Susquehanna Valley Mall Card Show – 5/20/23

The Susquehanna Valley Mall located in Selinsgrove, PA hosted another card show this weekend.

With the Easter Bunny now gone the show was back to it’s normal location right in between an Auntie Anne’s and Gertrude Hawk Chocolates.

I’ve become a regular attendee of this show. It has 40+ dealers with lots of Phillies, Penn State, Eagles, and Steelers stuff.

A dealer who specializes in selling sports plaques mentioned that it was his first time setting up at this particular show. Usually he sticks to the Harrisburg area and shows held at the Capital City Mall. I was surprised to hear how well a simple decorative plaque with a photo and a couple of cards can sell. He said that he sold hundreds of plaques at a show in Harrisburg not too long ago. Decorative sports plaques typically aren’t my thing, but I guess some people are in to them. I noticed his booth had some shoppers when I left.

Most of the dealers I saw were selling singles. Some had sealed boxes. I’m staying away from purchasing hobby boxes right now. The prices are just too high. I prefer picking up singles and blaster boxes. Much more affordable.

I ate a cup of cinnamon pretzel bites from Auntie Anne’s for lunch.

I was able to find a few new items for my collection. Take a look!

Bryce Harper 2023 Topps Series 1 Super Box Pin

Bryce Harper 2023 Topps Big League 8 BIT Ballers #14 – A freebie from the dealer when I bought the pin.

Scott Rolen 1997 Donruss Signature Series Auto

Alec Bohm 2023 Topps Series 1 Baseball Stars Auto

Susquehanna Valley Mall Card Show – 4/8/23

Another card show was held at the Susquehanna Valley Mall this past weekend. Thanks to the Easter Bunny the show was moved to another section of the mall. Those mythical fuzzy creatures always get the top spots.

I like to get there as early as possible so things don’t get picked over. It was quite crowded once again which I’m happy to see. A good mix of vintage and modern cards were available. Some dealers had sealed wax, but singles were much more dominant.

While browsing the dealer booths I came across a few big items that stuck out to me.

The first is a Bob Feller 1954 Bowman #132 graded by BVG an 8.5. The asking price is $3,000.

The second is a Muhammad Ali autographed ticket stub certified by PSA/DNA. The ticket stub is from a Williamsport, PA boxing club fight Ali attended in 1973. Ali was there scouting another boxer to potentially fight. The asking price is $725.

After making it around to all of the tables it was time for a cup of cinnamon pretzels from Auntie Anne’s.

I made one purchase, and it was a big one for my Phillies collection. I bought a Mike Schmidt 2001 Donruss Classics Legend Significant Signatures Auto. Cards #101-150 in this set come with sticker autographs. Cards #151-200 are signed on-card. Mike Schmidt is #172, and the on-card signature looks great. Although there is a spot on the back where it looks like a serial number should be, these cards are not serial numbered.

The next card show held at the Susquehanna Valley Mall is on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

Susquehanna Valley Mall Card Show – 2/18/23

Never underestimate the value of a good old fashion mall card show.

Over the weekend I attended a card show held at the Susquehanna Valley Mall. It took place right in between an Auntie Anne’s and Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. Not a bad location.

The show was very well attended. There seemed to be more dealers setup at this show compared to the last one I attended here back in September. Large crowd too. It was quite common to have to wait for people to move in order to view a dealer’s table.

A few dealers had sealed boxes for sale. Very expensive though. I’d say a majority of them were selling singles. Lots of Phillies, Eagles, Steelers, and Penn State cards.

When purchasing the Scott Rolen 2022 Topps Stadium Club Auto the dealer showed me a mini batting helmet that he got Scott Rolen to sign. Turns out he got it signed in 1998 at the PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg. I remember attending that exact show when I was in middle school. Talk about a small world.

I spent about two hours browsing all of the tables. Left with three new cards for my collection, and a belly full of cinnamon pretzel bites.

Greg Luzinski 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Auto

Scott Rolen 2022 Topps Stadium Club Auto

Sean Clifford 2021 Pro Set Power Football Platinum Auto #’ed/99

Shikellamy Card Show – 1/7/23 – Phillies Prospect Autograph Signing

Needing to pickup some new top loaders is always a good reason to visit your local card shop. That’s exactly what I did this weekend. Sports Zone Toys & Comics located in Sunbury, PA is a great shop.

Right around the corner from my local card shop is the Shikellamy High School. The high school band was holding a card show for a fundraiser. 40+ dealers setup at the show. Admission was $1.00. And a Phillies prospect signed autographs for no additional cost. Not a bad deal.

Phillies pitching prospect Braeden Fausnaught signed autographs from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Fausnaught is a local graduate of Danville Area High School. He went on to play at West Chester University. On 8/1/22 the Phillies signed him to a minor league contract. He is currently with the FCL Phillies.

In 2022 he pitched in (2) games with a total of (2) IP, and had (3) SO. As of right now his ERA is 0.00. Not even Nolan Ryan can say that. Fausnaught currently doesn’t have any cards to collect. I thought he did have some cards, but got him confused with Nate Fassnacht who also is in the minor leagues for the Phillies. Two completely different people with a last name that is pronounced the same, but spelled differently.

Originally I had planned just to visit my local card shop. But while eating lunch at Burger King the decision was made to check out the show since it was so close.

Normally I would take one of my baseball bats to get signed. Since this was a last minute decision I didn’t have anything for him to autograph. The show was packed with cards, but I came up empty when looking for a baseball to buy for him to sign.

I wasn’t totally out of luck. A local artist made a drawing of Braeden Fausnaught, and had prints available.

The show looked to be well attended. Fausnaught had a steady group of fans wanting his autograph for the time he was there.

