What Are Your Earliest Card Show Memories?

[MRSPORTSCARDCOLLECTOR]

Originally Posted by insidethewrapper

My best memories of " card " shows were when they were "card" shows with card dealers and card collectors. When the "coin" dealers arrived everything changed, grading companies arrived etc. I think some of the fun was lost.

As a newb I haven`t heard much about coin dealers taking the fun out of the hobby. I find this interesting.
Does anybody care to explain how and when coin dealers started to show their influence on the hobby of baseball cards?

[kmac32]

Went to a card show in the late 80's and met Max Lanier of the Cardinals signing autographs in Las Vegas. Before that, I had collected cards but not been to a show.

[bmattioli]

I went to a few card shows while in High School back in the late '70s but the show I really remember was in 1984 while I was stationed at Sheppard AFB and in Tech School. They had a local mall show and since I now had money I bought the set I always wanted... the 1975 Topps set. I paid $100.00 for it and still have it..

[kmac32]

Originally Posted by BASEBALLCARDGURU

As a newb I haven`t heard much about coin dealers taking the fun out of the hobby. I find this interesting.
Does anybody care to explain how and when coin dealers started to show their influence on the hobby of baseball cards?

I remember when I lived in Indiana, there was a coin dealer who also did baseball cards. I was in his shop looking at Topps Cubs cards and somebody came in with a collection of 67 topps. He was waiting on me and since this guy was apparently a buddy, he immediately went to talk to his friend vs finishing with me and also went on to talk coins with another customer. It was like all of the sudden I did not exist. While he was talking with the second customer with a coin deal, I struck up a conversation with the guy that brought in the 67 topps and found one of his cards I wanted. Ended up buying the card from the guy with the binder and bypassed the shop. Shop owner wasn't too happy but if you treat customers like dirt, then you lose out in my opinion. This was in the late 80's and with his business practices, doubt if his shop survived.

[glynparson]

going with my mom and dad stacks of cards on tables. very few showcases. i am thankful i am still going to shows with my dad 35+ years later. my mom still sometimes tags along. Great thread. i remember traveling all over eastern pa for shows. made some life long friends through the journeys.

[Mark]

Around 1971, my dad drove all day to take me to the 2nd annual Midwest Collectors Convention in a Detroit Holliday Inn. I suppose I was 12. There weren't as many cards for sale as I'd hoped, but I was able to add to my t206, Goudey, and 56 Topps collections. People would come up and ask which cards I had with me, and we would look through each others stacks to see if we could make a trade. I met Frank Nagy, who told me that he had a Wagner
t206 and that earlier that day someone offered to give him a station wagon for it. He laughed at that.

[mattsey9]

Was this in Terre Haute by chance?

Originally Posted by kmac32

I remember when I lived in Indiana, there was a coin dealer who also did baseball cards. I was in his shop looking at Topps Cubs cards and somebody came in with a collection of 67 topps. He was waiting on me and since this guy was apparently a buddy, he immediately went to talk to his friend vs finishing with me and also went on to talk coins with another customer. It was like all of the sudden I did not exist. While he was talking with the second customer with a coin deal, I struck up a conversation with the guy that brought in the 67 topps and found one of his cards I wanted. Ended up buying the card from the guy with the binder and bypassed the shop. Shop owner wasn't too happy but if you treat customers like dirt, then you lose out in my opinion. This was in the late 80's and with his business practices, doubt if his shop survived.

[kmac32]

Originally Posted by mattsey9

Was this in Terre Haute by chance?

No, was in Munster indiana on 45th avenue. Just looked it up John Hodgson Coins and collectibles and still open for business.

[Collectorsince62]

I started attending all the St. Louis shows in the early 80's, even manning a table once in a while. The instant auctions were just unbelievable. There were so many walk-in items that the auctions seemed to be non-stop. But my favorite memories were from autograph guests. Curt Flood was ushered to a seat at a signing table, but before he started signing, he found a microphone, tapped on it for attention, and proceeded to thank the crowd for supporting him during his playing days. When it was my turn to get his autograph, I noticed he was wearing a WS ring. I asked if it was from '64 or '67 and he took it off and handed it to me to get a better look. What a class act. By the way, it was his '67 ring. He told me his '64 was stolen.

My second favorite autograph experience was at a show with Johnny Mize and Rickey Henderson. I happened to be standing near them before the show started. This was early in Rickey's career, but he was already pretty brazen. Mize was talking to someone about hitting, and Henderson was hanging on every word. No interruptions, no self promotion, just listening intently. That impressed me.

[Leon]

Great stories guys!! I only started back as an adult in the mid 1990s. I wish I had gone to shows in the 70s and 80s......

[GasHouseGang]

Maybe I saw "Collectorsince62" at the first St. Louis show I attended. The first show I ever went to was the National held in St. Louis in 1982. I just remember how totally overwhelming the number of dealers was. I lived in the middle of Missouri at the time, so there weren't any baseball card shops, and the internet didn't exist, so it was all mail order or trade with friends. I remember nothing about what I bought that first trip. Probably just worked on getting singles I needed for some of the early 1970's set. I just remember being so happy to have the opportunity to buy something directly and be able to visually inspect it before purchasing it!