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July 2023 
Pre-show: Thurs, July 20: I've never been this well-prepared this far in advance of a National and it feels weird. I'm not in an enormous rush to price cards. I'm not finished by any means, but at this pace, I'll have all the "essential" new inventory priced and ready to roll for the show in plenty of time. Usually there's a big push at the end, and at some point I have to cease all work and say to myself regarding my inventory, "These are the soldiers I'll be going to battle with" and pretend to be happy with it. Maybe that's due to experience? Who knows. With only a day and a weekend and a day before the show, I'm forming my battleplan...trying to set realistic goals...envisioning the donuts at the hospitality rooms. Forty-five years old, and I've been setting up at Nationals since at least 1999 in Atlanta. Proabaly Chicago in '98 too, but at at least 15 of the past 25. Learn - Do - Teach. And now it's time to pass along my knowledge. Since Joe Yanello passed nearly two months ago, I'll be taking the lead on this one. Kate will be along for the ride this year, and seemingly happy to do so. :) Joe Coffman of Box Seat Cards will be sharing the booths, along with a collector I'm not sure wants to be named. I asked Kate how she felt about the show and she said, "I think it will be overwhelming...so big." I avoided a "That's what she said" joke and tried to be reassuring. We've been watching some of Ken Burns' Baseball series to familiarize her with some player names. But she knows her main job is to make sure nothing gets stolen. I've yet to brief her on all the different tactics thieves might utilize. Day -1/National Eve: Monday, July 24: The packing is basically done. There will just be a couple plastic tubs of cards to throw in the van at 5AM tomorrow. And the cooler will need another quick layer of ice to have everything at minimum temperature, which will equal maximum refreshment once we arrive. Especially tomorrow, when 'they' won't have the A/C on. All the doors to the convention center will be open, and surely the set-up fees from all the extra dealers and expanded corporate area wouldn't cover the power bill. *eye roll* Our aim is to be on the road at 5:30AM. With typical traffic, we should arrive at 8, when we're allowed to drive in the building and directly beside our booth. As a refresher, those are Booth 905-907. And I hope you do stop by. This will be the most cards and widest selection I've possibly ever brought to a show. Along with graded and raw stars and commons, I'll also have complete sets, partial sets, and high-powered autographs (Ruth, Mantle, Walter Johnson, more Mantle, etc.). I gotta say, my selection of tobacco cards is very strong as the moment too! That said, I'll be curious to see what sells. Maybe it's just because I'm more connected via Facebook and Instagram than ever, but I've seen a lot of big cards for sale over the past handful of days. Jackies, Aaron rookies, Cobbs, and the like. I always look forward to The National as a bellweather for the market, and this year is no different. Will the customers coming in be looking more to sell, or spend? Day 1 (set-up+): Tuesday, July 25: And we're off! After a 364 day wait, The National is back! And while it has been a little different without Joe (I had to explain myself to the people helping with exhibitor registration), most of today's events were the same as always: the wait to get in with the parade of vans, minivans, and U-Hauls, the tight drive in the building to your table and back out, and the sense of relief once I was all set up and somewhat pleased with how all my cards were displayed. Well, credit to Kate...I walked the floor while she waited the last bit to get into the building. I tried to stay close to our tables, and sure enough, when I saw the van pointed straight toward me about five rows down, I knew it was time to wrap up my buy and get my butt over to help unload. Don't worry, I went back to that dealer, Uncle Dick DeCourcey, to look through the rest of his cases and buy more later! We have another couple deals cooking too, so I might be back to his booths before the week is over. As for action at our booth, I was able to move a few complete sets: 1964, 1965, and 1976. The eight 1993 Finest (baseball) refractors - all PSA 9s - got significant attention too. Three different people asked about buying them all. Honestly, I almost didn't even bring them. My prices, ummm, reflect future potential, if you know what I mean. Psst...they're overpriced. As I told Kate, I don't like bringing cards like that out, because people might take a quick look at those prices and think everything I have is overpriced and just keep walking. It's bad enough that most dealers have crazy high prices on their graded (heck, and ungraded) cards. So again, I count on intelligent, informed customers to know I'm offering cards within the market price range. Another card that was looked at a couple times: an autographed Kaline rookie. Autographed cards from the player's actual playing days are so hot right now. Briefly, because I've probably explained it already, but people used to see an autograph as devaluing a vintage card, so there aren't very many of them floating around.  