Day 3 of National Sports Collectors Convention supercharged with cards and stars

CLEVELAND—Day 3 of the National Sports Collectors Convention was supercharged from the start.

After you enter the show floor at the I-X Center, look up behind you and you will be greeted by a big, smiling Bo Jackson, courtesy of BOJAX, Bo’s character in the new Bo Jackson Battle Arena card game.

Also See: Big crowd, big problems highlight Day of The National 

Need more proof? Dash over to Heritage Auctions, where, just around the corner from Babe Ruth’s $30 million “Called Shot” jersey, you can hang out with the Power Rangers. The Mighty Morphin superheroes from the mid-90s now have their colorful suits and pods on display at Heritage, where they are coming to auction soon.

Then jaunt back over to the main entrance, where a hoard of eager VIPs are about to storm the floor with money to burn. Thirty minutes later, a legion of budget-conscious, general-admission collectors head down the beaten path with money burning a hole in their pockets.

Also See: Security tight at The National after recent theft

Day 3 of The National brought big business from the get-go.

“It’s been huge. We’ve already done more than [this time] last year,” longtime dealer Kit Young said early Friday morning.

“It’s pretty hectic with the traffic and everything, but business has been great,” said Kevin Savage of Kevin Savage Cards.

“They are pushing them through,” Rick Giddings of Gizmo’s Sportscards said. “They’re pushing a lot of a---- but not enough seats,” he added, with a laugh.

A few hours after Thursday Trade Night attracted 4,000-5,000 collectors—thanks, in part, to an appearance by Doc Gooden—another big crowd flooded the show floor.

With money being spent—and made—the logistical issues that plagued the first two days of the show seemed like an afterthought on Day 3 of the first Cleveland National since 2018.

There was still a long line of traffic to get in, but show promoters sped things up and cut attendees a break by waving the $10 parking fee. There were still long lines at the food court and restrooms, but you’ll have that at big shows. The Wi-Fi and cell service were better, though still spotty.

But dealers and collectors seemed content and determined to have a good time.

“Every year it gets more and more people,” said Jacob Martin of Detroit. “Like PSA, there might be line for a while, but they are dealing with thousands of cards. They are doing as good as they can with an insane task.”

Martin, an autograph collector, picked up autos from childhood favorite Cal Ripken Jr. and Johnny Manziel and had tickets for Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa and Calvin Johnson later in the weekend. He attends The National every year and loves the Chicago shows, but he’s warming up to Cleveland.

“Not bad for the first time,” he said. “They are going to learn and get organized a little bit better. … It looks like a bigger crowd, and that’s not a bad thing. I’m not complaining, that’s awesome. … I’m having a good time.”

And when you really want to get a feel for the pulse of the show, visit Gary Vaynerchuk at his colorful VeeFriends booth. No one is more passionate about collecting and the hobby than Gary V.

“It’s been great,” he said. “Look, I do believe that the Chicago venue is a better venue; it’s all over the place here a little bit. … But it’s fun to be in different places and it’s nice to allow people from different parts of the country to be able to get to a show that might live locally. Listen, I would do this in the backyard of somebody in Seattle if I had to. I’m happy to be here.”

Gary V, who’s VeeFriends trading and gaming cards are steadily catching on, summed up the feelings of most dealers, collectors and corporate partners, who are just thrilled to be at the biggest show of the year and spreading the joy of the hobby they all love.

“The National is like America,” he said. “It’s still The National. Same with America. People complain about America every single day; where the heck else are they going? So, I’m not in the business of complaining. I’m looking for the positive, and I see a ton of positive here.”

Part of the thrill of The National is getting an up-close look at some of the most iconic and valuable cards in the hobby.

Memory Lane Inc. had a few to show off to treasure-hunters and gawkers alike, starting with a pair of classics from the 1952 Topps set—a Willie Mays graded PSA 9, and a PSA 8.5 Mickey Mantle valued at about $2 million.

Also See: Upper Deck has big presence at The National 

Then there was the holy grail—a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, valued at $5 million in a PSA 2 grade.

