National Thoughts -- 2012 Edition

Now that I've returned to civilization and begun adjusting to my regular routine, here's a few thoughts on last week's event in Baltimore:

The best item of the show may not have been a purchase at all...this little item was handed to me by fellow blogger Dave Hornish (the proprietor of The Topps Archives blog).

It's an intact piece of gum from 1946, before Topps even produced cards. One of four different flavors (the others were spearmint, pepsin and cinnamon), it will remain in its present state and take a place of honor in my collection.

Dave wasn't the only fellow blogger to show up, either. Bo -- better known as Phungo -- stopped by the table where I was working and had one of his specially-made packs to give to me. Here are the contents:

Every one of the cards inside has a vintage tie to it. I don't know if that was intentional, but it was definitely appreciated.

I see in his post on The National that I ended up being the only other blogger he ran into. That's a shame, as the Blogosphere is big enough to have a bigger presence at the hobby's premiere event. But I will say this: I agree with his assessment that The National is overwhelming. This was my sixth time at one, and I'll admit that one day there just isn't enough to take it all in.

I picked this up at a table for the outrageous price of $1:

This opened wrapper is from 1979, the first year of baseball cards I collected. I remember opening the yellow wax for what was inside, but it never occurred to me to actually hold on to one for my collection. So that was rectified with this wrapper.

By the way...baseball wasn't the very first thing I collected. That honor goes to Star Wars, which I mentioned here a couple of years back. I even managed to find an unopened item for that part of the collection, too:

That will join my other unopened packs...now that I've completed the base set, I'm no longer tempted to see what is inside these.

On Thursday, I attended the Topps "meet and greet." In the process, I answered four trivia questions and received two boxes of new product and two new specialty cards. Since I really had no use for the newer stuff, they went to kids in the audience (which surprised the Topps execs who watched me do it; they had just asked me nicely if I could keep it off of eBay until the next Wednesday). I did keep one of the items, though:

 
As a Steelers fan, I wasn't about to get rid of this one. Especially something that reminds me that even the Topps executives can get jaded by the actions of hobbyists, and can also act surprised to see a hobbyist just give away a whole box of cards to a kid who might enjoy it more.

I picked up several more cards last week, and I will show them later as I cover some of the sets I feature in the future. If you went and I missed you, hopefully we can cross paths in Chicago next year. If you didn't make it this year, I'd be glad to see you in the future. The National is like Mecca...it's a place that every collector needs to see at least once.

2012 National Week...A Look Back, Part 2

Today marks the beginning of "The National," the annual sportscards convention. This year's event is being held in Baltimore and runs through Sunday. Unlike 2010 in Baltimore, when I missed it, I'll be there this year, helping Irv Lerner at table (#317). If you're at the show, stop by and say hello. But don't ask me to give you a discount...because I can't.

The National has been held every year since 1980 and has rotated through several cities. The '80 show was in Los Angeles and would travel to Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago after that. The rules in place allowed several dealers to "bid" on the next year's show and the election would be held at the convention. The prospective sponsors would make their case before the assembled dealers and officers of the committee. Once the votes were tallied, the winner would be announced. For the fifth show in 1984, the event would be held in Parsippany, New Jersey. It was just across the river from New York City and widely hailed as the "New York National."

Attendees of that show were able to pick up this program:

While the artwork featuring the '56 Topps cards is neat, the rendering of the two brothers sitting on a wooden crate and looking at their cards is awesome. I especially like the way they have the opened wax wrappers and extra cards tossed about the ground. For collectors like myself who were told to be extra careful with our cards to avoid damaging them, the picture is a glimpse into a different era.

The group that won the right to sponsor the '84 National are assembled in this photo from the program:

Standing are Tom Reid and Mike Gordon (a former contributor to The Trader Speaks and the man who sold me this program at a later National in Chicago). The two men seated are Mike Aronstein (the "MA" in TCMA, a company that printed collector cards in the 1970s and '80s) and Lew Lipset, author of The Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards and publisher of The Old Judge. (The program didn't give any photographer credit...but I've since discovered that this photo was taken by Frank Barning of Baseball Hobby News.)

For those who haven't been to a National, it's worth going just to see the stuff on display. Along with the cards, memorabilia from sports and entertainment are available, autograph guests sign throughout the weekend and many hobby names will be on the floor. While attending other Nationals, I've met Penny Marshall and Dr. Jim Beckett walking the floor as collectors and even Howard Bedell, who was on a 1962 Topps card as a player.

In the case of Howie Bedell, he walked up to a table, looked at a binder with some 1962 Topps cards in it, found the one with him on it and asked the seller, "is this one even real?" The seller assured him that it was authentic, especially for a "no-name" player. Bedell handed over his business card and said something about how that was certainly not a "no-name" player. Perhaps noticing that I (standing 4-5 feet away) was chuckling to myself over what I just saw, Bedell have me a slap on the shoulder and asked me how I was doing. Meanwhile, the seller was asking him if he'd do the honor of signing his card but Bedell politely declined. I actually enjoyed being there for that, if only to see a seller get reminded of the importance of not automatically downgrading a player on a card.

One thing that I wish would still be a part of the convention is a series of seminars. For one day, many subject matter "experts" would discuss a topic for an hour. The '84 National program had a list of the schedule:

The schedule shows a wide range of interesting topics that could hold somebody's interest. While "Collecting and the I.R.S." doesn't seem like it would be good for anything besides catching up on some sleep, Bill Henderson is always good for some stories about the way things used to be in the hobby (I always seem to hear something new from him each time I speak with him). An oratory about prices by Dr. Jim Beckett -- remember, this was before he had started his price guide -- also had potential. My introduction to 19th century baseball cards was a book co-written by Keith Mitchell; that would have been a neat discussion to sit in on. I'll also mention that Rich Klein is still active with The National and posts on Net54. He often has a table near the show entrance; if you can get to this year's show, stop by and chat with him for a moment.

Another feature of the National was a luncheon. In recent years, there have been several groups that have luncheons and dinners with interesting speakers from auction houses and grading companies, but none are officially recognized by the National committee. In most cases, you need to belong (or know somebody who belongs) to a group to know about them. However, here's an event that was listed in the '84 program:

Having lost that very 80s-vintage mustache long ago, Keith Olbermann is known today as a national political commentator and former ESPN Sportscenter host. As a teen in the 1970s he was quite active in the hobby. He wrote the text that shows up on backs of the underappreciated 1976 SSPC set (printed by TCMA, mentioned earlier) and even took some photos that wound up in the 1981 Donruss set. At the time of the '84 convention he was the sports guy for the nightly TV news in Boston. Jean Potvin was likely added to help skew the baseball focus that most hobbyists had; however, he was a member of the Islanders teams so popular in the New York area at the time and likely had some colorful insights.

