If you were unable to make it to the 22nd National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, read about the sights and sounds from the viewpoint of industry veteran Ross Forman.
The sights and sounds of yet another National extravaganza
By Ross Forman
July 25, 2001

CLEVELAND - It’s amazing what you see, hear and think wandering through the 22nd-annual National Sports Collectors Convention, which started its four-day run here at the I-X Center on June 28.  My reporter’s notebook was new when I arrived; now it’s just a blur of baseball cards, autographed paraphernalia and friendships renewed.

Here’s what I experienced… 

·                     It was kind of strange seeing collectors walking around with beers in their hands.  Even stranger to see a full-bar on the show-floor.  Not that I had anything wrong with it, mind you.

·                     As usual, nothing beats those soft-serve ice cream cones.

·                     Kind of felt bad Friday for IN THE GAME, INC.  The Toronto-based card company that makes BE A PLAYER cards held a lunchtime press conference that was attended by eight media members.  Yep, only eight.  At least eight claiming to be media members; I wasn’t sure who a few were.

·           Card maker press conferences have come – and gone – a long way in recent Nationals.  There once was a time when all makers held press conferences, usually on Wednesday or Thursday, and the rooms were crammed.  Heck, there often were dueling press conferences – Card Maker X and Card Maker Y, for instance, might each start theirs at 11 a.m., thus forcing media members to pick their press conference-o-choice. Sure, some of those press conferences “back in the day” were nothing more than rah-rah sessions for the company, but they were enjoyable, interesting, informative and educational.  In 2002, I’d be surprised if any card maker had a press conference.

·                   As for the IN THE GAME, INC. press conference, it was about BE A PLAYER MEMORABILIA 2001-2002, available in August.  From what I’ve seen and heard about this product, it’ll be great.  Look for 13 different Memorabilia insert sets.  (Gee, is that lucky or unlucky 13?), highlighted by Maurice Richard’s ROCKET’S MATES game-used jersey card and Stanley Cup game-used jersey cards from each round of the playoffs.

·                     One more IN THE GAME note, was nice seeing their staff wearing old-time Cleveland Barons uniforms, though I’m sure Baron Bedesky (the company’s Vice President, Marketing & Communications) claims they were/are for something else.

·                     Ya know that Ferris wheel in the middle of the convention center, I only saw 2 people ever ride it.  That’s two people over the four days I was there.  Kind of surprising.

·                     As for the kid games near the Ferris wheel, good idea.

·                     I wonder how much National badges are selling for these days?  Hey, if there’s a market for a PRESS badge with a Mark Grudzielanek card, let me know. 

·                     Speaking of those badges, I wonder if Upper Deck considered using signed cards, or game-used jersey cards?  Guess that’ll be next year’s “thing” for badges.

·                     One more note about The National badges, I heard several card companies were quite “ticked” that they had to wear badges with Upper Deck’s cards and logo on them.

·                     While on Upper Deck, I want to tell you all about the Upper Deck Media Event at the Cleveland Indians game on Friday … oh, wait, I wasn’t invited by Upper Deck.  Guess the card maker just chose other writers to invite, so much for my 10-plus years writing about the collectibles industries.  And, of course, that’s mainstream media writing, not just hobby media.  Oh well.

·                     Lou Brock’s lovely wife, Jacqueline, is always a familiar, friendly face when Lou signs autographs, at any and all shows.  I had to laugh when Lou, with a completely straight face, asked a fan if he should cross out Duke Snider’s signature.  The fan was, well, shocked.  He certainly didn’t want Lou to destroy his collectible.  Then Lou laughed.  “I’m just kidding,” Lou said.  The legendary ex-St. Louis Cardinal then went on to talk about Snider.

·                     Byron’s Hockeyland (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) always has one of the most impressive displays, thanks to 100-plus game-worn hockey jerseys.  Scott Webb (Bristol, Penn.), who works with the crew from Byron’s, always updates his supply of hockey-fight tapes.  And with the TV at the booth showing the tapes, the only thing missing was … popcorn, of course.

·                     Card Kingdom (Rochester, Ind.) offers official chairs from the old Comiskey Park.  They offer one- and two-chair sets for $300 and $500, respectively.

·                     Prestige Collectibles (Santa Clarita, Calif.) specializes in Japanese sports cards and, with the prominence of Ichiro in Major League Baseball, I have to wonder how much better Prestige did this National than previous Nationals.

·                     Who are the top five players on the vintage-card market? Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner.  So says Alan Rosen.  “They sell instantly.”

