What was the one thing at this years National that surprised you the most

kobemagee29 · 08-01-2023, 05:04 PM

For me it was the amount of breakers there is now.

Foo3112 · 08-01-2023, 05:09 PM

The number of dealers. Never seen anything like that. When is enough too much?

Dacubs · 08-01-2023, 05:14 PM

1) Whatever the heck Vee Friends is

2) All the different grading companies

notfast · 08-01-2023, 05:15 PM

Good surprise - fairly priced Ty Cobb cards
Bad surprise - the massive booths for companies no one cares about (wild card, home team heroes)
Not surprised - tag grading booth was dead always.

ThoseBackPages · 08-01-2023, 05:20 PM

great mix of everything

SearchPatrol · 08-01-2023, 06:37 PM

The amount of people I overheard talking a foreign language. At the VIP room, I said Hi to an Australian. Asked if it was DGCollectables, he said no. Many different Asian and European dialogs also. Some at 10 cent boxes. I get it now, shipping is expensive and getting cards for 10 cents instead of dollars - smart. Fill that luggage up.

Also talked to a grandparent in the food line at the VIP party, who took his grandson to the show. Said that he would take him on a summer vacation, he wanted to go to the National. Also a Dad who took his twin boys said the same thing. All were First time National attendees.

What a GREAT week. Even with Air Conditioning problems, to me, It was the Greatest Card show ever.

hammerva · 08-02-2023, 06:40 AM

The number of kids was very surprising. Granted I would say about 30% of them seem to be there because their dad was busy. But there was a number of bonding moments that you can see. What the hobby really should be and not influencers and Youtube videos of spending $20K

thepilluh · 08-02-2023, 06:47 AM

There were several dealers that had bins of older cards for set builders. Not sure when I last saw a big box of cards from the 60's, 70's, etc for the set builders to try and complete the older sets. Normally a dealer or 2 have binders with a few from each year but it was good to see even more options to complete the old sets wtih entire boxes for just 1 year.

scotthenrichs · 08-02-2023, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dacubs

1) Whatever the heck Vee Friends is

I was also wondering WTF this was. Seems like they had a lot of interested people at their table, really crammed up traffic with Panni next door. Is this the new Pokemon/FunkoPop/Beanie Babies type thing or something?

theshowandme · 08-02-2023, 10:22 AM

The pockets of teenage and pre-teen kids.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

varjakpaul · 08-02-2023, 01:08 PM

A frankly incredible amount of Adley Rutschman jerseys

Spinz · 08-04-2023, 03:24 PM

The Amount of Soccer Jerseys. I was wearing mine (2 different days)! There was a lot more than I expected

solt0131 · 08-05-2023, 10:01 AM

The amount of sales I did from a single 8 foot table.

Philthy · 08-05-2023, 10:37 AM

The amount of pre-teens and teenagers with $500+ cards.

At my local shows the kids love cards but they are transacting with 20 or 30 dollar cards most of the time. I consider myself a pretty serious collector. At the National, I would go up to a kid's table at trade night and the cards they are selling would put me to shame. I do wonder how some of the parent's manage it. I was always a pretty responsible kid, but I don't know that I would trust myself at 13 or 14 carrying a case with $10k in cards....there was a lot of that at the show.

GaslampSports · 08-05-2023, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philthy

The amount of pre-teens and teenagers with $500+ cards.

At my local shows the kids love cards but they are transacting with 20 or 30 dollar cards most of the time. I consider myself a pretty serious collector. At the National, I would go up to a kid's table at trade night and the cards they are selling would put me to shame. I do wonder how some of the parent's manage it. I was always a pretty responsible kid, but I don't know that I would trust myself at 13 or 14 carrying a case with $10k in cards....there was a lot of that at the show.

This. It's insane lol

Edit: Wasn't even there but have noticed this trend in the hobby...when I was a kid a $50 - $100 card was huge...that is virtually nothing for a lot of these modern day kid collectors

MtnManCard · 08-05-2023, 11:07 PM

I bought a 1953 Topps Paige in semi rigid. I wanted more protection so when to find a top loader for it. If you don't know 1953, along with some other vintage, is just slightly bigger than a standard card. Went to multiple accessory booths, no one had even heard of a top loader to fit these cards. Went directly to BCW, same answer. I was dumbfounded. When I got home I grabbed a fresh sleeve and top loader from my stack that fit this vintage and it fit perfect. I don't even collect that much vintage, but was shocked at the largest card show in the world, a rep didn't even know these top loaders existed. Great show, can't wait for Cleveland, bringing my own top loaders if vintage is on my list.

salas1991 · 08-08-2023, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnManCard

I bought a 1953 Topps Paige in semi rigid. I wanted more protection so when to find a top loader for it. If you don't know 1953, along with some other vintage, is just slightly bigger than a standard card. Went to multiple accessory booths, no one had even heard of a top loader to fit these cards. Went directly to BCW, same answer. I was dumbfounded. When I got home I grabbed a fresh sleeve and top loader from my stack that fit this vintage and it fit perfect. I don't even collect that much vintage, but was shocked at the largest card show in the world, a rep didn't even know these top loaders existed. Great show, can't wait for Cleveland, bringing my own top loaders if vintage is on my list.