Shikellamy Card Show – January 7, 2023

There will be a sports card show benefiting the Shikellamy Marching Band on Saturday, January 7, 2023.

The card show will be held at the Shikellamy High School from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

$1.00 admission cost.

There will be over 40 tables of collectibles at the show that will fill the high school’s cafeteria.

A special autograph session will be held from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. with Braeden Fausnaught, a Danville graduate that is currently playing with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

There is no charge for the autograph.

Jeremiah Trotter Signing Autographs At The Ephrata Lions Club’s 43rd Annual Sports Card Show and Auction

Former Eagles, Redskins, and Buccaneers linebacker Jeremiah Trotter is scheduled to sign autographs at the 43rd Ephrata Lions Club Annual Sports Card Show and Auction.

When: Saturday, March 25, 2023

Where: Ephrata Recreation Center – 130 South Academy Drive, Ephrata, PA 17522

Show Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Autograph Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Show Admission: $5.00/adult and $1.00 for children under 12

Autograph Price: $25.00 – $35.00 depending on the item

The Ephrata Lions Club Sports Card Show and Auction is the longest running one-day show in the country.

Lots of Phillies, Eagles, Steelers, and Penn State memorabilia spread over (70) vendor tables.

Card Show Pickups – 9/17/22

The local mall here in Selinsgrove, PA (Susquehanna Valley Mall) holds a card show on a fairly regular basis. Every few months the 40 table show sets up. The show opened at 9:00 a.m. and closed at 5:00 p.m.

This time vendors were setup right outside one of those Spirit Halloween stores which seem to popup right after the Fourth of July. So the foot traffic was quite heavy. Other times of the year, specifically March and November, the show is moved to another part of the mall because they are preparing for kids to visit with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus in the normal location. The card show gets the boot whenever a fictional furry creature is visiting.

Among the 40 tables you could find a decent combination of vintage and modern cards. I saw some sealed wax. A high school classmate of mine had one of the better looking booths. He had boxes filled with autographs, relics, parallels, and inserts all organized by team. Very fun to look through not knowing what you might find.

One of the oddest things I saw was a massive collection of Colton Hock 2017 Bowman Draft cards one dealer had. Hock is from Bloomsburg, PA and is currently playing with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins). The lot looked to be all autographs (various parallels), and had a $1,500 price tag on it.

I picked up three cards for my Phillies collection. Ate a cup of cinnamon pretzel bites from Auntie Anne’s for lunch.

Scott Rolen 2022 Topps Pristine Slice Of A Star Auto/Relic

John Kruk 2022 Topps Series 2 1987 Topps Auto Black Parallel #’ed/199

Bryce Harper 2020 Topps Series 1 1985 Topps Relic

Trace McSorley Signing Autographs At The Ephrata Lions Club’s 42nd Annual Sports Card Show and Auction

Former Penn State QB Trace McSorley will be signing autographs at the Ephrata Lions Club’s 42nd Annual Sports Card Show and Auction.

Trace McSorley is currently one of the backup QB’s to Lamar Jackson from the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ephrata Lions Club’s 42nd Annual Sports Card Show and Auction is the longest running one-day show in the country.

Show Details:

When: Saturday, March 26, 2022

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where: Ephrata Recreation Center, 130 South Academy Drive, Ephrata, PA 17522

Admission: $5.00/adult, $1.00 for children under 12

Autograph Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Autograph Price: $25.00 to $35.00 – only (200) tickets will be sold

Show Size: 70 tables

Ephrata Lions Club’s 41st Annual Sports Card Show & Auction

After numerous COVID-19 postponements and cancellations, the Ephrata Lions Club’s 41st Annual Sports Card Show & Auction is set to take place on Saturday, October 23, 2021.

The show opens at 8:30 a.m. and goes until 5:00 p.m. About (70) dealer tables will be filled with various sports cards and memorabilia to buy, sell, and trade.

Former Phillies first baseman John Kruk will be signing autographs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Ephrata Lions Club Sports Card Show is the longest running one-day show in the country. I’ve been attending this show regularly since 1997. Lots of Phillies, Eagles, Steelers, and Penn State stuff.

I haven’t attended a card show since the Ephrata Lions Club’s 2019 show. Since then, we’ve seen a huge amount of new people enter the hobby. With COVID-19 restrictions being lifted all over the country, more shows are beginning to be held. Shows look to be packed with people based on some of the coverage I’ve watched. Will it still be this way in October? I don’t know. More things are opening up giving people other activities to choose from. When PSA catches up with their backlog of cards we will see a huge wave of graded cards hit the market. Many of those high-graded fourth, fifth, and sixth year cards of players that have low pops now will tank in price. And that’s just the start. Its very possible those falling prices could weed out a lot of the flippers crowding up those card show aisles. Perhaps then things will get back to normal.

2020/21 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Sapphire Edition Box Pop-Ups At Local Card Show

And the plot thickens…

Over the weekend I reported about how an eBay seller seemed to have singles listed that look to have come from 2020/21 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Sapphire Edition. Pretty interesting considering this product hasn’t even been announced by Topps yet.

Blowout Cards forum user ybomber attended a local card show over the weekend where a dealer had at least (1) box of 2020/21 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Sapphire Edition for sale. These are either completely legit or someone did a fantastic job counterfeiting the entire line. I’m thinking they are the real deal though.

One major difference between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 set is where they were printed. The 2019/20 set was printed in Canada, whereas the 2020/21 set looks to have been printed in Italy. Many of their non-U.S. sports products have switched to being printed in the Italy facility.

How it made it out of Italy and on the U.S. streets already is the big mystery. Maybe Topps plans to release it soon. When it is officially released it looks to be another Topps online-exclusive. Most likely Topps 582 Montgomery Club members will get first dibs.