No.

I'm on team Rob.

Baltimore was nice, mostly because it wasn't Cleveland. What made the National great back then were the many collectible avenues and the unpredictable nature of the show that surrounded the current card craze (at the time) which ceases to exist. And eBay and auction houses with their thick catalogs. IMO, there is a reason why there are so few card shows today.

I have been going to Willow Grove (now the Hunt debacle) since 1988 and the last show was a disgrace of sorts, and it doesn't appear that it will ever be what that great show once was. If there were no autograph guests, would anyone come? After you pay $80 for Schilling, will you have any money left over to buy and if you are paying that for him, do you care about vintage cards and memorabilia anyways?

I think I will stick to the one National per year.

DanC

A quick "hobby history" lesson
 

Circa 1994; just as the Hobby was about to go on a downward slope (circumstances including baseball strike, internet, etc) many of the major dealers were trying to create a group of mini-Nationals each year.

The Late Wanda Marcus was hosting the "Southwest" National and there was one in 1994, Gloria Rothstein already had the "East Coast National" and I believe Jack Petruzelli was going to do the "West Coast National". I can't for my memory remember who was going to host the "Mid-West National".

The concept was, as we were discussing in this thread, the National being too big and too hard to get to each year for everyone, so the National would be brought to them.

Alas, with the confluence of events beginning in August 1994, this set up never occured.

If this did not happen when we were still close to our hobby peak, how we going to pull this off today

One National a year is plenty, but perhaps some local promoters can step up their game to help bring shows back

Regards
Rich Klein

Just curious; so what are (currently) the major shows held . . .
 

.

. . . and when/where are they generally held each year ?


Could any of them be considered scaled-down versions of a National show ? I realize that use of the term "scaled-down" is quite vague, so I'll leave it up to you to decide what's acceptable and what's not.

I agree with this. One is enough but it sure would be nice to see promoters step up and bring back shows but we have to do our part and support them.

I am up for coffee and cards again any time when I am in your neck of the woods.
JimB

group hug?
 

I feel a group hug coming on....duck, quick :o

hehe just playing around jim...our schedules got crossed up a couple times we couldn't meet. we'll see each other again sometimes down the line, no biggie.

-Q

How would you (and everyone else on the board) go about organizing a show, if given the chance?

And for those of you whom have done shows in the past, what do you usually look for in deciding to book a table. I'm thinking cost of the table, location of event, and type of show?

Good idea
 

Maybe there could be a "Net54 show". Just vintage - cards, memorabilia, autographs, etc,... but only vintage material.

I believe Ed Keetz in Syracuse (?) had done this in the past & I was told it was very successful.

First, I voted no, in particular because of the suggested months.

There is a lot of discussion about the growth or non-growth of the hobby, but one thing that I believe is that the long term growth of the hobby will not come from people on their death beds, but rather children introduced to the hobby.

April and September, kids are in school, and that would eliminate them from the mix unless they are local to the venue for the weekend.

August is perfect for the national as part of a family vacation. My 16YO had a blast with me in Baltimore this year, and along with my wife we also did many others things during the week that we spent there. It also makes it more financially reasonable for me to incorporate the National as part of a family vacation.

With that said though, looking back on Baltimore, I don't recall seeing many other minors at the convention. So maybe my thoughts that this is a good family type thing are not shared by many.

With the exception of this year, why is the convention always in Ohio or Illinois? I attended the Atlanta show in the early-/mid-nineties with my dad and had a great time

Come on Leon, join in. The more, the merrier. :p
After all those Dead shows, I think I am a hippie at heart.
JimB

I am not sure kids would get into the hobby by themselves. Kids always look for the cool new thing to do whether it's video games, music, etc. Why try to collect a set or a player when there are more rewarding* things to do?

I say this because had my dad not showed/purchased cards for me, I really don't think I'd be into collecting cards now.

Currently 52.81% voted NO. Does this mean that Ted is now the contrarian?

One good show is better than 2 bad shows.

All things being equal, who among this group of geeks would not enjoy more Nationals and closer to home? The fact that more than half of us do not think it is a good idea is telling IMHO. I guess all things are not equal.:rolleyes:
JimB

I voted No as well. And wasn't Keetz out of Albany, New York? I think he still does a few shows a year. I think he did the Mets 86 reunion show.

Here's the million dollar question: The National is in first place, but what show is in second? Doesn't seem like it's King Of Prussia. Anyone been to Chantilly? Anything out West?

Larry