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Cardshow Reviews and Hockey Thoughts.

Shriners Auditorium Show – Wilmington Mass November 7, 2009 (BY Schwood)

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Shriners Auditorium Show – Wilmington Mass November 7, 2009
by Jeff Woodward (aka schwood)

So, I was asked to do a short write up on the Shriners Show in Wimington. This show is run by the GBSSC (Greater Boston Sports Collectors Club). What a great show! There are close to 250 tables, and this show certainly does not disappoint. And starting last year, it is held twice a year now. Once in November and once sometime in the summer. Unfortunately I missed the one in the summer.

A typical day (at this show in particular), I start out by showing up early on Saturday. Walk through the convention center and get a feel for what there is to offer. Usually I will head out to the restaurant and get some autographs. In the past I have gotten Dwight Evans, Jim Rice and Clay Buchholz (can you tell this show is in the Boston area). Then head back out and spend some money on my PC. And mixed in there will be getting trade bait for some of my favorite traders. Then my buddy and I will get a box to split and I might get another one, and then we go bust our stuff, and the day is complete.

This year was a little bit different. I get to the show late, arriving around noon. So, right off the bat, I am behind by three hours, and so not so much time to get situated at the show. So, I decide, I am going right to the spending. I have decided to skip the autographs this year. Good guests this year, I just didn’t have the time to spare. The lineup included Robin Yount, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Robert Parish, and many others.

As I walk into the convention center, it is set up the same as always. A split in the aisles across the whole center in front of me as I walk in, with four or five aisles of on each side, with tables on both sides of the aisle. If you have never been to a show, this one is really overwhelming. The first time I came to this show, I had no idea what to do, and spent most of money in the first half hour and didn’t even get to see everything before I was out of cash.

Anyway, my plan this year, was to walk the whole show and buy when I see something I really like. I have too much money with me this year. Or so I thought. Anyway, the first area off to the left as I walk in, is a lot of vintage stuff and also a lot of memorabilia. I am not a huge memorabilia collector and I have a lot of vintage stuff to keep me satisfied, and so I can bypass a lot of these areas. So, I do just that. When I say memorabilia, I mean pictures, bats, balls, pennants, and you pretty much name it, they have it here.

So, I move through the first aisle pretty quickly. I get to the second aisle. Now, let me preempt the rest of this by saying I collect Boston area stuff, and mostly cards. GU and Autos and whatever else I can get my hands on. So, I see a guy with some Boston stuff up on those display racks. I take a quick look at it. He has some nice Bruins Autos for 5 bucks a piece. Which to me is a steal. I go and buy these online, and I pay 3 bucks shipping alone. So, I pick up a nice Adam Oates Auto, Pete Peeters Auto, Wayne Cashman Auto, and Ken Hodge Auto for 20 bucks. To me, an absolute steal. I then continue on.



I get to the next aisle, and see a guy with a huge amount of lower end Autos for like 2 bucks a piece. Here comes some trade bait! I usually find great deals spread across the show. This guy has a ton. I think I bought 50 dollars worth of trade bait from this guy. Some really really great stuff. So, knock the trade bait off the list. Also found a couple of cool ex-Patriots and ex-Red Sox Autos in there as well. Could not believe these were only 2 bucks a piece.





I move down two tables and see a couple of things I could really use. He has some Sweet Spot Autos. Papelbon and Lester to be precise. I don't have these. I also see a couple of others that I could use for another trader whom I owe something. So, I pick up a Vlad and a Brooks Robinson which I know he has neither. So, knock that off the list as well. I also got a very nice Jerod Mayo Auto and a Jon Lester Just Auto (which unfortunately I didn't realize I already had). Oh well. I can trade it. This is sweet. I have been here a half hour. Knocked two things off my list, and haven't spent a ton of cash just yet.



I don't find too much else I am interested in over the next half hour. So, I continue on. I finish up with one half of the show. I meet up with my buddy, and he has gotten a couple of very nice cards. Again, a Red Sox only collector. So, he doesn't always find as much as I do.

I then continue on to the other half of the convention center. This place is really in the middle of an auditorium with all of the bleachers pulled back, so it just seems huge. So, I continue on. I find a few more things that I could use. A couple of lower end Red Sox autos, a great Jerod Mayo Auto and a one of my favorite pick ups of the day, my first Jason Bay auto in the Sox uni.



Then I find a guy selling some nice vintage. Well, I am looking for a nice Willie Mays for a very good friend of mine. I have to buy the one this guy has. It is sweet. And I just hope my buddy Ed does not have it. Anyway, I pick it up. I had found a couple of other things I could use for trade bait as well, but the prices the guys wanted for them was unreal, so I pass.

Last year, there was a table that all the guy had was Letter Patch Autos. I am working on a complete alphabet of Boston sports Letter Autos, and I am looking for two in particular. I figure this guy must have them. Unfortunately after searching the whole place, the guy is not there.

But, overall a good day so far. Now, the last thing my buddy and I do is always go and grab some boxes. Well, I have done well already, and don't need any boxes, but the kid in me needs to break some wax. So, I way overbuy some stuff. Boy was I not disappointed. I buy a box each of TTT, Ticket to Stardom, SPA 08, SPA 09, 09 Sweet Spot and 08 Heroes. Don't want to get overly verbose here, so I just tell you, I pulled some awesome stuff out of these. Felix Hernandez Bat Barrel Auto, Griffey GU Auto, Pence BTL, Uehara BTL, tons of other GU and Autos. Just a ton of cool stuff. My pull of the day was a sweet Gehrig GU /9 from TTT. I am planning on selling it online though. I also pulled a couple of decent Sox GU out of these boxes as well.


But, I have to say the pull of the day did not come out of one of my boxes. My buddy pulled a Tiexiera GU/Auto 1 of 1 out of TTT. Unfortunately for both of us, he plays for the Yankees, and we are Sox fans. But that card was sweet. He immediately put it online and it just sold the other day. And it pretty much paid for his whole day at the show.

Anyway, had a great time at the show. This is really a great show, and if you are ever in the area definitely hit up this show. Tons of great stuff there. Always good trade bait, great Boston stuff, and good prices on boxes. And this year was the best year for good hits from the boxes I bought. Got a ton of PC stuff, some great stuff for some of my favorite traders, and pulled a few very nice things out of the boxes I bought. So, I really can't complain.
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