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Inside My Brain
08-23-2016
Today I'm honored to present you with a guest column! My friend Jeff Copeland is not only a card collector, but an accomplished author who has toured the country for book readings and fan meetings. When he offered to share his experience at this year's National with me and my readers, I jumped at the chance.
Below are his words and pictures from a weekend in Atlantic City. Many thanks to Jeff, and please check out any of the other works he has published!
Have fun!
-T
Weeks before leaving for this year's National, I was already full of trepidation -- and had just about convinced myself the convention was going to be a bust, a major waste of time and travel expense. This was because many in the hobby, both dealers and collectors alike, agreed that the last time the National was held in Atlantic City, it was, on multiple levels, an unmitigated disaster: incredibly expensive travel costs to get there, prices for cards and memorabilia priced sky high (to help offset travel costs?), and Atlantic City itself (especially the Boardwalk) horribly crowded, crime infested, and expensive. However, shortly after my arrival this year, my fears evaporated. The convention organizers had to be aware of the foul taste left in the mouths of so many the last time in Atlantic City, so it seemed to me the organizers went mightily out of their way to make sure everyone had the opportunity for a wonderful experience this year. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of collectors I visited with heartedly agreed this was one of the best Nationals anyone could remember. For me, personally, this year was THE best National I've ever attended, and I'll offer a few words about my experiences to explain why this was so.
First, however, a few words about my travel to the National. Any way it is sliced, getting to Atlantic City is still a major pain in the rump. One poor soul I visited with told me he paid nearly a thousand dollars for his round trip airline ticket, his journey took over twelve hours -- and he lived only a few hundred miles away! This year I chose to head down to Raleigh, North Carolina, pick up my best friend, and then drive up the coast to Atlantic City. That seemed like a good idea at the time, but what followed was more like a remake of the movie "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles," starring John Candy and Steve Martin. Side note: as much as I ate on this trip, I'm now starting to look like John Candy... My friend knew "shortcut" routes around the major cities on the Eastern Seaboard, so we ended up on backwater roads through what looked like Tobacco Road (literally, since it is grown in nearly every field there!) -- and behind poultry trucks with chicken feathers falling out of the cages at such a rate it actually looked at times like we were driving in a blizzard. However, this was nothing compared to what soon followed as we made our way by ferry across Chesapeake Bay. At Lewes, Delaware, we boarded the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and were soon on our way across to Cape May, New Jersey. However, the Bay was angry that day, and the swells were so high I swear I could hear groups of people singing "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and "Nearer My God to Thee." One poor woman sitting next to us was clutching her child's stuffed animal over her nose and mouth to keep from tossing her cookies, and she was positively green as corn. We finally made it across to Cape May after an hour and a half roller coaster ride, one we won't soon forget. The moral of this story? Avoiding the high cost of air travel can often result in lasting memories of adventures on the road and water, not all of them good. The National is in Chicago next year, so I urge all of us to book “flights” there early!
Now to the National. The Atlantic City Convention Center is massive, which made it a perfect venue for the National; the show hall itself was 400,000 square feet! Once I entered the convention hall, I was immediately impressed by how the organizers had arranged the rows. The aisles were wide and spacious - to the point I never, not once, felt crowded or pinched in by others looking to add to their collections. As is now always the case, Sports Collectors Digest had a table right near the center of the first row, and SCD's Tom Bartsch, one of the nicest and best men in the hobby, was there to greet collectors as they strolled by and to give out free copies of their most recent issue. That set a nice, welcoming tone. And, as always, the first few rows were home to tables for some of the true icons of the hobby: Kit Young (the “Godfather” of our hobby), Kevin Savage (“Master of Auctions”), Bill Henderson (“King of the Commons”), and others most of us have dealt with for years and years. As a matter of fact, these icons brought so much to look through it took me over four hours the first day just to get through the first few rows! And, it didn't take me long to be muttering to myself one of the old adages that was as true as ever at the National: "If you can't find it at the National, it probably doesn't exist!" As I went down aisle after aisle, there was something for everyone, ranging from 1880’s cabinet cards up through brand new issues from Topps, Panini, Upper Deck, and others. Just to give an idea of what I was able either to hold in my hand or look at in the first few rows, consider these:
*1888 Goodwin Cap Anson card - listed at a "reasonable" $25,000.
