The Philly Show is Back this weekend June 11-13 Net 54 special offer

[Bram99]

Someone gave out homework to report on the show. This was my first time attending the Philly show but it was great. My report is as follows:

Early bird attendance on Friday was very strong. Seemed very, very crowded to me in early hours of the show.

Much higher vintage to modern ratio than other shows I've gone to since reopening post-Covid.

Great assortment of vintage dealers, from guys specializing only in high-end graded to those with collector grade commons

Prices reflective of strong market, with the dealers of graded stuff perhaps recognizing a dip in prices since March/April, but certainly no crash

Great to meet some up with Net54 members and meet some others for the first time. I finally met Ted Zanidakis and a few others in person, which was a treat.

Tony

[Bobbycee]

Originally Posted by Bram99

Someone gave out homework to report on the show. This was my first time attending the Philly show but it was great. My report is as follows:

Early bird attendance on Friday was very strong. Seemed very, very crowded to me in early hours of the show.

Much higher vintage to modern ratio than other shows I've gone to since reopening post-Covid.

Great assortment of vintage dealers, from guys specializing only in high-end graded to those with collector grade commons

Prices reflective of strong market, with the dealers of graded stuff perhaps recognizing a dip in prices since March/April, but certainly no crash

Great to meet some up with Net54 members and meet some others for the first time. I finally met Ted Zanidakis and a few others in person, which was a treat.

Tony

+1

It was a very good show. I hadn't been to a Philly show in years & this one didn't disappoint. I went specifically to upgrade some T206's and had to sell about 12 dupes to create cash to buy. I got the price I wanted at the first vendor I stopped at.

Prices were high but not obscene. It was great to see several tables with T206, which makes sense because the set is so hot still. My only (slight) regret was not being able to pull the trigger on a Demmitt 2 that was offered to me. Otherwise:

* Placed was packed on Saturday. Many young collectors in the crowd too, which is healthy for the overall future of card collecting.
* Show was run well but would have been nice to see the Booth #'s at each table. Most did not have them, making it somewhat difficult to locate specific vendors.
* Ran into a few Net 54'ers, including the Old Professor- Ted Z, whom it was a pleasure to have a nice discussion with.

[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.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

...the parking lot for the convention center was full...

I've run into that before, although not on Saturday morning. Have you ever parked at the far edge of the lot? The walk back up that hill, after spending hours on your feet, is not something soon forgotten.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Eric72

I've run into that before, although not on Saturday morning. Have you ever parked at the far edge of the lot? The walk back up that hill, after spending hours on your feet, is not something soon forgotten.

FWP, cue the tiny Violin orchestra...
JFWY Eric.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

FWP, cue the tiny Violin orchestra...
JFWY Eric.

LOL

Forget the mini musicians. Get me a shuttle service.

[judsonhamlin]

I have this recollection of a dealer set up in a trailer about half way up that hill one year. Sorry to have missed this one, but September will be here before you know it.

[Buythatcard]

Originally Posted by Eric72

I've run into that before, although not on Saturday morning. Have you ever parked at the far edge of the lot? The walk back up that hill, after spending hours on your feet, is not something soon forgotten.

I did. I won't forget that walk either. Last year, I was carrying a box full of graded cards that I bought from a dealer. It was pretty heavy. I didn't realize how heavy until I had to walk up the hill to get my car.
It was even tougher because I didn't remember which row I parked in.