OK. One thing overshadowed this day for me, and it's the reason Kate and I are driving back to Rosemont at this very moment, 8:50PM. *Deep breath* This morning, when we were only about a half-hour from the convention center, I realized I forgot my phone. I had a significant list of items to pack, but guess what wasn't on that list? Yep, my phone. And why would it be? I don't feel the necessity to include shoes or wallet on my list...because they're ALWAYS with me without thinking. Well, speaking of not thinking... So, we put a few extra miles on the van tonight and didn't get to relax before what will be another long day tomorrow. But at least I have a good traveling partner, and tomorrow we'll be ready to kick ass with a full arsenal of communication devices. Day 2: Wednesday, July 26: Haaaans Across the Lobert, Hands Across the Sky! (I'm generally not a Beatles fan, so if that song has any weird/dark/cancel-worthy lyrics, I'm not claiming responsibility.) What I will claim responsibility for is selling (2) T206 Hans Lobert cards today, a PSA 4 and an SGC 4.5 that blew the 4 out of the water. It's one of the low-key tougher cards in the set, and both set collectors who purchased them were happy just to find them. I do all right with T206s, but I still could stand to advance to the 300 levels of study and find out which of the commons have higher demand. I only reluctantly stepped in to the world of rare backs a few years ago, and I'm glad I did. You can really get into the deep end of the pool on the T206s if you want to, and I'm slowly swimming in that direction. OK, so let's put a bow on yesterday. I had my phone today. I thought I'd at least do something fractionally dumb like leave my phone in our hotel room or forget my left shoe or who knows what, but no blunders to speak of. No 5+ hour trips after the show...just an hour walking to the van and giving Joe C a ride over to his hotel and the re-parking and walking back to our hotel. As of right now, it's 10PM on the dot, but the evening leading up to this point has been much more chill. And Kate and I didn't have a quick Dairy Queen pit stop to suffice for dinner. Instead, we munched on leftovers from lunch... 
Yum! I was so happy to have Giordano's for both lunch and supper. Hashtag "living like a king." Check out that grease!! The show officially opened to VIPs at 3:30PM today, and there was a mad rush of people who swarmed the show floor. I was wrapping up a transaction just a short distance from our booth. One minute I could see my cases and Kate; the next she/they were engulfed in a sea of people. Good times. Did the influx of people lead to a lot of sales? Ummm, not exactly. A few set-builders stopped by and bought small stacks of cards, but in general, people were still looking for things a little more specialized/rare/hit-and-miss than I carry. I sold a Gibson rookie and a couple more people asked about one. More than a couple were looking for Bond Bread Jackie Robinsons. As per usual, a lot of people looked through my T206s (raw and graded), but didn't find what they needed (rare backs??). A few people looked through the dozen or T200s I brought, but all needed either a New York American League card or either of the St Louis cards. I have (5) of the Pittsburgh cards with Honus Wagner and (1) of the Cleveland cards with Shoeless Joe and those just weren't what people were looking for. I did have a good time visiting with dealers today. Jimmy C from the Orland Park shows stopped by and yucked it up with Kate and me. Lisa and Jon Schafer from the uber-popular Baseball Card Connection also chatted with us (and dropped off cookies - thank you!!). I met Rich Mueller, who writes/runs Sports Collectors Daily. I bought a small stack and chatted with Roger Neufeldt for a spell, as his booth is pretty close to ours. A bunch of kind, friendly people that are such a good part of this business. A couple more quick follow-ups from yesterday. I made these rather tiny signs to slot throughout my display that say "Buy it All - Ask for a Price!" and yesterday toward the end of the day, a gentleman from New Jersey (who didn't attend The National last year) bought all my $2 cards. So, wanting to fill that space with something similar, when we were home yesterday, I grabbed all my $3 cards. They sold all right today, and also draw a bit of attention to the table when people are standing around digging. And the legend of the '93 Finest refractors grows. One guy who was interested in buying them all yesterday was back today with a friend who collected them. But instead of buying, he was selling his. He had groups of PSA 9s, PSA 8s, and 70+ that were ungraded. Basically commons with a few minor stars. We couldn't reach a deal on the ungraded lot, but I bought the 9s (11) and 8s (6) from