As for autograph guests, the list is rather short and includes mainly players who were local:

While many of these former players are now deceased, there's a definite lack or "star quality" that marks shows like this today. For an example, compare this list with the schedule of autograph guests at this year's show. That might be due to the fact that in '84, these autographs were included in the admission price. Today, all autographs are a separate fee and even the VIP package sold to collectors only includes a limited number of free autographs.

Another thing missing from current National programs that should be there are articles. Fortunately, the 1984 program has several, like this one:

This article explains the battle between Topps and Bowman, both in the candy stores and in the courtrooms. Other articles cover Barry Halper's collection, the first National in '80, World Series rings, collecting nonsports subjects and different methods of collecting. Compare that to the program for last year's National in Chicago, which consisted of a directory of sellers and advertisements from sponsors but no reading material. I kept a program for my collection, but was disappointed to see what wasn't included.

2012 National Week...Looking Back

The National Sports Cards Collectors' Convention will be held this week in Baltimore. Running from Wednesday through Sunday, it is usually the largest gathering of sellers, collectors, autograph guests and hobby names all year.

I'll be there as well, working at Irv Lerner's table (number 317). Here's some info about Irv from the OBC Website that shows his long association with the hobby. If you're around, stop in and say hello.

However, this blog often likes to look back...and this year, I'll show my program from the very first National to be held in Chicago (but not the first...that was in Los Angeles in 1980). The year was 1983, and here is the cover:

It was also the 50th anniversary of the first major league All-Star game. Since Babe Ruth had famously hit a home run in that first game, he gets a spot of honor on the cover. Ernie Banks' connection to Chicago is obvious, and he was a featured autograph guest (signatures were free to attendees back then...those days are long gone). The HOF plaque card features Buck Leonard, who was another autograph guest. As for Johnny Mize, he wasn't shown as an autograph guest inside the program, but he was a willing signer at conventions at the time.

By the way...the 1983 All-Star game was held in Comiskey Park on July 6th, which may have helped determine the date of this National.

Here's the schedule of events. You can click the image to see it better:

 

I have always been a fan of The National, because it gives many collectors the chance to look at T206 Wagner cards and 19th century equipment, as well as the opportunity to bump into Dr. Jim Beckett in the crowd (I did that in Cleveland in '07) or even celebrities like Penny Marshall (I met her in Chicago in '05, she's a collector too and had her wantlist out). I also saw O.J. Simpson getting escorted out of the convention center by security in '05, but it's safe to say we won't see a repeat of that.

Here's a picture in the program showing a younger Dr. Beckett. It was before he had his own monthly magazine and was just another seller at the show:

However, check this part out:

If there was something from the past I'd love to see -- and even help arrange it if I had the means -- would be a series of seminars on hobby topics, given by some of the best and brightest in the arena. I'd even offer to speak at one if asked. In Chicago '83, there were presentations on 19th Century cards by Lew Lipset and Keith Mitchell (who helped write a great book about the subject) as well as a Lipset slide show on prewar cards. That final forum on Dealers and the Hobby media would be a phenomenal idea.

Another neat thing on that page is the way certain former athletes are called "celebrity guests." Here's a page about them:

(Again...click on the image to see it in a more readable size)

And then there's this:

What an awesome idea. Today's hobbyists are largely from the era where we've been apt to take care of our cards. There are a lot of us who've never been given the chance to do something like flipping cards as a game. Even when there's countless cases of junk wax that can be gleefully ripped open to provide enough ammunition to get really good at it.

I also love that there are also levels for kids and teens. There really aren't enough things specifically geared for kids in our hobby (you can say that the cards themselves are targeted toward kids...but I might disagree with that). Anyway, here are the rules of the game:

So there's a small glimpse at our hobby 29 years ago, when the value of a '52 Topps Mantle was hovering around $800, when many 1950s commons could be found in dime and quarter boxes, and the National convention could fit inside a hotel ballroom.

If you're going to be at the show, leave a message saying when you'll be there. If you're a seller, do the same...maybe one of my readers will check you out.

The National...Loot and Other Ramblings

I returned back home from Chicago yesterday and now need to cycle out of the "Hobby guy" persona and remember what it is that I do when I have to go to work.

I am pretty sure the experience of helping a seller like Irv Lerner was positive...the show wasn't even half over before Irv told me he would like for me to do it again in Baltimore next year. That was a great feeling knowing that a grizzled Hobby veteran saw something in me.

I am also finding out that I have more Hobby friends than I thought i did. While I was amazed to see other Hobby legends and long-time dealers stopping by to talk with Irv...there were also several who stopped by the table to shake hands with me as well. That included other bloggers like Darren from the Indianaland blog, Matt from the #5 Collection blog and Mike from NearMint's Vintage Football card blog.

Now that I've been on both sides of the table, I can't tell you which is tougher...trying to get to each table and seeing what is available without spending money...or seeing everything around you and not being able to hit much of it because you have a job and need to stay behind a table.

I did get to take a little time to check out other tables, but it was limited. So, my wife went on a couple of days and looked around for me. That serves two great purposes: first, she is a lot better than I am at snagging a deal, and she isn't going to complain about how much was spent. Here is probably the top hit of the show for me:

1955 Topps #28 -- Ernie Banks

Yes, it's trimmed. But it reduces my 1955 Topps wantlist to 8 cards and fills a spot in my binder. The cost: $7. I asked Ellen to look out for any '55 Topps cards that would be bargains...and she certainly found one.

She also found these for my Steelers collection:

1972 Topps Football #306 -- Preston Pearson 

 This high-numbered card did two very important things. It finished off the 1972 Steelers set (my birthyear), and it finished off the Topps run of Steelers base cards from 1956-'90. I had been trying to find an example for under $17...Ellen picked it up for $8.

There were only two Steelers in that tough '72 3rd series, and neither was an All-Pro or Pro Action card.

 

1954 Bowman #71 -- Art DeCarlo

I love the look of the old helmet they used before the days of face masks. DeCarlo was one of two Steelers included in the tougher mid-series run of cards in 1954. Ellen also picked it up for $8...and that closed the wantlist for my 1954 Bowman Steelers set.

Now that my Steelers wantlist has gotten shorter, I have become accustomed to only getting one card at a time. It's really something when I can complete two team sets in a single show.

One of the other reasons I enjoy going to The National is the way I can get to meet with other Hobby people. That includes members of groups that include me as a member. One of those groups is OBC (Check out their website), an organization of "old school"-style collectors who always have a swap session after the show ends on Saturday. As usual, the group members settled down in a hotel lobby, ate pizza, looked through each others' dupes boxes and talked about all types of things: sports, life, hobby, kids, jobs, etc. This year, I did more talking than looking.

