I pictured you. The life of the party! It was great meeting you.
Dan thanks again for posting all of the pictures.
Wayne
I had a great time at the National, but was sorry to miss the registry lunch on Friday. I was there at the opening on Thursday, no hassles just walked right in. I saw many of the same dealers I see every 3 months in Ft. Washington, and they were actually some of the best tables, at least for the vintage stuff I'm after. So I guess that says alot about the quality of the Ft. Washington show. But I also got to see some other famous/ infamous dealers, like BMW. He did have some nice stuff to look at. I also met Harvey of AJ Cards out of Canada, a real class act!
Met Steve Pekovich and Norty at there tables, and a few other registry members hanging around. Picked up a card from Ron Hobbs, but didn't get to talk to him because he was running off for a gathering of the 69'ers. Dropped off a couple submissions to PSA and got my Maris ball DNA'ed in under 10 minutes. Nice!
Have to give a huge shout out to Tipem(Vic). We met at Norty's table and again at Rich Gove's booth. We shared history on our collecting past and present, and our paths are very similar. Hot into the hobby, then tailed off, discussed by the hoards of new stuff, and finally back to vintage 50's. Definitely a fun time. Sorry I didn't get to stay for Friday, but a quick call home let me know my wife's cold had worsened and she lost her voice, so she needed me back to help out.
And I have a great Chris Porter story for you. I consigned a card for the November auction, and as I was roaming the floor, we crossed paths, and he tells me he already has a buyer for the card if I want to sell it. So before I know it I'm getting 95% of book for a card I felt I would be lucky to get 80% for. He has a long time customer, Thanks Chris.
Since I couldn't make the registry lunch, I thought I'd throw my picture out there. If you see me at Ft. Washington...say Hey!
1953 Topps in PSA 8
1941 Playball in PSA 8.
1952-1955 Red Man cards in 7 and 8
1950 Bowman in PSA 8
New 53's
1953 Topps in PSA 8
1941 Playball in PSA 8.
1952-1955 Red Man cards in 7 and 8
1950 Bowman in PSA 8
Joe
It was great to meet you as well as all of the other guys. I hope you were able to sell the cards you brought with you.
BTW, Joe of Natex was there with a table. It was poorly marked. He had a lot of cards, but didn't have anything that isn't already on his Web site.
I didn't notice a lot of GAI stuff. Piedmont cards had a lot, but otherwise, it was hit or miss. I actually crossed over a PSA 8 61 Maris to a GAI 8.5 at the show. I had to make several trips to the GAI booth to do this and retrieve the card, and there wasn't much happening there. Teh man who helped me was very nice, but I would have to say that PSA had at least 5 to 10X as many people submitting and milling around as GAI ever did. One dealer told me that if he ever picks up any GAI vintage now, he automatically sends it in to PSA for crossover because he can get twice as much for it in a PSA holder. He was talking about primarily mint material, and especially commons.
1953 Topps in PSA 8
1941 Playball in PSA 8.
1952-1955 Red Man cards in 7 and 8
1950 Bowman in PSA 8
I had a great time at my first National and am even thinking about going to more in the future. I participated in my first live auction and it was a thrill actually winning something, too! I was weary about trying to look for raw stuff after reading last year's posts, but I actually found a few good tables with nice raw stuff to pick from (1965 and 1975). Special thanks to Brian Scantland (theBobs) and Wayne for hooking me up with a place to sleep and then putting up with my snoring. That was wicked cool of them. And I also agree that KingKellogg looks exactly like I though he would. I was also surprised to find a dealer (I forgot who he was!) who had something marked under SMR for a graded semi star. I asked why he was not charging over book, like all the other dealers and he said that there were a lot of them (1965 Topps Murakami Rookie PSA 8) around (true) and that the market makes the prices, not the SMR. Very refreshing! And if anyone has any 1986 Topps Roger Clemens that are not too OC, theBobs would be very interested in them as he is very disappointed that he only picked up two at the show...
Cheers,
Dave Cahill
sellerman23
1975 Topps
1952 Topps
HOF
I sat with both Wayne (Wayne 8348) & Rob McBride (Buckwheat) at both the dinner & the luncheon. Rob's 1961 set is quite impressive as well as Wayne's flight into Atlantic City! Ron Rittlinger reached over at "the Ring Man's table (Irv Lerner)" while I was looking at 1969 cards and shouted, "I want that one!". Fortunately, the sudden terrifying image of having to compete with Ron turned out to be only a joke
It was a pleasure meeting several other folks for the first time, Ian Riccaboni (a great future ahead for him), Eric Sanders (EJGURU; sorry I missed the pack opening experience. I did not make myself clear at the luncheon, but I recall Mark Murphy once explaining to me that the 1967 rack packs contained three separate stacks of 12 cards wrapped in cello and then placed in the rack pack. He might have been referring to the "christmas" racks, but I am not sure). Tipem and his son (a man who just wants to complete his set, not be one of the founding members of CU
I really appreciate the extraordinary effort put forth by Joe Orlando and BJ Searls. The luncheon was 1st class and the PSA coporate booth was one of the most positive experiences at this year's national. Lastly, I enjoyed visiting with my good friend Dan Markel. A friendship that began in the e-Bay neighborhood in the pre-Anaheim era and has persisted ever since. Even in spite of the fact that he grabbed the only 1969 PSA 10 (pop 1 of 1's) of both #559 Cardinal Rookies and #581 Gary Nolan from Joe Delgrippo's table before I got there at this year's national.
Ron
Thanks for taking the time and effort to post all of these wonderful experiences.
Many of us did not get to attend this year and these stories and pics almost get us there.
Randall
Loves me some shiny!
I thought the show was awesome. I really liked having the show in AC because of the gambling, everything was so close to the hotel, and more vintage dealers showed up. I picked up a PSA 9 from 1973 card #1 with Aaron, Mays and Ruth. It is one of my favorite cards.
Looking forward to it again in 364 days from now.
1954
E
Used to working on HOF SS Baseballs--Now just '67 Sox Stickers and anything Boston related.
You are a great guy. I am glad we met and got to disect the 67 pack together like a bunch of high schoolers on a cat. I was more excited for you in watching your face light up when you pulled Maris, then #1 Robbys, then a beautiful Murcer rookie. Don't go selling that card unless it is to me.
Regards,
Shane
See you next year.