After VOTC pointed me in the right direction, I found a list of the first group of autograph guests who will be signing during the 2010 National in Baltimore. The guests include:
Cal Ripken, Jr
Jim Palmer
Eddie Murray
Brooks Robinson
Frank Robinson – he once yelled at me because I took his picture 🙂
On January 12th, I will be attending the Williamsport Crosscutters 4th Annual Hot Stove Dinner. This is will be the third Hot Stove Dinner I have attended. Today the Phillies announced which guests will be attending the dinner. The guests include: Former Phillies pitcher Dickie Noles, broadcaster Tom McCarthy, hitting coach Milt Thompson, and Asst. General Manager Scott Proefrock. Just like past Hot Stove Dinners, these guests will talk baseball with the crowd and let you know whats in store for the upcoming season. One of the highlights of the evening will be when the Crosscutters induct former Phillies power hitter Dick Allen into the Bowman Field Hall of Fame. As of right now, they aren’t sure if Dick Allen will be able to attend.
I plan on taking a bunch of photos to share. The only downside to the evening will be the absence of the late Harry Kalas who always attended these events. I’m going to try and get Dickie Noles and Tom McCarthy to sign one of my new bats. This event is usually sold out, but tickets are still available if you live in the area. For more information about this event, be sure to check out the Crosscutters website.
One of my favorite shows to attend is The Philly Show which is held at The Valley Forge Convention Center in Valley Forge, PA. Before Hunt Auctions purchased the show last year they would only get one or two autograph guest to come over the whole weekend. After Hunt Auctions acquired The Philly Show they have been able to bring in a bunch of big ticket athletes for collectors to meet ranging from Willie Mays to Frank Robinson. The next Philly Show takes place on Dec. 4-6 and is a must for any Phillies fan. Check out the lineup of athletes scheduled to attend.
Saturday 12-5:
Pete Rose
Mike Schmidt
Todd Pratt
Sunday 12-6:
Steve Carlton
Scott Eyre
Keith Moreland
Shane Victorino
Cliff Lee
I enjoy getting in person autographs, because you can obtain cards almost anywhere you live. It doesn’t matter if you have a hometown card shop or not. Collectors can always go to the internet. Meeting athletes like this can’t be done all the time. The dealers must do well at these shows if Hunt Auctions continues to bring in big celebrities like this. I plan to attend Saturday and hope to get some great autographs and photos to share. I might also bust a box or two 🙂 You can learn more about the show from MAB Celebrity and The Philly Show’s site. More autograph guests could possibly be added in the future.
Today I went to the Valley Forge Convention Center to attend the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show which is operated by Hunt Auctions. Hunt Auctions must have read my report on the last show because things seemed to run a bit smoother this time. Entering the show, I could tell there were a lot more places to sit to go through your purchases and grab a bite to eat. This time the show wasn’t on the basement floor and the bathrooms were a lot nicer and didn’t look like a crime scene from CSI. Making my way around the show I stopped at some of my favorite dealers such as Shaffer’s Trading Cards, Marty’s Sports Card Exchange, and MLS Cards. They all said they did about average during The National but nothing spectacular. The show seemed to be running a little slow and wasn’t that full (at least when I was there). About 90% of the dealers still go by “Book Value” which I think we all know means nothing in today’s hobby. Book Value is really destroying The Hobby and is one of the main reasons why dealers have such a hard time making sales. The dealers I talked to were also angry that Hunt Auctions didn’t advertise the show very well. For some crazy reason I get the feeling these show promoters get their money from the dealers and then pocket it for themselves and do little if any marketing. I heard a lot of dealers say “Its not like the early 90’s anymore”.
After browsing the show for awhile, I decided to make my purchases. I managed to pickup two really cool singles for my collection while busting a pack of ’09 Sterling Football and two boxes of ’09 Absolute Football. Check out what I got.
Hunt Auctions was a little more organized this time when it came to the autograph guests. I could clearly see where you were suppose to go when your signer arrived. I was able to meet Johnny Bench and Dave “The Hammer” Schultz, and obtained photos of everyone that was signing. Click on each photo for a closer look.
Johnny Bench was very nice. I’m glad I was able to get him on my bat.
Bench’s signature is right under “Sports Card Info”
Dave “The Hammer” Schultz really likes talking to collectors. He was the Left Wing for the Flyers and holds the NHL record for penalty minutes in a single season.
This is the first time I ever got a hockey puck signed. Dave “The Hammer” Schultz was the free autograph guest today.
Carlton Fisk
Muhammad Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee
Joe Frazier came in wearing a cowboy hat and gold around his neck.
