Earl Weaver’s autobiography was titled "It’s What You Learn After You Know it All That Counts". Well, I never say I know it all and the fact is despite being active in the hobby for a really long time, I'm still learning truths-- real and imagined-- about running card shows. This weekend was no exception and some of the lessons are useful to know for both our readers and as … [Read more...]
Ramblings: It’s Show Time Again
It’s been a busy summer but we’re not done yet. Plano IV, which is otherwise known as the show we began about 18 months ago as a fundraiser for our Brotherhood (Men’s Club) at Adat Chaverim here in Texas, is set for Sunday. I always like to remember what I’ve learned from those with show promoting experience. Mike Berkus, the co-founder of the National always talks about … [Read more...]
Ramblings: Autograph Price Points
Earlier this month, I was working on a trade with a fellow former Beckett employee in which he handed me an autographed Bert Blyleven “buy-back” card from 2004. The card was numbered to 57 and yet only had a book value of $15. When I pointed out that would mean I’d probably put $10 on the card at my next show and hope to sell it for $8 his comment was, “hey at that price, … [Read more...]
Ramblings: On Deck in the Dallas Show Circuit
It’s been nice to see the little resurgence in card shows here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. From a time when any show would have been appreciated, we are going back to the 2-4 events per month routine more befitting of such a large metropolitan area. It’s obviously still not like 25 years ago where on any given weekend there would be a minimum of 2-4 shows per week spread … [Read more...]
Ramblings: Promoting a Show? Give It Your All
Last weekend, I set up at the debut show put on by a couple of collector/dealers who call themselves the Lonestar Card Show. They had been setting up at the Dallas Card Shows and wanted to see if they could take advantage of the lack of shows run recently by the Dallas people. The owner of the Dallas Card Show had been running shows on a quarterly basis and had not set up a … [Read more...]