Hobby Quick Hits Ep.135 CollectorsFest Show Review

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Delivering a freaking zombie new. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 135 of I'll be quick kids today. Show is going to be a brief overview of the card show. I just set up at at the fairgrounds collectors Fest 84. I'm going to talk about, you know, how I did, what I see that sort of thing, sort of observations Underground Level if you will. And again, it's a small sample size. But it counts, and it matters and I was, you know, as I like to say Stay in the trenches as a dealer. So I'll talk about that, but it's this episode won't be a long one. I'll keep it sweet. I know that's what hobby. Quick kids is supposed to be all about, so we'll live up to the name. Well, we'll go over some news. QA, the releases for the week after we hear from our word, from our great sponsors, Mojo breaks, Mojo brake, shop.com is the best To get your sealed wax products and breaks they not only have the best selection but the best prices, whether it's a box or a whole case, they are your guys, they ship worldwide to your doorstep. Their reputation as one of the most trusted in the hobby goes unmatched. They are the 2021 tops. RIT party Champion Breakers from sports car to Pokemon cards. There are selection, can t be they offer daily deals and A orders. Hey guys John Newman here. Mojo's prices are already great but to save an additional 10% off anything in their store used to code quick hits. That's q u IC, ke h, i TS check out the full service store that's open. Seven days a week in Santa Clara California or the website at Mojo break.com. 

Let's check out this way to take it away. 

Its maximum sportscar championship of the Michigan. I'm bringing to you guys again the weekly releases for the week of October 23rd and start us off. We have on the twenty six, twenty twenty-two pretty black football, 20 21, 22 Panini, select fastball 2022, pennies like draft picks football 2020. To tap your Miracle Lacrosse League, twenty20 two tops, MLS Chrome soccer in 2022. Start hitting changes, the bomb any hunting season additions and on the 28th where 2022 Leaf multi Sport solo, Peck and 2022. Knie Conquest baseball 90s return to the podcast. Enjoy the rest of the show. Let's go around their hobby verse and catch up on this week's hobby news. Alright, some announcements from Beckett, they are lowering their grading fee. So go to their website to check them out. We've seen that with Ash CC, PSA. So the grading price Wars are going in the right direction, this time which is down and they've also announced it will start grading. They've hired a new staff of experts when it comes to the ticket market and they will be officially Grady tickets, which they've never done prior. It's always been, a sort of a PSA deal but now they are getting throwing their hat into the grading tickets. Bring I'm not sure. They're there, if they're ready just yet, but it will be very soon me. Great. The auction house is partnering as they do with some other NBA teams. The Charlotte Hornets Foundation to sell gave used jerseys from the season. All four variations with funds going to support the Charlotte Hornets Foundation which is a charitable organization. So if you're looking for that will, that will be Ball game use now, you know, Where to go, speaking of Grady? Now with the Beckett story, CSG has gotten a crossover 52 Topps metal, which created a CS G 8, one of their highest and most valuable graded cards that that company has graded. No mention what? Company it was graded for that. They crossed over to but there you go. We've seen a few documented. Reese relating to the Hobby. The last couple years with the boom and it reportedly starting and shooting will start in the middle of next year. 2023 to safdie brothers who collaborated with Adam Sandler for uncut gems will be making a movie centered around the high end part of the hobby, you know, and I was talking to my son about it. I just hope it's not Not, you know, uncut gems part 2 just with cards instead of, you know, diamonds in garnets and rubies, and that sort of thing. But time will count sometimes what movies they announce something and sometimes the movie never gets made but reportedly shooting the start in 2023 time for what seems like a weekly police blotter, but we got a report on it. I actually reported 