him. Always cool to add more of those to my inventory. Kate really was immersed in the thick of it today, and though her feet are feeling some of the effects and she was getting a little tuckered out by the end of the day (we were there from 8:15AM-8:15PM), she's soldiering through! I asked her impressions from the day, and instead of mentioning that she was tired, she said she was surprised by the number of 20-somethings who were into vintage cards. Great observation! Last thing... I know some of my long-time readers are wondering what happened to the dealer lounge and the donuts. Guess what? I'm wondering the same. Today there was a sign and a sign alone. The room that supposedly was the dealer lounge was dark and empty. We'll try again tomorrow! Day 3: Thursday, July 27: About a year and nine months into this marriage, and Kate still knows how to surprise me. She turned to me today as she was doing her hair and showed me this shirt: 
What a sassy thing she is! (And yes, she did make her own earrings.) At last count, just over 50 people complimented her on her shirt. One vehemently suggested she copyright it and go into business. A handful of people took pictures...usually without me. haha Fashion fun aside, there's simply one word to describe this day: HOT! Any reports out of the convention center will likely focus on how warm and muggy it was inside the building. By the afternoon, I started to hear shoes squeaking on the concrete floor. Last year, the overwhelming complaint was spotty wi-fi; this year it's bound to be lack of air flow. But I didn't really notice that until later in the day when traffic slowed down. I simply didn't have time to be aware of my surroundings because sales were so HOT! For a while, if there were any more customers at our tables, they would have to have stood two-deep. With that amount of sales, interactions, shuffling cards here and there, buying, you just don't focus on being hungry, having to use the bathroom, and certainly not the temp being uncomfortable. Everything just happens and hours pass like minutes. I even sold a couple cards I bought yesterday - a 52 Topps McDougald (Hi#) and 69 Topps Nolan Ryan. As everyone knows, I love buying a card one day and immediately selling it the next. Joe did the same with a couple of modern cards, which was great to hear about. We quickly shared our stories of conquest! Another dealer bought most of my '67 Hi#s. Someone else purchased my last (3) PSA 9 64 Stand-ups. The $3 cards slayed. It was just a good day all around. And what can I credit for all this good fortune? 
If you guessed donuts, you know me so well!! While Kate and I started the day off with the hotel breakfast again, a nice custard-filled, chocolate frosted donut sat perfectly on top. So many calories, and so worth it. I don't know that tomorrow will be that busy again; I'll let the dealer lounge and donut spread dictate what happens! Day 4: Friday, July 28: ...But tomorrow WAS that busy again... 
...despite the donut spread getting ransacked all to hell. (Joke's on them though; I love apple danish.) Tomorrow I guarantee the pic will be of all empty platters. Today there wasn't even creamer for the coffee. Sorry Dad, I'm still not ready to drink black coffee yet. On to the show. About half of you reading this know me through cards, and it might be news to you that I'm an introvert. I like talking to my fellow card collectors and customers, but outside of the card world I'm a pretty quiet guy. Yet on busy show days like today, I don't have enough time to talk to people, which is the complete opposite of the rest of my life. I'm sure today alone I had five or more conversations with friends, dealers, customers cut off by the next person needing attention. When that happens, there's a split-second of sadness and also the requirement to switch gears to subject of the next person's request. Sometimes these are back-to-back-to-back and it becomes a real challenge. The good news indicated from that scenario is that it was another busy day. Today's sales total was very very close to yesterday's strong number. One strange occurance, as Kate and I were walking back to the hotel last night, a gentleman recognized me...sorta. He said, "Do you have that Walter Johnson (autographed/signed) check?" I answered in the affirmative. He said he was looking all over the show for us. (I'll just use "us" to mean me, Kate, and/or the check...choose any you like.) Anyway, he fulfilled his promise to find us in the morning and we made an easy deal on The Big Train. Another gentleman showed up at just the right time to prove me wrong. At around 12:30 (keep that time in mind), the number of people asking to see cards and putting them back without purchashing them seemed to be adding up. Potentially due to being hungry, I vocalized this to Kate and said, "I don't think I'm going to sell more than $1000 the rest of the show. All the serious buyers have come and gone." About an hour later, the first person all show who asked to see my 48 Leaf Babe Ruth PSA 1 bought