UltraPro makes these - https://ultrapro.com/products/2-5-8-...oploaders-25ct. Surprised at least one of the resellers didn't have any?

estang · 08-09-2023, 02:28 PM

Home Team Heroes.

It looked like they were giving away free booze. Asked a guy what this was about & he said he's been sitting there for 1/2 hour and still cannot figure it out.

Triple B · 08-13-2023, 08:28 PM

The number of dealers buying at 85%-90% comps. Maybe that's the new norm, but I was floored that so many bought so much from me just below comps.

jdhaugh11 · 08-13-2023, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple B

The number of dealers buying at 85%-90% comps. Maybe that's the new norm, but I was floored that so many bought so much from me just below comps.

Was it higher end stuff? Did it have to be graded?
I didn't even bother showing my stuff, since it wasn't graded and was mostly cards in the $20-$200 range.

WillBBC · 08-14-2023, 01:31 PM

The amount of new(ish) businesses tangentially tied to trading cards that had crazy big booth presence.

Also, TAG slabs surprised me. They looked incredible in person. I'm a big 3 guy from the late 90s/early 2000s so I look at all these guys as dead on arrival, but good grief I hope they're able to survive.

SearchPatrol · 08-14-2023, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillBBC

The amount of new(ish) businesses tangentially tied to trading cards that had crazy big booth presence.

Also, TAG slabs surprised me. They looked incredible in person. I'm a big 3 guy from the late 90s/early 2000s so I look at all these guys as dead on arrival, but good grief I hope they're able to survive.

Walked by the TAG booth Friday or Saturday. Didn't look busy at all. Was this because they hit a limit on submissions? For $30 end of show, I would have thought, the lines would have been huge. I also like the looks of them. Look to be very strict grader's. I like that.

WillBBC · 08-14-2023, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SearchPatrol

Walked by the TAG booth Friday or Saturday. Didn't look busy at all. Was this because they hit a limit on submissions? For $30 end of show, I would have thought, the lines would have been huge. I also like the looks of them. Look to be very strict grader's. I like that.

I swung by Friday morning, it was all but empty. It's an uphill climb for all the new graders, no matter how nice their products are.

Last I checked you couldn't even submit without their grading kit or buying into a drop (something like that). So the wheels are still heating up.

We shall see. They really might be onto something but again, if you were around 20-25 years ago, 99% of these new three letter acronyms may as well be DOA at this point.

Triple B · 08-14-2023, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdhaugh11

Was it higher end stuff? Did it have to be graded?
I didn't even bother showing my stuff, since it wasn't graded and was mostly cards in the $20-$200 range.

Should have mentioned that...it was all graded stuff. That's all I brought, thinking that most wouldn't have any interest in raw. It was all stuff that I couldn't move here in Toronto so it all was left behind in Chicago.

Bigjigglies · 08-15-2023, 05:23 AM

Wagons.
A few years ago people started complaining about backpacks at shows(some still do). Backpacks evolved into roller bags that people drug behind them. Now it has evolved again into wagons. I understand the need for them, especially in the autograph area with people having several large items and no place to store them. But getting around them in crowded areas can be aggravating.

08-01-2023, 05:04 PM	#1
kobemagee29 Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: rockford Posts: 4,080	What was the one thing at this years National that surprised you the most For me it was the amount of breakers there is now.

08-01-2023, 05:15 PM	#4
notfast Member Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: MD Posts: 4,029	Good surprise - fairly priced Ty Cobb cards Bad surprise - the massive booths for companies no one cares about (wild card, home team heroes) Not surprised - tag grading booth was dead always. __________________ notfast1 on IG.

08-01-2023, 05:20 PM	#5
ThoseBackPages Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Long Island Posts: 88,919 ThoseBackPages	great mix of everything __________________ Pumpers Paradise #YouCryIBuy Four things that we cannot change each others minds about: Politics, Religion, Third Party Grading, and 2021 Bowman's Best Rookie Cards

08-04-2023, 03:24 PM	#12
Spinz Member Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Minnesota Posts: 221 spinzcardz	The Amount of Soccer Jerseys. I was wearing mine (2 different days)! There was a lot more than I expected __________________ "Cards are better than NFTs" - The Gen-Z kid who runs this janky account

08-13-2023, 08:28 PM	#19
Triple B Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 6,136	The number of dealers buying at 85%-90% comps. Maybe that's the new norm, but I was floored that so many bought so much from me just below comps. __________________ Wanted Dead or Alive! 1. 1997 Bowman's Best Jose Cruz, Jr Atomic Refractor Autograph 2. 1997 SPx Jose Cruz, Jr. Grand Finale /50

08-01-2023, 05:09 PM	#2
Foo3112 Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: N/A Posts: 833	The number of dealers. Never seen anything like that. When is enough too much?

