Youtube Auctions and unconventional card shows in the face of Covid

[Savard18]

I figured this would be an interesting topic.

I no longer watch network television and I haven't for years - at least a decade - so I get all of my viewing entertainment from youtube and other video sites such as; Netflix, Hulu, Amazon etc, however I mostly just watch youtube - and as such I enjoy watching pack, box and case breaks, I mean breaks are fun to watch and it's really nice to know what you can expect out of certain product. Not only that but I also like to watch pretty much anything related to sports cards and the hobby in general and recently collectors/dealers have been holding live youtube card auctions, which I think is pretty cool, and since it's starting to become a "new" thing I wonder if the idea will stick around and get bigger? For right now obviously the "youtuber dealers" aren't auctioning off anything "major" - nothing super "high-end" and the bidding system/process is simple for right now - it's essentially an "honor system".. I mean It is a live real-time show/auction and if you're interested in bidding on a lot that's up for auction you just bid what you want in the "youtube chat box" that's right there on the side during live streams and place your bid and if you win you just PayPal the youtuber and he sends you the cards, and some "youtube dealers" take it a step further to make it more convenient and easier and allow auction winners to pay with "super chat" (no that is not a new currency) "super chat" is essentially a feature on youtube which allows content creators fans to send them money during live streams to support their work and content.. I know that may perhaps seem goofy to some folks reading this not familiar with youtube but youtube creators put a lot of time effort and energy into their content so giving them a few bucks every once in a while if you enjoy their content really helps them out and makes it worthwhile for them to continue to make more content - I mean that was the idea behind super chat, but now these collectors/dealers that go live on their youtube channel allow bidders to pay for their cards they won via their auction that way.

Now live "televised" sports card and memorabilia auctions are nothing new. They've been around since the early 90's on C-Ban satellite - and no, not talking about QVC and their crappy clones that would hawk 1991 Upper Deck baseball factory sets for "only" $89.99, lol - no - these were real televised sports card auctions with real nice high-end vintage cards, mostly baseball but they did auction off quite a bit from other sports, but for me as a kid and young card collector (and believe it or not - dealer) in the early 90's I was glued to these auctions and would spend hours watching them, I mean I learned a ton about vintage cards from watching the auctions, and really learned to admire vintage cards, it was great. And it's funny because while my friends wanted to be professional athletes, policemen, firefighters - I wanted to buy,sell and trade cards for a living - I wanted to be those guys I was watching on satellite TV selling auctioning off Sandy Koufax rookies, Mantles, Jackie Robinson's, Gordie Howe's, Bobby Hull's, Wayne Gretzky, Maurice Richard etc and I sorta got my wish, I became what I wanted - I just didn't anticipate all the hard work that goes into it, lol. However now with youtube - and I thought about this a while back before these collectors/dealers started auctioning their cards off that anyone with a decent inventory could have a weekly auction via livestream. Now of course many would ask, why - we have eBay? well, that is true however during a live auction you can interact with the seller, if you have any questions they will be answered immediately and if you want a closer look at a card the seller is always happy to oblige. Not only that but you can negotiate right then and there and even offer trades.... Yes, some users will just post "trade" and the seller will toss the cards off to the side and workout a trade with you after the auctions have ended.

Now, I'm really wondering what some of your perspectives are on this new way to buy, sell and trade cards? In my opinion I think it's brilliant - or at the very least we're on to something new and more intimate. I mean I do have ideas to improve this new way of selling cards such as incorporating eBay into the process just to ease the nerves and minds of those that are initially skeptical of these live auctions, not only that but I'm sure these individuals that are auctioning cards would be all for it just so they have insurance that they will be paid...And it wouldn't be that difficult either - when the auctions are over the seller can just create a random item number, list that on eBay then email it - or even the link to the auction - to the buyer, the buyer clicks "buy it now" and both parties are protected... I mean I really really think there is plenty of upside to these youtube auctions because they're unique and intimate - you get to communicate with the seller, and ask any question you want - not only that but if you're looking for a particular card you can ask if the seller has that card and if they do then perhaps they would be willing to auction off right then and there and I'm sure if they have the card they would be more than happy to (at least I would) - not only that but there are great card discussions that go on in the chatroom during these auctions so it's an excellent place to network as well....

