A View of National from Booth 355
70ToppsFanatic
Posts: 2,106 ✭✭✭✭
Was hoping that this would be a nightly thread, but the work and the pace has been more than I expected.
It has probably been about 10 years since I went to a National, but this my first as an exhibitor/dealer and the
sheer magnitude of the event has grown substantially. Further, the volume of traffic and interaction has been
incredible. I don't think I've been on my feet this much in a long, long time.
Overall, there are two things that have stood out for me at National this year and will be what I remember most
fondly. The first is meeting and re-meeting a whole bunch of CU forum member extended family. It's great to be
able to see what everyone has found at the show and just catch up beyond the virtual community we have here.
As people walk by and you recognize them it is cool seeing the surprise in their faces when you say hello and
re-connect. It's also been great having people walking up looking to find me just to say hi and catch up. I also
owe a huge thanks to Matt Miller, who has introduced me to so many more CU forum members here.
The other thing that has come from this show is that it has allowed me to re-connect with my 20-year old son Ben.
He came along to help me for the week, and although he was never very bitten by the collecting bug like I am he
has taken to the exhibiting and enjoying of the show in ways that I could never have imagined he would. It was
great road-tripping with him from Columbus to Chicago and getting to spend a solid bunch of time together for the
first time since he went off to college 2 years ago. And seeing him in action at the show I am really pleased to see
how well he handles himself and interacts with everyone (both people I know and people who come up to look at
what we have to offer). He's turning into a pretty solid and astute adult who most parents would be very proud
of. I know that I certainly am!
In terms of the show, there have been several stories so far worth sharing. The first was when Paul (stooge) came
by to say hello. Last fall I met Paul at the Sun Times show and he brought a 1980 wax pack from another booth,
ripped it at my booth and pulled a Henderson RC as we all enjoyed the action. So here he decided to make it a
tradition and do it again. He picked up two 1980 packs from BBCE and brought them over and the ripping commenced.
Between the 2 Molitors, 1 Schmidt and an absolutely georgeous Yaz there was lots of excitement.
The other highlight so far was when Nathan (1980scollector) came by with his amazing Ruth so we could all enjoy his
conquest. Not only was the Ruth a beauty but then he asked if I'd go with him and give him an opinion on the 1952
Mantle he was considering. I jumped at the chance, and I must admit it was great to be able to hold and examine the
card he ultimately chose to acquire. Admittedly not pristine, it had great character and many attributes that I found very
desirable. Getting the opportunity to be a part of his "hunt" was a lot of fun.
I'll try to get some photos up as the show goes on, and add stories as we have the time.
It has probably been about 10 years since I went to a National, but this my first as an exhibitor/dealer and the
sheer magnitude of the event has grown substantially. Further, the volume of traffic and interaction has been
incredible. I don't think I've been on my feet this much in a long, long time.
Overall, there are two things that have stood out for me at National this year and will be what I remember most
fondly. The first is meeting and re-meeting a whole bunch of CU forum member extended family. It's great to be
able to see what everyone has found at the show and just catch up beyond the virtual community we have here.
As people walk by and you recognize them it is cool seeing the surprise in their faces when you say hello and
re-connect. It's also been great having people walking up looking to find me just to say hi and catch up. I also
owe a huge thanks to Matt Miller, who has introduced me to so many more CU forum members here.
The other thing that has come from this show is that it has allowed me to re-connect with my 20-year old son Ben.
He came along to help me for the week, and although he was never very bitten by the collecting bug like I am he
has taken to the exhibiting and enjoying of the show in ways that I could never have imagined he would. It was
great road-tripping with him from Columbus to Chicago and getting to spend a solid bunch of time together for the
first time since he went off to college 2 years ago. And seeing him in action at the show I am really pleased to see
how well he handles himself and interacts with everyone (both people I know and people who come up to look at
what we have to offer). He's turning into a pretty solid and astute adult who most parents would be very proud
of. I know that I certainly am!
