Tracking the Hobby’s Monthly Trends
Welcome to the latest column from RIPPED news editor/senior writer Greg Bates. Each month, he examines The Hobby’s current and emerging trends and offers expert opinions on all things collecting.
The show floor was bare the night before the opening of the 44th annual National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland last week. (Photo by Greg Bates)
I’ve attended The National seven times. Each one is undoubtedly more special than the last.
My first six National Sports Collectors Conventions were when I was writing for Sports Collectors Digest — the last five shows in Rosemont, Illinois (2015, ’17, ’19, ’21, and ’23) and the 2022 event in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
I remember walking into the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center for the 2015 National and barely knowing anyone. But over the last 10 years, I’ve developed so many great relationships within The Hobby. I’ve become friends with industry leaders such as autograph expert Steve Grad of Beckett, Mascot CEO Ezra Levine, Pristine Auctions COO Jeromy Murray, Heritage Auctions Executive Vice Presidents of Sports Joe Orlando and Derek Grady, Collectors CEO Nat Turner, and Ludex CEO Brian Ludden.
What started out as me as a journalist contacting big-name executives in The Hobby for interviews has blossomed into lifelong friendships. This hobby is about the friendships. It’s about the great people. It’s about the community.
Walking the show floor at The National this year for five days proved this camaraderie amongst collectors, dealers, and corporate executives. I can’t tell you how many hugs, smiles, and laughs I witnessed during those long days at the I-X Center. Lines were long to get food and the aisles were jam-packed, but everyone was so cordial. We are all in this hobby together. Everyone wants to have fun and succeed in this space.
RIPPED senior writer Greg Bates (left) and Dan Wulkan from Memory Lane pose for a photo with a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner at The National.
Record-Breaking Crowds?
This year’s National proved one thing: even though prices have come back down to Earth following the COVID surge in 2020 and ’21, The Hobby is alive and kicking.
I’m anxiously waiting for the new show managers from JBJ Corporation to announce the rough figures for attendance at this year’s show. The National has never released exact numbers following a show, but this year’s event had to have drawn close to 100,000 people. That was the announced attendance for the 2023 show, breaking the all-time record.
Despite congested traffic entering and leaving the convention center each day, along with long bathroom and food lines, the event was a success. The entire 500,000-square-foot show floor was swamped the majority of the time. I felt like Thursday and Friday were the craziest days.
The Trade Nights — for the first time ever it was three nights instead of just one — were absolutely wild. I attended the first two nights on Thursday and Friday, and there was barely any room to walk.
It was really fun to see so many kids, who get free admission, in attendance at The National. It was also amazing to see so many families taking in the show. On Sunday, I got off my feet to grab a bite to eat. I sat across from a mom and her son, who was probably in middle school. I was amazed to hear the mom holding her own in a conversation with her son about refractors, 1st Bowman cards, and specific athletes.
The National featured massive crowds as attendees packed the I-X in search of special promotions and some of the top cards and memorabilia that exist. (Photo by Ray Schulte, NSCC)
Fun Pieces to See
I didn’t get a ton of time to walk the show floor and really study what dealers were selling. But from what I saw, there were endless incredible pieces.
I did see a Juan Soto 2016 Bowman Chrome Prospects Red Refractor Auto #JS /5 in a PSA 7 with a 10 auto. The price tag on that was a little out of my range at $190,000. Also, a pair of Shohei Ohtani 2018 Bowman cards: a Chrome Rookie Autographs orange refractor numbered to 25 in a PSA 9, and a Chrome Rookie Autographs gold refractor numbered to 50 in a BGS 9.5 stood out. The combined price of those two was $145,000.
The coolest vintage cards and memorabilia were on hand at the auction houses. I got to hold a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner in a PSA 2 at Memory Lane. Valued at $5 million, it was cool to see the epic card up close. It brought me back to two years ago in Atlantic City when I got a photo holding the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle in a SGC 9.5 that sold a few weeks later for a record $12.6 million. It never gets old seeing the da Vinci’s of the sports card world.
Fanatics Fest is Next
With The National in the books, we move onto the next big show.
I’m fortunate enough that I’ll be able to see a lot of my hobby friends in New York City in a few weeks for the inaugural Fanatics Fest. But I can’t wait to get back to Rosemont in 51 weeks and do The National again. There’s nothing like it.
Drop me a line at gbates@collectfanatics.com and let me know what your experience was like at The National. I’d love to share some collectors’ thoughts in my column next month.
RIPPED news editor/senior writer Greg Bates writes a monthly column exploring the trends of The Hobby. Prior to joining Fanatics, Bates was a freelance writer for 10 years for Sports Collectors Digest.