*1952 Topps Mantle, PSA 1, which I saw sell for $15,000. A buyer whipped out that amount in new hundred dollar bill right in front of me, creating quite an impressive sight.
*A special bank check signed by Babe Ruth, which was “bargain” priced at $18,000.
*A T206 set (ungraded, average condition "good", minus the “BIG 4” - plus missing two other HOF-ers) for a mere $75,000.
*A stunningly beautiful 1961 Post Cereal baseball card "store display," listed as “one-of-a-kind” for $2,100.
*A 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax rookie card in absolutely gorgeous, but ungraded, condition offered at $40,000. Note: This one was a “crap-shoot.” If it ended up professionally graded at a high level, this price could be a bargain – but this was a very pricey chance for someone to take.
And these were just the tip of the iceberg. I'm currently working on the 1911 Mecca Double Folders set, the 1961 and 1963 Post Cereal baseball issues, the 1965 Topps baseball set, and I wanted to complete my 1964 Topps Giants set. I was able to acquire a huge number of cards on my want-lists for all of these in short order – and I finally, after nearly five years, completed my Topps Giants set. There was that much to see and dig through!
I always love attending the National -- it truly is the most exciting venue of all for us of the rank-and-file collecting world -- but this time I also wanted to ask several of our hobby's most important ambassadors what the National meant to them. Here is what they said:
Note: I’m also attaching pictures of some of these folks so that many of you who have done only “electronic” business with them can see what they actually look like.
Kit Young (Kit Young Cards): “The National is Barnum & Bailey meets the World Series. This is just a great gathering for everyone in the hobby, dealers and collectors alike. I love it, and simply would not miss it!”
Bill Henderson (Bill Henderson’s Cards – “King of the Commons”): “To me the National is ‘friendship and fellowship.’ I’m here to buy and sell cards, of course, but I’ve been here nearly forty years, and renewing friendships is the best part of this of all to me.”
Kevin Savage (Kevin Savage Cards): “It’s the one week of the year I get to reacquaint myself with hundreds and hundreds of old friends and customers. The friendships formed in this hobby are the glue that holds us all together, and I treasure that. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Tom Bartsch (Sports Collectors Digest. Note – for those of you who subscribe to SCD, you read Tom’s musings every month. He is one of THE most important voices of the hobby): “The National is truly the life blood of our hobby. Everyone is here – from pioneers of the hobby to brand new collectors. This is the time when we come together to enjoy the magic and wonder of it all.”
Wayne Johnson (Johnson’s Sports Collectibles): “I’ve been to thirty-six Nationals in a row – this is my thirty-seventh. This is, quite simply, the best venue ever. I see many customers and friends here that I don’t often get to visit with in person, and this is wonderful to have that opportunity here. The National has a mystique to it. I’ve been doing shows since 1974, and I never get tired of this!”
Ron Estes (Coach Estes Cards): “I love finding things I haven’t seen in years or have never seen. And, I love seeing old friends in the hobby, some of whom I see only once a year. I also get to purchase many items for my regular customers, and many of these items show up only at the National.”
Ronald Britt (renowned collector and sport card historian): “This is the greatest!”
***And now, a short aside and editorial about their comments: While it is true most of these individuals make a living through buying and selling cards and memorabilia, one common refrain runs through their words: friends and family. Yes, this is also a “money business” in many respects, but I’ve known most of these folks for ages, and every time I visit with them, the “little boy” inside them – the kids who ripped open packs of cards when they were small – immediately comes to the surface when they talk about the hobby. The business side of all of this is, of course, important, but when all is said and done, friends and family will always come to the top for them. For any dealer worth his/her salt, that will always be the case...
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Next up: An assortment of “bits and bites” about this year's National:
1). To this writer’s untrained eye, attendance at this year’s National seemed down significantly from previous years, and especially in comparison to last year’s in Chicago. My guess is that many stayed away because of memories of the last time it was held in Atlantic City. However, there was an upside to fewer people being there. At least for the first two days, Thursday and Friday, dealers had plenty of time to visit with customers about their “want-lists” and talk about the state of the hobby. In short, there was a real “homey” feel to the National the first two days, and dealers and collectors alike came away richer for it.
