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Went with my dad from Fort Lee, it was about a 2 hour drive. I was allotted $300 for spending, but I was trying to avoid spending that much. Let me start by emphasizing, that this was my first ever big time show, and as soon as I walked through the door with my dad, I was pretty petrified at the sheer number of sports stuff I was looking at. Took me about 5 minutes until I stopped being immobile and
started looking for cards.
1. First Table Ever, Wizards Style
Still overwhelmed by the sheer size of everything, I was drawn in by a table near the entrance that had a whole bunch of Washington teams cards. The people there saw my John Wall jersey, so they directed me to a couple row boxes of pure Wizards Autos/Game Used. A kid in a candy store basically. Lots of nice stuff, but I wasn’t looking to blow all my money on the first table I saw; I had to leave a few cards behind. I might’ve overpaid, especially considering the player choice (PJ Ramos?), but I think I came out well PC-wise.
$5 Cards
2004-05 SPx Rookie Jersey Autograph Peter John Ramos #ed/1999 $10
2004-05 SP Signature Edition Rookie Graphiti Autograph Peter John Ramos #ed/200 $10
$10 Cards
2003-04 Fleer Patchworks Licensed Apparel Patch Jerry Stackhouse #ed/150 $12
2004-05 SP Signature Edition Inkorporated Autograph Peter John Ramos #ed/100 $12
$15 Card
2007-08 Topps Echelon Rookie Autographs Quad Relics Gold Nick Young #ed 1/50 ??(Jersey #ed!!)
Total Book Value: $44 (w/o Nick Young factored in) Total Money Spent: $30 (w/o Nick Young factored in)
2. Tons of Cheapie Basketball
Saw a table that had mostly baseball and football, but I saw that it had a row of basketball rookies that were all half off. So I went to work digging! Found a lot of set needs so overall a great find.
$.25 Cards
2003-04 Upper Deck Hardcourt Rookies #ed/1999
Nick Collison $5
Marcus Banks $5
Zoran Planinic $5
2005-06 SPx Rookies #ed/1499
Bracey Wright $5
Shavlik Randolph $5
Aaron Miles $5
Von Wafer $5
Yaroslav Korolev $5
Alex Acker $5
2004-05 SkyBox Premium Rookies #ed/999
Robert Swift $4
2005-06 Sweet Spot Rookies #ed/1599
Jarrett Jack $5
Alan Anderson $5
CJ Miles $6
2006-07 Sweet Shot Gold #ed/199
Antawn Jamison $3
2009-10 Prestige
Tyreke Evans $8
James Harden $6
$.50 Cards
2004-05 Bowman Gold Rookie Devin Harris $6
2004-05 Bowman Chrome Rookie Delonte West $6
2005-06 Sweet Shot Rookies #ed/1499
Louis Williams $8
Hakim Warrick $6
Total Book Value: $108 Total Money Spent: $6
3. Game Used on Sale
I kept moving on and saw a table with a big sign that showcased a blowout of game used and autographed cards in the range of $.75-$2.00. I checked it out and think I came out nicely.
$1.50 Cards
2002-03 UD Authentics Uniform Greatness Kevin Garnett $15
2003-04 SP Game Used Jersey Allen Iverson $12
2003-04 SPx Rookie Jersey Autograph Jason Kapono #ed/1999 $10
2004-05 Topps Luxury Box Triple Threat Relics Antoine Walker/Antawn Jamison/Grant Hill #ed/450 $10
2007-08 Ultra SE Jersey DeShawn Stevenson #ed/50 $6
2009-10 SP Game Used 3 Star Swatches Caron Butler/Josh Howard/Paul Millsap #ed/299 $10
Total Book Value: $63 Total Money Spent: $9
4. Box Busters!
Decided I wanted some wax to bust as well. Ran into a table headed by PittsburghSportsCards.com, and they had a alot of nice prices for their boxes. Still not willing to break my allowance on my first show, I walked off with 2 boxes of 10-11 Panini Season Update for $45 each. Busting them as soon as I’m done with this post!
Total Money Spent: $90
5. LeBron and Kobe Show
Saw a table that had a couple boxes filled with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James base and inserts for 50 cents for the most part, with the occasional big time inserts for $1-$3. There were some other big players as well.I needed some LeBron and Kobe to fill out some of my basketball sets, so I went to work.
