Fort Washington
1420sports
Posts: 3,473 ✭✭✭
I just got back and I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with Jay and EJ, finally met Gaspipe, Luxury Wines, Lloydsbaseballcards, Ed Clark and Machodoc. I didn't see a lot of graded material that I collect but I did get to witness the fervor that is known as Norty's table. It was a so-so show and I left without finding that one card. I forgot to get some supplies, so maybe I will go back tomorrow 
collecting various PSA and SGC cards
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I thought it was crowded. I hope to head back tomorrow.
aconte
Grady
I'll be back for a little while tomorrow morning (still looking for more raw Goudeys). I'm also big into memorbelia, and was disappointed on that score. There was much more of that kind of thing here the last time I visited two years ago. I guess I'll save those $ for Mastro.
Steve
PS - For anyone considering the graded storage boxes MJ Roop sells, you might want to know that they are going to introduce soon a wooden version of their current storage box, which is made of a compressed paper product. I saw a prototype of the wooden box tonight and it looks pretty sturdy.
Website: http://www.qualitycards.com
Great show, but they really have to pick up that security there
Joe's binders were full, but that didn't last long. Loved seeing FB's frown when arrived at the table--"That's not happiness to see me..."
Also nice chats with Jeff and SJJS--still knocking away at the 67's!
Bob (Gaspipe), on the other hand, made me frown when he let me use his lighted loupe and I could see my cello 9 really is a 9 and not a 10.
Steve's (Machodoc) got some GREAT 1959 cellos, that he isn't even going to open
The nice 57's were also great eye candy--
Good luck Neal--but don't spend for the sake of spending!
See y'all in May and July--
Used to working on HOF SS Baseballs--Now just '67 Sox Stickers and anything Boston related.
Those packs were nice to see Steve, and I agree on those MJ Roop boxes. I am going to order a few of those.
Was Superior there with the cards from their current auction? I heard they were supposed to hold a preview there. Edited to add: Oooops. I mistook this show for the upcoming Chicago show, where Superior is actually supposed to have a preview!
Skycap
I ended up leaving with a super nice PSA 9 1976 Reggie Jackson for $125.00 and a psa 8 1957/58 Zoro card I bought for my dad...$40...(Garcia's Revenge)
went up on a whim after work... wished I planned ahead so I could have met some of you and put some faces to the names I know on this board...
also...
I saw one really cool thing there... they were (2) 1965? Harlem Globe Trotter 8/10's featuring Connie Hawkins...
The guy wanted $75 each for them...
I really want these because they feature the hawk while he was in exile from the nba...
there's a sort of tragic sadness to them...
but I do not collect these and have no idea whether they are common or not... so I passed...
they were not wire photos or anything... they originally came in a media packet...
anyone know where else these can be found or where to look?
thanks,
Geoff
Click here to view my Knickstars collection and wantlist
After making sure that Neil Downey and I got there early... (We missed the December Snowfest and at the September show we got stuck in traffic and arrived to find that every decent parking spot was owned by an 80 year old lady going to the quilting show!) I waited on that "members" line for half an hour KNOWING that my days on the track team would serve me well once the doors opened.
After the hand was stamped I sprinted down to the 1100 aisle only to find EVERYONE ELSE from the forum already plundering Joe's books!!! I'm sure folks could hear a grown man go "WAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" back to the 500 aisle... In the end, IT WAS good to see everyone again and I got to finally meet Doug Rivard and the forum's own Greg "Putty" there along with Tom Papa.
The good news... was that 72's were so far beneath you guys that it was untouched to that point! And true to their word - they had filled it with screamers!. Also picked up a nice bunch of 70's and 64's.
Sets - 1970, 1971 and 1972
Always looking for 1972 O-PEE-CHEE Baseball in PSA 9 or 10!
lynnfrank@earthlink.net
outerbankyank on eBay!
Hey Neil, how did you make out with your 72 Topps hockey quest?
AKA..
Ebay - mpn2gwvputty
Ratso of the Booze Junkies MC
good luck with the 72's, i'm still waiting for about 80 to be graded and i'll keep you advised.
jim
a boy... no more than eleven years old...
was all by himself...
going from table to table searching for nm/mt or better Vintage OPC hockey cards...
I thought that was pretty cool...
Click here to view my Knickstars collection and wantlist
Just goes to show the wisdom of showing up on Friday evening to cherry pick the good stuff. Seems like the really serious collectors show up Friday evening to avoid the hoi polloi the rest of the weekend.
While it seemed something of a disappointment for memorbelia and graded cards (at least for what I was looking for), it looked like a bonanza for those who buy raw stuff. I must say however it was worth a 400-mile round trip as I was able to remove some decent items from the ole want list.
