Roaming & Rambling at The National: Special moments from the show floor of the National Sports Collectors Convention
ROSEMONT, Ill.—Welcome back, Chicago!
Things seemed to go much smoother than last year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland.
All in all, with a record crowd of around 150,000, the management and staff of the show did a commendable job. My hat is off to the NSCC Board of Directors, the management team at JBJ Corporation, and the staff at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
At the first NSCC I attended in Chicago in 2015 the main floor of the convention center was completely full and I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Even then, it seemed impossible to get to all the tables and I learned a valuable lesson the hard way—if you don’t write down the booth number of a dealer you want to go back to see, you might never find their table again.
As the show returned to Chicago every other year, some dealers were moved off the show floor and into another section as things continued to grow, and there was some teeth gnashing about not being “in the main room.”
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Now, at 660,000 square feet, the show encompasses about three to four times the space as that first trip to Chicago. It’s a good bet that more space will be added next year.
WHEELING & DEALING
Exhibitors get their space based on seniority, so one of the first people I ran into was longtime dealer Kit Young, who was set up near the main entrance. I know he has been at this for a long time, so I ask him if he has been to all of The Nationals over the years.
“I believe I have been to 43,” he said. “I missed a couple in the early years for various reasons, cause to be honest, it really wasn’t that big of a deal back then. So, I guess I had a conflict or two at the time.”
I asked if he liked the way the show has evolved since it is not just a card show anymore, as it was in the beginning.
“Yeah, I’m good with it,” he said. “The more people they can bring in, I’m happy with that, the better it is for everyone involved.”
Next, I run into Rick Giddings of Gizmo’s Sportscards, who serves on the NSCC Board of Directors. He walks me around the building to show me all of the changes that have been made, including the new area upstairs where around 80 first-time dealers have been given the opportunity to set up.
“It helps cut down on the waiting list, and as others drop out in the future, for whatever reason, they will be given the opportunity to move onto the main floor if they wish. We think it is a good move for all involved,” Giddings said.
VIP PARTY
The show started with the VIP Hospitality Kickoff Party on Wednesday, featuring guest signers Bill Cartwright (NBA/Bulls) and baseball legends Bill Madlock and Al Oliver. Oliver, a guy some think should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, had the longest line for those seeking his autograph.
Hunt Auctions was showing items from the personal collection of the late Willie Mays that is coming up for auction in September. The thing that really caught my eye? How would you like to own one of his Gold Gloves?
He won 12 of them. Many think Mays was the greatest all-around player of all-time, and I for one, still think his cards are underpriced and a good buy.
There was a guy selling monster boxes of baseball commons for $1 a box on Day 1. I stopped by a few hours later and the stack of boxes were all gone. He was cutting down his inventory, I guess.
ARTWORK
Sports artist Murray Henderson was once again set up at the show, working on a portrait of basketball’s U.S. Olympic “Dream Team.” He is well known for incorporating authentic game-worn memorabilia and game-used equipment into his portraits.
He had just acquired one of the original 10 cards from one of Michael Jordan’s historic slam-dunk championships that he was going to work into a painting.
“This is always a great show for me,” he said. “I have actually had three athletes reach out to me here today about doing paintings for their homes. One from the NBA, one from the NFL, and one from soccer.”
The prices of his original work at The National ranged from $2,000 to five-figures. He also was working with Zach Nigut on acrylic copies of his paintings made into cards.
Nigut showed me some of Jordan, Mickey Mantle, and Wayne Gretsky. They are made to look like graded cards and are individually numbered, with prices starting at $350.
TOUGH SALE FOR TICKETS
What is happening to collectors who collect ticket stubs from ball games and sports event now that most teams only do e-tickets? I posed that question to longtime ticket seller Rodney Novak of Milestone Baseball Tickets of Wisconsin.
“It is tough, I will tell you that,” he said. “There are still a few teams that print season tickets only, but that seems to be going away as well. I tried to get tickets from my sources for the four-homer game of A’s rookie Nick Kurtz, from a night just last week. Apparently, there were none printed.”
When I went to the Cubs-Brewers game on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, the only thing we could get in advance were e-tickets, but when we got to the stadium, they printed hard copies for me at the ticket office for a small fee.
“There are a few places that will do that for you,” he told me.
With all the money involved in sports today, it is a shame to see hard tickets go away. A lot of fans, even casual ones, like to collect them.
