For most folks, an ideal vacation might be Hawaii. Maybe a Caribbean cruise or a trip to Europe.
For sports collectors, it’s Cleveland.
Over 100,000 of them are expected to pass through the doors of the giant I-X Center between Wednesday and Sunday (I-X is short for ‘International Exposition’ if you didn’t know). Imagine one of the country’s largest football stadiums emptying into a giant airplane hangar filled with trading cards, autographs, old memorabilia, new memorabilia, collecting supplies and everything in between.
Whether you come to open freshly minted packs, hunt for cards to fill out your 1987 Topps set, buy a Brooklyn Dodgers pennant or get an autograph, the National has a booth that can help. It’s been that way since the beginning, although the modern market has taken a much larger share of booth space and become way more challenging to navigate than how things were 40 years ago.
The show is making its first visit to Cleveland since 2018. While the annual event had begun to pick up a little steam six years ago, no one could have predicted what has happened since. A worldwide pandemic set in two years later and while it cost Cleveland the 2022 National the show returns there a year after setting an all-time attendance record last year in Chicago. Maybe half that many were in Cleveland six years ago.
Cleveland was selected as a location before the COVID-fueled outgrowth took full affect and the show’s new directors will be working with a slightly smaller space to accommodate an equally large–or larger–crowd.
“We inherited Cleveland. Our management team did not choose Cleveland,” Joe Drelich of JBJ Corporation. “That’s not a knock on Cleveland in any way shape or form. That site was chosen during COVID. In hindsight, we could have used more square footage.”
While the Cleveland metro area is obviously much smaller than Chicago, organizers think there will be a strong local turnout.
“Cleveland has an exceptionally strong sports tradition with very avid and knowledgeable collectors and a diversified sports fan base,” says the NSCC’s Ray Schulte.
VIP passes for this year’s show sold out in record time.
The autograph pavilion has grown, too, with more than 150 paid signers grabbing the Sharpie before the doors close at 4 PM Sunday.
There’s now a waiting list for booth space.
If you’re making last minute plans, know that decent hotel space for less than $300 within about eight miles of the show is tough to find so be prepared to drive a bit each day.
The Hobby has grown enough so that If you don’t come, there’s probably another show being held within driving distance of your home.
NSCC admission is 30 bucks– unless you’re not yet a teenager in which case, come on in– and there’s a charge to park your vehicle as well. Factor in travel costs and you have to be pretty serious about this stuff and while an exotic vacation spot might sound good, Cleveland is paradise.
If you know, you know.
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