One of the members who came all the way over from Scotland stopped over and asked me if i was working on the 1956 Topps set. I said I needed fewer than 60 cards...so he gave me this:

1956 Topps #130 -- Willie Mays

Once again...yes, it's trimmed. However, when it comes to my collection I believe that a hole in the card is better than one in the binder. More than that, it removes a really big name from the list.

I took some pictures from the show floor, but an having trouble finding my cord to transfer files from my camera to my laptop...Hopefully it'll show up soon so I can show the showcase full of Old Judge cards at David Levin's table (David's Website has his inventory), along with the dozens of high number 1952 Topps. What's funny...I have been a Facebook friend of David's ever since I got on there and have been getting emails from him for 10 years since I bought a bunch of his stuff on eBay. We met for the first time in person on the "L" train after he went to a Yankees/White Sox game (I was coming back from a dinner downtown) and talked about the Dodgers, steroids, 19th Century cards and carried on like we'd known each other for years. That's one of the neat ways our Hobby has been affected by the Internet: two total strangers can meet and immediately be like two old acquaintances.

Since I now have a job at next year's show in Baltimore, hopefully I'll get the chance to meet more hobbyists there. In the meantime, I plan to keep on with the info in these posts.

The National...On-the-Scenes Report, Part 2

I'm spending the entire week at The National in Chicago. I'm helping out at booth 1012, so if you're nearby, stop in and say hello.

(This is the place...bring a good pair of shoes if you come)

Just a few minor things this time around.

During a break in the day's activity, I was able to stop over at the Topps booth and talk with Clay Luraschi. Yesterday, I won a Hobby box of 2011 Bowman simply by knowing the answer to a trick question (see yesterday's post) and gave the box to my daughter. She thanked Luraschi for the gift.

While speaking, I told him I was a blogger and he asked which one. I told him The Vintage Sportscards Blog and the 1973 Topps Photography Blog. He said, "Oh...that's you?" So he's evidently seen my work. I don't know whether that was a good or bad thing.

Speaking of kids, at one point in the afternoon a boy who looked to be about 12 was looking through the vintage football cards at the table where I'm working. At that age, I was often shooed away by dealers and hated it. However, I still remember -- by name -- the few dealers who showed some interest. So...I went ahead, pulled up a chair and talked with him about what he was looking through. While thumbing through pages of 1977 and '78 football, he told me he began collecting by pulling out his father's own childhood collection and organizing it. It was a great talk about airbrushed helmets, what constituted "vintage" and re-sorting cards into teams/positions/etc. Finally, he pulled out some money and asked to pick up this card:

A 1977 Fran Tarkenton card. It was pretty cool to see a young fan interested in vintage stuff, and helps give me hope that new collectors will be there in the future. While I'm certain he'll never see this post, I hope a little effort from an adult seller to a young hobbyist made a lasting impression.

After the show, I was able to talk about blog stuff with Matt Glidden, the writer of the Number 5 Type Collection blog. We've been hobby friends for years, but both have found that blogging has been a very nice way to share our interests with others. I'd love to meet with other bloggers at the show; stop over to booth 1012 and I'll be sure to plug your blog here as well.

The National...An On-the-Scenes Report

For the first time, I am experiencing the National from a very different vantage point...behind the table.

(The site of The National...and my home of the next few days)

This time, I'm helping out at Irv Lerner's table. Irv is a long-time hobby veteran, who was a collector going back to 1948 and has been selling cards for longer than I've been alive. A Philadelphia native, he had friends at Bowman and Fleer and bought cases of Topps cards over the years. The contents of many of those cases now sit in his binders and are in very nice condition. He also has an extensive inventory of T-cards with rare backs, as well as 1930s/40s gum cards, Exhibits of all types, test issues and inserts. There are baseball, football, basketball and hockey cards, as well as non-sports subjects.

Fortunately, I'm versed enough in most of those issues and can handle questions that are asked about them. In the past couple of days, I've explained how Green Tints happened in one series in 1962, why several Topps sets from the 1970s can be found with one or two asterisks, why Topps went to an all-AFL football lineup in the mid-1960s and even explained how 1951 Topps Magic football cards came with a scratch-off back that "hid" the player's college. However, Irv has some hobby info that makes me look like a rank amateur by comparison.

It's a great opportunity to be able to get some insight from such a Hobby stalwart. Everybody knows him, he was a mentor to Hobby bigwigs like Bill Mastro and Rob Lifson when they were still teens. Say what you want about those two...but they're incredibly knowledgeable and Irv was one of their earliest teachers.

As far as his inventory goes, I'm up to the task of helping sell it. However, even a grizzled old hobby guy like myself finds it hard to not get nervous handling a 1948 Bowman George Mikan basketball card (price tag: $7000).

Being behind the table has kept me from getting out on the floor too often. However, I still got to see a little excitement. On Thursday morning, I looked up to see several Federal agents and postal inspectors walking past like they had a major purpose (that's a term I learned in the Army). And a few minutes later, we got to see this:

(Picture borrowed from the newspaper article linked below.)

Evidently (or should that be "allegedly," as the man shown above is still innocent until proven guilty in court), a seller had been selling fake jerseys and claiming them to be genuine game-worn gear. Read the story at TimesUnion.com. While part of me likes to see the authorities deal with sellers who damage the name of our Hobby, the cynic in me assumes it'll be the only one of the show; a quick, easy headline to grab that will make somebody show that they are "tough" on those who don't deal straight. However, the uncomfortable truth is that if the Feds really look at some of the dealings going on in the Hobby (especially the memorabilia side of it)...there would be a lot of activity like this.

I did manage to sit in on a panel discussion from Topps, where I got to hear pretty much what I expected: the corporate line on several issues that mainly pertain to sellers of current material. When the Q&A session began, the best question asked was by a kid named William, who seemed to be about 12 years old. Once he asked it (it was about trading virtual prizes online), several people in the room applauded him for it.

There were some drawings and even some trivia questions...and one the questions was answered by Yours Truly. In reference to the question: "What was the number of Mickey Mantle's 1954 Topps card?" The one vintage guy sitting in the audience (me) raised his hand saying "I know that one..."

It was a trick question. There was no card of Mantle issued by Topps in 1954. There was a mock one that appeared in an early issue of Sports Illustrated, as well as others with the design that appeared in retro sets beginning with Topps Archive in 1993, but there was no Mickey Mantle card issued in the Topps base set in 1954.

