The Card Show

 

My brother was in town last week so I took a day off from work so we could attend the largest card show that this area has seen in years.  This show had over 450 tables loaded with cards and memorabilia, tons of autograph guests and lots of sore feet afterward.  Unlike last year's show that was held in an exhibition hall of a hotel in Minneapolis, this was held in a much larger venue (RiverCentre), had much better lighting and was much less claustrophobic.

We went on Friday and got there a few minutes after the doors open.  As you can see by this picture there was plenty of room to maneuver and check out tables.  In fact some dealers didn't show up until the next day. The crowd got a bit larger as the day went on but it wasn't totally crazy.

What did I pickup?  For starters I found this Mauer rookie for $10.  I have the complete unopened set but wanted a loose card for my Twins PC.

I also nabbed a $10 Fleer Ripken rookie in great condition.

On the cheaper side I pick up '69 Jurgensen for a couple bucks.

Then I found this beauty!  It set me back about $200, but it's a big get for my '56 build.  I am tempted to free this one.  I also came this close to picking up an 'affordable' Mantle.  If I hadn't already blown a ton of $$ chasing Rickey's autograph I would have closed that deal.

Speaking of which, here he is!  I had to go back the next day on Saturday to meet him.  The crowds were insane and I'm super glad I took Friday off because it was next to impossible to get to some of those tables.

My autograph tickets.  Wish I would have bought those on Friday, because I would have been 46th in line instead of 77th.  Judging by the line, only about 90 or so autograph tickets were sold for Rickey,

Here's my prize.  Sometimes I hold my breath that auto's will turn out nice, as I've seen players mishandle items, but Rickey was incredibly careful with my bat and his signature turned out awesome!  He was a really nice guy to meet and even blew on the paint to get it to dry before handing the bat back to me.  We shook hands and off I went to the Beckett authentication table.  This is the single most expensive autograph I've ever chased, but worth it to me.  

The show experience was much improved over last year's show.  My only regret is that I didn't have a larger budget to work with.  Another observation is the increase of dealers that sell only Pokemon cards.  It's hard to believe there are that many collectors interested in Pokemon.  I'm glad I never found those to be interesting but there were some big budget cards there.  

That's not all I picked up last weekend.  I'll cover that stuff in my next few posts.  Until next time, happy hunting!