Story out of Michigan, Brian Kenner, who was selling fraudulent, resealed packs with fake rookie cards that he put in them. To, you know, try to cover up the fact that they were searched packs. He was facing 20 years, he built a collector, at a forty, three thousand dollars. And I think he was boarded up with some other people, but one person alone was 43. A thousand dollars. He was facing 20 years in prison. He is getting, I don't say off the hook, but he's getting off lightly. He was set it to 30 months in prison. And the next criminal story here is right in my backyard here in the Syracuse area, comport rant, 32 years old from Greece, New York, which is about an hour and a half away from Syracuse. This gentleman stole basically 

Thirty-three thousand dollars worth of cars how we did. It was he would purchase cards via various pay apps, get the cards, and then refute the credit card, charges, and reverse the transaction, and send two cards back when they were requested to be sent back. And then one deal, he sold some cards and then sent an empty box rather than the cards that were purchased so 33 thousand dollars in crimes. He also is facing 20 years in prison, and as we all know, probably won't get near anywhere near that, but his bail was not granted as the judge. Considers him a Flight Risk, so he'll be appearing in court in November you know my wife actually pointing the story out to me in the local paper and asked me if I knew him and I don't. But I you know I took a look at his picture to see if he had done. The Syracuse shows, I don't recognize them. I'm not saying I do everyone at the show, but but so there, you know, 32 years old and going to be looks like he may be a felon. I don't know if it's worth it but he did the crime allegedly. 

Our Feature Presentation. All right, gonna give you sort of a boots on the ground. Look, at my show experience at collectors. Fest 84 last week at the New York Toy Fair Grounds. This is a show. I pretty consistently do. It's about five to six times a year. It's held on the Sounds of where the New York State Fair takes place and it's been around a long time. I've probably done it. I don't know, I'd say over 20 years now. Same promoters, I've gotten to know Lynn Lake over the years obviously and pretty good show. It has its moments you know, Syracuse, I'm not so much to show but Syracuse is not what I would call a hotbed for sports cards. But I will say Say this, the last three shows. I've done there, I could sort of set two of the three shows. I've sent local show records, for sales, not all-time sales show records, I used to travel quite a bit to Pennsylvania. Massachusetts. Connecticut, other states Ohio to do the setup at card show. So, but for for local, for Syracuse being sort of my backyard home base, show the last two out of three, like I said, I said we're tremendous and then last month we had one there and I really expected, you know, like how long can I keep this really great streak of shows up and last month was very very good as well, not didn't and not a record-breaker but going into this one. I kind of set the bar like I want to say low but like a, there's no way I can keep. This pace up with this show, that's so, again, not picking on the show, but, you know, or even did the, you know, the Locale p and Syracuse, but, you know, everything else going on in the world, right? We see, inflation and everything, going up. We've seen market, prices, come down, and after three, great shows. I said, man, there's no way I can have a fourth in a row, and I had a very good show, good to very good show, it wasn't. On par with the three previous, but still very profitable and very happy with the outcome. Frankly, again, still did better than I expected to. I kind of, you know, under promise and I guess over delivered. But, you know, again, the economy and what's going on in real real world economic this, definitely, we all can see it is starting to have an effect on have, you know, lessons that high-end Where it doesn't affect the buyers on those levels, you know. It is affecting most most of the Javi. So let me talk about what before I get into some of the app engines. So let me talk about the video. Like I said, it's the fairgrounds where the New York State Fair is held, its 4.5 miles from my house on very close and that actually was a big factor in the something happened at the show. It so it's 4.5 miles about nine minutes, 10 minutes of travel time and the promoter. Let's folks set up this it's always a Sunday show and he lets see lets you set up on Saturday if you like to and then just come back Sunday. What I do on the Saturday before the show's I'll go to do pre setup. I don't leave any cards there but I I kind of put my showcases out, you know, stand up case bring, you know, a lot of my nan card stuff like my cleaners to clean the cases, and I'll bring all that stuff. So it's a little bit less in my car out of the second day and showed a Sunday. And I call it the bone, I get the bones of my table sort of setup, but no cards there yet. Then Sunday really consists of me putting the cards out. You could leave the cards there, and I know some people do, you know, they might have those body bags, they call them where they lock. I don't have, those are quite frankly, even if I did, I don't think, you know, we're not talking like the same security, you would see at a national or anything like that. So the doors are locked, but there's no one in there. So I'm not going to leave my inventory there. It's it's nice to have the bones in my set up there and Sunday can just Show up and put the cards out and get ready to rock and roll. So I like to get there even even though some of my stuff's there on Saturday. I still like to get there early Sunday, just kind of get set up early. You know, Windex, my showcases and kind of take a deep breath and get ready for Showtime. Well, I get there, I have load my card, cases migrated card cases and I just something felt off. I'm like, 