So what are your thoughts on this new and somewhat original way of buying, selling and trading cards? would any of you consider participating in a youtube auction? if not I would really like to read your concerns with this new concept, I mean is it just too "goofy", "too far out there" or unconventional for you??

I mean, me personally I'm not too scared of Covid, but some are and I'm sure that stands true with sports card collectors and this is the closest they can get to a card show if Covid is an issue for them - at least from the social interaction perspective a card show provides. At least you're talking to the dealer/collector/seller almost face to face, however that idea leads me into my next idea.

Now, I have been itching to do card shows for quite some time now and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one and unfortunately Covid is making the whole card show thing not possible. I mean sure, there are many collectors and show promoters scheduling them, but due to Covid they're always getting canceled or postponed - even at the last minute that happens, and even when a show does get a green light there is just no telling how many people will show, so that makes a real fun activity such as a card show, not only frustrating from a dealers perspective just because even if you booked your tables there is no guarantee the show will happen and even if it does it could turn out to be a total waste of money if only a couple dozen collectors show up for the event and you only sell a few cards our of your dollar bin/box - I mean not only are you out $60 bucks and perhaps more, but you also wasted your time - and lets not forget that loading and unloading the car/truck with cards is a real pain in the ™™™ - at least it is when you bring a lot - yea I know some dealers that don't bring very much at all - just their high-end stuff and that's it but when I do shows I usually bring a lot because I want to sell as much as possible...

Anyway I've been thinking and this may sound dumb, but at least it's a "solution". I mean I have organized card shows before, and I would like to get back into doing that - at least organizing a bi-weekly (weekly would be better) or at the very worse a monthly card show, however obviously that's not possible with Covid due to "social distancing" and other restrictions and rules that many hotels have that rent out conference rooms/ball rooms where card shows are normally held, so I've been thinking, who says a card show needs to be held in a hotel conference room, church basement or even indoors in a space you can rent? now, feel free to imply that I'm a dummy for dare thinking outside of the box, but what is wrong with outdoors?... Obviously it's winter so my idea will have to wait until spring but why not outdoors? ... I mean I have a pretty big garage, I can put an ad on craigslist and make it clear there will be a card show at my house and that dealers/collectors or anyone that wants to sell sports memorabilia or cards are more than welcome to show up with a table or two and set up for free.. Why not? people have garage sales and yard sales all of the time - why wouldn't it work for sports cards and memorabilia? especially when all it takes is just a craigslist ad.. So yea, if this card show issue is still bleak in the spring I'll just start my own straight out of my garage. And if my idea shows promise, well I have an uncle that lives 15 minutes from me and he lives on a farm and he has a couple of very big empty barns, and plenty of space to park... I mean i could easily fit 100 tables in the smaller of the 2 barns, and I could hold a show whenever I wanted - and my uncle wouldn't charge me a dime, tho if the shows were successful I would charge a small amount to rent a table, maybe like $10 or $15 bucks a table, which is a lot cheaper than pretty much all card shows, I mean I've seen tables rented at local shows for anywhere between $25-$60 depending on how many tables the card show is. Generally as an organizer you figure that out by counting how many tables you plan to have at your show and for example if you have 50 tables it's $50 per table, if you have 25 tables then it's $25 per table etc, but yea like I said - I could fit 100 tables in my uncles barn and at $10-15 a table that is an excellent price, especially if the shows gain traction and are successful after the first few tries, and at $10-15 a table, I mean that's $1,000-1,500 a weekend ... And yea, they may be barns in the traditional sense but they're clean, they don't smell and they're essentially open..... Heck, even if card shows do come back to normal I'm certainly going to try my hand at a 100 table card show in a barn, "the barn show"... Heck if the shows got really popular there is another barn that I would be welcome to use as well that could fit another 150 tables... I mean collectors like large card shows, the more tables the more of a selection and the more worthwhile the show becomes. Of course it the clientele/sports card collectors show up in droves I could charge a decent amount of money for tables and still be cheaper than the shows of the same size, I mean $30 bucks for an 8 foot table at a 250 table card show is a steal, lol meanwhile not many hotels or "wedding halls" have that kind of space at an affordable price so large card shows in hotels or banquet halls are very risky financially for those organizing them, I mean banquet halls and hotels rent their space out by the square foot - I wouldn't have that risk, I would just have to give my uncle a cut and I'm sure he would be thrilled with an extra grand in his pocket cash money every weekend, lol.. Ha, at $30 a table x 250 tables, that's $7,500 a show with zero upfront and no risk at all....

