Your first National............

zsz70

My first national was in Atlantic City NJ in 1987.

I remember dealers being so excited that they
were getting $5 for Yzerman rookies and
$7 for Lemieux rookies.

I was buying hockey sets from the late 70's
and early 80's for $10-$20.
Nice Parkhurst hockey sets from any year were going for
$1,000 each.

marc

theBobs

My first national was 2003 in AC. Most things where selling for 20-75% above ebay prices...

ctsoxfan

Mine was last year in AC also. I am sorry that they canceled the next AC go-around in 2006, as I loved being able to drive on down to a National. I had a great time, noticed some high prices as well, but found some great deals in the process. With all of the East Coast collectors, you would think that New York or Boston might be a worthy host somewhere down the line. Instead, they are moving farther and farther from us.

Basilone

My first National was Cleveland in 1997 or 1998 (forget which year)...anyways...the big modern cards were the Flair Showcase 1 of 1s that hit the market. These were the first ever 1 of 1s and they were going for crazy money. Also, another thrill for me was to browse through the racks of game-used hockey sweaters at Byron's Hockeyland.

goodriddance189

Houston in 94. i spent most of my money on Fleer basketball Team Leader cards

mcastaldi

The first National I went to was in Chicago - 1983. I was 13 years old and totally overwhelmed.

I'd gotten out of cards thru most of high school and college. Then I got back into the hobby in late 2000.
I didn't attend another National until 2001 in Cleveland.

Mike

ZodiacMindwarp

Does Cleveland 2004 count? I am very much looking forward to it.

dude

Mine was Arlington in 1990. I was only there for Saturday's show and found a nice assortment of cards I needed for my '67-72 Topps baseball sets. One day was clearly not enough time and $500 was not enough cash! The thing I remember about that show was that Score made a very limited run (1,000 as I recall) of a promotional Nolan Ryan card and they had Ryan come and break the printing plates in front of a large crowd. Dealers who had this card were asking $1,000 each and people were paying it! I also remember how many people were lining up with dollies to buy cases and cases of new cards: Upper Deck, Topps, Donruss, Score, Fleer, etc and using the word "investment". That was the beginning of the end of the modern card craze in my opinion.

onegaucho

All star fan fest in San Diego 1992 was the first HUGE card show I ever attended. 1992 Ultra just hit the market and was the big craze.

2000 Anaheim National was my first and only. Met Pete Rose there. Bought my first T206 PSA 5 HOFer... Tris Speaker with an American Beauty back. Hence, I started my T206 PSA 5 HOFer collection with rare backs. I only need 2 more to complete my 'set' of them!

Kid4hof03

My one and only was this past year in A/C. I had hoped and even planned on going to several others but it just never worked out. It was actually all that I hoped it would be. I got to meet some great people, picked up a few cards for my PSA 9 Cowboys team sets but best of all I bought a Gary Carter game used Mets batting helmet. I never expected to go to the national and pick up cards cheaper than ebay, but I did expect to see high quality items and hoped to find at least one item of great quality to add to my collection. The national met all my expectations last year, hope this year will be the same!

Tipem

My first national was in Atlanta in '89 if I remember correctly(maybe '90).I can remember spending the whole day just checking everything out and then spending $3,000 in about an hour the next day buying wax for my store.What an overwhelming experience and a total blast. I can't believe I waited until last year to go back to a national. I do have to admit that meeting the board members last year was more enjoyable than the show. There sure wasn't the electricity at last years show that there was at my first show.I think those "electric"times are somehow gone forever as far as shows are concerned. I am glad that the PSA luncheon has come along to help replace the lost excitement of past shows.



Vic

Hubcap

Atlantic City 1987

1954

I have attended the National for eight straight years. It is neat to see the change in my collecting habits. I remember the first National that I attended looking for unopened packs ($30) of 1993 SP football??? I don't even collect football now. I must have blown through $500 trying to hit that Bledsoe rookie.
I will never forget the National in Atlanta. I was hot on the trail for 1964 Topps Stand ups. I ran into a dealer who had an unopened box of 1959 Fleer Three Stooges. I asked the gentleman how much for a pack of cards and he told me $50 each. He then told me that he was watching the table for a friend and that he thought that he wanted to sell it as a complete box.
As I stood there and multiplied the number out for a minute, that came to $1200. I only had $2000 for my budget. Do I blow 3/5ths of my money on one item? That night I was determined to buy the box the next day. I went back to the dealer and he laughed at me when I told him I would like to buy the box for $1200. He told me "Son this box is for sale for $2900." I told him that they quoted me $1200. He told me to go fly a kite and that there was no way he quoted that to me.
I walked away with my tail between my legs and felt like a dumba$$.
The End.

1954

thegemmintman

Sad story '54

schr1st

Mine was last year in AC as well. I will be going to this year's in Cleveland though, and will be looking forward to all of the smiling faces and clenched fists.

qualitycards

Been to three, plus will attend Cleveland.
Parsippany 1984
A.City 1987
A.City 2003
The only common denominator I've had w/ all 3 that I've attended is, I didn't have enough money for all the things I wanted ...jay

mrc32

Tipem- Me too...Atlanta with my dad. I think it was 90. I bought a 1951 bowman Spahn(would grade PSA 5) and got him to sign a ball.