SW
<< <i>Just goes to show the wisdom of showing up on Friday evening to cherry pick the good stuff >>
Word has it that legendary super collector EJGURU sneaked in while the dealers were setting up, I've been told he hid under a large box of pretzels before he attacked the dealers inventory, table by table.
Website: http://www.qualitycards.com
On Saturday I met up with Neal (1420sports). I had a good time walking the floor with him and checking out stuff.
I also met Joe T. (norty) on Saturday. He is definitely one of the good guys of the hobby. Also met Carol (carolj)
of Psa for the first time. She was very helpful. I also spent time and spoke with some of the usual gang -
Bob Kraevitz, Mike Skerbe, Bill Goodwin, Levi Bleam, Jim of 707, and Sean S + Scott H and the rest of the Sgc
gang. Even though I only bought one card I had a fun time talking to people. Sorry if I forgot to mention anyone.
I wish I had a chance to meet some more of you. Maybe next time!
1420, good luck with your Mantle card!
Tony (aconte)
There you go again giving away all my trade secrets
Used to working on HOF SS Baseballs--Now just '67 Sox Stickers and anything Boston related.
Sets - 1970, 1971 and 1972
Always looking for 1972 O-PEE-CHEE Baseball in PSA 9 or 10!
lynnfrank@earthlink.net
outerbankyank on eBay!
The joys of collecting are so much better when shared with other board members. Should be another good one in May.
In like a flash and straight to Nortys table, there so quick, Norty wasn't even set up....amazing!!!
Website: http://www.qualitycards.com
While some dealers were willing to cut prices on the cards I was looking for, their list prices were all at big premiums to SMR. Since I'm looking for pretty specific cards to fill holes, I don't mind paying a reasonable premium for a hard to find or upper end example of a card. The vast bulk - probably about 70% to 75% - of my graded purchases remain from eBay however, and the rest come from only a few dealers I like and trust who get my repeat business.
We all know that many dealers (not all) have completley unrealistic pricing expectations when it comes to vintage cards. I find this to be especially true for the medium to smaller dealers however, whose lesser sales volumes possibly give them less leeway than those who do a large book of business. Less sophistication might also come into play here as well.
For example, a dealer at the Fort many would recognize from some trouble he stirred up on the boards last year had a 1959 PSA 8 Koufax, which books for $400. It was an earlier graded card, with some print snow and only so-so centering. The guy wanted $495 for it and refused to budge an inch. I might be willing to pay a 25% premium for a truly outstanding PSA 8 1959 Koufax, but this was a card I would, at best, be willing to pay book. This was not the first time I've seen this, but what sort of amused me was the guys refusal to see any flaws with his card (ought to tell you something right there) and his attempts to tell me why I should be happy to get it at a 25% premium to book.
I don't go to many shows anymore as most of the good memorabelia seesm to have moved over to the auction houses, and nearly all of my graded purchases are through the mail. Still, I find these bigger shows fun and worth attending for the surprise factor, where I find something I wasn't exactly looking for, but had to have after I saw it. This seems to happen at every show I attend and usually makes it worthwhile. If I went to shows to stock up on graded cards, I would be pretty disappointed.
My two cents.
Steve
Excellent observations on your part! Many graded card dealers hope that unsuspecting and clueless suckers -- generally not the type of people who post here because we know of the SMR and card values -- will get all excited about seeing the graded cards in their shiney plastic holders and, for example, pay $1,000 for a 1968 PSA 8 Mantle. Just two or three such sales to the clueless can make a card show highly profitable to a dealer. You're absolutely right, you can do much better on Ebay than to fall victim to these sharks.
To repeat myself from an earlier thread....
The type of dealers I most detest are the ones who have a great selection of PSA 8 and 9 vintage cards (which I collect - 1950's to mid 1960's) and either (a) have price tags at three to five times SMR or (b) have no price tags at all but when you ask, it's still three to five times SMR. They have a mindset of DARING you to buy their precious little cards, acting as if each one were a three-carat diamond ring. I could understand a high price on a low-pop common, but this is usually not what we're talking about.
Some of the excuses for outrageously high priced commons may be: "He's a Cub" or "he's a Cardinal" or "he's a Red Sox" or "he's a Tiger" even though the convention is in another city. How about "he's a Senator"? I suppose one day they'll say "He's a Marlin"?
Or their excuse will be: "The SMR is out of date," and I'll think: Really? It just came out last week, and you're telling me the SMR for Clint Courtney tripled this morning? Wow.