So, I was the winner of this box:

(See? There's still room for modern stuff on this blog)

This Hobby box of 2011 Bowman, which is shown in the hands of my 12 year-old daughter (not at the show then, but out enjoying Chicago with her mother). I still believe that the Hobby should be enjoyed by kids, so selling it for a quick buck didn't even cross my mind as long as I knew a kid who would be happy to have it. She was happy to rip it as soon as we returned to the hotel last night.

Keep a watch over the weekend, as I'll have a couple of extra reports on days I don't normally post.

The National...A Look Back

The National Sports Cards Collectors' Convention will be held this week in Chicago. Running from Today through Sunday, it is usually the largest gathering of sellers, collectors, autograph guests and hobby names all year.

I'll be there as well, working at Irv Lerner's table (1012/1014). If you're around, stop in and say hello.

However, this blog often likes to look back...and this year, I'll show my program from the very first National held in Chicago. It was in 1983, and here is the cover:

Interestingly, the dealer who organized the show was Bruce Paynter. He'll be set up this week at the table behind the one where I'll be working.

It was also the 50th anniversary of the first major league All-Star game. Since Babe Ruth had famously hit a home run in that first game, he gets a spot of honor on the cover. Ernie Banks' connection to Chicago is obvious, and he was a featured autograph guest (signatures were free to attendees back then...those days are long gone). The HOF plaque card features Buck Leonard, who was another autograph guest. As for Johnny Mize, he wasn't shown as an autograph guest inside the program, but he was a willing signer at conventions at the time.

By the way...the 1983 All-Star game was held in Comiskey Park on July 6th, which may have helped determine the date of the National.

Here's the schedule of events. You can click the image to see it better:

 

I have always been a fan of The National, because it gives many collectors the chance to look at T206 Wagner cards and 19th century equipment, as well as the opportunity to bump into Dr. Jim Beckett in the crowd (I did that in Cleveland in '07) or even celebrities like Penny Marshall (I met her in Chicago in '05, she's a collector too and had her wantlist out). I also saw O.J. Simpson getting escorted out of the convention center by security in '05, but it's safe to say we won't see a repeat of that.

Here's a picture in the program showing a younger Dr. Beckett. It was before he had his own monthly magazine and was just another seller at the show:

However, check this part out:

If there was something from the past I'd love to see -- and even help arrange it if I had the means -- would be a series of seminars on hobby topics, given by some of the best and brightest in the arena. I'd even offer to speak at one if asked. In Chicago '83, there were presentations on 19th Century cards by Lew Lipset and Keith Mitchell (who helped write a great book about the subject) as well as a Lipset slide show on prewar cards. That final forum on Dealers and the Hobby media would be a phenomenal idea.

Another neat thing on that page is the way certain former athletes are called "celebrity guests." Here's a page about them:

(Again...click on the image to see it in a more readable size)

And then there's this:

What an awesome idea. Today's hobbyists are largely from the era where we've been apt to take care of our cards. There are a lot of us who've never been given the chance to do something like flipping cards as a game. Even when there's countless cases of junk wax that can be gleefully ripped open to provide enough ammunition to get really good at it.

I also love that there are also levels for kids and teens. There really aren't enough things specifically geared for kids in our hobby (you can say that the cards themselves are targeted toward kids...but I might disagree with that). Anyway, here are the rules of the game:

So there's a small glimpse at our hobby 28 years ago, when the value of a '52 Topps Mantle was hovering around $800, when many 1950s commons could be found in dime and quarter boxes, and the National convention could fit inside a hotel ballroom.

If you're going to be at the show, leave a message saying when you'll be there. If you're a seller, do the same...maybe one of my readers will check you out.

The National...Thoughts, Part 2

(With the National Sportscards Collectors' Convention coming up, I'm sharing some of my past memories here. This was published in a newsletter I used to write back in 2005.)

(Last year, I showed some of the content of this program. I bought this at the 2005 National.)

The 2005 National Sports Cards & Collectibles Convention was held from July 25 through July 31 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois (near Chicago's O'Hare airport).  Over 700 dealers and vendors set up tables for an estimated 35,000 collectors.  Among the exhibitors were card manufacturers (Topps, Donruss, Upper Deck) and many long-time hobby names – Kit Young, Mastro, Mr. Mint, etc.

I was in Chicago for the events, and brought my wife and daughter along.  We flew up a couple of days early to take in the Chicago experience.  I had booked the Chicago-O’Hare hotel in Des Plaines through Priceline well in advance, and was pleased to discover the hotel offered a free shuttle to the airport and the convention center.  From the airport I was able to take the Blue Line train into downtown Chicago and ride the free trolleys to many of the attractions. 

Before the show, I was able to take in some of Chicago’s sights.  The Lincoln Park Zoo was a great place to spend a few hours with my daughter.  My wife took in the Navy Pier and Magnificent Mile.  I became very familiar with the Blue Line from O’Hare to The Loop.  We quickly discovered that all trolleys running through the downtown area were free and rode them from the Zoo to the Shedd Aquarium, around Soldier Field and back up to the Sears Tower.                                                               

(Yep, I even kept the ticket I used to get around on the train. That was worth its weight in gold. Though more now, it cost $1.75 for one way...which was great since I didn't need to rent a car for the week.)

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Chicago's a great town to visit, but it’s also a great baseball town.  Two big league clubs play in the city, and both have been playing for as long as their leagues have been around.  In addition, fans of both the Cubs and White Sox are among the most loyal and rabid anywhere.  They are also long-suffering.  For all the talk of the Red Sox’ championship drought that ended last season, both Chicago teams have gone longer since their last World Series win.

Chicago is important to baseball fans as the home of two major league clubs, but many fans don’t realize that one of the first big league dynasties was in Chicago.  The first Chicago White Stockings joined the National Association in 1871 but suspended play after the Great Chicago Fire destroyed their ballpark.  Chicago would not field another team in the NA until 1874.  The ace of those early White Stockings was George Zettlein, a Civil War veteran and perhaps the greatest pitcher of the NA's short existence.

When the National Association fell apart after 1875, a new group of owners hoped to avoid the pitfalls that snared the earlier league.  The National League was founded in 1876 by Chicagoan William Hulbert and one of the clubs to play the initial season was a new group of Chicago White Stockings.  The new Chicago Nine were led by Albert Spalding and Adrian “Cap” Anson.  Mike “King” Kelley, Ned Williamson, John Clarkson and future evangelist Billy Sunday helped to bring five NL pennants to the Windy City between 1880 and 1886.  They tied the informal World Series against the St. Louis Browns of the American Association in 1885.  The White Stockings became the Colts in 1890 and officially called themselves the Cubs in 1903. The Cubs are the only team from the first National League season still in existence. 

