I attend as much for the people as the show. Ryan Sims, Carlton Hendricks(sportsantiques.com) and I all met there 5 years ago and have become great friends and attending the show together since. From that perspective, it's worth every penny.
I always spend the $ I bring and do ok with prices paid, but I'm not buying the ultra high end game used pieces. I do MUCH better on ebay. The show is almost more fun once you have purchased an important addition or two and are left with just a couple hundred bucks in your pocket. Then you can slow down and comb through the amazing museum that is the National. I enjoy looking at the things I don't collect, asking questions of the experienced dealers, and watching people wheel and deal. Granted, there are a lot of cards, plastic football helmets, gawdy modern sports art, and a few jerky dealers, but overall, the memorabilia is terrific and people are quite nice.
Let's put it this way. I've never been sorry about the investment. Hell, some guys will blow $450 on a couple rounds of golf at a top resort and they still stink at the end of the day...ha ha.
