Seeking advice re: My first baseball card show in 20 years

avi29

I am going to the East Coast National show in White Plains this weekend. I recently got back into collecting cards and this is the first show that I have attended since I was a kid. My main goal at the show is to build my 1973 Topps set of PSA 8 and better, which is currently about 50% complete. I would love to come back from the show with some big chunks of the set that I'm missing. Can anyone who regularly attends these shows provide some advice on how I should proceed at the show? I assume there will be hundreds of tables...what is the best way to find the tables with '73 PSA cards? And once I find the right tables, do the dealers only sell their cards at pre-set "but it now" prices, or is there typically a negotiation that occurs between buyer and seller? I sort of envision finding the dealer(s) with the biggest collection of '73s, going their inventory pulling out the list of cards that I'm missing, then trying to negotiate to buy 50 or 100 cards in bulk, referencing average VCP prices on my phone. Does that sound about right? Any advice or shared experiences about what I should expect and how I should proceed would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!!

Avi

avi29

And one additional question: I have some duplicate PSA graded cards that I'm looking to sell or exchange for credit to purchase those cards that I'm missing from the set. Should I bother to bring the cards that I want to sell with me to the show and negotiate with different dealers to sell them? Or would I do better selling them individually on eBay? All of the cards that I'm looking to sell probably total no more than $200.

gc1213

I have been to a few of the White Plains Shows this year and I was in your boat a few months back. I got back into collecting after a 15 year hiatus and was looking to work on the 86-87 Fleer basketball set. Best advice is to just hit all the tables. If this is like the usual shows there you might not find too many graded commons but you will find a few tables with binders full of raw cards you may be able to submit. I find a lot of the dealers are very reasonable, especially if you are buying bulk commons. I am more a 80's basketball guy but I have seen a good amount of 70s baseball there in the past. PSA stars shouldn't be too tough to find there if the dealer turnout is strong. With the autograph line up this weekend I would bet this is a solid show.

PSA is on site too so you can submit anything that looks great right there.

Have fun, I'll be there Thursday after work.

jimrad

I think you will do much better posting your needs and what you have to sell or trade on our buy sell trade thread right here.
There are many collectors right here with what you need.

llafoe

I hope you have a lot of fun and find several cards on your want list!

I wish I was a kid 20 years ago!

shu4040

hey after going ot my first in 20 years at the national i'd say, its going to be tough to find a lot of 73 PSAs you need. You're more likely to have to review raw binders or boxes yourself and self submit.

JoeBanzai

Hi, welcome back to collecting!



<< <i>hey after going ot my first in 20 years at the national i'd say, its going to be tough to find a lot of 73 PSAs you need. You're more likely to have to review raw binders or boxes yourself and self submit. >>



This sounds like the most probable prediction. Other than the "key cads" most of your '73's are going to be found raw.

Try to get there early and identify the tables with binders, breaking up sets. Ask specifically about "real nice" '73 sets. You might want to bring a magnifier of some kind. Sit down with your checklist and have some fun! Don't forget to bring "penny" sleeves and or CardSavers to put your finds in.

Most dealers are ready to negotiate, the more you buy from them the better deal you will get. If a dealer has exceptionally nice cards he might also be less inclined to negotiate.

Go ahead and bring your already graded cards, but remember most dealers usually won't give you much in return, but it is fun to trade, if you can work one out. $200.00 in value could help if you find a boatload of commons or semi-stars.

I also agree that there are people on the Buy, Sell, Trade boards that will also be of great help.

Have fun!

Joe

Albertdidit

It might be tough to find the common 73's graded as others have said. There are some dealers i have seen there that have had a bunch of commons graded from the 50's

avi29

Gentlemen, thanks for all of the feedback! Sounds like I might have to focus on finding raw cards at the show, rather than graded cards. Although I am still missing a few stars so perhaps I can at least find those graded at the show. I will try to share my experience afterwards.