2). Atlantic City, again to this untrained eye, is going right into the dumper these days. As I strolled up and down the Boardwalk (I stayed in Caesar’s Palace, right near the center of the Boardwalk), I passed an incredible number of casinos and restaurants that had closed up, I’m sure for a variety of reasons. The boarded-up windows and doors made for quite an eerie atmosphere at night. The casinos also weren’t crowded, even on the weekend, and there was never a wait for a place to sit at any of the restaurants we tried. We did, of course, have the obligatory meal at Hooters on the Boardwalk, had a Philly Cheese Steak at Tony Luke’s, and had our breakfast each morning at Johnny Rocket’s. In short, my cholesterol is currently right through the roof... And, the “local loonies,” once a staple of any stroll on the Boardwalk, have just about all disappeared. Oh sure, there was the guy wearing only his Superman underwear constantly riding his bike up and down the boards while shouting at the top of his lungs, “Atlantic City is a junkyard dog!” – whatever that meant. And we did see too many swimmers and sunbathers come up from the beach, both men and women alike, who should NOT have been wearing the swimsuits they had on as they made their way up and down the Boardwalk (the word “gross” comes mostly to mind here...). And, we did see our share of individuals down on their luck who were forced to sleep on the benches lining the boards, but even their numbers were down greatly. My prediction, and please keep in mind my predictions are right about 3% of the time, is that the National will never return to Atlantic City. Atlantic City seems, to me, on its last legs. Most people from the area I visited with told me they now go to Ocean City for their get-aways – and they don’t bother at all with AC any more. That is sad, but it also seems to be the way it is.
3). Rumors galore: Three rumors dominated the conversations at this year’s National. One of these is likely to come true. The other two, well, I’d say individuals should make up their own minds about whether there is an ounce of truth to them. Here are the three:
A. Rumor #1: The hottest “vintage” card in the hobby right now is the 1955 Topps rookie card of Roberto Clemente. That’s not a rumor – that’s a fact. I passed table after table where dealers had made special signs stating their desire to purchase this card. I did not see signs of this type for any other card while there. The Clemente card is THAT hot right now. I’m sure recent auction results for nice, graded examples of this card helped build this interest, but I also saw several ungraded versions appearing to be in EX or better condition at the show selling for between $4,000-6,000. The rumor: Many of the dealers I spoke with suggested that the Clemente rookie card is “the next 1952 Topps Mantle” in terms of card popularity and value. Could a PSA 10 example reach the same ballpark as the Mantle card? Only time will tell, but according to those I visited with, the answer is likely a big YES.
B). Rumor #2. The first time I heard this rumor in the main convention hall on Thursday, I started laughing. That is, I started laughing until I saw the effect it was having on the price of the card. The story going around is that some collector from the Midwest is trying to corner the market on the 1964 Topps Curt Flood card (#103 in the set). Nobody knows why – whether this person is just a die-hard Curt Flood collector or whether the person is just plain goofy – but the fact of the matter is this rumor was repeated to me by a good dozen dealers there when I asked them about it. My friend needed the card to help complete his 1964 set, and he was shocked to see that an ungraded example in EX or better condition was now well over $50. at many dealer tables. And, many of the dealers believed that the rumor itself, rather than actual scarcity of the card, would keep the price skyrocketing. It is a question that would be fun for all of us to discuss another day, but could a collector really “corner the market” on a card? Hmmmmm.
C). Rumor #3: I’ll preface the comments here by saying I’m more than a tad skeptical about this one, but again, once these rumors get started they seem to take on a life of their own – and this rumor was all over the place in Atlantic City. Here goes: The rumor is that the “key card” now for those who want to put together a graded set of the 1961 Topps baseball issue is none other than the card of Eli Grba (#121 in the set). Yes, Eli Grba... Supposedly, because of where the Grba card appeared on the “print sheet” when the cards were manufactured in 1961 made it especially prone to being off-centered and without a good luster. Oh, one can shake the trees and cards of Eli Grba will fall out, but finding one that will grade a 9 or a 10 is supposedly now nearly impossible. And this “fact” is driving the price of that card through the roof. I distinctly remember as a little boy using Eli “I’d like to buy a vowel” Grba for the spokes of my bicycle. Gee, if I had known back then that I should save the better examples, I’d be rich today... because, much to our horror, it seemed like Eli showed up in every pack we opened that year. Anyway, the next time this card is spotted at a show with a huge price tag on it, we’ll all at least understand why now.
