RIPPED is Live from Cleveland
Editor’s note: Each day of the National Sports Collectors Convention, Topps RIPPED senior writer Greg Bates will highlight three things he saw while roaming the show floor at the I-X Center in Cleveland.
CLEVELAND – Day 2 at the Big Show had it all.
There were high-buck vintage cards, low-numbered pristine modern cards, a great list of signers in the Autograph Pavilion, and a jam-packed Trade Night. Choosing only three highlights for the day was difficulty, but here they are.
Michael Jordan’s application and acceptance letter to UNC can be seen at Goldin’s booth at The National. (All Photos by Greg Bates)
Best Auction House Item
Michael Jordan’s application and acceptance letter to enroll at the University of North Carolina.
Any basketball fan — especially ones that consider MJ the GOAT — knows what an unbelievable piece this is being sold through Goldin.
“It is truly remarkable,” Goldin CEO and founder Ken Goldin said. “It is the beginning. It is the rookie of rookies. Just think about what it would be like if he’s not going to North Carolina. You wouldn’t have ‘The Shot,’ maybe he wouldn’t have the training under Dean Smith, and you’d never know what would happen. He could have a great career, but it wouldn’t be Jordan.”
Goldin believes this historical document will sell for seven figures. There are a lot of great MJ pieces. Is this one of the best?
“For a non-game-used item, it’s got to be in the top two or three,” Goldin said.
A pair of numbered 2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani cards graced a case at dealer Old School.
Best Dealer Item
Two 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.
To have one of these cards in a dealer’s case is spectacular. To have two pieces — that’s just sick. Gary Edmondson, owner of Old School out of Danville, Pennsylvania, has the pair on consignment at the show. The sticker prices for those are the orange refractor at $75,000 and the gold refractor at $70,000.
“Just having them together in the same display is great,” Edmondson said. “If someone’s trying to put something together — the rainbow, especially — right there are two of the big ones to grab.”
But to complete the rainbow, a collector has to acquire the coveted Ohtani Superfractor.
“The Super’s just the easy one to get,” joked Edmondson.
An estimated 4,000-5,000 collectors attended the first of three Trade Nights on Thursday evening.
Best Overall Scene
The first night of Trade Night.
In past years, The National has featured one Trade Night. To say it is a popular event is an understatement. In 202,3 in Rosemont, Illinois, Trade Night housed 6,000 people,e with another 2,000 waiting in line to get in the door once someone left.
This year, there are three Trade Nights: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The first night was electric. The lower level of the I-X Center had kids and adults making endless deals. Former pitcher Doc Gooden and football player Josh Gordon made appearances on the stage. Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin was also spotted checking out the Trade Night atmosphere.
Ryan Johnson, known as CardCollector2 in the hobby circle, is one of the Trade Night founders. He estimated between 4,000-5,000 collectors attended the event.
“This is a great sign that the hobby is healthy, and there’s a good community in this industry,” Johnson said. “To spend time at the show all day and then to come here and spend another five hours wheeling and dealing, to see that happen is amazing.”