When the American League was established in 1901, a club was formed in Chicago.  The White Stockings name was utilized but changed to White Sox to sound more “modern.”  Both teams were dominant through the first decades of the century; the 1906 Cubs set a mark for victories that would stand for 92 years (and even then, the ’98 Yankees needed more games to break the record) but lost the series to their cross-town rivals.  Their double play combo of Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance was immortalized in song, much to the chagrin of third baseman Harry Steinfeldt.  The short-lived Federal League fielded a team in Chicago called the Whales, which won the last FL pennant.  The White Sox assembled the finest squad in the game during the World War One years.  The Chisox won the 1917 World Series easily but after the 1919 team was discovered to have thrown the series, a long period of mediocrity began.  That 1917 title was the last one won by any Chicago team.  The Cubs’ last trip to the Series was in 1945 and the Sox haven’t been there since 1959.

The 2005 Chicago White Sox have the best record in the league as of this writing, but in today’s game that doesn’t assure them of success in the postseason.  Just ask the players from the 2003 Cubs.

(Note from Chris: the White Sox did win the World Series later that year)                                                                                         

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For the past few years, National promoters have tried to find new ways to attract visitors from outside the core hobby collectors who always make the effort to attend.  In an interview with SCD's Ross Forman recently, show manager Mike Berkus explained that the National committee was looking for ways to make the show more “regional” in order to attract people in the area.  This year, they brought in several members of the 1985 Bears for autograph sessions including William “the Refrigerator” Perry, Otis Wilson and Mike Ditka.  Another tactic used this year was to bring in autograph guests from outside the sports world.  This year’s “celebrities” included Larry Thomas (Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi”), "Laugh-In" star Ruth Buzzi and Penny Marshall (better known as Laverne and the director of “A League of Their Own”).  Also on hand was legendary jockey Laffitt Pincay, Jr.

Berkus explained that they were beginning to notice that the “traditional” hobby signers like Bob Gibson and Whitey Ford weren’t generating a lot of interest.  In fact, Joe Namath’s session in Cleveland last year only attracted 63 ticket sales (though the $250 price attached to the ticket may have contributed).   Because of the lower turnout, it has been getting harder to make any profit after paying the signers’ appearance fees.  He also explained that the "old days" of getting free autographs with admission are gone for good.
                                                                                                                                                

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Friday was Kids’ Day and all collectors under 14 were admitted free.  The show hosted several kid-friendly activities including a Pokemon tournament and a Pack War contest.  The neatest thing I saw, however, was called Flipzz.  It was a game where kids flipped specially-designed cards at a cardboard target.  There were three holes they could toss their cards through.  I considered busting a wax box of 1988 Topps and showing the kids how we used to flip cards back in the 1970s, but I went on to other tables and let the kids have fun without an adult trying to show them how to do it.

During my four days on the show floor, I noticed that some sellers were griping about the “low turnout” or the small amount of money they were getting.  At the same time, other sellers told me they were moving a lot of stuff and having a great time.  As a person who enjoys talking with dealers (and also tends to buy more from the sellers who take the time to talk), I observed that the sellers who weren’t as personable tended to be the ones who were doing most of the complaining.  It’s just something I noticed.  In any case, the attendance picked up nicely when the weekend rolled around: most hobby sources have reported the show was successful.

At the same time, I was amused to hear some sellers bellyache about how loud the kids were at the Pokemon contests held on Friday.  I disagree with the assertion that kids shouldn’t be allowed to act like kids at hobby functions.  In fact, I was glad to see the show’s organizers trying to get more young fans drawn to the hobby.  If they feel they need to use Pokemon and goofy games to draw in more collectors, then I’m all for it.  Our hobby is big enough for everybody but it won’t last if new collectors aren’t welcomed.

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On Saturday, I was checking out dealer tables when I heard some commotion from other attendees.  “Look…it’s the murderer!” from my left caught my attention, so I looked over to the side of the hall to see O.J. Simpson.  Another collector hollered out “Guilty!” loud enough to be heard, but it seems Simpson has gotten used to ignoring those types of outbursts.  A few minutes later, two of the show’s security police came to escort Simpson away.  There was no trouble; O.J. walked with the men to an exit.  I heard somebody mention that perhaps Nicole’s killer might be in the convention center and the guy with him replied, “He certainly is...they just walked him out.”

The next day’s Sun-Times had a story on A-3 saying that he had been there to sign some items for Justin Communications at $100 an autograph.  Since Simpson was not cleared to make an appearance (and the show’s promoters insisted he wouldn’t have been welcome even if he had gone through the proper channels), he was asked to leave.  This is a big violation of the show’s rules, so the seller who invited him was also told to vacate his table.  The story didn’t say whether he bothered to get back any of his table fees.

While I realize that Simpson was acquitted of the charges of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman a decade ago and is free to go on with his life, he has been convicted in the court of public opinion with a lot of fans.  (The seller who tried to sneak him in) was naïve to think that such a controversial figure in the hobby could be able to make an appearance without attracting attention. 

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I was able to hook up with long-time buddies who are in various hobby groups.  I am a member of three such groups and one of them (OBC) makes its presence known around the floor because all members wear a baseball cap with the OBC logo.  I spent a lot of time looking at the tables of long-time dealers like Kevin Savage, Bill Henderson, William Chappelle, Wayne Jonson and Kurt Tourdot.  Dick Zimmerman of Atlanta got me down to two stickers to complete my 1972 Sunoco Steelers set, and then sent the last two to my house for free after the show.  I made a special visit to the table set up by Sports Memories of Oklahoma City (the owner, Roger Neufeldt, is a reader of this newsletter and I had to meet with him in person).

On the day the show opened, I was met by Brett Hardeman of Old Cardboard magazine.  Brett presented me with an "Old Cardboard" baseball cap, which I wore the rest of the day.  My daughter took it from me when we left the show and wore it around Chicago that evening.  I managed to meet with Brett later in the week with his father, Old Cardboard editor Lyman Hardeman and we spoke for a few minutes about future collaboration.

Speaking of magazine articles, I saw another one in print for the first time at the show.  SGC (the grading company) debuted its inaugural issue of SGC Collector Magazine with an article about the Federal League.  I wrote the words, but the four cards of Federal League players from the 1915 Cracker Jack set included (from the collection of Anthony Nex) really made the piece stand out.  The magazine is intended to focus on collector interests rather than investment hype and card value, which I find refreshing.  Hopefully they can keep that focus.

I bought a lot of cards at the show.  I was able to complete my 1973, ’74, ’75 and ’76 Topps sets during my stay in Chicago.  I also added nearly 40 cards to my 1952 Topps collection and got to within 13 cards of finishing up the 1955 Topps set.  It took me several hours to put away all the cards I brought home.