I went to Chicago and Houston in the early 90s as well

Basilone

<< <i>Parsippany 1984 >>



What was the size of that show?

qualitycards

BASILONE - Actually it was touted then as the New York Nationial, being just 20 minutes or so from the city.
I believe Gordon & Lipset were the promoters and it did bring in thousands of attendees. There were free
autographs if my memory serves, I believe Eddie Lopat was one of them. I think Mantle was signing too,
although not for free. I also remember Barry Halper who lived just a few minutes away, had on exhibit the
uniforms of the first 5 HOF inductees, Ruth, Cobb, Wagner, Johnson & Matty. All in all, it was a pretty neat show,
and I was happy that I lived in the area and could attend...jay

ranch

Summer of 1999 at the Toronto International Centre. I stopped collecting around 95', then around 4 years later I got hooked again. I had about $100 in my pocket and there was absolutely NOTHING I could buy there except for modern rubbish. And back then I was not an ebay member, so all those insane prices the dealers were asking for their vintage cards made me sick to the stomach! It wasn't after until I realized that great deals can be made on ebay and these nationals are nothing but a bloody rip-off!

qualitycards

<< <i>these nationals are nothing but a bloody rip-off! >>


RANCH - I don't know about that!
It seems that a few dozen board members, incl. myself are looking foward to the next National in 3 months.
If it is such a rip-off, it wouldn't be the great show that it is, it would have faded into obscurity...jay

joedel

Parsippany was the first for me, plus I have set up at the last 9 Nationals. I will have two tables at this years show in Cleveland. Would love to meet the many registry members.

Jay,

Your memeory is uncanny. I believe Mantle charged $5. The show was held in the Parsippany Hilton hotel, with most of the big shows at the time were in hotels. The first National in 1980 was at the airport Marriott in Anaheim.

I miss the hotel shows. It was much easier to just travel back up to your room after show hours. I believe the National should have less dealers (specifically those dealers that sell the junk), and the shows should be in more condensed quarters.

Basilone

Thanks for the history lesson guys...I love hearing about the "good ol days"....$5 for Mantle...gotta love it.

Wabittwax

Jay, I think it is fading into obscurity. They can't even sell out their 800 tables when in the past you had to get on a huge waiting list at 1000 tables. I've set up at 2 and I doubt I'll do another any time soon. You need a huge inventory to generate the sales necessary to pay the expenses. I do better on Ebay. It was a lot of fun though, just not very business wise for a small guy like me. They raised their table prices from $500 to like $800 or $900 in the past couple years so finding smaller dealers with reasonably priced oddball stuff is becoming rarer. Sad to say but soon the National will be the same 200 dealers every year with outrageous prices.

qualitycards

STEVE - I agree! Its a different ballgame now. As JOE pointed out it used to be in hotels and now its in major convention sites. The small guy like you & me (although I never set up at one) is squeezed out due to the high costs. But now you have all the card companies, the grading companies and other big time sports business' there, its sort of like an exhibition as opposed to an old fashioned card show. Hell! Last year they even had KISS appear. Not saying its better, not saying its worse, just different. Nonetheless, I looking foward to attending Cleveland and running into a few board member...jay

MickeyC

<< <i>BASILONE - Actually it was touted then as the New York Nationial, being just 20 minutes or so from the city.
I believe Gordon & Lipset were the promoters and it did bring in thousands of attendees. There were free
autographs if my memory serves, I believe Eddie Lopat was one of them. I think Mantle was signing too,
although not for free. I also remember Barry Halper who lived just a few minutes away, had on exhibit the
uniforms of the first 5 HOF inductees, Ruth, Cobb, Wagner, Johnson & Matty. All in all, it was a pretty neat show,
and I was happy that I lived in the area and could attend...jay >>



I was there too in '84, my first and only. Do you remember upon walking in the Wagner card inside a glass case with an armed police officer standing next to it?

I spent $130 that day and thought I had spent a fortune!

Mark

slvnumber2

First one was 1997 in Cleveland and I have been to every one since except last year - had to go down for my dad's surprise 60th b-day party and while I love going to the National I am was not going to miss seeing him for the big 6-0. In 1997 I bought a 1954 Ted Williams #1 in PSA 8 for $1875. I also bought a 1955 Williams in PSA 8 for about $1500 and I still have the Williams cards. Since I could not go last year I went to Sportsfest instead and I found out there is a big difference in shows. Already have the hotel booked for this year and can't wait.

UnAmuzd1

Was it in Arlington in 1986? Or was it 85? That's the first (and last) one that I went to. My dad drove my brother and me down. I don't remember much of what I bought - a 1976 Topps pack that yielded a Brooks Robinson with a surface wrinkle is one thing. I realized on the drive back that the wrapper had an ad on it for a promotion that had ended in 1974. Some scuzbag sold a 13-year-old kid a faked wax pack.

Then there were the 3-4 cello boxes of 1985 Topps I bought, trying to get one with a cool rookie on the front or back. Ended up with a Clemens on the back of one, but nothing else. I was happy nonetheless. Still have a ton of 85 topps.

Just Morrie
Collector of Cards

SUPERPUNK813

My first and only National was Chicago 2002. I hope to meet alot of you in Cleveland this year.

The Punk.