[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by rainier2004

Spent two days the show, thought it was great. Looked like lots of people, seems like attendance has been on the rise and will continue that way.
My observations were:
1. More FB and BB than I remember, I don't collect either but thought it was more prevalent than I have ever seen.
2. Less "crap" and non-card displays. I remember beanie babies and all sorts of odds and ends being sold at the show, seems to be less of that. Also, I noticed less memorabilia and art being sold. This show seems to have piles of cards and photos.
3. Tons or 50s and 60s per norm.
4. I thought there were some good deals to be had and did p/u a couple cards that are far from rare but was happy with my buys.
5. Lots of excitement among collectors.

I agree with the above bold. I had a blast yesterday, and came away with a helluva haul of Pre-War. A couple of notes I would like to add regarding the show...

1. Few dealers are as professional, genuine, and pleasant to speak with than Chris Bland and Michael Piech. I was surprised to see them both in the same space, and really enjoyed my conversations with them. There are lots of great dealers out there, but few compare to those two, and many dealers would do well to be more genuine and engaging with their customers. Also, Just Collect was TERRIFIC as well!

2. I can't believe TriStar or whoever runs the show is charging $10 to park PER DAY. I'm very jaded by that money gouging scheme, especially since the car show (held at the IX Center around March) is free parking. That's $10 yesterday that didn't go to dealers, and $10 on Saturday (if I choose to go now) that won't go to dealers. Multiply that by the thousands of people that will attend, and that's a lot of money not going to the dealers. It is a bit of a turnoff.

3. I really, really like this event in Cleveland (it has nothing to do with me living 45-50 minutes away ). The layout is terrific, very easy to navigate, and well organized. The only suggestion I would have is better markings on dealers' booths for their booth number.