The National in Baltimore

Leon · #1 04-09-2010, 07:59 PM

I think you're right. There are a few people that seem to want to make more jokes and negativity than post in a constructive manner. The people above answered it fairly well though. Scott nailed it early on and there wasn't a lot else to say about it. If you are going there to have a good time, meet other collectors and then...maybe pick up a few cards, it's money well spent. If you are going there solely to purchase cards, then depending on your budget, with the $1000 expense in mind, it's probably not worth it. You can do the auctions and ebay and probably get far more cards. The real fun is meeting other collectors and hootin' and hollerin'. regards

pgellis · #2 04-09-2010, 08:06 PM

Thanks Leon. That's what I was looking for today. I wanted to make a decision soon about putting up $1K to visit Baltimore in August. I wanted to go there to "take it all in", but I also wanted to go there to buy some cards, and going there after spendin $1K to just spend the weekend there was not going to do it for me.....I wanted to purchase some cards too.......so I wanted to know if I could expect any bargains.

Again, Leon thank you for your response. I hate to see where this board has headed the past week or two. It seems that if you can't "slam" somebody, you don't bother to add a post and I simply was asking for some experience.

Thanks.

Rob D. · #3 04-09-2010, 08:06 PM

Phil,

My favorite pick-up of 2009 came at the National in Cleveland. The following is what I wrote in a "What was your favorite pick-up of the year" thread. It sums up my feeling about attending the National:

I think this one is my favorite not only because of the card itself but because I bought it in person at the National. No auction. No staying up until 3 a.m. to see if a bid holds up. No worrying about shilling and the like. No "great guys." There's something to be said about holding a card (or slab, in this case) in your hand, looking the seller in the eye and attempting to reach a deal.

Northviewcats · #4 04-09-2010, 08:39 PM

Phil,

Like you I wonder if the experience at Nationals is worth the expense. Especially, when you say that you could spend the $1000.00 on a nice card at auction. I don't own a card that is worth that much, so it sounds like a no-brainer. Stay at home and enjoy your new card.

BUT... Nationals is a collecting experience on steroids.

I've only gone a couple of times, but I haven't regretted spending the money to get there. True the prices are higher than what you would spend at eBay. But you will see so many beautiful cards. I remember at my first Nationals that my jaw dropped when I saw a whole case of vintage Mantles. All the cards that I owned as a kid were there in any condition that a collector could afford. In my ignorance I thought that 1961 Mantle was really rare, but there were enough Mantles in that one vendor's case to wall paper my bathroom with them.

I also think that you can get some buys if you look carefully. My strategy is to look for small vendors who have accumulated a large collection throughout the years and just want to sell what they have collected for a fair price. I bought a raw T206 Cy Young in VG condition for $150.00 last year in Cleveland. I haven't seen one sell for under $250.00 on eBay this past year. I know there are several other collectors that I met in Cleveland last year and made some good deals.

This brings me up to the most important reason to go to Nationals. Its a great place to meet your fellow Net54 members. Hopefully there will be another Net54 dinner this year, but even meeting members on the floor was well worth the price I paid to attend the event.

Best wishes,

Joe

Theoldprofessor · #5 04-25-2010, 09:36 PM

My son and I attended Nationals regularly for more than a decade -- he was about ten when we started. Each year we took about $1k, but spent none of it the first day. Instead we wandered up an down the rows, making notes of who had what, and what might be needed to get it from him.

We stayed about four days each in Cleveland, St. Louis, Houston, Atlanta, Anaheim, Chicago. What did he get? A lot of T206s, some T205s, and a practical lesson in the old saying "It's worth what you can get for it." What did I get? Enough fun, enough laughs, enough good memories to last a lifetime.

He's off on his own now, and I'm collecting as much for him as for me.

If you have a kid, take him or her along. You'll never regret it. And you'll collect lots more than cardboard.

cwazzy · #6 04-26-2010, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theoldprofessor

If you have a kid, take him or her along. You'll never regret it. And you'll collect lots more than cardboard.

I fully intend to take my sons along with me eventually. Just not this year. My oldest will be 4 by the time Nationals roles around and my youngest will be 1. I would not have any fun running after them the entire time. I figure when they hit 7 & 10 I'll take them along with me. And I'm REALLY excited about that.

Abravefan11 · #7 04-26-2010, 07:41 PM

I have never been to a National and have two young sons that aren't ready for one yet. I have however worked out the details with my wife and we will be coming to Baltimore. She's agreed to the trip and the O's game, just not the show. That's good enough for me.

I look forward to the opportunity to meet a lot of the board members.

Jewish-collector · #8 04-26-2010, 07:49 PM

Tim,
You will love the National !!! See you in Baltimore.
Alan

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