In terms of the show, there have been several stories so far worth sharing. The first was when Paul (stooge) came
by to say hello. Last fall I met Paul at the Sun Times show and he brought a 1980 wax pack from another booth,
ripped it at my booth and pulled a Henderson RC as we all enjoyed the action. So here he decided to make it a
tradition and do it again. He picked up two 1980 packs from BBCE and brought them over and the ripping commenced.
Between the 2 Molitors, 1 Schmidt and an absolutely georgeous Yaz there was lots of excitement.
The other highlight so far was when Nathan (1980scollector) came by with his amazing Ruth so we could all enjoy his
conquest. Not only was the Ruth a beauty but then he asked if I'd go with him and give him an opinion on the 1952
Mantle he was considering. I jumped at the chance, and I must admit it was great to be able to hold and examine the
card he ultimately chose to acquire. Admittedly not pristine, it had great character and many attributes that I found very
desirable. Getting the opportunity to be a part of his "hunt" was a lot of fun.
I'll try to get some photos up as the show goes on, and add stories as we have the time.
Dave
0
Comments
Topps/OPC Hockey 1966-Present base sets
<< <i>The other thing that has come from this show is that it has allowed me to re-connect with my 20-year old son Ben. >>
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
Bosox1976
It was a pleasure to meet you in person and talk with you the couple times I stopped by yesterday. I wish I could've purchased something from you instead of you having to give Matt Miller the money for his beautiful Winfield PSA 9 I bought.
I love your 71 Munson. If you one day want to eliminate the last number from your asking price I'd love to give you the cash :-)
Keep an eye out for me for the Aaron's in the 75 Topps set PSA 9 for me.
Thanks,
Scott
1975 Topps Registry Set "Scott's 75 Topps Set"
Great to meet up with you Dave - hope the show rocks today.
Bosox1976
Would love to see some pics of your table. Still have those 75 racks (doubt it)..
Have a great rest of the show
Mark
Paul
From the show floor, lots more CU members dropping by to say hello. Was great to meet so many of you who I have been interacting with
here in our virtual community and doing deals with. Not to slight anyone, but finally getting to meet my fellow 1970 Topps smitten CU friend
Mark (TheDudeAbides) in person and talk about our common obsession was a real treat indeed!
Brought along the 20 packs of 1974-wrapper "wrapped" wax packs from our board break about 1.5-2 years back. One of the packs had the
seal popped, so I turned my son onto one of many of our favorite "drugs"....ripping. He pulled 10 really nicely centered cards including a
Griffey and a Garvey. I think I've created a monster, as now all he wants to do is rip more (kinda like a few weeks back when Tim started
his binge). So far, I've been able to hold him off with Giordanos pizza and checking out some of the racks I've been able to buy here at the
show. Happy that he doesn't have the combination to my safe so that he doesn't lose control when I am not around (LOL).
Had another board member drop by to say hi and he saw what came from Ben's mini-indulgence and he decided to rip a pack. No star power,
but still 10 very nicely centered commons. I'm debating giving my son the treat of taking a shot at getting a nice Brett with the remaining 18 packs.
Had a visit from a rack collector today with a bunch of 1970-1973 racks that he was looking to sell. Lots of stars showing on these babies (many
from Mile High auctions held in the past). Invited CPAMike to join me in the review of the dozen or so GAI-graded racks that were offered. The
star power was pretty wild. The highlights of what we had to turn down included:
- a 1970 4th/5th series rack with McCovey AS and Bench AS showing on the front and Rose AS on the back
- a 1970 3rd/4th series rack with Carew and Carew AS showing on the front
- a 1970 2nd series rack with Brooks Robinson and a Munson RC showing on the front and Billy Williams on the back
- a 1971 1st/2nd series rack with Seaver and a Seaver LL showing on the front
- a 1972 3rd series rack with Aaron showing on front and Aaron IA on the back
- a 1972 3rd series rack with Clemente showing on front
They were all on GAI slabs with flips starting with 103, and since we couldnt remove them from the GAI slabs we had limited
ability to inspect the seals and edges closely like would be done with "raw" racks. They had to be viewed very conservatively, and
we just couldn't definitively give them passing grades.