Anyways my point is that either way, if card shows don't start to come back on a consistent basis, I'm just going to start doing card shows out of my garage and other dealers and collectors in my area are more then welcome to come to my place and set up shop for free, and I think collectors will come if there are no card shows, and even if there were I think collectors would show up, why not? ... I mean people go "garage sale hunting" (I think that's what they call it), and people go thrift store and flee market jumping - so why wouldn't they show up to a small card show of perhaps 10-15 tables, maybe more depending on the weather? I mean I do have a yard too, lol.... Not the biggest yard but I'm confident I could fit 50 tables on my property. And there is no law in my town prohibiting garage sales or yard sales and that's all what I'm planning is - a yard/garage sale with an emphasis on sports cards and sports memorabilia, and pretty much anything sports....

Of course yes indeed, I have another unconventional idea for selling cards - of course I do, lol - and it's related to the youtube card auctions... I was thinking about having a "remote card show", I mean I have plenty of inventory to just put out on tables, pull out my camera and just slowly live stream what I have, and if a card catches the eye of someone watching the live stream then I could answer questions, or workout a trade or whatever really.... Yea, I know it sound ridiculous and I agree to some extent because auctions are one thing, but a remote card show? lol - I get it - but only because of Covid, I mean as stated above with my "garage/yard card show" and my idea for a profoundly large card show in my uncles barns - I mean I really love to do card shows. I really love the environment, I enjoy talking to collectors and other dealers, I enjoy trading and just everything about card shows, and of course at the end of the day you (well at least I do) come home with a nice wad of case in your pocket and a handful of cards to add to your PC - so yea I would much rather be physically at a card show instead of having to watch one on youtube - but at the very least if I was a viewer I could type in the chat "hey, let me see that card, what do want for it? you want to trade it?" lol and at least get an answer, that and have the ability to ask if the seller has a card and get an immediate answer, I mean sure I'm not there but it's the closest thing to being there - at least I'm conversing with another collector in real time, and doing business in real time and it's not just some random dude behind a message board... Not only that but it take a ton of time to take pics, send them to your PC the rename the file, put it in the appropriate folder, then upload them, then price them -- and it's not only that but when you have a significantly large inventory like I do and you don't really have a list of traders or stuff you want to sell because making that list would take just too long not to mention overturn would have you updating the list constantly hence you would make little to no progress - I mean just pulling a bunch of cards and putting them out and taking video would be a hell of a lot quicker than taking pics of individual cards or pictures of a dozen cards at a time. I mean whomever is watching the video, live or not could just hit pause if they see something they like, want or need and make an offer or ask for pics....

Anyway, I would love to know what some of you think - and yes I know my last idea is probably the dumbest of them all, however it makes a lot of sense if you factor Covid and you just have too many cards to list and card shows just aren't possible... I mean it's time to get creative...

But I am most interested in what you think about the growing number of dealers doing card auctions on youtube? would you watch or bid? I mean look from a dealers perspective there are no eBay fees and I can auction off whatever I want - I've seen some pretty small lots auctioned off, lol... Just small things, like a lot of 2 Barry Larkin RC's that went for a buck a Ted Simmonds RC that went for $5, Keith Hernandez RC that went for like $5... It was pretty interesting just watching these guys talk cards and auction cards while they interacted with the individuals watching their live stream. I say why not?? heck I'm going to give it a shot, maybe even this evening....

So yea, long post I know and if you read it though entirely, well you're a trooper and deserve an award, lol.

And if you like these ideas or don't like them, I would love to hear your input regardless of your position, just explain why tho because there is always room for improvement.

- Nick

[scarrman]

Umm, just thinking out loud here, but you seriously want to post your address on craigslist and tell all of Chicago you have a million hockey cards. Somewhere more anonymous would be much safer.

[Savard18]

Umm, just thinking out loud here, but you seriously want to post your address on craigslist and tell all of Chicago you have a million hockey cards. Somewhere more anonymous would be much safer.