it for $3500. I was pretty happy to be proven wrong. One other potent sale was a 52 Bowman Mantle SGC 1 that I recently won in a lot. On the buying side, I don't think I even left the table today...too darn busy. But a couple who sold me some misc basketball (Star + refractors + late 80s Fleer) yesterday came back with their suitcases full (literally, they were lugging around big suitcases with boxes of cards) again. This time I bought a two-row box of nothing but refractors...mostly stars from Finest and Bowman's Best. I gotta get a video of this to post; it's impressive. I also reluctantly bought a binder of 500+ basic Jordans. I like Jordan cards, but they're not having a moment anymore. As the show wound down today, I got a little snippy, so I knew it was time for a reset. Once Kate and I got back to our room and I took care of some paperwork, it was time for a jog. I found the hotel gym and hit the treadmill. Running is such a part of my life that it did me a world of good physically and mentally. I didn't even think about the show, except for a conversation I had with Ryan from Breakout Cards today. From following him on Instagram, I learned he was an ultra-runner. We talked about why he started running, building endurance, and the importance of making time for it in your regular life and while traveling. After a good sweat, this one totally different and welcome, unlike the swampiness everyone felt at the show on Thursday, I feel refreshed and I'm thinking more clearly now. With strong sales continuining today, I'm not sure what to expect tomorrow. Maybe the customers will keep coming out and spending through the weekend. Regardless, tomorrow morning I will possibly be selecting my booth for the Cleveland National next year. This is a long story, and one I probably won't tell. I'll just say there's no guarantee I'll be able to lay claim to a booth next year. Oh, and here's a pic Kate took of my good side. The customer was filling Cubs team sets from 1953 and 1954. 
Day 5: Saturday, July 29: "This is the best $2000 I've spent at the show! You have mean cards! Keep getting those mean cards!" -Eric It's not that often I have a customer so fired up about a purchase, but I love when it happens. Today, Eric from Michigan noticed the two Dietsche postcards of Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers (both PSA 6s) in my case and had to have them. The Evers is tied for the highest graded and for Tinker there is only one superior.  
Talking to him about his collection and hearing his enthusiasm was a highlight of the day and show. I've officially hit my second wind, and I think it's largely due to the jog I took last night. I'll definitely look back at that as the turning point of the show. Today I came back to the convention center with a renewed patience, sense of humor, and calm attitude. On Friday, I questioned how I was going to last until the end of the show. Today I'm wishing it could be extended for three more weeks. Sales were down by more than 50% of days past and there was a noticeably thinner crowd on the show floor. Still, I stayed pretty busy today chatting to folks...some new, some from Instagram, others from Facebook, and a few more friendly faces from the Columbus and St Louis shows. Every. Second. Counts. (Stolen from The Bear, of course.) Looking ahead to a five-day show, one might mistakenly think there will be downtime, that nights could be spent out at a casino, that time at the show might drag on and be boring. No. No way. I still didn't have enough time to price the deal of Star and Fleer basketball I bought a couple days back. So today, during the mini-breaks when there weren't any customers at the table, I priced 88 Fleer stars. Almost immediately, I sold two Reggie Miller rookies. BTW, I've probably sold more than half of the Star basketball I priced the other night. It's a magical feeling when your work pays off in such immediate fashion. Here's my typical late-in-The-National donut update: 
So sad. Also sad that tomorrow we'll be leaving. As expected, this week has flown by! Final Day: Sunday, July 30...as written Aug 3: Post-National, there's always a bunch to catch up on. A handful of online auctions close the week following, and I'm behind in getting my bids in, which can have a multi-car pileup effect as more and more auctions are ending on top of those in the near future. Additionally, I need to sort through my inventory and get it back up on eBay and MySlabs, but only after removing what sold at the show so I don't sell anything twice. Those errors happen enough after smaller shows. Regardless, let's skip back to Saturday night. Kate and I walked over to Caddyshack with Joe C (Box Seat Cards) and Kenny (Champaign Sportscards) and had a tasty dinner. It was the first and only time we went out during the entire week.  
The next morning at the show, I told Kate there would be no donuts. In 2021 at the Rosemont/Chicago National, they didn't even bother to put out hot water on Sunday morning. This year, it was fully stocked! 