Once when I was about to buy several cards of players on my favorite team, a dealer added up the prices and wanted to add a 10% premium on top of that because "You're taking all of my good [insert nickname of team]!"
Skycap
Hate to say it Skinsfan, but glad it wasn't to good of a show for you.
Fuzz
I don't ever seem to find or make an amazing deal on a graded vintage gem...
but I usually bring home at least one... and I usually buy it from someone that I like buying from a lot like... I also try to make it a card I rarely see on ebay.
...and then there is the eBay issue...
I was drooling over 707's psa 8 1967 topps test Yastrzemski sticker... which I was quoted at $375 to buy... and I
won it on eBay the next night for $128.50 in a GAI 8...
In any case, I love going... Many of the dealers there are super people... and I enjoy seeing what other people buy or just drooling at a high end joe dimaggio card that my teacher's salary won't accomodate...
-G
Click here to view my Knickstars collection and wantlist
Steve
The key is finding the dealers that don't have the capital or interest to spend $5 a pop plus shipping, time and insurance to graded card companies for the mass of high-quality vintage material they have.
Now, please tell me how to find these dealers!!!!
Erik
Those of you that wait for the opening bell to get to Joe are late. Norty's tables were full at about 2 PM Friday when I went by.
Old Vintage Baseball Cards
eBay Auctions
I am not quite sure where you are getting the 2 o'clock time from. I didn't open and no albums or cards of any kind were put out until between 4:15 and 4:30 (even though we got there at 1:30). I tried to wait till as close to the open of the show as possible to allow for collectors to get in and to hold off some dealers but it was crowded around the table and people wanted to get going. I didn't want to lose customers by forcing them to wait even longer.
Thanks again to everyone who stopped by. It's always good to see you guys. I hope to see people again in Chicago in 10 days.
Setbuilders Sports Cards
Ebay: set-builders & set-builders2
I did not have a watch on and I was just wondering around. You are probably correct.
Old Vintage Baseball Cards
eBay Auctions
<< <i>I was there on Friday night, and Saturday morning...and have this observation. It seemed to me that there was very little activity at the dealer booths who were selling only graded cards. Most collectors and shoppers were spending time at the raw dealers. It has been mentioned before here, but the prices on graded cards seemed to be well above (in many cases, WELL ABOVE) Ebay prices, with little hope of discounting. Do dealers selling graded cards ever sell anything at shows like this (with knowledgeable collectors in attendance)? I hoped to grab a few, but there was no way I was overpaying for them. I wonder if those dealers find it worth it to attend shows anymore? >>
I wanted to chime in on this topic. Do dealers sell graded cards at shows? Yes, and do they sell them to knowledgeable collectors, also Yes.
The trick is knowing your issue of choice, sometimes show prices are actually a better deal than EBAY. It all depends on the activity of your issue and your competition.
For example, if I were building a 59 Fleer Williams set in 8, most show prices would be $40-45 per common. But the ebay prices are $20-25. No brainer. However, if I pick an issue with intense competition(let's say 52 Topps or 33 Goudeys or even the 75 Topps with there large group of set builders), the show may provide a better outlet. Remember, anyone can see the inventory of ebay, but only those paying customers get to see what's at a show. So if you face stiff competition from West coast buyers, the Fort could provide you with a chance to see inventory items before yor competition.
And another thing to remember, no matter how crazy you think a quoted price is, there is some loon out there that will pay it. True example, an $85 low pop common was listed in a dealer's inventory at $1300. Crazy? Well, the same card just finished on ebay over $1500. Maybe, the price is outrageous for you and me, but the seller must try to maximize there profit...most of the time. There are times when it is definitely good business to cut a deal for a consistent buyer.
As to the other points about sellers who are unwilling to budge on anything, or who over evaluate their product, or change their price at the last minute....it definitely turns me off and sends my money elsewhere.
1953 Topps in PSA 8
1941 Playball in PSA 8.
1952-1955 Red Man cards in 7 and 8
1950 Bowman in PSA 8
The SMR is a guide, and you will lose out more often than you think if you base your buying strictly on SMR. I paid double for my 52 Stengel, and that was based on two things. It is tough to find centered and it is tough to find period.
Go to the show and spend the extra bucks. Gotta keep all aspects of our hobby going.
and every step hurts to walk.
Someone asked me if I ever met this collector or that and I told him "I've never met
anyone"
1967and 1973 Topps baseball wantlists (any condition) welcome. Once had the #14 ATF 1967 set. Yet another collector like skylaneflyer, gimel1 who made it to the completion of 1967 only to need the money more than the company of 609 close friends.
Looking for oddball Norm Cash and Cleon Jones stuff, and 1956 team cards