Collectors flocked to the Memory Lane booth to check out the Wagner, one of the most rare and iconic cards in the hobby, which was on loan from a private collector.

I even got to hold the gem, courtesy of Memory Lane’s JP Cohen.

The Mantle and Wagner cards were just a few of the treasures that Memory Lane had to show attendees, including a handwritten letter from Jackie Robinson and Lou Gehrig’s 1934 Tour of Japan uniform.

“We always like to bring cool cards and stuff to share with people,” Cohen said.

Across the way, Robert Edward Auctions had some treasures of their own to share from its Summer Auction, including a 1951 Bowman Willie Mays (PSA 8.5), a 1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig (PSA 8), a 1962 Topps Mickey Mantle (PSA 8.5), and of course, plenty of high-end Babe Ruth cards.

But the most impressive lot among the more than 700 items on display at REA is all four variations of the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie card—Topps, O-Pee-Chee, Milton Bradley and Venezuelan—all signed by Ryan, with two signed by card-mate Jerry Koosman.

I made trip two trips to the TRISTAR Autograph Pavilion Friday, and had a blast both times, soaking up some memorable interactions with some of the all-time greats.

The first legend I spotted was a childhood favorite—ACC/ABA/NBA star David Thompson.

I told Thompson I grew up watching him dominate the ACC in the early 1970s.

“Then you saw that, didn’t you?” he said, flashing his 1973-74 NC State national championship ring.

I told the humble, high-flying Thompson that most fans who grew up in the Carolinas thought he was the original Michael Jordan. “Thank you,” he said. “I appreciate that.”

Friday’s autograph schedule featured a lot of NBA legends, and led to some cool interactions, like Jerry Lucas catching up with 1970s Knicks teammate Walt Frazier.

Or “The Glove” Gary Payton sharing a laugh with baseball’s “Mr. October” Reggie Jackson.

All-Time NBA great “Dr. J” Julius Erving, meanwhile, signed next to another all-star and high-flyer in Dominique Wilkins. I told Wilkins they should have a dunk contest between the two. “No, no,” said Wilkins, who, at 64, is 10 years younger than Dr. Jr. “He would still win.”

On the baseball side of the room, there were some memorable interactions as well as Hall of Famer Johnny Bench chatted with two-time Cy Young Award winner and Cleveland legend Corey Kluber and Chipper Jones said hello to fellow Hall of Famer Alan Trammell.

Former Bench teammate Pete Rose may have had the line of the day. A regular on the card-show circuit, Rose has probably signed more autographs in his career than anyone at the big shows, but he penned his name on something Friday that he had never signed before.

He took a few moments to figure out how to autograph two bottles of Cincinnati Reds-branded liquor for three young fans. Rose was known for enjoying a bottle or two in his day, but I asked him if he had ever signed a bottle of liquor.

“No, and I just signed two of them. There’s a first time for everything,” he said.

Jones, meanwhile, signed two of the coolest items in the pavilion—blown-up photos of iconic card images of Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb.

The National is the place to find some of the nicest game-used memorabilia in the hobby, especially game-worn football jerseys and helmets.

On Friday, I visited one of the most unique football memorabilia companies in the industry.

The booth at Steelers Authentic Memorabilia was filled with black-and-gold helmets, jerseys and plenty of other Pittsburgh equipment and collectibles. But these Steelers artifacts are as authentic as you can get, coming straight from the locker room and right off the players’ backs.

Memorabilia Specialist Jason Marchewka said the company goes into the Steelers’ locker room after every game and goes through the equipment bags, gathering up jerseys, helmets, gloves, footballs and other equipment to sell straight to collectors at shows and on the company’s website (shop.steelers.com).

“It’s all game-used and we are the only team in the league that does their own memorabilia,” Marchewka said.

Marchewka was attending his second National, while Assistant Memorabilia Manager Dean Dellamalva Jr. was at his fourth. They were gearing up for a big sales weekend and in awe of the big crowd and plethora of memorabilia on the show floor.

“I’m blown away by how much stuff is here,” Marchewka said. “I didn’t even know this type of stuff existed.”