I don't live in the city of Chicago, I'm from the Chicagoland area - when I say "I'm from Chicago" I'm just giving the general geographic area I'm from and most people know where Chicago is on a map.. The reality is I'm on the Illinois/Wisconsin border, and yes I would be comfortable listing my address, and I wouldn't be concerned about getting robbed for cards - I mean (and I cant even believe we're going down this route, but) trying to rob me would be a huge mistake considering, I'll just say the "security" I have in my house is pretty solid. Look I just don't collect hockey cards, I collect other things too, lol....Not that it matters considering the crime rate is pretty low where I'm at.... With that said I really don't foresee someone planning a massive card heist, lol.... Besides, have you ever seen what a million cards looks like??? do you have any idea how long it would take to load a million cards into a vehicle of some sort would take?? I mean for one you would need at last 2 U-Haul trucks and several people and even then it would take at least a half hour to an hour to move all of the cards...

Also, I have absolutely no idea why your first thought was theft.

Not to mention I pointed out that my uncle lives on a farm and has 2 huge empty barns he would let me use whenever I wanted and there is enough room there to put on a 250 table card show, even more tables than that considering one of the barns is 2 floors - so maybe even 350-400 tables, lol... Of course that is in theory and would be technically possible however parking would be a massive issue...

Look dude, I'm tired of this Covid nonsense affecting my life - and the hobby is part of my life, so I'm going to think outside of the box and start promoting card shows -- if they have to be outdoors that's fine, but card shows WILL come back to my area this spring one way or another..... I know if you're a collector you probably don't get it but there are people/dealers out there that rely on the extra revenue cards bring in to pay the bills, and there are many individuals/dealers that rely on the revenue of cards to survive - it's what they do for a living and eBay alone doesn't provide enough because the real money is at the shows ....

So yea, I'm going to bring shows back this spring, even if I have to get a permit and set up tends in a park I will do that.... But right now I'm exploring many options and i have been talking to a few people whom have private space to lease which would be suitable for card shows... The problem is that due to this Covid nonsense renting space in public buildings for any sort of gathering is very difficult..

It seems that many collectors/dealers are content with this Covid nonsense and the accompanying restrictions, but I'm tired of it and I'm going to find a way to jump-start the card show circuit.. If public property is a no-go then private land it is.

[scarrman]

Wow, pretty sensitive. First thought was theft, uh yah, it sure was. Why do you think every card store has steel bars over the windows and bollards in the parking lot.
I don't give two cents about the geography of your neighborhood, and if you collect militia stuff to protect yourself have at it. BTW you never even mentioned Chicago vs Chicagoland in your post.
Have I seen what a million cards looks like, pretty easy to imagine, you have repeated several times you have that many. Based on 5,000 count boxes, unsleeved so that 5,000 fit, would end up being about 20+ 6 foot high stacks. Or if you don't want to stack them and just lay them all over the floor of your garage, would just about fit if your garage is 20' x 23'. But then you wouldn't have room for the 250 tables you are renting out (which you then in turn would need to rent from someone).
Yes I'm a collector, and you think I don't understand the hobby? I think I understand it just fine. But if cards is a source of revenue that you rely on, why do you continuously buy hoards of commons online? Why not save your card money and pay your bills instead.
I get it, your passionate about cards, you're sick and tired of COVID, we all are. Just be patient and let it run its course and we can all get back to what we like doing. Until then, best to follow the accompanying restrictions in your area.
No need to respond, although I expect you will. I hope one day your idea comes to fruition.

[creasecollector]

It has been interesting seeing the rise & importance of social media with cards, especially during this pandemic.

When I co-stared a podcast, we were surprised at the amount of listeners we were getting in just the first few Episodes. There is a big market out there!

[Savard18]

Wow, pretty sensitive. First thought was theft, uh yah, it sure was. Why do you think every card store has steel bars over the windows and bollards in the parking lot.
I don't give two cents about the geography of your neighborhood, and if you collect militia stuff to protect yourself have at it. BTW you never even mentioned Chicago vs Chicagoland in your post.
Have I seen what a million cards looks like, pretty easy to imagine, you have repeated several times you have that many. Based on 5,000 count boxes, unsleeved so that 5,000 fit, would end up being about 20+ 6 foot high stacks. Or if you don't want to stack them and just lay them all over the floor of your garage, would just about fit if your garage is 20' x 23'. But then you wouldn't have room for the 250 tables you are renting out (which you then in turn would need to rent from someone).
Yes I'm a collector, and you think I don't understand the hobby? I think I understand it just fine. But if cards is a source of revenue that you rely on, why do you continuously buy hoards of commons online? Why not save your card money and pay your bills instead.
I get it, your passionate about cards, you're sick and tired of COVID, we all are. Just be patient and let it run its course and we can all get back to what we like doing. Until then, best to follow the accompanying restrictions in your area.
No need to respond, although I expect you will. I hope one day your idea comes to fruition.

