Saturday national

jethrod3 · #1 07-29-2024, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Bottom line is it�s a terrible place to get any kind of deal. So if the social part isn�t that important to you, definitely not worth the aggravation.

Maybe that's the case if you are buying a rare card or a card that is in high demand. However, I had no problem getting fair deals for the major purchases that I made, which were mid-grade 1955 Topps baseball star cards and the Terry Bradshaw rookie (PSA 5). I got these from a couple of dealers that had a lot of vintage stuff that I felt was more or less priced fairly once you expressed interest in them. That is, they had stickers on them that priced them a bit higher than recent eBay sales, but in the end I got them for probably slightly less than the going rate on eBay (and I didn't have to pay for shipping!!). I'm sure that the dealers that sold to me got what they needed to get out of those sales, and I didn't ask for anything ridiculous because i respect that they need to cover their table fees and other expenses, but I think everything worked out for me and for them. I did my deals on Thurs and Fri when there likely wasn't much pressure on those dealers to sell to me given that Saturday was probably going to also be very busy for them. AND, I was able to sell some of my memorabilia to dealers. So my buying and selling experience was pretty satisfying. In Chicago last year, I had a similar experience on a Saturday.

Again, it may have to do with the fact that I tend to buy stuff that is not insanely expensive (e.g., cards in high grades) or in ultra-high demand (rare cards).

Gradedcardman · #2 07-30-2024, 11:20 AM

I went to Cleveland this year to buy and I was able to do that. The best deal for vintage I found was at trade night and spent a good amount of money. The deals are there but you have to ask for them.

vintagerookies51 · #3 07-30-2024, 12:55 PM

Unless you're looking for a very oddball item, I don't understand why people would buy anything at the National when you can get it in an auction for significantly less. For me, going to the National is for a few reasons - I loved being able to bring in a big $ card by hand, get it graded, and consign it face to face after talking with a few auction houses. It eliminates the stress of shipping. Second would be the autograph guests. Getting to meet one or more of your childhood heroes is pretty cool. Third, it's basically the best sports museum in the world, especially this year. Not often you get to see the most valuable piece of sports collectibles in history in person. While it wasn't a priority for me going, I do enjoy the social aspect as well. None of my friends or family really speak the language of sports cards so it was nice to chat with people while waiting in the hour long lines.

Hxcmilkshake · #4 07-30-2024, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradedcardman

I went to Cleveland this year to buy and I was able to do that. The best deal for vintage I found was at trade night and spent a good amount of money. The deals are there but you have to ask for them.

Share an example?

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Hankphenom · #5 07-30-2024, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jethrod3

Maybe that's the case if you are buying a rare card or a card that is in high demand. However, I had no problem getting fair deals for the major purchases that I made, which were mid-grade 1955 Topps baseball star cards and the Terry Bradshaw rookie (PSA 5). I got these from a couple of dealers that had a lot of vintage stuff that I felt was more or less priced fairly once you expressed interest in them. That is, they had stickers on them that priced them a bit higher than recent eBay sales, but in the end I got them for probably slightly less than the going rate on eBay (and I didn't have to pay for shipping!!). I'm sure that the dealers that sold to me got what they needed to get out of those sales, and I didn't ask for anything ridiculous because i respect that they need to cover their table fees and other expenses, but I think everything worked out for me and for them. I did my deals on Thurs and Fri when there likely wasn't much pressure on those dealers to sell to me given that Saturday was probably going to also be very busy for them. AND, I was able to sell some of my memorabilia to dealers. So my buying and selling experience was pretty satisfying. In Chicago last year, I had a similar experience on a Saturday. Again, it may have to do with the fact that I tend to buy stuff that is not insanely expensive (e.g., cards in high grades) or in ultra-high demand (rare cards).

What a great experience you had, I'm sure there are many other true collectors with similar stories. This sounds to me like what the perfect show should be like.

jethrod3 · #6 08-01-2024, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

What a great experience you had, I'm sure there are many other true collectors with similar stories. This sounds to me like what the perfect show should be like.

Yes! In many ways it was a perfect show for me (aside from the traffic and wi-fi issues that everyone had to deal with)! I was also able to consign all of the stuff I brought to a major auction house (that usually does not happen!!), and after several years, my son (now an adult) came with me for one day. He hadn't attended a National since he was maybe 11, and we had a great time!

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