There’s an adage that states, “the show must go on”. That saying took special meaning over the weekend at a three-day show at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington MA. Hobby veteran and show founder Rich Altman passed away suddenly in mid-August last year but his company and team of dedicated workers continues to carry on.
Thousands of collectors and a big roster of dealers and service providers attended the latest edition of the show Altman spearheaded for years through his Hollywood Collectibles business.
Day 1 @ the Shriner’s/Rich Altman Boston Show pic.twitter.com/NN92DY299j
— Pack To The Future (@Pack2F) April 8, 2022
The show had a distinctive New England flavor with a house full of vendors displaying a full selection of vintage and modern collectibles featuring the four Boston based major league sports teams.
Most of the major auction companies were represented as well as JSA. General Admission to the show was $10 and children under 7 were free. There was a strong core of young collectors at the show. Many dealers went out their way to interact with kids, offering advice, sharing some stories and giving away free cards.
Local favorite and Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs (costs staring at $70) and Rickey Henderson ( $120 and up) were on hand Saturday, signing autographs and taking photos with fans.
A tight schedule had each player signing for one hour each on Saturday afternoon. Lines for both athletes were manageable even though the two former greats both took a little extra time to interact with fans, which made for a great experience for collectors who decided to buy an autograph ticket.
Sunday guests included Hall of Famers Tony Perez and Andre Dawson ($75 each) as well as NFL cornerback JC Jackson ($75) who actually just left the Patriots to sign with the LA Chargers. Also part of the schedule were Kevin Faulk, J.R. Redmond, Antowain Smith, Patrick Pass and Marc Edwards ($25 each). Newly elected Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz was scheduled to appear but missed the show because of a scheduling conflict and Hockey Hall of Famer and Bruins great Phil Esposito had to cancel because of a family emergency.
There were bargains to be had at the show and while there was plenty of big ticket vintage and modern cards and memorabilia, you could still walk in the door with a limited budget and walk out with plenty of stuff.
I scoured numerous dime and quarter boxes, securing fodder for future autograph requests by mail. There were tons of junk era wax boxes to be had. I picked up a box of 1990 Topps football cards for $10 and a box of 1988 Fleer baseball for $20. I was able to purchase an 18-year-old factory set for $20 and a Jason Tatum Rated Rookie card for $20, grabbed two slabbed autograph cards of hockey legends Phil Esposito (1971-72 Topps) and Mike Bossy (1979-80 Topps) for $30 each. I did leave a few things on the floor that I would have loved to have had including an autographed ABA basketball signed by Dr. J ($399) and a signed Jerry Rice jersey ($125).
I spoke with several dealers including a few who had traveled to Boston from Florida and all seemed pleased with their sales.
The auction houses were taking consignments and once again, it was proven there is still a lot of incredible ungraded vintage material out there.
Just took in a stunning raw collection at @RichAltmanHWC Boston Show 🙌 Come by our booth for free appraisals or just to talk Hobby with Derek Grady & Lee Iskowitz pic.twitter.com/H23JeBzTRq
— Heritage Auctions Sports (@Heritage_Sport) April 9, 2022
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