The next Philly Show takes place on December 4-6. So far the autograph guests include:
Pete Rose
Steve Carlton
Mike Schmidt
Cole Hamels
I have always enjoyed this show and will continue to go as long as they have it. I seem to find a lot of great stuff for my personal collection and the wax is usually priced reasonably. If anyone lives close to Valley Forge, I encourage you to attend.
According to show Manager Paul Kutch, this will be the autograph lineup for The Philly Show that takes place on Sept. 25-27 at the Valley Forge Convention Center.
Sat. 9-26-09
Johnny Bench
Carlton Fisk
Joe Frazier
Angelo Dundee
Dave “The Hammer” Schultz – This will be the FREE one that comes with your ticket
Sun. 9-27-09
Whitey Ford
Bob Boone
Ric Flair
Greg Gross – this will be the FREE autograph that comes with your ticket
The show’s website states that Yogi Berra is coming but he wasn’t on the list that the Manager just sent to me. It looks as if they replaced Berra with Frazier. I wasn’t planning on paying the high price for Berra, but it would have been cool to see him.
Press Pass, the leading manufacturer of NASCAR trading cards has announced their VIP set for the 30th National Sports Collectors ConventionJuly 29-August 2, 2009 at the I-X Center in Cleveland. VIPs will receive an exclusive 6-card Press Pass VIP NASCAR set featuring NASCAR’s biggest names: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and rookie phenom Joey Logano. Cards include photos exclusive to this set, foil stamping, and a special “2009 National” designation. Cards 1 through 5 will be wrapped in a clear cello pack in the VIP bags. VIP members will redeem a “coupon” for the sixth and final card at the Press Pass Corporate Booth: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Sets are available only to attendees who purchase the VIP or SuperVIP admission packages for the 30th National.
TRISTAR has released the pricing list for the athletes that are scheduled to sign at this year’s National. In a post I made a few days ago, I said that Lynn Swann is going to make a rare signing appearence which doesn’t happen that often. Thats why it doesn’t surprise me that he is the most expensive personal to meet and obtain an autograph. If I stayed another day and wanted him to sign my football, it would cost me $229.00. If I wanted to get my picture with him over in the TRISTAR booth it would cost an additional $199.00. I highly doubt that he would let me come around the table to take a quick photo based in the info given. A lot of the other guys let me do that when I was there two years ago. Looking at the details for Swann, you almost need a damn Ph. D to understand what he will and will not sign.
Flats Up to and Including 11×14, Goal Line Art Cards:
Will not sign trading cards or unlicensed photos. Lynn reserves the right to reject any item.
Full Size Helmet, Jersey:
Will not sign unsigned or single signed jerseys or jersey numbers and will only sign jerseys with 2 or more signatures already on the jersey.
Inscriptions:
One accomplishment per inscription up to 5 words
Last year, Lynn Swann ran for governor of Pennsylvania and lost. Perhaps he needs to pay back everyone that tried to get him elected. Maybe he’d give me a discount if I told him I voted for him 🙂
On a positive note, Y.A. Tittle only costs $45.00 and will sign anything. The VIP package looks to have a lot of good guys to get autographs of too. I’m interested to see what other promotional stuff will be included with the package as well.
Over the last few weeks I have watched the list of autographed guests TRISTAR plans to have at this year’s National grow. Last March I purchased my VIP package which includes autograph tickets for some great athletes I hope to get on my football and bat. I’m thinking about purchasing another ticket or two for someone that isn’t part of the VIP package, but I’m not sure yet. Right now there aren’t any Phillies or players from the Miami Dolphins Perfect Season scheduled to sign. Today they announced that Y.A. Tittle will be signing on Friday so I might be tempted to buy a ticket for him because he is an older player and would fit great into my collection. 1967 Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban will also be there that day. You don’t see him sign at shows very often. I’m planning to stay Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the show. TRISTAR usually has the bigger athletes scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but they almost always cost more. As of right now, if I had one person to get that weekend, it would probably be Lynn Swann. You rarely see him sign autographs. Many others like Jim Brown, Joe Montana, and Barry Sanders would be nice to meet and get autographs, but I have a feeling they will cost a lot like the last time. I think TRISTAR plans to release pricing information tomorrow. They probably will add more players to the list too.
For the entire list of athletes scheduled to appear at The National click here.
TRISTAR has announced a few autograph guests that plan to appear at this year’s 30th Annual National Sports Collectors Convention. Prices, dates, and times have not been announced yet. Here is the list so far:
This morning I received an e-mail back from Paul Kutch, who is the Show Manager for the Philadelphia Sports Card and Memorabilia Show. Yesturday I asked him if they had any confirmed signers for the March 13-15, 2009 show at the Valley Forge Convention Center. Today he told me they have 5 confirmed athletes coming so far. There will be a free autograph signer each day, and likely one more guest coming on Sunday.
Sports Card Info 