Among the items I bought at the show were historical hobby items.  Longtime hobby dealer Mike Gordon was selling some items I’d treasure.  One of the books on his shelf was Lew Lipset’s Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards, Volume 2 (and I’m still looking for volumes 1 and 3 if anybody has any leads).  Along with that informative book, I also picked up the programs for the National conventions of 1983 and ’84.  The programs were worth their weight in gold because they offer an insight into the hobby I remember as a kid, before the big boom of the 1980s.  Each feature informative articles about the history of the hobby by writers like Bob Lemke, Frank Barning and Chris Benjamin.  Pictures of Dr. Jim Beckett, Mike Berkus and a very young Keith Olbermann show them as they were all those years ago.

(This picture from 1984 -- taken by Frank Barning of Baseball Hobby News -- shows Mike Gordon in the top right. Lew Lipset is in the lower right, with TCMA founder Mike Aronstein sitting beside him).

I took those old National programs to Bill Henderson’s table and he was quickly lost in nostalgia.  He even located the tables he set up for both of those shows and talked about Dr. Beckett, Lew Lipset, Bruce Paynter and some of the hobby icons he’s dealt with since setting up for his first show in 1976.  They will likely provide some inspiration for future newsletter articles and web site content.

Thoughts on The National

(As this year's National Sportscard Collectors' Convention gets closer, I figured I'd share some things I wrote about my very first trip to one, in Cleveland in 2004. this is from a hobby newsletter I once wrote.)



Collectors simply call it "The National."  The 25th annual National Sports Convention was held from July 21-25, 2004 at the International Exposition Center in Cleveland, Ohio.  The center's 400 thousand square feet held over 700 dealer tables and 50 corporate displays, and more than 50 athletes (from past greats such as Joe Namath, Jim Brown, Pete Rose and Johnny Bench to then-current Indian players Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez) were on hand to sign autographs for a price.  This year, I was able to attend the show.

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When my wife agreed to take a trip to Cleveland, I was surprised.  When I first met her, I was in college and away from the hobby.  She never knew me as a card collector until a few years into our marriage, when eBay dragged me back into the hobby that had consumed me as a boy.  For much of the time since, she always seemed to look at my collecting habit with a mix of distress and amusement.  Though I never let the hobby eat into our bill money, she appeared to hope that the collecting bug would wear off.  To her, it was interesting to see a grown man engaging in a child's pursuit, to say the least.

Unfortunately, she never knew me as a kid.  She never saw me with my collection; she never noticed that I read voraciously about the subject and picked up every hobby magazine I could get my hands on.  She never had the opportunity to see me work the tables at weekend card shows, nor did she ever see me behind one as a seller.  In short, Ellen never had the time to let it sink in that the hobby was part of my lifeblood.  That's why it surprised me when she agreed to take a trip to Cleveland for a big card show.

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Card shows mirrored the growth of the hobby.  During the early 1970s -- a time when many collectors past the age of adolescence simply kept their hobby to themselves -- card sellers often showed up at larger antique shows and often sold a variety of things.  As the hobby grew throughout that decade, a few gatherings were organized in larger cities once or twice a year.  They were called "card conventions" then, and sellers were usually supplementing the incomes they received from their day jobs.

By 1975, some shows were so successful they became regular events.  One was held in the Philadelphia area beginning in September of that year.  The "Philly Show" expanded through the years, moving from Spring Garden College to the George Washington Lodge and later the Ft. Washington Expo Center.  It not only expanded to larger venues, but also became more frequent; in '78 a second annual show was added, then a third in the 1980s and a fourth in '90.  The Spring '80 show became a part of hobby lore when three '52 Topps cards of Mickey Mantle each fetched three thousand dollars at auction at a time when the card normally sold for $800.  The show is still held four times a year at Ft. Washington and always attracts a large crowd even after many of the smaller shows have closed their doors.

The first National was an outgrowth of a regular card convention that had been running for nearly a decade.  Mike Berkus, Gavin Riley and Steve Brunner had been staging a Memorial Day show in L.A. since 1971, and added a Labor Day show in '76.  As the show expanded, Riley came up with the idea to make the 1980 Labor Day show a "National Convention."  Brunner and Berkus were hesitant.  The promoters of the Philly Show scoffed at the idea because they felt their own show was the true "National."  In the end, Riley won out and the first National Convention opened on August 28, 1980.  The show had a smaller turnout that expected -- 5,700 collectors showed up to check out the 156 dealer tables -- but it was successful enough that another convention was scheduled for Detroit in '81.

(During an early National, here is Dr. Jim Beckett at his table)

As the hobby expanded, so did the National.  Each year, the venues got larger.  More dealers set up for the show, and more collectors showed up.  The largest National was held in 1991 in Anaheim.  There were an estimated 100 thousand collectors attending over the four day event.  It was marked by long lines and fire inspectors constantly threatening the promoters that they'd close the show.  Once the hobby began to cool down in 1992, the crowds began to get smaller for the National as well.  It was estimated that about 35 thousand collectors attended the 2004 show.

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Before this year's convention opened, I took a couple of days to see some of Cleveland's attractions.  We took our daughter to the Zoo and saw the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  We took a special trip to Canton the day before the show and visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where this longtime Steeler fan was quickly reacquainted with some fond memories.  My wife and I are are both types who like to see the parts of a city that don't get included in the travel guides, so we went into the same parts of Cleveland the locals did.  We stopped by a Giant Eagle supermarket and ate at regional chain restaurants like Big Boy and White Castle that aren't around our home in Florida.

Since turnabout is fair play, I also went with Ellen as she searched out some of Cleveland's thrift stores for Fisher-Price toys to add to her own collection.

(My profile pic was taken at the Football Hall of Fame during this trip.)

The I-X Center was certainly large, but I had a few problems with how they ran the show.  My main problem was the way they handled parking.  It cost $7 to park -- which seemed reasonable -- and they gave a receipt when you paid.  On the first day of the show, I left to grab lunch elsewhere because the price of food at the Center was more costly than I wanted to pay for cafeteria-style food.  Upon returning to the Center after 45 minutes away, I went to the ticket booth and showed my receipt from earlier...and was told that I would have to pay seven more dollars to enter!  The lady at the booth explained that I might have gotten the receipt from somebody else who had left, and her supervisor walked over to my car and sternly explained that I was free to complain about it inside...after I paid the money.  I finally relented and went inside.  The office I had been directed to by the supervisor had been closed, and I was told by another staffer that I shouldn't even bother with trying to get the money back.

The next morning, I was dropped off outside the gate closest to the entrance.  I jumped the fence and walked 800 feet across the parking lot.  They weren't getting another $7 out of me.