I'm not being sensitive, nor did I mean to offend you. I don't believe I implied anything out of line..

I'm just saying that I'm not concerned about theft, also I don't have all of my cards in one space, lol.. I have my cards stored in different rooms. I mean I have a large walk-in closet I generally keep the cards I'm selling or trading and the rest are essentially stored in the guest room and my bedroom, so yea... All I was really trying to point out in my post is that it would take someone that knows something about hockey cards to even know what to take, and I can honestly say that if there are card collectors around here, they don't collect hockey cards - basketball, football and baseball by far are the most popular sports around here, and of course if there is a sports card thief out there they would have to take all of them if they don't know hockey which I pointed out would require 2 mid-sized U-Haul trucks - I mean I just find the notion of someone - especially a sports card collector that knows hockey jacking me for my cards extremely improbable... And I wouldn't say I collect "militia stuff".. I mean the only camouflage clothing I wear has sports logos on them - I collect sports jerseys too so I have a few baseball and a few hockey jerseys that are in camo, but I do collect firearms, especially operable vintage, tho Civil War era "wall hangers" are really awesome and of course I do hunt and enjoy going to the range once a week - or at least I try to...So I'm not exactly a militiaman if that was what you were trying to get at nor do I have anything against militias or militiamen... I cant even believe we're discussing militias SMH, lol...

Anyway I wouldn't rent tables if I can find a permanent spot on private property to hold shows, I would buy them.. They're just tables, you can buy them used in bulk or you can just buy them from distributors or even the manufacturers themselves - I do have a business tax number, and that is usually required if you want to buy direct so - I mean if I wanted to I could buy cards straight from Upper Deck because I have that tax ID/number - and yes I have tried - the process is really convoluted - I just cant buy 1 case at a time, you have to sign contracts and all kind of nonsense so it's not even worth the savings.

But look dude, one way or another I'm doing card shows this spring, if this government eases up then great - if not then I will just hold shows on private property ... Like I said I have an uncle that owns a farm that is only 15 minutes from me where 250+ tables are absolutely possible, the only issue with that is parking - it's an agriculture farm - he grows corn feed and I wouldn't expect him to a piece of his field into a parking lot for me just to hold card shows, lol... But like I said in my previous post I've been talking to private property owners that do have empty dwellings be it a barn or a large garage to hold large card shows at... I mean there aren't that many "big" card shows in my neck of the woods, sure we have conventions a few times a year at the Rosemont and of course the National at McCormick Place, but that is like an hour from here and I wouldn't even try to compete with them, lol - No, I will be at those conventions - but still, having a consistent weekend 200 table card show would certainly be awesome and I'm confident it would be successful - not only that but very profitable, I mean at $50 bucks a table, which is profoundly cheap for a 200 table show is $10,000 in revenue on tables alone just for a weekend show... Now tell me if you owned an empty dwelling that could accommodate a 200 table card show and I offered to rent that dwelling from you for the weekend so I could hold a card show for 5 grand I'm sure you would take it.. It's a card show not a warehouse rave, lol...

As for me and my inventory, who says I buy hordes of commons? I buy card lots, that's what I do. I look at a card lot and if there are good cards in a lot I buy it, and card lots generally do come with excess cards - but I'm not buying commons - well unless they're vintage commons, I'm always interested in them...Trust me, if you've seen some of the lots I've purchased in the past you would be "signing a different tune" as they say.. My star, superstar and HOF'er ratio to commons it pretty high, I would say that 25% of my cards are either stars, superstars or HOF'ers .. So yea, I have a lot of cards because the majority of the lots I buy always have excess but if that lot has 1 card in it that would pay for the entire lot itself and make me a profit on top of that - I'm buying the lot....

