Future of cards shows

[parkplace33]

Reading a lot of feedback about the Philly show. From what I have read:

1. Very well attended.
2. More modern than vintage compared to most years.
3. Some members said low inventory overall (maybe holding back for the national?).

The National is less than two months away and I am sure it will huge success (as always).

But what about post National? Thoughts on how shows will be in later 2021 and beyond.

[Tony Gordon]

I have been running a monthly show in Milwaukee for the past seven years, 2021 has been my best year to date. Trends I have observed lately: modern is currently much more popular than vintage. I have more Pokemon dealers at my show than ever before. In total, there are more dealers than ever before. My wait list for dealer tables reached a high point a few months ago of 70 people. Spending and price hikes were crazy earlier in the year but it appears both spending and prices are leveling off. My show, for one, is very healthy and I expect good things in the future. My next show at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in Oak Creek, WI (south suburb of Milwaukee) is July 3. Come check it out if you are in the area!

[Johnny630]

I think a lot depends on the United States economic conditions, if inflation is only transitory like Fed Chairman Jerome Powell says then we should be OK. I have a feeling it’s going to be a little more rough than transitory.

[Hankphenom]

Based on what I saw and heard at the Philly show, I think this year is going to be gangbusters. The National will be crazy, I think.

[packs]

Primed for a collapse. My predication is that shows will be heavily attended in the immediate short-term, which will likely tempt organizers to lease larger and larger spaces until people lose interest, which they inevitably will because most of the money in the hobby is not coming from collectors. At that point promoters will have overextended themselves and rather than a boom we are likely going to see a bust that will result in even less shows than there typically are.

[Johnny630]

Originally Posted by packs

Primed for a collapse. My predication is that shows will be heavily attended in the immediate short-term, which will likely tempt organizers to lease larger and larger spaces until people lose interest, which they inevitably will because most of the money in the hobby is not coming from collectors. At that point promoters will have overextended themselves and rather than a boom we are likely going to see a bust that will result in even less shows than there typically are.

You Made a Key Point Here, “most of the money in the Hobby is not coming from the collectors”.

That Statement is 100% Truth.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by packs

most of the money in the hobby is not coming from collectors.

Who were all those younger folks packing the room and crowding around tables at Philly? Speculators looking to make a quick buck on a hot hobby? Maybe, but there had to be a fair number of collectors among them.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

I think a lot depends on the United States economic conditions, if inflation is only transitory like Fed Chairman Jerome Powell says then we should be OK. I have a feeling it’s going to be a little more rough than transitory.

This.

[wazoo]

Originally Posted by Tony Gordon

I have been running a monthly show in Milwaukee for the past seven years, 2021 has been my best year to date. Trends I have observed lately: modern is currently much more popular than vintage. I have more Pokemon dealers at my show than ever before. In total, there are more dealers than ever before. My wait list for dealer tables reached a high point a few months ago of 70 people. Spending and price hikes were crazy earlier in the year but it appears both spending and prices are leveling off. My show, for one, is very healthy and I expect good things in the future. My next show at the Salvation Army Community Center, 8853 S. Howell, in Oak Creek, WI (south suburb of Milwaukee) is July 3. Come check it out if you are in the area!

It's a great show, +1

[whitehse]

Originally Posted by wazoo

It's a great show, +1

I second this. I plan to be there in July, the first show I have attended since all this "stuff" started last year

[hcv123]

I can tell you I was impressed to have spoken with at least about a dozen younger collectors -20 somethings between Chantilly and Philly that were looking to get out of modern and into vintage!! I don't subscribe to the "doom and gloom" thesis. Prices on some of the big stars are already leveling off from their short decline after the long run up. People are buying these cards (I know because I have sold a number of them). I suspect shows for the next 2-6 months are going to be very strong and will drop off as post Covid life gets back to normal, but will still be better attended than pre Covid.

[wazoo]

Originally Posted by hcv123

I can tell you I was impressed to have spoken with at least about a dozen younger collectors -20 somethings between Chantilly and Philly that were looking to get out of modern and into vintage!! I don't subscribe to the "doom and gloom" thesis. Prices on some of the big stars are already leveling off from their short decline after the long run up. People are buying these cards (I know because I have sold a number of them). I suspect shows for the next 2-6 months are going to be very strong and will drop off as post Covid life gets back to normal, but will still be better attended than pre Covid.

There’s a pretty decent outfit of us younger collectors on Facebook. Seems to just be another medium.

[vintagechris]

I agree with what packs is saying and that's pretty much what I see. I don't know if most people are speculators but the number of speculators/investors to collector seems to be out of whack.

That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing as there are more people in the hobby except I think a large majority of those are in it because they saw a way to make easy money and when it is no longer easy, they leave.

You saw prices being run up for modern graded base cards because investors thought they could make quick money flipping them. They would even say buy the base cards because they are liquid. Well, they are only liquid as long as demand outweighs the supply. That currently is not the case for most modern.

People who bought Lebron, Jordan, Kobe and a myriad of other modern cards in February and March for the most part got crushed. Factor in some if not quite a few funded their buying with debt and you got some people who learned a hard lesson.