This powered us through a nice final day of the show. Attendance was still solid and sales were OK. That's much better than the typical final day of a National where there might be tumbleweed somersaulting through the aisles. But there were some lulls, and I was even able to slip away from the table and do a little bit of buying. Still, this year I was able to see less of the show floor than ever before...by a long shot. I barely got away from Rows 900 and 1000 and the two "columns" (if your brain works in Excel fashion) closest to us. During my time away from the table on Sunday, I was able to meet Richard Albersheim of Albersheim's based in California. We've had several brief, fun interactions on Instagram and it was nice to put a friendly face with the name. True to the "National" moniker for the show, it's great to meet people in this business from all over the country. Speaking of, I usually like to keep track of what sports teams outside of the immediate city are being represented, and I'd say this year's big winner is next year's host: Cleveland and the Indians/Guardians. The Reds and Mets also made strong showings. Another thing I realized later in the week was that Rich Mueller, who I'd spoken with on Wednesday, wrote an article that featured some of my quotes about the show and hobby. Read it here! After the smoke cleared from the show, I learned a couple more quantitative facts. One, this was the highest-attended National ever, breaking the record set back in 1991. Two, and this isn't a coincidence, I set a new personal sales record for any show, and by a considerable margin. The previous champ was the 2019 National in Rosemont. Kate says... Thoughts from Kate, who had attended some smaller shows with me, but nothing of this magnitude: She formed an appreciation for both T206s ("their backs are really cool") and refractors ("they ARE pretty!"). She enjoyed dealing with the customers ("they are super nice"), learning about their collections, and seeing youngsters get into vintage cards. She noticed lots of fanny packs, and appreciated a customer who pulled out a very large (diameter of a hamburger, IMO) magnifying glass to look at a card. "The best gameplan" was having a big, satisfying breakfast. The long days (8:30-8, 8:30-6, etc.) reminded her of when she was a floor nurse. She liked our booth-mates and thought they were cool, and I agree! She may have talked to them more than I did during the week too! Joe + 2024... 
I think it's appropriate to end this with a nod to Shoeless/Joe Yanello and a look at 2024, which are more tied together than you'd think, considering he passed away over two months ago. Joe and I were pretty tight for the 5+ years I worked in his shop and traveled to shows with him. A few years back, he owed me and many others A LOT of money. To quote and echo the sentiment of a well-known auction house owner who was in the same spot, "we nearly killed each other." But Joe eventually paid me in full and we resumed a scarred, but decent, friendship and business relationship. Enough to where we chatted about the market over beers every couple months and still set up at most of past dozen or so Nationals together. When he died, I lost my old mentor and a well-connected person in the hobby, but as I explained to Kate, where I felt his loss the most was as someone who knew. Unsurprisingly, I grew from his teaching and we ended up having similiar business models. He knew the life of attending shows. Knew the headaches, knew what it was like to buy in bulk, land a great deal, make an unexpected sale, deal with grading companies, etc. etc. Coming off of a very successful week, Kate was excited for me and proud. Other friends and relatives asked how the show went...some even followed along with this running diary, and I appreciate them all. I can explain the record-setting sales totals and how busy the show was, but they'll never know what it felt like. Joe would know, and I miss sharing that understanding. 2024: Going forward, the group that currently runs The National is making some changes, and the timing couldn't be worse for me. Without boring you by explaining all their rules, the sign-up for 2024 booths in Cleveland was the first time for people in situations like mine (the primary booth-holder having passed) that I would not be allowed to utilize Joe's "Priority" (their word for seniority, based on how many years one has been setting up at The National) for booth selection. Totally ignored is the fact that I have been setting up as Monster Cards, not just some lacky, for 10 of the past 12 Nationals. (From 1997-2002, I set up as a partner with Joe in modern/graded cards, so count those years as you will.) The problem - now - is that I've set up with Joe for all of those shows, with his name on the official paperwork. I receive no credit for that in eyes of The National's brass. As a result, I do not have a booth secured for next year. I'm behind an unknown number of dealers on a waitlist. My best estimate is that there are 40-60 people in front of me. So, what to do in this frustrating situation? Because having a booth at The National is totally different than just attending and walking around. I've decided to implore my fans and customers to help me in a grassroots effort to be bumped up on the waiting list and given some priority. The contact information below is for Megan (who seems to do everything and is kind and capable) and Al Durso (President of the Board of The National until 2024). Contact them via phone and/or e-mail in support of Monster Cards. Tell them how I constantly promote the hobby and engage customers via Instagram, Facebook, and my website. Tell them how fun and honest I am, and how their show would benefit from my presence. Tell them about my inventory - the depth and how often I turn it over, unlike some of these crusty old show veterans. Your support is appreciated! 
This info can also be found on The National website: https://nsccshow.com/dealer-signup-information I hope to see you in Cleveland next year! Have fun! -T |
Inside My Brain