Of course you're a collector, you post here obviously, however being a collector and a dealer are two different ball games. Being a collector is like bowling and being a dealer is like juggling bowling balls - sure there is something common there being the bowling ball but bowling and juggling are two different activities, and look obviously I'm also a collector so I know both worlds - well actually there is a "third world" which is card shop owner which way different than both, and yea I worked at my LCS from the age of 12/13 to 17/18 - yes I know I was young, too young to "legally" work but I got paid in store credit which was fine with me because even if 13-year-olds were legally allowed to work I would have blown my paycheck on cards anyway so it was a win-win for me, besides there is no other place I would have rather been than a card shop at that age, I mean I was essentially getting "free cards" for doing what I loved while I was at a place I wanted to be... It was the best and funnest job I have ever had.. The owner wasn't really a collector either, I mean he had some knowledge but was not even remotely an expert, so he used me as the hockey expert and this other guy Jeffy as his baseball expert, and yes I was an expert at 13, I mean I only lived and breathed hockey cards since I was 8 so.. But it was nice because I got to go down in the basement where there was probably a million cards in mixed boxes and just pull anything of value, make sets or whatever... Of course assess values on hockey card (and baseball if Jeffy wasn't around) collections too... So yea it was really fun but much different from being a collector or dealer.. Dealers generally worked out of their homes, advertised and mainly made their money on the weekends doing shows - well, until the internet and ebay, and obviously collectors just collect, I mean a 10,000 card collection to a collector is considered an "extremely large collection", lol... I mean I took a couple of 5,000 count boxes of "junk" - well not junk but doubles and mid-end stuff to the card shop a few towns over and the dude at the card shop was like "wow you have a pretty large collection here" and I was like "ok", lol.. Of course he then tried to bend me over the table by offering me like 20& of low book on cards that usually sell for 75% of high book if not high book.. I was like F that noise, lol. I understand the guy needs to make money but c'mon.. I even told him I would do 50/50 - 50% trade, 50% cash if he gave me 65% of high book - "no deal", lol...

As for Covid, yea, no - there will be no "running the course". I don't want to get political - that's why I post here - to escape that nonsense.... All I'll say is that a year ago they said "15 days to slow the spread" and now they're saying 2 years. Look, in 2 years people will be saying the same thing "we just have to wait it out" and 5 years from now - all of this - the way the world is will just accept it - it will be the "new norm" and most people will forget what life was like before Covid and just accept it.... But like I said, I come here to escape politics - cards are my little "safe place", lol

But look, all I'm trying to do is bring card shows back so people can have fun again, so dealers can make some money again so collectors can enjoy talking with other collectors.. I mean not everyone collects cards, it's not the biggest hobby so it's nice to be in an environment where you're around other collectors and have great and interesting conversations about cards, not to mention trading - I love to trade. I mean I would rather trade then sell.. There is nothing like having a 2500 ct shoe box filled with a variety of cards from "low-end" (I hate that term, there is no such thing as a low-end card to me. I prefer "overproduced") to high-end cards, where it takes 2 minutes NOT 2 weeks to make a trade... Remember the good old days when you would go though a collector or dealers cards and they would go though yours and then you would each have a stack of cards you're interested in and you worked out a trade and you both walked away happy?? yea, I would like to see those days come back because that is just one of the many things that makes this hobby so great.

[Savard18]

It has been interesting seeing the rise & importance of social media with cards, especially during this pandemic.

When I co-stared a podcast, we were surprised at the amount of listeners we were getting in just the first few Episodes. There is a big market out there!

Hey, if you ever want to talk hockey cards or hockey in general on your podcast I would be interested in being a guest. When it comes to hockey and hockey cards I think I have enough knowledge to hang, lol... Definitely when it comes to vintage..

And if you want a good podcast topic for a show - you should discuss the monopoly the card companies have on the hobby, you know - Upper Deck has hockey, Topps/Donruss has baseball, Panini has football and I believe Basketball has Fleer.... And of course where does ITG fit in? I mean there is a lot to discuss there, I mean just how realistically healthy is this monopoly for the hobby? ... Well, the answer to that is that it's not. It might be healthy for these card companies bottom line but for collectors? c'mon. It destroys creativity and competition, which obviously hurts the product and fixes the prices.. Look, Upper Deck can make a crappy product and charge whatever they want for it and hockey collectors will pay because UD is a monopoly, hence there are no other brands keeping them in check... I mean I'm super happy that I got back into the hobby about 5 years ago BUT the way the hobby is split up is just ridiculous.. And the only reason why they get away with it is because they're colluding with one another agreeing not to sue each other... I mean they essentially split the pie 4 ways... That's why companies like ITG need to sue .... That's just the way I see it and I don't know any other way how to see it, lol.... And if you want my opinion I think ITG is a fantastic product - they make quality cards for serious hockey collectors (presumably) serious hockey collectors... I mean do you really think Upper Deck would issue a subset of serial numbered cards called "Goalie Graphs" and include Warren Skorodenski and Gilles "Gratoony The Loony" Gratton in their set??? lol .. Yea right, I'd bet those running the show at UD aren't familiar with either.... And I have both the Gratton and Skorodenski ITG auto's and I'm absolutely thrilled with them and they will never be leaving my PC- EVER!! lol .... Gratton was one of the most eccentric goalies in NHL history and Skorodenski was one fun goalie to watch (and a former Hawk) and they both had ridiculously infamous masks so I feel privileged in a sense to own their auto's and both of them are limited to x/4 which makes them really unique... So yea, once UD's exclusive licensing rights expire I really hope ITG jumps in and tries to get a slice of the pie, because IMO they just make superior cards and they know what the fans want...