$.50 Cards
2003-04 SPx Kobe Bryant $6
2003-04 Upper Deck Triple Dimensions Kobe Bryant $4
2004-05 Bowman LeBron James $5
2004-05 Bowman Chrome LeBron James $8
2005-06 Sweet Shot LeBron James $5
2007-08 Stadium Club Kobe Bryant $5
2007-08 Stadium Club LeBron James $5
2008-09 Topps Treasury Kobe Bryant $6
2009-10 Prestige Franchise Favorites LeBron James $10
2009-10 Prestige Stars of the NBA LeBron James $10
$2 Card
2009-10 Topps Gold LeBron James #ed/2009 $12
$3 Card
2004-05 Fleer Genuine Legends Kareem Abdul Jabber #ed/500 $8
Total Book Value: $80 Total Money Spent: $10
6. A Pair of SPx Rookies
It was about 4:20 PM; had maybe 40 minutes before the show closed and everyone started packing up. I started to scramble around in search of more basketball , and stumbled upon a table of UNC cards for $5 each or 5 for $20. I saw 2 SPx Rookies I needed so I quickly snagged them and moved on.
$5 Cards
2005-06 SPx Rookie Autograph Jerseys #ed/750
Marvin Williams $20
Rashad McCants $20
Total Book Value: $40 Total Money Spent: $10
7. Some Much-Needed Protection
One thing I severely lack from my card supply from home are toploaders, so what better place to buy them than here? Got a variety of sizes for my many needs.
Total Money Spent: $15
8. Support Our Troops
I mentioned that my dad was with me at the show. Well, where was he? My dad is active military, already 27 years in the Army. He has a talent of pointing out guys in a crowd as active or veterans and striking up conversations. So as I was finding bargains, my dad walked around and was just talking with the many interesting people at the show. I’d say it was about 4:35 PM, and I saw my dad talking with an older couple that had some cool pins and old school memorabilia for sale. The man was a Vietnam vet and was part of an Airborne unit, as my dad is. I thought that was really cool and I thanked the man for his service. I saw a Mike Flanagan Pin that he had for sale at $3, and I knew someone who could used it. I took out three $1 bills out of my pocket before I asked the man for the Flanagan. I was about to reach my bill-filled hand out when he said I could have it for free, which caught me completely off-guard. I thanked the man, while my dad bought a Ronald Reagan pin from him. Also got a Phillies Championship Cup and Keychain, which he discounted for me as well. That was a really cool experience for sure.
Total Money Spent: $10
Conclusion: For my first big-time show, I can confidently say that this is probably the greatest experience of my life in relation to the hobby. It was fun chatting with dealers and seeing that most of them are still hobbyists at heart, which is really cool. Would love to hit this show again next year.
Grand Total Spent: $195
BONUS STORY: James Worthy is Cool Dude
A little backstory: a couple weeks ago (October 2nd exactly), my dad was in attendance at a military event, and as it happened, Mr. James Worthy was there as well. He took a couple pictures with him and texted me that night; I thought that was really awesome. As it turns out, Mr. Worthy was signing at this show today. Unfortunately, the schedule said he was signing at 11:00 AM-12:15 PM and we arrived at about 2:15 PM; too late for us. But as my dad was talking with other dealers, one let it slip that Mr. Worthy was still at the show signing stuff for memorabilia dealers. My dad, being a Sergeant Major and not willing to take orders from others, stepped into the back of the convention center which was Authorized People Only (Dealers I’m guessing), spotted Mr. Worthy and started talking with him. Mr. Worthy remembered him from the military event, and said he’d definitely sign something for him. So my dad raced out on the show floor and told me everything. I trailed behind him as he quickly got an 8x10 and an autograph ticket; the cashier and people around were confused as Worthy stopped signing at 12:15 PM. My dad pulled me into the Authorized People Only and I immediately felt awkward seeing all the people with their dealer lanyards. We walked to Mr. Worthy as he was in the middle of signing some Lakers and UNC jerseys, and the dealers over watching him gave us some icy glances. We waited for him to take a break; as soon as he saw us as he turned he gave us a warm greeting and was telling everyone about my dad at the military event. I was kind of, or rather very, star struck, and all I could muster was a “Hello Sir!” I shook his huge hand and took a picture with him, then he gave us a nice signature on the 8x10 we brought. Great way to start the day.
started looking for cards.
