Things may happen at this year's show but chances are it will be relatively tame compared to the headline-grabbing circus by which all others will be measured. Held at the height of the runaway freight train that sports cards had become, the 1991 National Sports Collectors Convention in Anaheim, CA had everything. Some of it was awesome. Some of it was … [Read more...]
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1982 National Program: Seminars, Swimming, Softball–and a Show
If you made plans to attend the National Sports Collectors Convention 36 years ago this summer, you brought you best inventory. You also may have packed your softball glove, your swim trunks, a few cards to flip...and your Bible. The agenda for the fledgling event's third year was a little different from the one you've become used to in the current … [Read more...]
NSCC Schedule Set Through 2020
The National Sports Collectors Convention will return to Atlantic City in 2020. On the heels of this year's annual event, show organizers have unveiled dates for the next three shows in the rotation with the New Jersey resort getting a second crack at hosting the event following last year's show at the city's convention center. “We are extremely excited the … [Read more...]
The National Continues to be a Family Affair
The 38th installment of The National Sports Collectors Convention has officially come to a close and (hopefully) everyone left Rosemont, IL with exactly what they were looking for. That said, if you weren’t among the lucky few that got to brush elbows with Jennifer Lopez while she was slumming it alongside her latest boytoy Alex Rodriguez or catch up with Los Angeles Lakers … [Read more...]
Strange Finds at The National: Baseball Edition
For generations, fathers have shared their love of baseball with their kids. In my house, it’s the same…but with a twist. You see, every other year, The National Sports Collectors Convention hits Rosemont, IL, and, again, my 13-year-old son (who is NOT a sports fan) will be in tow. “It’s like Comic-Con for sports nerds,” I tell him every year, “but this year…Jose Canseco … [Read more...]
VIDEO: 2017 National Sports Collectors Convention Opens in Chicago
From Aaron Judge to Hank Aaron. Buck Weaver to Earl Weaver. George Mikan to Michael Jordan. If he's on your want list or if he is your want list, the 2017 National Sports Collectors Convention will have something for you. The five-day show opened Wednesday afternoon with hundreds of tables inside a sometimes dimly-lit Stephens Convention Center, all … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Dawn of the National
Baseball card shows began to spring up fairly regularly in the 1970s. They still weren't a common sight and more often than not, you had to drive a little ways to find one. Many were held in VFW halls or small hotel conference rooms with local collectors buying and selling but mostly trading. Larger cities, though, began to hold "National" shows--larger events … [Read more...]
Bound for National Sports Collectors Convention? A Little Advice
It doesn't seem possible but the bulk of this story was originally written several years ago, just prior to the 2008 show in Chicago. "The National" is back for another go-round so it's a good time to post it again and add a few more hints to help you get the most out of the industry's biggest event. It's been around for going on since 1980, when a group of dealers … [Read more...]
FLASHBACK: Strangest Finds of the 2015 National
If you can navigate your way through autograph seekers, vintage card enthusiasts and the dozens (it feels like dozens) of companies doing live case breaks, you never know what you might find at the annual National Sports Collectors Convention. And while that’s not the most flattering lede ever…I love The National. Really…I do. It’s pretty fantastic and two years ago, I took … [Read more...]
Fanatics Chicago Show Returns This Weekend
The 2017 National isn't the only large sports collectors show in Chicago during the next several months. The spring edition of the Fanatics Sports Spectacular (formerly the Sun-Times Show) returns this weekend (March 17-19). Held at the Stephens Convention Center in suburban Rosemont, the same venue that will host the NSCC in late July, the Fanatics show will draw a … [Read more...]