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As a kid, I was in awe of "Mean" Joe Greene.  He was the most visible member of my favorite team's defense.  He played hard, hit harder and always seemed to make the stop in the eyes of this author as a 7-year old.  I wanted to attend a Steelers game and give him a bottle of Coke so I could get his jersey, just like the kid in that commercial.  Even after he retired, I played his position in high school and wore number 75 in his honor.

The 7 year-old Chris Stufflestreet has long since grown up and no longer holds professional athletes in that same type of awe.  I still admire Joe Greene, although for different reasons.  He was incredibly gifted with speed and strength and used those talents to excel in his craft.  You never saw Joe Greene doing a rap video with his teammates and telling everybody how great they were; he just let his work speak for itself.  He stood out as a leader among one of the best defenses the NFL had ever fielded (virtually every Steeler defensive starter of the mid-70s was named to the Pro Bowl at least once).  He also had enough business sense to market himself...the Coke commercial he filmed is still viewed as one of the best Super Bowl spots ever.

At the National, I was happy to discover that Joe Greene would be signing autographs along with the rest of the famed "Steel Curtain" defensive line: L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White.  I don't usually bother with autographs, but this time was different.  Autographs aren't free: Joe Namath's signature cost at least $150, Pete Rose's was $50, Reggie Jackson's was fetching $75 and Joe Greene's was $40.  I usually wouldn't have paid $40 for somebody's autograph, but this was Joe Greene.  I brought along the 1981 Marketcom mini-poster I bought as a high school student for his signature, and bought the autograph ticket a day in advance to avoid the line.

Despite my attempts to avoid the lines, I still found myself in a mob.  While waiting to meet my boyhood idol, I had to stand in a crowd of people waiting for their own chance.  In addition to the Steel Curtain players, Pete Rose, Jack Lambert, Antwan Randle-El and Rocky Colavito were signing at the same time.  While waiting, I pointed out the signers to my wife and daughter.  Some bushy-haired jerk with a bullhorn called for ticketholders and barked his instructions in a condescending manner, and the fans came out of the crowd to be herded like sheep into their lines.  Did I mention that I paid for this privilege to be treated like livestock (though I must admit that ending up with a signature on a treasured card is much better than what happens to cattle after they reach their destination)?

When my time came to join the line to meet with Joe Greene, I asked my daughter if she wanted to come with me.  She had been to the Hall of Fame with me and remembered that I called him "Mean Joe," and told me that she wasn't interested in meeting anybody they call "Mean."  As I approached the front of the line, a kid reached out to take my card and hand it to Mr. Greene, and I told him that I was capable of handing the card to him myself.  He started to tell me about time constraints, but I ignored him.  Once my turn came, I handed over my card for him to sign, then reached out to shake his hand.

"How are you doing today, Mr. Greene?" I asked.  He looked up at me and shook my extended hand.  I had always read that he was a big man, but still was amazed how huge his hand was.  "I'm doing well, thanks" he replied.  I quickly explained about how I wore his number, played his position and was happy to meet him.  Ellen got a quick picture of us just before Pete Rose stopped by to have a few words with him.  We were then directed toward the exits by the same assistant I had just ignored.

 (Here's my signed mini-poster, along with the ticket stub from that day)

Don't get me wrong.  I enjoyed the opportunity to meet one of my all-time favorite players, but really wasn't impressed by the way I was shuffled through the line in the most efficient, time-saving manner.  For $40 I got to stand around for an hour, just to meet someone for twenty seconds.  I remarked afterward to a friend that if I really wanted to stand around for a long time waiting for some guy to tell me where to go -- and then being serviced quickly and efficiently, I'd have never left the Army.

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One of the best things about attending the National was the chance to meet with other collectors, old friends and longtime hobby figures.  The familiar sellers were all there: Bill Henderson, Bill Mastro, the Wentz brothers and Kit Young among them.  Alan Rosen (known to hobbyists as "Mr. Mint") had the first table past the entrance, where he had no cards but was giving away one of his books to anybody who wanted one.  I had no trouble adding a book by Mr. Mint to my reference shelf at that price.

Among the newer hobby faces were Lyman and Brett Hardeman, who run the Old Cardboard website.  They were preparing to begin printing a full-color magazine and were soliciting subscribers.  I had the chance to speak with both and their magazine proof looked sharp.  While visiting their table, I got to speak with them about writing an article or two and met with Robert Silverman of vintageball.com.  When I handed him my business card and began to explain my site to him, Silverman stopped me short.  "I know your site...I've been there several times."  I know I've had hobby exposure since 2000 with my site, but it's still a humbling experience when a person I've never met knows me by name.

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The National is the card collecting hobby's annual convention.  Those words -- "National Convention" -- might bring up images in the mind of Shriners wearing their distinctive fezes or of a national organization's members getting together and having a great time, even if they don't bother actually attending any business meetings.  There is a group of collectors who treat the National that way.  OBC (www.oldbaseball.com) -- of which this author is a member -- saw about 30 of its members attend over the four days the convention was open.  For those who don't know, OBC is known among hobby dealers for collecting cards in low grade.  It can be said that OBC helps the hobby because its members take all of the bad cards off the hands of dealers.  Among the many online groups of card traders (including Vintage Card Traders, Trading Bases, O-Pee-Chee Traders and Old Card Traders), OBC is the only one to be so visible at the National.

OBC members usually wear a white baseball cap with the group's logo on it.  This cap not only identifies OBC members to each other, but a number of sellers know the group is made up of great hobbyists and will often give discounts to its members.  In fact, a few sellers keep boxes of cards for OBC members and break them out whenever they see one of the hats on a browsing collector.  Despite rumors that the 10-cent boxes are a part of hobby history like free autographs, OBC members seem to find them.

(Here I am at a later National, wearing my OBC cap.)

The National is one of the few chances for OBC members to get together, and the group plans several events during the weekend to give old friends a chance to meet again, and new members an opportunity to meet some collectors they had only known through emails.  A "throwback" group like OBC is great for the hobby because its members try to keep it fun. 

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I spent three days at the show.  My collection got a tremendous boost, and I spent more money than I was expecting.  I didn't mortgage the house to get spending money, but I ended up exceeding my planned $150 budget.  My biggest single expense was $23.50 for a subscription to "Old Cardboard" magazine, but I found some good deals on cheap cards.  I passed on a '54 Topps Warren Spahn card for $5 and a trimmed '55 Topps Harmon Killebrew rookie card for $20.  I picked up a '58 Topps Stan Musial All-Star card for $2, while my wife found a Mickey Mantle All-Star card from the same set for $20.  I found a stack of 156 cards from the 1950s and '60s in a box for ten cents apiece.  I picked up a bunch of common cards from Bowman and pre-'57 Topps for around $1 apiece or less: my kind of price.  Thanks to the generosity of other OBC members, I also took home my first cards from the M101-4, '61 Signal Oil, E120 and W575-1 sets.  For around $200, I brought home almost 500 cards...none of which were more recent than 1978.  Not a bad haul.

