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Successful Chantilly show a sign that sports collectibles still ‘doing very well’
Mostly sunny skies. That was both the forecast and the reality inside and outside on a late October Sunday for The Show at Chantilly.
The three-day event at the Dulles Expo Center in Northern Virginia wrapped up with an impressive experience for many, regardless of what side of the dealer table one stood on, or if you were a promoter of the gathering.
“It was great,” said Joe Drelich, the show’s co-owner. “We totally sold out our dealer tables (over 300), had very solid crowds all three days, and feedback from our vendors and customers was very positive.”
“I can’t complain at all, this is the best show I have ever had here for selling,” said longtime sports memorabilia vendor Chandy Greenholt.
Another surprise Greenholt experienced during the show was late arrivals.
“Some people came for the first time [to his tables] this weekend on Sunday, usually I see them before that,” he said.
Herb Watson, another veteran dealer at Chantilly, also had a fruitful weekend.
“It’s been a good show, a lot of fun,” Watson said, noting he sold “several rookies of Dan Marino and Mike Schmidt” and many Mickey Mantle cards.
Drelich said the October CSA show, as in July, “featured about 50 autograph guests.” Some of the most popular signers included NFL Hall of Famers John Stallworth and Jerome Bettis and WWE legend Ric Flair.
“Sports cards, autographs and memorabilia are all doing very well these days,” Drelich said.
He credited a few factors for the hobby’s current popularity, including “the surge of younger collectors and the alternative investor.”
The next CSA show in Chantilly, Va. is scheduled for April 1-3, 2022.