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That right. Never done this at any show until this past weekend. I forgot my most expensive cars in my most expensive, graded cards case, I left that at home and, you know, the show starts at 9:30. It's about a little bit before 8:00 and I'm like, can I do this show without this case? Do I want to do this show without this case and has a lot of the cars that go out in the show? Showcases in it. You know, a lot of value there and I'm like, you know, I'm only forward, I'm only four and a half miles from home, it's nine minutes I got time. So I said, you know what? I'm going to go home. Get that missing case with those cards and come back. And so, I think I left it was like 753 early in the morning. It's Sunday and absolutely no traffic other than a few cards. And I was actually, 

Back at the fairgrounds. This is insane at 8:10. So I ran in to the house. Grab the case, ran back out, one back to the fairgrounds so 753. I left the fairgrounds I was back on the grounds at 8:10 with that case, that was missing no longer missing had it in my possession, got set up cleaned and Windex my case is get on my table and Order pricing on my tags out and like I said, chose to show Starts at like 9:30. I like to be done even at 8:30, just kinda have a seat sit down. Relax, talk to some of the other dealers that sort of thing but this time because of that little snafu, I was done about 9:15 so I didn't have much time to kill. Move the doors open. Now I could tell soon as they opened the doors, there's usually a line outside the doors and where my table is. If you look for 

You can see the front entrance. I'm sort of in a really great spot thankfully, and when I looked out, I didn't see that line. Starting to build, there were people out there, don't get me wrong, but I, you just could tell that there wasn't a super, super long line. And the previous two shows you always have been bills country while I'm not a Bills phelim in bills country, the previous two shows where I did real well, the bills had played on Thursday. Night and I played on Monday night there wasn't there wasn't a game on Sunday and so, you know it didn't it didn't sort of caught a break for a lot of the Bills fans. Not leaving the show to go home to catch a 1:00 p.m. Eastern game. This show a little bit of a break, the bills did play on Sunday, but they had the late game against the Chiefs at 420, so Bills fans that were collectors didn't have to To like, scoot out before 1:00, that helped for sure and but traffic was definitely thinner. And even the guys, I was set up within the quad Dave and you know, said to me, man, you know, Jenna looked like it's a lot of people here and you know, I'm fortunate, the last three shows on the road. I made some dealer to dealer sales. Those are always, you know, not a given In a plus, when they happened in the show, same thing, which, which is always, I've always appreciative of that thankful of that. And that definitely helps. When you can make sales before the doors, even open to dealers, you know you're in the fraternity with, that's always a good thing that happened the show as well. And so again, let's go back, you know, doors open traffic is a little light in the Early on, it wasn't, it was a little slow. And then, you know, between eleven and twelve Thirty started to pick up at least a little bit of traffic-wise coming through the doors and, you know, with sales lies again, didn't set any records, but was a very good show. Now, again, I'm not going to mention names, but some of the dealers around me were not so fortunate. And they were pretty, you know, they were talking openly about it. That Was that a good show form? There was a The deal or not in my sort of space but near, you know, near me and I heard him talking to another dealer and he was not very happy. He said he didn't even make his table fees. So that's definitely bad. When that happens. Because table fees are are quite reasonable. So especially when you compare them to some of these other big city, so that was I open it. I was surprised. He even said it sort of out Loud, as he did traffic was definitely down. I had a lot of people, you know, if you want to say it low-balling, you know, they pick out. Let's say $100 in cards that offer 40, 50 bucks. I try to be either at cops are under to begin with. So that'll give you some perspective, their guides, I had, you know, three or four times. Someone wanted about $50 in cards and offered $20 for 

