Stan the Man
Stan the Man
A quick trip to Philadelphia nets me another blue chip!
This past weekend I was able to attend the Philadelphia Card Show. I had heard great things about this show and wanted to experience it for myself. Philadelphia is a quick three-hour drive from Northern Virginia when I-95 is cooperating.
I was able to arrive in Philadelphia a few hours before the show, and I found myself at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Anytime I visit a city with Claude Monet paintings, I must attend. His work is brilliant and I am a big fan.
After the museum, I headed up to Oaks, Pennsylvania which is about 30 minutes from downtown with light traffic. The show is now held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center which is a newer venue for this show. It is comparable in size to the Chantilly show with many of the same dealers.
Everyone has their own method to attack a show, and my approach has been described as “methodical” by one of my favorite dealers, Ashish. I take pride in that. I have been picky with what I am looking for, and this show was no different.
Going into this show I was looking for a T206 Ty Cobb Green Portrait. I did two laps around the room and cataloged where each one was. The examples in my price range looked like they had been run over by a truck, altered, or ungraded. If I am going to spend several thousand dollars on a card, it has to be the one. I’ll know when I see it.
I texted Eric (@thosebackpages) about the show and what I was seeing. I told him that Cobb wasn’t going to happen, and he asked me what I would spend my money on in return. This is where friends are important, especially ones who know where your collecting habits are currently at.
At this year’s National, I purchased a 1948 Bowman Stan Musial card. At the time it was the earliest baseball card I had acquired. I didn’t know much about the 1948-49 Leaf set when I made the purchase, otherwise, I probably would have acquired the Musial instead. I knew the Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige cards were big-time cards but didn’t appreciate the importance of stars like Musial or Ted Williams in the set. The Bowman card is a great card, but I had grown to prefer the Leaf because of its beauty.
So, I found a fantastic Leaf Musial PSA 1. I found a dealer who was able to give me a strong offer on the Bowman Musial, and that gave me cash to pay above comps on the following card (blasphemy, I know).
Seriously, look at that PSA 1, especially the centering and color. It has some markings on the black nameplate and has a few creases on the front. There is also light glue residue on the back, but seriously who looks at the back?
This was my only purchase of the show. That has more to do with my focus of late, and not because nothing else caught my eye. A lot catches my eye. There is only so much cash I can have access to at any given time, otherwise, I would be card-rich and life poor, and I am trying to find the right balance with collecting.
The Philadelphia show is a fantastic show. I posted the following picture with a comment saying, “the hobby is dead”, jokingly, and there were some negative comments about the experience (prices, admission fees, stubborn dealers, long lines, etc.)
Look, I get it, times are changing in the card world. Dealers do not have to move cards at any price other than the ones on the sticker (if they even have one…). That may be frustrating, but you have to find a way to enjoy yourself. There is a lot going on in this world to be depressed about, a card show should be the highlight of your week if you’re a collector with a few bucks in your pocket.
When I am at shows, I am trying to consume as much information as I can from the experience. I am trying to make connections and build relationships with many of the dealers I regularly see. I have been asking prominent dealers a lot of questions about their experience and approach to cards. I find them to be invaluable resources and I hope to do plenty of business with them in the future.
I have learned about so many obscure baseball card sets in the past few months by just sitting with dealers and chatting. There are a lot of cards I might not ever be able to afford, but that is beside the point. Community and gained knowledge are what make this hobby so awesome.
The 1948-49 Leaf Stan Musial is another blue chip card added to my collection. I hope it is not the last Leaf I am able to acquire. They are beautiful cards and the history of Leaf cards is fascinating.
If you want to learn more about the set, here is a great conversation between Mike (Baseball Collector) and Dave (BlueJacket66) on the Bench Clear Media YouTube channel.
Thank you for joining me as I try to catalog my journey down this rabbit hole of collecting vintage blue chip baseball cards