08-01-2023, 05:14 PM	#3
Dacubs Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chicago Posts: 11,836 pharmkid97 pharmkid97	1) Whatever the heck Vee Friends is 2) All the different grading companies

08-01-2023, 06:37 PM	#6
SearchPatrol Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Posts: 1,051 AndrewB	The amount of people I overheard talking a foreign language. At the VIP room, I said Hi to an Australian. Asked if it was DGCollectables, he said no. Many different Asian and European dialogs also. Some at 10 cent boxes. I get it now, shipping is expensive and getting cards for 10 cents instead of dollars - smart. Fill that luggage up. Also talked to a grandparent in the food line at the VIP party, who took his grandson to the show. Said that he would take him on a summer vacation, he wanted to go to the National. Also a Dad who took his twin boys said the same thing. All were First time National attendees. What a GREAT week. Even with Air Conditioning problems, to me, It was the Greatest Card show ever.

08-02-2023, 06:40 AM	#7
hammerva Member Join Date: Aug 2021 Posts: 568	The number of kids was very surprising. Granted I would say about 30% of them seem to be there because their dad was busy. But there was a number of bonding moments that you can see. What the hobby really should be and not influencers and Youtube videos of spending $20K

08-02-2023, 06:47 AM	#8
thepilluh Member Join Date: May 2023 Location: VA Posts: 57	There were several dealers that had bins of older cards for set builders. Not sure when I last saw a big box of cards from the 60's, 70's, etc for the set builders to try and complete the older sets. Normally a dealer or 2 have binders with a few from each year but it was good to see even more options to complete the old sets wtih entire boxes for just 1 year.

08-02-2023, 10:22 AM	#10
theshowandme Member Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 4,983 theshowandme nova_cards	The pockets of teenage and pre-teen kids. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

08-02-2023, 01:08 PM	#11
varjakpaul Member Join Date: Nov 2022 Posts: 290	A frankly incredible amount of Adley Rutschman jerseys

08-05-2023, 10:01 AM	#13
solt0131 Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 9,085 PghSportsCards	The amount of sales I did from a single 8 foot table.

08-05-2023, 10:37 AM	#14
Philthy Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: Nebraska Posts: 1,144	The amount of pre-teens and teenagers with $500+ cards. At my local shows the kids love cards but they are transacting with 20 or 30 dollar cards most of the time. I consider myself a pretty serious collector. At the National, I would go up to a kid's table at trade night and the cards they are selling would put me to shame. I do wonder how some of the parent's manage it. I was always a pretty responsible kid, but I don't know that I would trust myself at 13 or 14 carrying a case with $10k in cards....there was a lot of that at the show.

08-05-2023, 11:07 PM	#16
MtnManCard Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Reno Posts: 306 bigsexy406	I bought a 1953 Topps Paige in semi rigid. I wanted more protection so when to find a top loader for it. If you don't know 1953, along with some other vintage, is just slightly bigger than a standard card. Went to multiple accessory booths, no one had even heard of a top loader to fit these cards. Went directly to BCW, same answer. I was dumbfounded. When I got home I grabbed a fresh sleeve and top loader from my stack that fit this vintage and it fit perfect. I don't even collect that much vintage, but was shocked at the largest card show in the world, a rep didn't even know these top loaders existed. Great show, can't wait for Cleveland, bringing my own top loaders if vintage is on my list.

08-09-2023, 02:28 PM	#18
estang Member Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: USA Posts: 99 hstang	Home Team Heroes. It looked like they were giving away free booze. Asked a guy what this was about & he said he's been sitting there for 1/2 hour and still cannot figure it out.

08-14-2023, 01:31 PM	#21
WillBBC Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 3,253	The amount of new(ish) businesses tangentially tied to trading cards that had crazy big booth presence. Also, TAG slabs surprised me. They looked incredible in person. I'm a big 3 guy from the late 90s/early 2000s so I look at all these guys as dead on arrival, but good grief I hope they're able to survive.

08-15-2023, 05:23 AM	#25
Bigjigglies Member Join Date: Jul 2021 Posts: 227	Wagons. A few years ago people started complaining about backpacks at shows(some still do). Backpacks evolved into roller bags that people drug behind them. Now it has evolved again into wagons. I understand the need for them, especially in the autograph area with people having several large items and no place to store them. But getting around them in crowded areas can be aggravating.