Now that everyone who attended is back home or hopefully getting close, here are some leftover thoughts from what’s now the biggest sports card show ever held and what may lie ahead.
*There’s pretty clearly a strong appetite for large card shows, whether they have “National” in their name or not. This one was the biggest of the big, but there are other large events behind held in various places that are seeing sizeable crowds on a regular basis. Build it and they will come. Collectors like what shows offer that online shopping can’t. Easy trading. Deal making in a minute or less. The ability to see and hold something. Talking to like-minded folks. There’s a lot to be said for traditional commerce.
Fanatics’ new events business will create shows that will undoubtedly be a little different but hopefully contain what collectors really like: a lot of booths and a lot of variety with a reasonable get in price.
There are some “dead” sports weekends throughout the year that would be perfect for a major collecting event.
*The show drew over 100,000 people to Rosemont, IL for a few days but that number makes me think of how many collectors weren’t there and how big sports collecting really is. For every collector from one community who traveled to the National there are probably ten others from the same city who didn’t go for any number of reasons. The right event with the right promotion with reasonable costs could mean an event the size of which you can barely imagine. Either way, it’s a bigger hobby than it probably seems.
*Those who lament that the hobby has “lost the kids” haven’t been to a show or good card shop lately. Kids were everywhere at the National and the number has been ticking upward for the last several years. They may not all collect exactly the same way kids did a few decades ago, but they love the hobby just as much and a lot of them are serious deal makers.
*The show set-up really needs better organization. I know dealers get to pick their own table locations but the show would be so much easier to navigate with vintage dealers here, modern oriented sellers there, grading companies here, etc. I think it would benefit everyone–even those who are convinced they can pick the ideal table location. A more efficient show floor means more sales.
*A few corporate booths made me feel like I was at a club with a DJ. I guess it’s to provide some energy? A little Kendrick Lamar as you shop for Lamar Jackson? I don’t know.
*I did not hear any hip hop at the booths where vintage was king. I did see a lot of want lists in notebooks. Those same people were dropping some serious cash to cross off the needed numbers…but the satisfaction level is off the charts.
*The show’s vibe is changing a bit and that’s both good and bad. There was a lot of energy but also seemed to be a lot of unnecessary flash and corporate emphasis on the monetary aspect of it all. A little more education for the newcomers they’re trying to lasso and a serious effort to greet every collector who walks up would go a long way.
*Trade nights are a huge thing. I wonder how long it will be until we someone promoting a “show” that’s strictly a trade event. It seems like they are ready to stand on their own. Maybe one area for newer cards and other for vintage?
*More international collectors are attending the National every year. I ran into one collector from Scotland and heard a conversation between two others in German (at least that’s what it sounded like). Rick wrote about an exhibitor representing a South Korean distributor.
*There was obviously a ton of money spent by some corporate exhibitors at the National and more relatively new companies than ever before. For those providing services with strong existing competition, I have to wonder whether they’ll still be around by next year’s National.
*There were more autograph guests than ever before and more demand than ever before, which created some issues. The line just to buy autograph tickets on Friday morning stretched past dealer tables and onto the convention floor. With only two ticket windows open, the wait was over an hour. Not ideal at a show where every minute counts. From SC Daily’s Rick Limpert:
I saw dozens of collectors just give up and leave the line when it didn’t move for 20 minutes and they realized they would miss their window to get certain ‘graphs.
“It was tough and disorganized,” said the Huskys, a husband and wife autograph collecting team from Alabama.
They would take turns standing in line while the other waited in a chair in the Upper Deck stage area. The Husky’s added about 15 signatures on various items to their collection. They both stayed hydrated with their own water bottles and devoured hot dogs while the wait continued.
With the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Barry Sanders, Larry Csonka and Floyd Mayweather on Saturday, the autograph pavilion was wall-to-wall people again. This time, another ticket window was open but the “holding area” where collectors wait to get in line was flooded with fans and smaller in size than in years past. Families were laying in corners and blocking entrances to lines causing huge traffic jams.
Add in the stuffy hot temperatures in the center during a Chicago heatwave and those obtaining multiple autographs over the show run deserve a special badge.
“Well worth it,” said college student Marvy Leins. “I even had to wait extra time for Ricky Henderson as he took breaks, but I would do it all over again.”
Buying online ahead to time is always good advice.
*I read some comments from someone upset about some of the older dealers who bring “the same stuff” to the National every year like “old programs and bobbleheads” and insinuating they should be made to give up their booths.
Horse hockey.
Sports collecting is all about variety and they bring that type of material because the National is where it sells, otherwise they wouldn’t come.
Furthermore, they’re the ones who kept coming to the National years ago, supporting the show when it wasn’t as hot as it is now. And do we really need more booths with $10,000 cards and slabs of flopped prospects? Here’s a tip: Check out some of that “same old stuff” and you might learn something. I remember when vintage photos were thought of that way. Now, there are all kinds of young collectors trading off their slabs for classic shots of iconic players.
*On a related note, the striking thing to me as I walked the floor over the first four days was that there weren’t any “dead” areas. Just about every booth had at least a few people checking out what was for sale at all times. No matter what was being sold, there was an attentive, or at least curious, audience.
*It seemed like there were fewer mainstream media outlets at the show than in years past. A little surprising considering how hot the hobby has been.
*I didn’t hear much talk of stolen merchandise this year, nor did I hear of anyone being arrested.
*I’d love to see the show program have some articles in it. Of course, I am who I am and I might be the only one who cares.
*The show marked the end of one era and what a way to end it, with the biggest event of all time.
The Broggi and Berkus families who have been involved with the National since it’s inception and have been responsible for running the show the last 17 years want to thank everyone for all their support and good luck in Cleveland in 2024!! pic.twitter.com/i1PeMuMQyE
— The National (@nsccshow) July 31, 2023
*The NSCC’s new promoters– who will be in charge starting later this fall– are going to have to figure how how to manage the growth of the show, assuming it continues. It’s not an easy task but they are an experienced crew.
*It’s easy to say Chicago is the most popular place to host the show but no matter where the National is, collectors will come and next year it’s Cleveland. That’s 359 days away if you’re already counting down.
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