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Posted By: Leon

Hey Dan
First of all you are more than welcome for anything I did....as well as everyone else that thanked me for doing the Dinner. It's really a lot of fun for me and it's my pleasure to do. When it gets to be a job and no fun then it will cease to be. For now we are good to go. I was going to do a seperate thread to give a "your welcome" and thanks to all of the board memebers for attending the Dinner as well as coming by to say hi to Scott B and I, at our table but this thread will do. It's really good to see younger guys like yourself, Dan, be so enthusiastic about the hobby. My guess is that you are somewhere in your mid 20's, which is about half the age of many of us old farts. I wish I had started 25-35 yrs ago myself.......but I was too busy chasing skirts and doing things I learned from ........

I do want to individually thank the speakers at the Net54 Dinner too.

Phil Garry- nice game you came up with and it was a lot of fun...though the prize somehow got misplaced and Brian W might be forced to buy one if he wants one. Sorry about that Brian. I had too many drinks to keep up with my own things let alone others' things.....

Beckett guys- Mark and Andy- Ya'll did a great job and your new huge holders will definitely have a place in the hobby. Ya'lls status in vintage is moving up quickly.....and thanks again for helping Sponsor the dinner and thanks too for supporting Net54 VBCF with a banner ad.

SGC- Brian Dwyer- (sp?) ....thanks for stepping up to the plate and giving an extemperaneous speech. It went very well and was far better than most could do in an impromptu situation. Thanks too for the SUPPORT OF OUR DINNER>.....Being the main Dinner sponsor for 2 years in a row I think everyone who attended should remember that when picking a company to submit cards with. Plus, SGC has been the most consistent grading company for many years running......so it only makes sense to support our friends. Kudo's to Dave Forman too for making the decision to help out. Dave is where the buck stops, at SGC, and I appreciate our friendship and the warm show of support to I, and the board. A very heartfelt thanks!!!

Joshua Leland Evans- Thanks sir. Your speech might have been the highlight of the speeches (sorry Doug, you were good too)....You really don't know the impact you made on our group with your well thought out speech and insight into our hobby and the industry. You were like Merril Lynch- when you spoke everyone listened. As much as you enjoyed giving the speech I can safely say the masses enjoyed it even more. Thanks again for helping make the 7th Net54 VBCF Dinner a memorable one.

Doug Allen- Thanks to you too, Doug. You have always been a friend and a good sport when it comes to helping out the board and our Dinner. It was very interesting seeing the 21 Wagners that Mastro Auctions has sold over the years and the price increases along the way. Next time, if you do another slide show, I will splurge on a white screen to use. With the flak your company takes it really is nice of you to still come out and be so good natured about the hobby and the industry/business side of it. You are a very good presenter and an influential person in the hobby and it's always nice to hear your thoughts on different subjects. Job well done. Thanks again!!!

A few of my own thoughts on the Dinner and the National

I felt the Dinner was another success. It wouldn't be so without the overwhelming support of the board and all attendees. I believe the Dinner grew a little bit this year to approximately 135. We had 13 tables of 10, with only a few seats not taken, and we had at least a dozen, or more folks, come to it after the dinner portion was done. I know there were at least 2 other major events going on that night so to have 135 folks attend shows that Net54 VBCF is an important hobby venue and one that takes priority over many things. I guess free food and beer helps too > (I am a lot of things but naive is not one of them).... The food at the Dinner was the best yet, imo, and according to most that have attended before it was better too. I know the 3 chefs could only go so fast and the lines were still fairly long but so far no one I have spoken with seemed to mind. With a nice cold beverage, and good conversation, the wait to get piping hot, freshly prepared food didn't seem so bad. The plates were kind of small but anyone that wanted seconds could get them...and I know plenty of folks did!! We only went thru 340 alcohol tickets, which was down from last year, but I think my bargaining of the free 30 minutes of open bar had a whole lot to do with that. The name tags were also well thought of and I apologize to Gary M for making a total ass of myself about your name tag......Hey, get a dozen Coronas in me and anything can happen. You were a good sport too and I appreciate that. (Charlie- thanks for holding him back and not letting him whip up on me!!)

As for the National itself- I bought less than I have ever bought before and sold about the same as last year. It seems like a lot of folks wait for auctions to make sure that the price they are paying is what the going rate is. So if a dealer has a card marked at $200 many folks will wait for an auction to see if they can get it for less. My guess is the economy is affecting buying and selling quite a bit. Overall I was very happy with the National again and can't wait for next year. I also appreciated the 10-20 collectors, who I have never met and are lurkers, who thanked me for the board. It seemed that most conversations I was having got politely interrupted for a "thanks" and those were very much appreciated. They mean a lot.


Btw, did I mention that Brockelman & Luckey Auctions is taking consignments for our Sept,. 29th Auction? I was truly amazed at the amount, and quality, of material we took in at the National. Scott and I appreciate the confidence that everyone has shown in our ability to run a safe, collector focused, auction. Our next one will be better than our first one and we hope to continue in that tradition. It seems as auctioning material is the new trend and we hope hobbyists will consider our venue when deciding where to sell. With our operational procedures in place ie... reserves and low BP's with NO sellers commission we believe we have the business model of the future for our hobby. Remember that every percent more that the others charge, as BP, is a percent that comes out of your consignment check!!! We have the most honest s/w in the hobby and everyone should feel confident ONLY real bids are being placed. I have a hard copy of every bid and every IP placed in our first auction and am more than willing to show any 3rd party if there is ever a question. That operational procedure will be in place in perpetuity. Other than that ALL bidders and Consignors always stay confidential with us. Integrity in the process is our #1 concern. Thanks again to all.....

Leon Luckey
Brockelman & Luckey Auctions
ph. 214-282-4943