Card Show Recap

Even though it has only been two months, it feels like forever since I last attended a card show.  My lack of trading has only fueled my desire to walk a show floor.  This past weekend, there was a three day show in St. Louis.  With over 200 tables, I was looking forward to attending on Sunday.  

My son had a youth group activity all day, so my wife and I made the 2.5-hour drive by ourselves. We arrived shortly after the doors opened at 10:00. In the 90 minutes we were there, I only bought cards from two dealers. The first dealer had an excellent layout of cards from the 1950s and 1960s sorted by number. There were no big stars, but I did find some Cardinals I could use.        

I did not pull any cards from the 1950s because I am trying to complete my 1960s team sets first.  This 1961 card is not as off-center as my scanner made it appear to be.  There were multiples of many cards in various grades.  I chose the versions with no creases or writing.

I found two nice 1962 Topps, including a high number Broglio.

Two great condition team cards, the top from 1965 and the bottom from 1966.  Sticker price for these five cards was $24.  The dealer sold them for $20.  I always love a deal without having to ask.

I did not make my second purchase until about an hour later.  I found plenty of cards I needed, just not at the price I wanted to pay.  The second dealer was in a corner with a couple of showcases full of vintage Cardinals.  Some were graded, others not.  I spotted 2 higher-priced raw cards I needed.

This is my first vintage Mantle card.  Ken Boyer shares this 1960 card with him.  It has a small dimple on the bottom and a minor stain on the back.  The condition fits perfectly in my collection.  The 1965 Brock is a high number short print.  You have to look closely to see a small crease running from the left edge to the bill of his cap.  I did not notice it in the display case.  A card that looks this nice sells for $50-60, so I asked to take it out of the top loader.  The dealer knocked off $10 due to the crease, so I got these two for $65.  Major win in my book.

Some thoughts on this show.

1.  I was disappointed in the lack of value boxes.  I found only 2 dealers with cards for less than $1.  Those were not even a great value, as they were full of 2025 Topps base cards for 50 cents.

2.  It was nice to see only a handful of Pokemon only tables.  The show was advertised as sports cards, not trading cards.  

3. Quite a few dealers with raw vintage priced more than graded.  I stopped at one table which had the last 1968 Topps card I needed for my team set.  It is a league leaders card with Cepeda, Clemente, and Aaron.  The price was not marked on the top loader.  The dealer looked in his Beckett Vintage magazine to determine the card was worth $100.  He wanted $60 for it.  I can buy graded copies in a 3 or 4 for less than $50.    

4.  I was pleased to see that most of the dealers were still there on Sunday.  I have been to shows where some of them pack up early.

5.  I am glad I went on Sunday when admission was free.  Friday and Saturday admission was $3.  That is not much, but the dealers were almost the same as the ones who set up at the free quarterly show at the same location.

6.  Foot traffic was very strong. Given the economic situation, I was not sure what to expect.