1. First Table Ever, Wizards Style
Still overwhelmed by the sheer size of everything, I was drawn in by a table near the entrance that had a whole bunch of Washington teams cards. The people there saw my John Wall jersey, so they directed me to a couple row boxes of pure Wizards Autos/Game Used. A kid in a candy store basically. Lots of nice stuff, but I wasn’t looking to blow all my money on the first table I saw; I had to leave a few cards behind. I might’ve overpaid, especially considering the player choice (PJ Ramos?), but I think I came out well PC-wise.
$5 Cards
2004-05 SPx Rookie Jersey Autograph Peter John Ramos #ed/1999 $10
2004-05 SP Signature Edition Rookie Graphiti Autograph Peter John Ramos #ed/200 $10
$10 Cards
2003-04 Fleer Patchworks Licensed Apparel Patch Jerry Stackhouse #ed/150 $12
2004-05 SP Signature Edition Inkorporated Autograph Peter John Ramos #ed/100 $12
$15 Card
2007-08 Topps Echelon Rookie Autographs Quad Relics Gold Nick Young #ed 1/50 ??(Jersey #ed!!)
Total Book Value: $44 (w/o Nick Young factored in) Total Money Spent: $30 (w/o Nick Young factored in)
2. Tons of Cheapie Basketball
Saw a table that had mostly baseball and football, but I saw that it had a row of basketball rookies that were all half off. So I went to work digging! Found a lot of set needs so overall a great find.
$.25 Cards
2003-04 Upper Deck Hardcourt Rookies #ed/1999
Nick Collison $5
Marcus Banks $5
Zoran Planinic $5
2005-06 SPx Rookies #ed/1499
Bracey Wright $5
Shavlik Randolph $5
Aaron Miles $5
Von Wafer $5
Yaroslav Korolev $5
Alex Acker $5
2004-05 SkyBox Premium Rookies #ed/999
Robert Swift $4
2005-06 Sweet Spot Rookies #ed/1599
Jarrett Jack $5
Alan Anderson $5
CJ Miles $6
2006-07 Sweet Shot Gold #ed/199
Antawn Jamison $3
2009-10 Prestige
Tyreke Evans $8
James Harden $6
$.50 Cards
2004-05 Bowman Gold Rookie Devin Harris $6
2004-05 Bowman Chrome Rookie Delonte West $6
2005-06 Sweet Shot Rookies #ed/1499
Louis Williams $8
Hakim Warrick $6
Total Book Value: $108 Total Money Spent: $6
3. Game Used on Sale
I kept moving on and saw a table with a big sign that showcased a blowout of game used and autographed cards in the range of $.75-$2.00. I checked it out and think I came out nicely.
$1.50 Cards
2002-03 UD Authentics Uniform Greatness Kevin Garnett $15
2003-04 SP Game Used Jersey Allen Iverson $12
2003-04 SPx Rookie Jersey Autograph Jason Kapono #ed/1999 $10
2004-05 Topps Luxury Box Triple Threat Relics Antoine Walker/Antawn Jamison/Grant Hill #ed/450 $10
2007-08 Ultra SE Jersey DeShawn Stevenson #ed/50 $6
2009-10 SP Game Used 3 Star Swatches Caron Butler/Josh Howard/Paul Millsap #ed/299 $10
Total Book Value: $63 Total Money Spent: $9
4. Box Busters!
Decided I wanted some wax to bust as well. Ran into a table headed by PittsburghSportsCards.com, and they had a alot of nice prices for their boxes. Still not willing to break my allowance on my first show, I walked off with 2 boxes of 10-11 Panini Season Update for $45 each. Busting them as soon as I’m done with this post!
Total Money Spent: $90
5. LeBron and Kobe Show
Saw a table that had a couple boxes filled with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James base and inserts for 50 cents for the most part, with the occasional big time inserts for $1-$3. There were some other big players as well.I needed some LeBron and Kobe to fill out some of my basketball sets, so I went to work.
