So much to see yet so little time as the 2012 National is almost over. Those great deals, and unbelievable finds will all be over this time tomorrow leaving us collectors wanting more and waiting for next year in Chicago. This years show seemed to have enough of a mix for all collectors, no matter what you might have been looking for. Vintage, Boxes, single cards, game used the list could go on and on, if you wanted it there was a good chance someone had it… Well almost, let’s just say I’m still searching for those 2006 Topps World Series cards I need. Here’s a quick rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly of this week.
THE BAD
1. Lines – They line up early in hopes to crack packs and boxes in order to grab those redemption packs but some collectors were left out when the lines were cut off, leaving them holding boxes that they only bought to get those “Special” cards. Gotta be a better way to handle this.
2. Heard some talk of dealers not giving “deals” – I didnt see to much of this in fact, got a few items cheaper by talking the guys down but what I did see at a few tables, were alot of cards overpriced to begin with.
3. Blowout Giveaway Guy – A GREAT idea by Blowout, the 3 o’clock give away. I understand that you could use your tickets from the day before and by Saturday people had a few tickets, but the guy standing next to me had to have at least 50, YES 50!!!! After each number was called he’d go through them one by one, shocked he wasnt winning. Like it or not in the end he walked away holding those tickets… No Win For You!!!
4. More Lines – This years list of autograph guest was pretty impressive, but once again there must be a better way in handling this. I did get one auto from my free VIP tickets and didnt have to wait super long, but when I’m at the show the last thing I would want to do is wait in line for 3-4 hours.
5. Yuuuuuuuup – People paying for Storage Wars star Dave Hester’s autograph.
THE GOOD
1. Selection – Like I said, the show had everything. Tables filled with rare graded cards to the guy that had tubs were every item was just $1. (That table ate up some of my time)
2. Twitter – A great tool, to let collectors know what was going on when and where. It really was used well this year.
3. Twitter 2 – I gotta give a shout out to @SportsCollector and @SportsCardNews these guys had the show covered, giving updates on everything both on Twitter and the web, a must follow for collectors.
4. Box Breaks – A wide selection of boxes/cases available from Blowout, D&A, Atlanta Sports Cards, Pittsburgh Sports Cards, Baseball Card Exchange and few more that I left out.
5. Ball Boys – The crew was out and about, and very open to talking shop with fans and collectors. A great way to get the word out and get that 2nd season on air.
6. Blowout – The giveaways were a great idea, it brought people 3 to 4 rows deep around there table. I looked over at some of the other tables selling ‘wax” while this was going on only to see those people watching the giveaway also.
7. Blowout 2 – Swedish Fish, enough said….
8. Bins – If you spend the time, O the things you may find. Alot of dealers had there bargain bins out, cards for .25 cents to $1 and some great buys.
THE UGLY
1. Mel Ott bat being “Misplaced” – This is a hard to believe story on many levels and hopefully has a happy ending. Check out these stories on the missing bat – Beckett and Sports Collector Daily
Thats a quick recap of the good, bad, and the ugly from this weeks National. Check back later as I add a few more items.
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