CUBS SHINE
On Thursday, the Cubs had an off day and I ran into Sam Ditusa of Chicago, a lifelong Cubs fan, who had some great looking hand-sketched prints he was getting signed in the autograph pavilion. On his list were Dansby Swanson, Pete Crow-Armstong, Kyle Tucker, and Shota Imanaga.
“All their tickets quickly sold out, but I was able to get them,” he said. “Dansby was the hardest, but they added an additional 50, and I was able to get one then. I bought these prints online for $10 a piece,” he said with a big smile as he showed the pictures to me. They were a great item to get signed.
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SPECIAL MOMENTS
I made the trip upstairs to see how the new, first-time dealers were doing. The entire area was packed.
Robert Counts of Massachusetts showed me a #1/1 Topps Heritage autographed card of Ichiro Suzuki that caught my attention. He told me that the show had more than met his expectations. I told him I would think about the Ichiro card and get back to him. When I came back later, it was gone. I lost an opportunity on a great card. Procrastination is not always a good thing.
A few months back I wrote an article for SCD on my passion for Allen & Ginter cards for autographs. I got an email in response from Rick Klein, the vice president and bureau chief for ABC News in Washington, D.C. He was featured in one of the sets a few years back, and he sent me one of his signed cards. When he told me he was coming to Chicago, we agreed to meet at the show.
He told me the story about being selected to be in the set and how Topps sent a representative to his office to get some mini-cards signed for insertion into their packs. He said she looked at him and said, “You know, I just came from getting Juan Soto and Bryce Harper to sign their cards and, of course, I know who they are, but just who are you?” he said with a laugh. It was great to meet him in person. He was even wearing an Allen & Ginter T-shirt.
I witnessed a young man pull a brand-new baseball glove out of his case and give it to a boy who was probably around 12 years old. He then signed a couple of cards and gave them to the boy and his friend.
His name was Jordan Powell from Celebration, Fla., and he played minor league baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays until he was given his release this spring. Since then, he has played Independent league ball in the Midwest and was on his way to Nashville to work with former major league pitcher R.A. Dickey to help perfect his knuckle ball.
“My sponsor gives me the gloves and if I find a kid that I think will use one, I will give it to them,” Powell said. He certainly made one young man happy. Best of luck to him in his baseball pursuit.
SET BUILDERS
Every year I build a Topps set and I finished it with the help of Jim Schaefer of Jim’s Card Corner of Madison, Wisc. He told me that he was having a “great show.” He also gave me a good deal on some Allen & Ginter cards.
At the table of Celani Sports Collectibles of Las Vegas, I was intrigued by the want list that collector Curt Pires of Massachusetts had hand-written and was working through.
“I’m always set building,” he said. “Just finished a ’69 Topps baseball.”
What is the oldest set you are working on, I asked?
“A ’53 Topps, but I have a ways to go on it,” he said.
BASEBALL BOOKS
How about baseball books? I came away with three books on the Cubs, one of which is signed by former manager Joe Maddon, and a couple of old press guides for my library.
Anybody looking for Topps Venezuelan baseball cards? Yes, there is such a thing. They existed off and on from 1959 until 1968. Tyson Gair of Bulldog Sports Cards & Collectables in Starkville, Miss. is the man to see. Like I have said before, if it is out there, The National is the place to make your connection to find it.
CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS
There were a lot of celebrity sightings on the show floor. I saw college basketball legend and Arkansas head coach John Calipari, who was speaking at the eBay booth. He held in his hand a #1/1 autographed basketball card of Steph Curry. Someone asked him if he had recruited Curry out of high school.
“Yes, I did,” he said. “My evaluation of him was that he was a very good player, but that he was a little small for what we were looking for.”
He looked at the card and then said, “Obviously, I was wrong, and he reminds me of that every time I see him.”
A MINI-CARD SHOW
On Friday, I wandered into the VIP Lounge and stumbled upon a card show. Every table was full with several hundred people buying, selling, and trading cards. And good deals were to be had.
I’ve only touched on a small portion of what I saw over the course of five days in Chicago. But it was great, and it was fun. I can’t wait to go back there again next year. If so, I hope to see you there.
— Barry Blair is an author/writer from Jonesborough, Tenn. You can reach out to him at barryblair54@gmail.com or on his website at rightfieldpress.com