And I just can't I'm not gonna you know I'm all about discounts and you buy a couple cars. We can do a little bit better price but people were really really trying to get Steals and Deals too outrageous. Once quite frankly stuff that you know I've ever tell her one gentleman, you know, I've always said I tried to maintain a being cordial and and dignified and professional which I was I don't want anybody I've ever tell him one gentleman, you know was like $60 worth. Cards. He handed me and hey we take 24 these. And you know I basically said I can't and frankly if you offered I have these cards and if you offered me the same cards for twenty bucks I'd probably buy him an atom to my inventory so we definitely can't sell them for that. Few people selling I took a look at some stuff, you know, I found a couple things I wanted when I ask them what they want. It for him, they wanted what, you know, you what eBay they wanted eBay cops for when you have to explain to him, that, you know, that's what we're sort of use as the, as the guide, right? So, if I pay for what, you're going for an eBay, what can I sell them for? I can't sell them for more than that. And why would I buy it? Unless it was like a PC item. So I try to think. No, I didn't buy anything. Surprisingly, I'm very few shows. I don't buy something. I did make a 

I traded for I do something. I don't normally do a choir in a real car for graded. Card gentleman came up, he wanted my Jerry Rice. Rookie is was a bgs Beckett. Graded 6, I have a PS 7 as well out my cases. So I had both of those, he wanted to Beckett 6 and he had a very nice Griffey. Junior Upper Deck. Rookie I have a few but this one really An inspection at the table. Really didn't see anything. Really too much world would have really presented. Well, he said, would you take that for the rice six? I said, yeah, I'll do that. Now that card is in to SGC the Griffey for grading. So I'll update you on its on its return When it got. So that was the only acquisition I actually made which is, which is not like me. I usually purchase more. But 

Didn't get to do it. My son, brought me some lunch and hung around a little bit and went home. So, I appreciated that some friends of mine and I stopped by. We chatted, over all the show was good to very good. The previous three were in the great category so this was not great, but good to very good where the previous three were great. Then spit like I said didn't buy much at all. Made that one. One trade lot of lowball offers people are watching their wallets chip purses, checking accounts money is discretionary income is getting tighter. Like I said, so many offers I got quite frankly for lack of a better way to put it while we're absurd and talking to some of my fellow dealers, they were reporting the same thing that people were trying to get a lot for a little and, you know, it's hard. It's 

Hard to do that, because Especially when you're pretty much below cups or at cops and then they're trying to, you know, get it even cheaper and death, you know, eBay sort of made everybody a seller and so that that line is blurred that's that's just the way it is. And you know what, everything being said and everything, I talked about the fact that, you know, I don't like to say what I did, but the fact that I did what I did, consider it all those variables. I'm very, very A fortunate. I like I said, I heard some of the dealers around me be pretty open about, they didn't do very well. They're not happy with this outing in you know it always is and it's always a weird spot to be in as a dealer when you feel like you probably did better than the immediate folks right around you because like you know when they ask you like how did you do and you almost feel guilty saying hey wasn't terrible and you know, but 