[30ranfordfan]

If you want to start up your own card show, best of luck to you! I have no idea what the COVID restrictions are in IL (they're confusing enough in Ontario) - but it would seem to me that if large gatherings were not permitted, it would be tough to pull off, no?

Of course, if you're allowed to do whatever you want on private property, and it's only public (and/or commercial?) property where restrictions have been placed - then I suppose you can do whatever you want.


I know here (Ontario) something like that would be against the current restrictions. There's a cap on the size of indoor (10, I think) and outdoor (25, pretty sure) gatherings. If you're having that at your home, an office parking lot, a farm, etc.... it doesn't matter.

[Savard18]

If you want to start up your own card show, best of luck to you! I have no idea what the COVID restrictions are in IL (they're confusing enough in Ontario) - but it would seem to me that if large gatherings were not permitted, it would be tough to pull off, no?

Of course, if you're allowed to do whatever you want on private property, and it's only public (and/or commercial?) property where restrictions have been placed - then I suppose you can do whatever you want.


I know here (Ontario) something like that would be against the current restrictions. There's a cap on the size of indoor (10, I think) and outdoor (25, pretty sure) gatherings. If you're having that at your home, an office parking lot, a farm, etc.... it doesn't matter.

Thanks for the encouragement, I appreciate it.

The Covid "restrictions" here are very odd, they vary from town to town but it's the businesses whom appear to be responsible for enforcing restrictions. In short they're walking on egg shells because they don't want issues with the government and few businesses want to rent out space for public gatherings because even they're unsure about restrictions. All they know is for right now they can do business so they're not going to push the line... But yea other than that it's pretty much "normal" er "business as usual" around here, no pun intended of course. I mean to my knowledge there have been no crackdowns or "busts" on "public" gatherings on private property... So I think it will be ok if my shows are held indoors and people wear masks, but if I hold an outdoor event masks aren't required... Around here where I live you only have to wear a mask if you go inside a business, and you can take it off if you want when you step outside..

Besides, I've really been thinking that holding outdoor events in a tent would be the best way to go given I want to do larger shows because I think they'll be the most lucrative and the most attractive to collectors and dealers... At least 200 tables if not more. I've also been thinking about getting some local professional athletes to sign autos as well. You know current Chicago Bears, Cubs and Blackhawks players both former and or currant. I mean a ton of former and active Bears, Cubs and Hawks live within a 10-15 mile radius of me and tons of Bears live in my town so it shouldn't be that difficult - I mean Halas Hall - the Bears practice facility is only a 10 minute drive from my house so if I can get some local players booked in advance that would be excellent... I also want to raise some money for charity as well - perhaps that can be somehow tied in with the personal appearances... I'm in no rush right now because we're still a couple of months away here in the Chicagoland area before the weather is nice enough to hold an outdoor event, so right now I'm just researching and exploring my options.... I mean I've put on shows in the past but nothing like I'm planning in my head, lol..... Oh and I can get Bill Murray the actor to sign autos and make a personal appearance because he's a family friend, I mean he's kinda sports related eh? he was in "Caddy Shack" and is still pretty active on the Chicago sports scene, lol... I mean who wouldn't want to meet Bill Murray? lol He's a funny guy, he loves sports and large events so perhaps I'll ask him if that is something he would be interested in doing... Maybe I can get some local food vendors to come out as well..

Yea, just a few ideas..

[subban7677]

I just can't wrap my head around buying and selling cards on Instachat or Snapgram. It's still foreign to me.