[Hankphenom]

I've set up or been to almost all of the Philly shows in the 15 or so years it's been in VF, and if this wasn't a record turnout, I must have missed the one that was better attended. When I pulled in about 4 on Friday, the parking lot for the convention center was full, with many of those there for the casino, of course. And the crowd on Saturday was considerably better. Although it was a joy to see many of the old guard of hobby veterans hanging in there, it was also a big thrill to see so many younger people, women, and collectors of color packing the room like I've never seen before. It certainly answered the perennial question old farts like me have been asking for decades: will the hobby attract new generations to keep the sports-collecting fires burning? The demographics of this show seemed to answer that question resoundingly, and it feels good to know it wasn't just us riding some kind of baby boom anomaly, and that what we helped build up and make a thing has a bright future, indeed. On the downside, there did seem to be a distinct shortage of interesting vintage memorabilia of all kinds, but then it's probably been 20 years since that hasn't been true of just about every show other than the National, and even there it gets sparser by the year as the cool things get sucked up into collections. But I did bring several large boxes of that stuff to cart around myself, and left with practically none of it, having sold or placed in auctions almost everything I brought and driving home Saturday night with my pockets stuffed with cash, checks, and consignment contracts. Throw in dinner with Danny McKee and Teddy Z Friday night, and all in all it was one of the most fun shows I've ever been to.