·                     Jerry “The King” Lawler was one of the most gracious autograph guests I’ve seen in some time.  The pro wrestling legend signed photos, videotapes, magazines and more.  And he always had a smile on his face.  As for The Crown, he never wore it.  Doesn’t fit, he explained to everyone.  Check out more on The King at www.kinglawler.com.  He will appear July 21 at the Tri-Star Productions’ Houston show, along with his lovely wife, Stacy, aka, The Kat, from World Wrestling Federation (WWF) fame.

·                     Was very tempted to buy the 1968 All-Star Baseball game, but the $150 price tag seemed a bit high.

·                     The Quote, Round 1: “It’s all the stuff people wish they could get their hands on.” Topps’ Clay Luraschi, commenting on Topps Vault, set to debut in July.  Clay, by the way, is named for Cassius Clay, and Saturday afternoon was given a personal meet-and-greet with Muhammad Ali after his signing session, courtesy of OnlineAuthentics.com.

·                     I’m always impressed with The Highland Mint products, including their new NBA Mint Sets ($99.95), which include five NBA heroes: Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant, plus the game-used piece from Karl Malone, David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal and others.  Similar baseball products are due from The Highland Mint in July, followed by football.

·                     I want to talk about the Bowman Heritage, due out at the end of the year from Topps … ah, forget the cards; the gum I chewed from inside the promos was incredible.

·                     The Quote, Round 2: “Everyone has been talking about Topps’ history during this, the 50th anniversary … well, Bowman is a big part of that history,” said Luraschi.

·                     In The Game offers $99 packs (for one card).  No way I’d do that.

·                     Booth No. 1753 was for Nashional Pastime of Long Beach, Calif.  Gee, does pro wrestling superstar Kevin Nash have anything to do with this place?

·                     The folks at the Canadian Post Office booth said they had numerous items stolen.  And, in the NATIONAL DAILY NEWS, other dealers also reported thefts.  That’s a shame.

·                     Right across from the Upper Deck booth, literally right across from the booth, a dealer was buying Upper Deck golf promo packs – and had a huge sign saying so.  I wonder what the folks at Upper Deck thought of that.

·                     The Quote, Round 3: “It’s been a good year for racing for us.  Upper Deck dropping out of (the) racing card market … that certainly helped us.” Racing Champions’ Tom Farrell, Director of Marketing & Product Development.

·                     Look for an 8-card Dale Earnhardt insert series forthcoming from Racing Champions.  It will highlight his seven Winston Cup championships.

·                     Nikco Sports (St. Louis, Mo.) produced a limited-edition commemorative baseball for the 2001 All-Star Game, played July 10 at Safeco Field in Seattle.  The balls contain the names of the starting lineups for American and National League teams.  Only 5,000 balls were made ($34.95) – and they only are available through a toll-free number, 1-800-345-2868.  The balls come with an upscale acrylic display case, engraved nameplate and certificate of authenticity.  And most important, the project benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Seattle.

·                     Joe Frazier, sporting one stylish summertime hat, must have said, “Who let the dogs out” 20 times.  Maybe more.

·                     Kurt Warner is, perhaps, the most down-to-earth superstar I have ever met.  He is genuine, sincere and friendly.  Kurt Warner has been to the top of the mountain, but still has time for everyone.  Talk about a class act.  Jeff Rosenberg and his crew at Tri-Star Productions, Inc. (Houston, Texas) have to be thrilled to have him under an exclusive autograph agreement.  The blue shirt Warner wore Saturday was for his First Things First Foundation.  I saw Warner add “Matt 6:33” to some signatures.  Why some, not others, I wondered.  I also wonder, when an athlete adds a Bible verse to an autograph, how many people actually look up that verse afterward.

·                     Where was Rocky Colavito?

·                     Has anyone signed more autographs over the past 15 years than Bob Feller? 

·                     Stan Musial played his harmonica and, reportedly, received rave reviews.  I, unfortunately, missed it.

·                     I was shocked when I saw Chris Weinke. He looks more like a businessman than a Heisman Trophy winner.

·                     Juan Gonzalez went out of his way to meet several of the other autograph signers, especially the boxers.

·                     NBC-TV’s Dateline requested media credentials for The National.  I’m looking forward to what they have to say, what slant they take on the hobby.  I’d be surprised if it wasn’t about counterfeit autographs because I, for one, saw many, many signatures that, well, looked suspicious.  I’m not saying I’m an autograph expert, but, I’ve seen so many over the past 20-plus years that, when things look strange, I am convinced they are counterfeit.  And I certainly saw some questionable ones in Cleveland, especially of Muhammad Ali. 

