75 photos of the 2009 National posted on SportsAntiques.com
 

http://sportsantiques.com/2009national.htm
Hi Everyone,
I did it on the run, but hurridly picked out 75 photos and posted them on my site SportsAntiques.com, of what I've seen at the 09' National. See link above. More to come in a week or so.
PS, There is one of Leon in his booth too.

Thanks, wish I could be there.

Carlton, thanks for sharing.
Now we need some pics from tonight's dinner.

Says it all.

Leon gets better looking with each passing year!

Thanks for posting, Carlton. Wish I was there.

You wouldn't happen to remember the price on the Boston Americans composite you have photographed there? Looks like a beauty.

Greg

I find it funny Leon is standing behind a sign for "High End Modern"

Way to go Carlton! I was jonesing for some pictures and you came through in a hurry. Thanks for posting.

I wasn't expecting these photos until December. :D

Just kidding Carlton...you the man!

Looks like Mike H found himself a very nice trophy.

75 photos of the 2009 National posted on SportsAntiques.com Reply to Thread
 

Thank you for posting the pictures

Jimmy

Great shots of some cool memorabilia, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing! Nice to see these.

For never having attended a National, I'm surprised at the variety and amount of material.
Two questions:
Is everything displayed, for sale or is there a lot of "For Display Only" items?
Also, is there plenty of "negotiating" like typical card shows?

John,

In general I would say that few dealers bring "display only" items with them. The exceptions are auction houses that will display items that will be in their upcoming auctions. (I suppose another example would be dealers who price items so high they have no chance of selling them, which in effect means they're "For Display Only.")

As for negotiating, I can't imagine anyone not trying to move a dealer off of his or her sticker price. Most times there is some room for movement. Some folks will tell you that Sundays are the best time to deal, but I really think it's a situation that's dictated by the dealer.

If a dealer has had a great show Wednesday through Saturday, he might not be as inclined to negotiate on Sunday. And the reverse is true, too.

Here's a first-hand example that I experienced Wednesday night, within 20 minutes after the show opened: A dealer had $900 on a basketball set I wanted. I offered $700, and he countered with an offer to "meet in the middle" at $800. Because the set needed some upgrades, I really felt that my offer was fair, so I stuck to it.

"Boy, if this were Sunday it would be an easy decision to make," the dealer said before finally accepting my offer.

There obviously were other factors (how much he had in the set, how long he had been taking it to shows, etc.), but I think it illustrates that buyers have to be ready to make offers and counteroffers.

Thanks. That's exactly what I wanted to know. So you were there yesterday...Have you already gone home?

I'm within driving distance, so I don't need to stay in Cleveland. One of life's little blessings.

It's in Baltimore next year?

2010 - Baltimore
2011 - Chicago
2012 - Cleveland
2013 - Chicago
2014 - Not named yet
2015 - Chicago

(Courtesy of a post on the other side of the board.)