You know, it is what it is and I try to be honest. I never I never give actual figures. I just talked in generic terms you know, half wasn't great, was very good. Good, great show, that sort of thing. So, you know, I said, I did, I did better than expected but not as great. That's how when they ask me, how you did. That's what I told him. I said, I did better than expected but his greatest, the previous three show their traffic was down. We talked about that. I'm not sure why. Because the black I said the Bills game was in the late afternoon slot. So I just think, you know, the market is you know, prices coming out but you know it's a great. It's that's what I say on this show or sports car Nation rights those prices dip and it's a great time to buy. Now if you're going to offer $20 on a fifty dollar, cop every few dealers are going to do that. So that you know don't expect don't expect miracles but it's still a great. Eight time. I mean I gave plenty of deals. You know, someone you know that 40 $50 in cards, they handed me, you know, even when they don't ask for the deal, if you buy a quality and whether or not price of one, guy was a little surprised that you handed me about $50 in loose cards and I'm like, you know, 35 bucks. I think I said it was really weak a valuable because I appreciate that man. I'll I'll be back here again at a future show. So stuff like that goes a long A, I did do. You know, again I talked about some of the Absurd offers there are others that were legitimate offers that I work with the person that got deals done. So I don't want to, you know, say, every offer was was a lowball wasn't but there was more than usual and to stick up for the consumers. I think that's where we are kind of be wise. As people are just trying to get this much bang for their buck as they can and I don't blame him, I don't blame them. 

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Yeah. The next show in Syracuse, I don't know, I can tell you. It's December 4th collectors, Fest 85, it's called the mega show. It's not only going to be the sports card guys but it's going to be a toy collectors. Not sports delay. The biggest show of the Tardis from the who is going to be there to Ghostbusters. Car powered is going to be there. Now, I've already announced but I'll announce here on this broadcast for anyone in the central New. Work area or traveling into the area December. 4th I will be officially accepting for both grading, SGC Subs at the December, 4th card, show in Syracuse, New York, they will be at bulk price. So cheaper than if you did it yourself and right now, turnaround time is five to ten days and so I'll have some as she sees SEC swag. They are sending me. 

Some swag to give out for folks, so the promoter little lake is in accordance with that is going to give me a table for them. So I'll have a separate table, besides the two normally, have to take any SG, bulk Subs in for you. So I wanted to announce, I know, I put on social medias, but I haven't talked about. I don't believe that any of the, the podcast. So, there you go. And that'll be a December 4th Jeff Before Christmas. A good opportunity to buy some sports cards for that for yourself for Christmas or for fellow hobbyist for Christmas. And that show traditionally, they always do 12, December and I want to change nothing. But the sheet that shows always been pretty good for me. So we'll see. We'll see where the economy is, you know, about six to seven weeks. That show takes place. But so looking forward to that, that's really the next show on my docket as far as setting up go. So, you know, we'll see, we'll see where the market continues to Trend and I'm sure I'll do what sort of a review that show. So, I want to wrap this episode, you know, this this part of the show up right there with, you know, sort of my boots on the ground. Look, at least hear from Syracuse on. The show circuit. There you go, checkouts, all websites and stubby www.spoken-tutorial.org are Stockyard for the new release schedule, our blog all show episodes and so much more. All right, that's a wrap for episode 1. 3505 be quick, it's a little bit share my experience at the fairground show and you know, it's getting to be a little bit of a grind to do shows. I still love them, don't misinterpret that and frankly if I wasn't doing as good as I was out with them and I know them and add them, I probably wouldn't do many more but Love the people but you know, you were so whatever. I thought you loved the hobby love, you know, talking to people John, why would you not do the show? Don't forget this two ways to do a show, right? You can set up as a dealer and you can go to the show as a consumer. So, you know it, even if I didn't set up, I would most likely be there. The consumer end, it still have pretty similar conversations. I'm just talking about the grind for pricey. The And carrying and lugging and unloading and all that fun stuff, right? It is fun, but it's the labor of love. Like I said, if I wasn't having as much fun, it do it as well. I mean that right. What are you doing? Show for right you want to do good business, right? And if I wasn't that's where you know, I could still get all the other stuff without even having to set up but you set up course you're you know you're doing business and 

To do good business. And I've been very Fortunate in 30-something plus years of doing shows to do fairly. Well, most of the time. So I'm going to continue that trend for the Unseen unforeseen future but you know, I always did the thoughts always in the back of my mind to, how long do I want to set up at shows form, but we'll keep going. And again, I hope to see you And I show soon.