·                     Kelley Kennedy and Cindy Stern, U.S. Professional Volleyball “Dream Teamers” were roaming the floor in Cleveland, posing for pictures with many of the autograph guests.  The U.S. Pro Volleyball League starts next February with four teams (Chicago, St. Louis, Grand Rapids and Rochester, Minn.).  “For years, the collectibles industries has be a ‘good old boys’ network.  Well, by bringing these women to The National, we’re trying to attract a whole new audience to the hobby – the female collectors.  And the ‘female collector’ is a rapidly-growing segment of the industry,” said Bob Ibach, a spokesman for The National

·                     I’m volunteering right now to be a ticket-taker next year at the National in Chicago … for Baywatch beauties Brande Roderick and Stacy Kamano.  Here’s hoping Darren Prince of the Prince Marketing Group brings those two bombshells back next year.  And others, too.

·                     Alan Rosen didn’t have a major give-away this year, as he has in the past.  I was kind of surprised.

·                     One autograph guest who shall remain nameless told me that, even to him, Willie Mays was rude and obnoxious when signing an autograph.

·                     I have to imagine the original Black Betsy baseball bat, used years ago by Shoeless Joe Jackson, will go for more than $100,000 when offered on eBay later this month.  The seller, Real Legends, will offer the bat and other authentic Shoeless Joe memorabilia that have been in Jackson’s family and never been sold before.  Shoeless Joe used Black Betsy throughout his 13-year career.  Handmade for Jackson, Black Betsy is made from hickory and weighs more than 40 ounces, compared to today’s average bat weight of 32 to 34 ounces.  Incidentally, the bat almost broke the glass display case it was housed in throughout the weekend when Lou Costanzo (Real Legends’ VP Sales & Marketing), while attempting to put the bat back in the case after a TV crew shot footage of the bat, pushed it right into the glass.

·                    Real Legends and eBay also produced three cards for the special Jackson-related auctions (5,000 cards of each).  I gotta wonder what those will sell for.

·                     Just curious, anyone see any POGs in Cleveland?

·                     How ‘bout any phone cards?

·                     Or Pro Set football cards?

·                     I still miss the Ted Williams Card Company.

·                     Mickey Carroll (Wizard of Oz) had to be one of the nicest autograph guests all weekend.

·                     I enjoyed seeing – and listening to – area broadcasters doing their shows from the floor of the I-X Center.

·                     All-Art (Pontiac, Mich.) always has nice pieces.

·                     Kudos to the folks at OnlineAuthentics.com, the official authenticator for all autographs at The National.  OnlineAuthentics.com offers a state of the art authentication and registration process that combines a text description of the signed item and an ISIS micro-imaging photo of the item.  The combined text and photo profile then are accessible to all via the OnlineAuthentics.com Registry Database.

·                     Cleveland … where was Larry Doby?

·                     Playoff was hot stamping cards at its booth, with The National date and logo.  Do you think that helps or hurts the value of a card?

·                     The Quote, Round 4: “I could have sold more Tiger Woods than Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire combined, if I could get (golf) product.” Mark Dehem, J&M Card Company (Clinton Township, Mich.)

·                     Kudos to Tom Reed, columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal.  He wrote an enjoyable and entertaining column in Sunday’s paper, telling about his $20 shopping spree.  Personally, I have to praise – and laugh with, not at – Tom for his high-end acquisition: a $7 “Rowdy” Roddy Piper action figure with a spring-loaded right arm that allows Piper to “rain blows on his opponent,” Reed wrote.  I too am a big-time Piper fan, especially being a personal friend with the Hot Scot. Say, Tom, any chance you’d trade that Piper classic for an authentically-signed 8X10 color photo of Kwee-Wee from World Championship Wrestling (WCW)?!  By the way, Tom, Kwee-Wee is one tough hombre.

·                     Saw the booth for Basement Systems of Ohio, Inc., which provides responsible waterproofing.  Just one question, why the hell were they set up at a national sports collectors convention?

·                     I bought an 8X10 color photo of Steve McKenna, of the Pittsburgh Penguins, for $3.  I had to be the only one at The National buying anything McKenna-related, right?!

·                     Whatever happened to the involvement of the leagues – you know, MLB, NBA, NFL and the NHL – at The National?

·                     I’d love to know … what was the most money in the convention center at one time?  By this I mean, if everyone in the I-X Center had to put their money (dollars and cents) together, what was the high amount, and when did it occur?

·                     I’d love to know … which dealer made the most profit.

·                     I’d love to know … which dealer had the least profit, or lost the most?

·                     Did any char-