The National feels like it happened a million years ago now. I have had 0 time to post anything about it. I have grand intentions of making a decent youtube video for first timers before the next National show. I feel like every "tips for first time nationalers" posts all say the same thing; wear comfy shoes, take out an extra mortgage, bla bla bla. I definitely have some tips that I haven't seen mentioned other places to share.
Overall, my brother and I had a blast. We left physically sore but content with what we found in Chicago. The show is big and busy but not as elbow to elbow as I expected. Probably 3 or 4 times my typical card show sizes. Dennis can attest; I have a tendency to attract fellow card show shoppers who lack proper personal space etiquette, this show was no different. Although, I did find some of the large, greasy stinkers to be a little more "humpy" at the National. I guess this show would be the professional level for this type of overly-friendly-reachy-feely creeps who have no patients and only want to take cards from the same row you are thumbing through. I did throw a few satisfying, well placed elbows.
I really had no focus coming in and ended up looking for bulk amounts of cheap cards over higher end collection pieces. I do not regret that decision. I never spent over $2 on any single card and the cards I bought would cost me up to 10X the amount I was finding them for if they were priced here in Detroit. We shopped at dime boxes, quarter boxes, dollar boxes and two dollar boxes. We looked through higher end boxes but once I found a card in a $5 box that I also found in a $2 box that same day it turned me off from those boxes.
We spent the majority of our time at The Singles Club, which is the card show equivalent of a dollar store if the dollar store sold normal-sized name brand items you actually want. I found new and vintage cards there and bought some packs. We shopped there 3 separate times. One of the times was during their "Happy Hour" in which you received a raffle ticket for prizes for every $10 you spent. I ended up winning a 1989 Bowman Complete set. Later, I won a 2019 Topps complete set from Ebay so I gave the Bowman to my little brother.
I am just going to purge the pictures on my phone for this post to give a sampling of what I brought home. I don't have the time or memory to put together anything clever let alone entertaining. If anyone has questions about my experience at the show or has questions they think should be answered on my upcoming youtube video please message me. Remember, none of these cards cost me more than $2 and overall I would estimate 50% were 50 cents or less, 30% were $1, and 20% were $2. Most of the relic and autos were $2.
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| Bright and early the first day (Friday) with maybe 40 people in line in front of us. |
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| There may have been some other conventions going on. That or Chicago police are from the future. |
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| I won this set from The Singles Club! |
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| I won this contest for a 2019 set too from ebay. |
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| This is basically the total haul. May not look like much but those boxes are full of $1 cards that are really $2-5 in value cards. |
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| I would love to have this Upper Deck themed couch! |
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| I am still kicking myself for not buying 10 of these Chronicles blasters. I love me some Chronicles. |
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| The haul from day one back at the hotel. |
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| Oh, the sorting. |
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| My best find. $1 !!! |
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| These dudes became Tigers just hours before I found these cards. My first actual purchase at the show! |
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| Someday I'm gonna play this game. |
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| Found some JJ's. |
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| How cool is a piece of Shibe Park?! |
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| State variation RC. |
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| 1959 Armour I believe. |
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| Lots of Stewie |
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| These came out of some packs from The Singles Club |
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| Another Singles Club pack. |
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| Love this. |
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| Promo cards from Pristine Auctions |
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| Clemens bat relic for $2! |
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| These are easily $5+ cards at my local show. Exactly what I was looking for. |
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| Young Pistons. |
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| $1 Cards! Singles Club finds. |
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| Singles club and even some 50 cent Bregman RC finds! |
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| Quarter box RC's |
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| The Springer RC is /150! |
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| Cheapy Bball autos. |
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| A sealed cello pack from a prior national. |
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| Both /25. I had them traded (in my mind) to my favorite Phils collector on TCDB before I even paid for them. Singles Club! |
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| Knowing your Heritage numbering for SP's can be awesome in a dimebox. Also, stickers telling you it is an SP help too. |
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| Some oddball stuff. Always make good trade bait on TCDB. |
Ebay gave out $10 coupons. I used mine to pick up this Casey Mize 1/1 off ebay when we got back.
The "Card Saver" is the worst invention of modern times. They cut me up around my thumbs and I have to cut cards out of them. I have no idea how people get the cards into these stupid things in the first place!
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| This is my chewed up thumb 10 days after the show. Eff Card Savers. |
One of my favorite parts of Trading Card Database is the stats you can see corresponding to anyone's collection. I have been bouncing between #1 and #2 on there for the top spot for JaCoby Jones cards. Dylan aka DVick on TCDB also @talksports16 on twitter is my JJ rival. This guy sends me the card below for nothing. One I needed and is #'ed /67! Talk about a total power play. This actual card put me back in #1 over him, lol. I owe Dylan big time.
Some recent retail pickups:
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| /150 |
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| My first TTM return in a long while. Probably the coolest Torre card in the world now. |
This is a bar back in my home town. I am not going to give them a shout out since I hate their rival softball team but these murals are okay.
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| If all that wasn't enough; I got a NPN back from Upper Deck. What a sweet couple of weeks! |