$.50 Cards
2003-04 SPx Kobe Bryant $6
2003-04 Upper Deck Triple Dimensions Kobe Bryant $4
2004-05 Bowman LeBron James $5
2004-05 Bowman Chrome LeBron James $8
2005-06 Sweet Shot LeBron James $5
2007-08 Stadium Club Kobe Bryant $5
2007-08 Stadium Club LeBron James $5
2008-09 Topps Treasury Kobe Bryant $6
2009-10 Prestige Franchise Favorites LeBron James $10
2009-10 Prestige Stars of the NBA LeBron James $10
$2 Card
2009-10 Topps Gold LeBron James #ed/2009 $12
$3 Card
2004-05 Fleer Genuine Legends Kareem Abdul Jabber #ed/500 $8
Total Book Value: $80 Total Money Spent: $10
6. A Pair of SPx Rookies
It was about 4:20 PM; had maybe 40 minutes before the show closed and everyone started packing up. I started to scramble around in search of more basketball , and stumbled upon a table of UNC cards for $5 each or 5 for $20. I saw 2 SPx Rookies I needed so I quickly snagged them and moved on.
$5 Cards
2005-06 SPx Rookie Autograph Jerseys #ed/750
Marvin Williams $20
Rashad McCants $20
Total Book Value: $40 Total Money Spent: $10
7. Some Much-Needed Protection
One thing I severely lack from my card supply from home are toploaders, so what better place to buy them than here? Got a variety of sizes for my many needs.
Total Money Spent: $15
8. Support Our Troops
I mentioned that my dad was with me at the show. Well, where was he? My dad is active military, already 27 years in the Army. He has a talent of pointing out guys in a crowd as active or veterans and striking up conversations. So as I was finding bargains, my dad walked around and was just talking with the many interesting people at the show. I’d say it was about 4:35 PM, and I saw my dad talking with an older couple that had some cool pins and old school memorabilia for sale. The man was a Vietnam vet and was part of an Airborne unit, as my dad is. I thought that was really cool and I thanked the man for his service. I saw a Mike Flanagan Pin that he had for sale at $3, and I knew someone who could used it. I took out three $1 bills out of my pocket before I asked the man for the Flanagan. I was about to reach my bill-filled hand out when he said I could have it for free, which caught me completely off-guard. I thanked the man, while my dad bought a Ronald Reagan pin from him. Also got a Phillies Championship Cup and Keychain, which he discounted for me as well. That was a really cool experience for sure.
Total Money Spent: $10
Conclusion: For my first big-time show, I can confidently say that this is probably the greatest experience of my life in relation to the hobby. It was fun chatting with dealers and seeing that most of them are still hobbyists at heart, which is really cool. Would love to hit this show again next year.
Grand Total Spent: $195
BONUS STORY: James Worthy is Cool Dude
A little backstory: a couple weeks ago (October 2nd exactly), my dad was in attendance at a military event, and as it happened, Mr. James Worthy was there as well. He took a couple pictures with him and texted me that night; I thought that was really awesome. As it turns out, Mr. Worthy was signing at this show today. Unfortunately, the schedule said he was signing at 11:00 AM-12:15 PM and we arrived at about 2:15 PM; too late for us. But as my dad was talking with other dealers, one let it slip that Mr. Worthy was still at the show signing stuff for memorabilia dealers. My dad, being a Sergeant Major and not willing to take orders from others, stepped into the back of the convention center which was Authorized People Only (Dealers I’m guessing), spotted Mr. Worthy and started talking with him. Mr. Worthy remembered him from the military event, and said he’d definitely sign something for him. So my dad raced out on the show floor and told me everything. I trailed behind him as he quickly got an 8x10 and an autograph ticket; the cashier and people around were confused as Worthy stopped signing at 12:15 PM. My dad pulled me into the Authorized People Only and I immediately felt awkward seeing all the people with their dealer lanyards. We walked to Mr. Worthy as he was in the middle of signing some Lakers and UNC jerseys, and the dealers over watching him gave us some icy glances. We waited for him to take a break; as soon as he saw us as he turned he gave us a warm greeting and was telling everyone about my dad at the military event. I was kind of, or rather very, star struck, and all I could muster was a “Hello Sir!” I shook his huge hand and took a picture with him, then he gave us a nice signature on the 8x10 we brought. Great way to start the day.
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