However, there we three racks that did manage to pass our inspection:
- a 1970 5th series rack with all commons showing
- a 1972 1st series rack with the Seaver LL card showing
- a 1973 1st series rack with Aaron and Brooks Robinson showing (GAI flip starting with the more trusted 101 prefix)
I took the 1970 and 1973 racks and CPAMike took the 1972 rack (always great to share the fun with a friend).
Was also able to snag a nice raw 1970 1st series "raw" rack from BBCE.
Will try to get some pix of these newly acquired racks posted as time allows.
The big rack story so far was Steve was able to find me 3 more 1973 racks which allowed me to complete a full
1973 rack box! As best I know, it's been around 5-6 years since one of these has been sighted. This one includes a rack
with Ryan showing on the back and several other racks with stars and HOFers showing.
The 75 rack box is also still intact and with me. I was also fortunate enough to add a 1975 rack with Bench showing and
another with Munson showing.
Also had the chance to see and hold a PSA 9 Cobb from the Black Swamp find last year today. I am not a pre-war collector,
but OMG! This card was a sight to behold!
Last night was the Net54 dinner (sponsored by Golden Auctions and Heritage Auctions). For a $5/head donation we had
dinner (hors derves, dinner and a well-stocked open bar), and some great collecting stories from some of the hobby's most senior
members (the one about Charlie Sheen and the 1927 Babe Ruth WS Ring was a classic).
Back to the show floor. As requested I was able to get some pictures of my booth. The focus of what I am offering include:
- 4 display cases of postwar stars in PSA 8/9
- 2 display cases of 1970s unopened (1970-1977)
- The formal introduction of the Card Vault Storage Case line (being very, very positively received so far)
This is where we stood at the start of Saturday morning. I'll try to add to the thread as time allows over the
next few days, as we will be breaking down and heading for home Sunday evening so that I can get back
to work first thing Monday.
Dave
Dave
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
You wouldn't believe the number of people who I have been correcting on the pronounciation of your handle (its pronounced
GROW-TEE not GROAT for those who are still unaware ot the name of the Mets catcher from the late 60s and early 70s, Jerry Grote
who wore #15).
Guess I must be getting old if all of the younger guys cant remember my childhood heros....
Dave
Wow, what an amazing collection you have. I was at the National two days and I can't believe
I didn't see your display. My loss. Those '71 Topps HOF'ers in PSA 9's are stunning!!
Unbelievable cello's, racks, and boxes. Looking at your pics, you have one of the nicest
displays at the National.
Awesome display. Thanks for sharing.
An old friend of my son Ben's from OSU dropped by to visit us at our booth. For those who don't know
him, it's Jared Sullinger.
Nice young man. Said he was feeling better recouperating from his back injury and was ready to have a great
season with the Celtics.
Here's a shot of when Ben first met Jared at OSU (with Jared and Deshawn Thomas taken at OSU while camping out in Mattaritaville waiting for
the Duke game 2 years ago)
Dave
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
But if you really want a highlight, stop by and say hello to Dave and Ben, you will not meet nicer people, who will talk cards with you as long as you want to talk. I had a great time with both of you guys this week! For someone that is a complete baseball card novice going into this week, Ben sure seemed to pick it up quickly! I think you might have a future collector working along side you Dave.
Go Bucks!
It was great talking with you and checking out your material, it is top notch stuff! And Ben might have the ripping fever after opening that 76 pack, you better schedule an intervention with CPAMike for him soon!
Mike
------
stupid print dots
<< <i>I must admit to being a bit of a centering "freak" Mark.
You had sent me a PM a while back about a 63 koufax - Wow I see in that pic what you mean and how nice the centering is on it
It was very nice to meet you, I love your passion for that 70's set. It was great to see those cards you pulled out for me to see. Those 76 cards were very well centered I probably should have gotten another pack and taken another shot. I will try and post the 10 cards from the pack for everyone to see by this weekend.
I hope you had a great show and hopefully I will see you again next year in Cleveland.
George
Jeff O.
TheClockworkAngelCollection