As much as I've complained about the pokemonification of card shows the last couple of years, when they are right, they are very right. Nothing else can compare, certainly not the online options that I rely on way too frequently.
This past Saturday's monthly show was quite right and I think not be able to get to it last month is only part of the reason I enjoyed it so much.
I know I've gone through the plusses for card shows before but I'm doing it again because it was very apparent this time.
1. OFF-CONDITION VINTAGE
Can you get off-condition vintage online? I don't know. Maybe. All I know is that I've stopped trying because it either stopped being available or the prices got mind-numbingly stupid.
But at a show that's not the case. I go to one table all the time and great vintage cards are waiting for me every time. This is what I picked up this time. The Ron Fairly I thought was an upgrade in my team set but it's not so now it'll go toward the 1968 set that I'm maybe, maybe not trying to build. The Brooks Robinson has some wax stains and an off-center back but otherwise looks great. So does the Billy Williams, just some mildly dinged corners.
I also added this semi-high-numbered Tommy Helms from the 1967 Topps set. You longtime readers may remember that I picked up a bunch of written-on vintage at a show about a dozen years ago.
This is the last of the 1967 written-on examples that I was able to upgrade. Feels good.
This is also the table I went back to to snag the Al Hrabosky autographed card (those of you who missed that post yesterday can check back, though maybe you aren't even seeing this post. Blogger is back on its refusal to put my lastest posts on the blog roll or in reader, and feedburner isn't cooperating either).
2. REAL DISCOUNTS
Online sale sites like to think they offer up discounts but it's overwhelmed by how many sites are looking for the most money possible. Shohei Ohtani cards are a prime example.
I spotted a dollar box at the show from which I pulled 32 cards. I handed them to the dealer, he asked how many I had and he told me "$15". So I got all the cards for 46 cents each. These 3 Ohtanis -- two 2026 inserts and a parallel -- for less than 50 cents each. HEAR THAT ONLINE SITES??
Two 2025 parallels of World Series heroes also came out of that box.
And this Stadium Club auto of James Outman. I know he's fallen on hard times but you can't even get autograph cards of Bowman nobodies for less than a buck.
And this 2026 Heritage short-print that I grabbed for Alex Freeland but later realized also contains Colson Montgomery, who got way too familiar with in the Dodgers' series with the White Sox over the weekend.
These were the rest of the ones from the box that are staying in my collection. Note the Heritage Paul Skenes which I got for about a buck less than what it's selling for online.
3. SHOOTING THE BREEZE WITH FOLKS I KNOW
Normally I don't say a lot at shows. I usually don't know the dealers and I'm not there to babble for the most part. But if I actually know the dealers, that's another matter.
The last two tables that I stopped at were both manned by people who used to work with me. I've seen them before at this show.
The first guy was a part-timer in the sports department about 30 years ago. He's been into getting autographs for a long time. He said he recently sold his entire table to one guy so he didn't have a lot to offer. But there was a 50-cent box that was discounted down to a quarter box. I added these four 1987 Fleer Star Stickers that I needed.
A couple of Heritage parallels from last year. We talked about how much we still like Heritage.
Some 2024 Heritage High Numbers. I will still add these when I can. It's not something I've been chasing online. With the amount of work I did on that set, it's stupid to be pursuing 125-plus more cards.
The box also had some actual 1975 Topps cards in it. I don't commonly see 1975 Topps in discount boxes and I instinctively want to take them home even though my set has been complete for 20 years. I was able to get myself to stop at just these two.
From there I went to the table of another former co-worker. He's the one who is always asking me when I'm going to set up a table myself. I don't usually buy anything at his table because I have most of the cards already but I do like what he has -- mostly '50s through '80s cards.
He told me that a guy had offered to buy everything off of him (there seems to be a lot of that going around?) so I figured I'd better get one of the cards before everything disappeared.
This seem to nicely bring the show full-circle with the '65s I added at the first table.
So now I guess it's back to the online gauntlet until the next card show. I hope I can continue to enjoy the plusses at shows and not encounter some of the minuses (1. fantasy cards; 2. slabbed cards; 3. loud talk about 'grades') for as long as possible.
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