Card Show Tale of Caution

I had a few options for cards shows last weekend but decided to make the two hour journey north to Duluth, MN.  This trip also allowed me to hang out with my niece and nephew (who go to school in the area) for a while.  I haven't attended a card show up there since 2023 which I wrote about HERE.  About a week or so later, part of the roof collapsed.  Fortunately, the roof is back in one piece and the card show has expanded a bit.  I know everyone is curious about the cards I picked up, so let's get to it.

1954 Bowman isn't anywhere on my radar but I'm starting to really like these so I bundled this card with a few more.

This 64 Yogi made the bundle.  Other than an indentation at the bottom, the card is in great shape.

This set is on my radar.  Though the scan doesn't show it, there are scratch marks on the card, otherwise this is in really good condition.

I found an original T206 needing a home.  So I included this in the bundle.

On the newer side of things, these numbered Ant's made the bundle.  That numbered blue Topps Finest geometric refractor will pair up nicely with the base refractor I showed off a couple of posts ago.

At another table I started looking at some cards in a box.  It was a dollar box, but the dealer comes over and points to a sign that says 6 for $5.  He seemed nice enough so I start flipping through the box and find a few cards.  I was hoping to make a couple of piles but stopped short of that.

The Paul Skenes RC from Stadium Club was sitting right at the front of the box. After spotting an Anthony Edwards shortly after, I noticed they were stickered at $5 and $3, respectively. They weren't outliers, either; several cards in the box were marked over a dollar, though I’m fairly certain many others weren't even worth that.

I pulled eight cards in total and offered $5 for the lot. The seller took one look at the Skenes and Ant and shut it down immediately, claiming there was no way he’d let the Skenes go for a buck.

I bumped my offer by a couple of dollars, but he still wouldn't budge. At that point, I pointed out his own sign—which I’d accidentally knocked over a few times while digging—reminding him that he was the one who directed me to this box and mentioned the $5 deal. Getting a bit frustrated, I decided to just take the other six cards for the original $5 price and leave the Skenes and Ant behind.

I was ready to tell him to pound sand since he was clearly overvaluing them, but as I started to walk away, he called out and offered both the Skenes and Ant for $5. I figured the dollar-cost average was decent enough at that point, so I paid the man and moved on.  I will certainly be more careful if I come across this dealer again.

Maybe I should have left all the cards and moved on.  So, was I wrong?  What would you have done?  

At least my trip up there ended on a good note.  I also picked up a couple of boxes (not sure if I'll open these).  It's nice to have a nephew who works at a big box retailer.  😉