(I've posted this card here a few times...but this gem was picked up at that show)

Late-Breaking News...I'll Be at The National

I've made a couple of deals and have been given the chance to make this year's National in Chicago. I love going to that show, since it gives me the chance to meet with great hobbyists and also with some long-time collecting friends. I even get the chance to talk face-to-face with friends I've made over the Internet and only knew as an avatar.

This year's National Sports Collectors' Convention is set for August 3-7 at the Stevens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. For more info, here's the show's Website.

(Keeping in the spirit of this blog...here's the program from the first National ever held in Chicago. I'll show more of this in a few weeks.)

I'll be helping out at Irv Lerner's table (1012/1014), so if you're near, stop by when it isn't busy and chat. The photo on my blog is actually me, so I shouldn't be hard to locate.

If you're also setting up at the show and want to let my readers know you're there...leave a comment below with your table number (and readers...let those sellers know you read that info on my blog).

The National

Today marks the beginning of "The National," the annual sportscards convention. This year's event is being held in Baltimore and runs through Sunday. Although this National is closer to where I live than at any time since 1999, I am unable to be there this year.

So...instead of dwelling on the fact that I can't make this year's show, I'll take a glimpse at another show from the past.

The National has been held every year since 1980 and has rotated through several cities. The '80 show was in Los Angeles and would travel to Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago after that. The rules in place allowed several dealers to "bid" on the next year's show and the election would be held at the convention. The prospective sponsors would make their case before the assembled dealers and officers of the committee. Once the votes were tallied, the winner would be announced. For the fifth show in 1984, the event would be held in Parsippany, New Jersey. It was just across the river from New York City and widely hailed as the "New York National."

Attendees of that show were able to pick up this program:

While the artwork featuring the '56 Topps cards is neat, the rendering of the two brothers sitting on a wooden crate and looking at their cards is awesome. I especially like the way they have the opened wax wrappers and extra cards tossed about the ground. For collectors like myself who were told to be extra careful with our cards to avoid damaging them, the picture is a glimpse into a different era.

The group that won the right to sponsor the '84 National are assembled in this photo from the program:

Standing are Tom Reid and Mike Gordon (a former contributor to The Trader Speaks and the man who sold me this program at a later National in Chicago). The two men seated are Mike Aronstein (the "MA" in TCMA, a company that printed collector cards in the 1970s and '80s) and Lew Lipset, author of The Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards and publisher of The Old Judge. (Edited to add: the program didn't give any photographer credit...but I've since discovered that this photo was taken by Frank Barning of Baseball Hobby News.)

For those who haven't been to a National, it's worth going just to see the stuff on display. Along with the cards, memorabilia from sports and entertainment are available, autograph guests sign throughout the weekend and many hobby names will be on the floor. While attending other Nationals, I've met Penny Marshall and Dr. Jim Beckett walking the floor as collectors and even Howard Bedell, who was on a 1962 Topps card as a player.

In the case of Howie Bedell, he walked up to a table, looked at a binder with some 1962 Topps cards in it, found the one with him on it and asked the seller, "is this one even real?" The seller assured him that it was authentic, especially for a "no-name" player. Bedell handed over his business card and said something about how that was certainly not a "no-name" player. Perhaps noticing that I (standing 4-5 feet away) was chuckling to myself over what I just saw, Bedell have me a slap on the shoulder and asked me how I was doing. Meanwhile, the seller was asking him if he'd do the honor of signing his card but Bedell politely declined. I actually enjoyed being there for that, if only to see a seller get reminded of the importance of not automatically downgrading a player on a card.

One thing that I wish would still be a part of the convention is a series of seminars. For one day, many subject matter "experts" would discuss a topic for an hour. The '84 National program had a list of the schedule:

The schedule shows a wide range of interesting topics that could hold somebody's interest. While "Collecting and the I.R.S." doesn't seem like it would be good for anything besides catching up on some sleep, Bill Henderson is always good for some stories about the way things used to be in the hobby (I always seem to hear something new from him each time I speak with him). An oratory about prices by Dr. Jim Beckett -- remember, this was before he had started his price guide -- also had potential. My introduction to 19th century baseball cards was a book co-written by Keith Mitchell; that would have been a neat discussion to sit in on. I'll also mention that Rich Klein is still active with The National and posts on Net54. He usually has a table near the show entrance; if you can get to this year's show, stop by and chat with him for a moment (and tell him I'm sorry I couldn't make it this time).

Another feature of the National was a luncheon. In recent years, there have been several groups that have luncheons and dinners with interesting speakers from auction houses and grading companies, but none are officially recognized by the National committee. In most cases, you need to belong (or know somebody who belongs) to a group to know about them. However, here's an event that was listed in the '84 program:

Having lost that very 80s-vintage mustache long ago, Keith Olbermann is known today as a national political commentator for MSNBC and former ESPN Sportscenter host. As a teen in the 1970s he was quite active in the hobby. He wrote the text that shows up on backs of the underappreciated 1976 SSPC set (printed by TCMA, mentioned earlier) and even took some photos that wound up in the 1981 Donruss set. At the time of the '84 convention he was the sports guy for the nightly TV news in Boston. Jean Potvin was likely added to help skew the baseball focus that most hobbyists had; however, he was a member of the Islanders teams so popular in the New York area at the time and likely had some colorful insights.

As for autograph guests, the list is rather short and includes mainly players who were local:

While many of these former players are now deceased, there's a definite lack or "star quality" that marks shows like this today. For an example, compare this list with the schedule of autograph guests at this year's show. That might be due to the fact that in '84, these autographs were included in the admission price. Today, all autographs are a separate fee and even the VIP package sold to collectors only includes a limited number of free autographs.

Another thing missing from current National programs that should be there are articles. Fortunately, the 1984 program has several, like this one:

This article explains the battle between Topps and Bowman, both in the candy stores and in the courtrooms. Other articles cover Barry Halper's collection, the first National in '80, world series rings, collecting nonsports subjects and different methods of collecting. Compare that to the program for 2009's National in Cleveland, which consisted of a directory of sellers and advertisements from sponsors but no reading material. I kept a program for my collection, but was disappointed to see what wasn't included.

Though I'm not able to make this year's show, I'm looking forward to being there next year in the Chicago area.