“Buying trips” have been a way of life for some dealers as far back as the 1970s and 80s where shoeboxes full of sports cards were carried into conference rooms at hotels across North America.
Dealers built their show inventory by advertising their presence in local newspapers and on radio. Closets and attics emptied, dealers forked over a few bucks and those long forgotten collections were gobbled up by the growing market of adult collectors.
eBay, card shops and other selling options made it easier for families to dispose of those old collections themselves and fewer and fewer were discovered as we edged closer to a new millennium. Those trips have never totally gone away, though. Auction companies and dealers are still putting thousands of miles on their vehicles each year in hopes of the next big score.
Some Arizona dealers recently hit the road and the Las Vegas Review-Journal caught up with Brian Marcy of Scottsdale Cards for this story.
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