4). Life in the concession area in the main convention hall: It may sound more than a tad nerdy, but one of my favorite places to be at the National is in the concession area. After hours of walking and standing on concrete floors while looking at cards and memorabilia, my feet and knees are always barkin’. So, I take breaks and head to the concession area, where plenty of others are recharging their batteries before hitting the floor once again. I love sipping a bottle of water and munching on a bag of chips while watching collectors going through their purchases and revising their want-lists. This is always a time of great sharing, of responding to the question: “What did you find today?” Collectors, for the most part, are more than willing to share this information and proudly display for all to see their new acquisitions. However, a new tradition was born in the concession area this year, and I hope with all my might it is continued in future years. Finding an open chair at a table in the concession area is usually a tough assignment. This year, when a new person came to sit at a table, he/she was told the “cost of the chair” would be for that individual to tell everyone else at the table the story of his/her greatest card or memorabilia find ever. At first I thought it was just my table that was doing this, but as I later moved around the room, I discovered “all” the tables were doing the same thing – and this continued for the following days as well. The stories were great, ranging from one person who found a complete set of 1968 Topps baseball cards in a suitcase purchased at Goodwill to a collector who recently found a 1952 Topps Mantle at a garage sale – and paid the huge sum of ten dollars for it. The laughs, the sighs, the groans as the stories were told were all priceless and helped build a common spirit of joy that carried through the entire day. I just wish I could have recorded all the stories; what a book that would have made!
Concession area, Part 2: This year another feature was added to the concession area that I also hope will be continued at future Nationals. A fairly large video monitor, was showing “live” images of boxes and packs of cards being opened in the “Breakers Pavilion” section of the hall. Actually, the whole thing looked like a surreal puppet show because only wrists and hands were shown as the packs were opened. Then, as a pack was opened, each card was moved toward the camera so that it could be identified. What I witnessed looked a little suspicious because a special insert card of one type or another seemed to show up in every pack. Still, watching this made for great entertainment and fired-up everyone to purchase new packs and rip them open, which many did right there in the concession area.
Oh, I just can’t end my review of the concession area without mentioning that, yes, this area was also a “hot zone” for those playing Pokémon Go – and all sorts of critters were being captured on cell phones across the room. I swear, Pokémon Go is everywhere these days!
5). Autographs, Autographs Everywhere! Tristar Productions was once again in charge of this, and they did a superb job. There were over 130 folks scheduled for signing autographs at the National, and the lines to obtain signatures on all manner and form of memorabilia were always quite long. If one was willing to wait the time in line and pay the associated fee, autographs could be had by everyone from Mike Piazza (new HOF member) to Joe Namath, and sports heroes representing just about every sport one could think of. I spoke to one person waiting to get Mariano Rivera’s signature and asked how long he was willing to wait in the line. His response: “As long as it takes; he was always my favorite player on the Yanks.” Those who collect autographs are, if nothing else, dedicated and persistent.
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Final Thoughts: I think the one word that comes to mind when I think of my experiences this year at the National would be this: beehive. The convention center was a swarm of activity, with something to see and/or do everywhere one looked. If a person wanted a break from looking at the wares on dealer tables, one could hold one of Babe Ruth’s game-used bats. In another corner of the room, a live auction would be taking place. Even if most of us don’t have wallets deep enough to participate in the auctions, it was still exciting to watch the hammer go down and a new acquisition fall into the hands of a fellow collector. There were also giveaways galore everywhere one looked, from free packs of cards to free tickets to participate in a host of drawings. I began this piece by saying this was the greatest National ever for me, and I meant that. I reconnected with old friends. I managed to find the cards to complete two more sets, both of which I had worked on for years. I laughed until I had tears running down my cheeks while listening to the “tales of the greatest finds” in the concession area. And, I made new friends I hope to stay in touch with through the years ahead. I had so much fun I’m now experiencing “National withdrawal.” I can’t wait for next year. Chicago will again host the National next summer, and I’m ready. When can we purchase our tickets? However long that is, it will be too darn long!
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