Ramblings: Behind the Table at the Dallas Card Show

As many of you know I write a  report almost every time I set up at a show. One of the reasons is because I want collectors to see the show from the viewpoint of a dealer. On Saturday, I was back ‘in action’ at the Dallas Card Show which was held at its new home, inside the LaQuinta located at Hwy 75 (Central Expressway) and Walnut Hill in Dallas.

Going into the show I was frankly very concerned. Although the weather was going to be exceptionally warm for Dallas in January there were two other major sports related events happening plus a major card show in Texas.  First, there was “TicketStock” at the Dallas Convention Center. “The Ticket” is the most popular sports radio station in the DFW area and it always draws a big crowd. Interestingly enough the event originally started in conjunction with a baseball card show and until the past couple of years there had always been a card store or two which set up at the event.

The other major sporting event in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was the Rangers Fan Fest held at The Ballpark in Arlington. When I first moved to Dallas, the Winter Carnival was always held in conjunction with a card show promoted by Wanda Marcus  Sadly, Wanda lost her life a few years ago and I actually had several collectors walking around the show ask  me what happened to her. Every year this time, I always think of Wanda who was very well known in hobby circles years ago.

In addition, there was also the big Houston Tri-Star show.  This scared me as well because when we were located at Craig Ranch, the only really slow show in terms of people was when the conflicted with Houston, a large show with a lot of autograph guests that draws from a wide area.

When I arrived at the show location about 7:30 a.m., I asked at the front desk where the show would be and the clerk behind the counter had to search for a few minutes to verify it was happening and then get someone to unlock the doors. The promoter showed up in a short while and we had to get some more tables and chairs to set up the room.  That is one reason I’m not only keeping a list of our dealers for my March 9th show in nearby Plano but also so we can set up the room the night before, The more prepared we are, the better off we will be.

After a few minutes, the tables and chairs did arrive and the promoter and a couple of the dealers did set up the room and then I was able to bring in my merchandise. One aspect I love about being at hotels is being able to use the bellman carts.  What takes me 10-15 trips the old fashioned way takes about 2-3 trips depending on what I bring with the cart. I spread out my cards well ahead of the opening and just waited. The only minor drawback was the six foot tables were small and supposed to be doubled up but I was short one mini-table but that was all right.  Fortunately, one of the dealers remembered some items from  my stock and actually purchased enough to cover my table rent before the show opened. Life is much easier when you are playing with “house money”, so to speak.

Unlike the previous iterations of the Dallas Card Show this time I had two purposes to set up. The first was to sell cards, while the second reason was to hand out flyers for our fundraising show. I was able to hand out flyers to all dealers who set up as well as hand them out to most of the collectors who came through the doors. It paid off with one confirmed table sale and I’m sure some more of the vendors will commit as well. Even better, the promoter of the Dallas Card Show has committed to sending out a couple of blasts for me from his e-mailing list as we are truly a non-profit show. I appreciate his help in advance.

And as for sales, I sold a bunch of 1972’s to two different collectors. What was interesting is both collectors were not interested in higher (ex or better) hi numbers but were thrilled with creases and lower end 1972 hi numbers for their collection. I was also able to sell some older hand collated sets as well as various hit and miss singles and small sets.  It was really a mix this time.

We also had several walk-ins including a gentleman who drove up from a town about two hours away. We told him about both Triple Cards in Plano and Nick’s in Richardson and he ended up at Nick’s and sold him a bunch of older cards and sets. Other items walked in as well and I bought a small lot of cards.  I love buying small junk lots even of the over produced era because there is usually some hidden gems them to make your purchase worthwhile.

When I got home and went through the lot imagine my surprise I had 2/3 of a 1992 Score Follies set. In all the years I had worked on the Beckett football magazine and book I had never heard of or noticed that set. Thus, I did a little research and found this was a three card set and I had just bought two of them.  While I don’t know what the real value of these cards are, I will say that there are probably very few that show up in the secondary market.  More than two decades later, I wonder how they were released. If anyone remembers, I’ve love to know the answer as the thirst for hobby knowledge never disappears and the Super Bowl has me thinking football.

Near the end of the show the promoter came over and I traded him some cards for tables for the next show.