The hobby community, like many other communities, is jam packed with different ways of finding the right items for your collection. eBay, Comc, twitter(X), Facebook, Instagram, and posh mark to name a few. these all have their own positives and negatives about finding the grails that each of us are looking for. However, there is one way of collecting and finding the great items we desire in this hobby that I did not mention. It’s the one thing in America that stands the test of time (other than baseball itself), the great American “Card Show”.
No matter where you live, whether that be in the big cities like those of St. Louis, Los Angles, and Denver, or small states such as Mississippi, Alabama or Tennessee, there is a card show somewhere nearby selling things that many others are collecting and attempting to acquire. These shows have many vendors, some have signers, and all have vendors with well-priced and overpriced items. Many vendors copy each other’s style of selling due to past successes and some displays can be boring due to this. There are dollar boxes, figures, autographed footballs and baseballs and bats and showcases full of awesome rare graded and RAW cards alike waiting to be picked or attempted to be traded for. Every vendor has “their” layout and different ways to find comps about their items for sale, some will be high, and some will be low. This is what gives collectors different ways to collect and find those items they are looking for , many times without even talking due to the great layout the vendor has.
Recently I went to a show called the @fliptradeshow in Vestavia hills Alabama. The show itself is a traveling card show that goes to many different places inside Alabama and the surrounding states. They often have autograph signers from the local university and NFL history to go with their massive number of different vendors in the past. They draw many different types of collectors and vendors from states far away from Alabama. The creator for this is named Daniel and he too is a vendor. Daniel is constantly looking for deals and running round the show to control vendors and to help guide the security he hires to attend the show and help prevent theft. There are auctions and other unique ways to gain items for your collection, such as vendors with dice games and even roulette wheels, at times certain vendors can feel like a casino but you will always get your money's worth and be guaranteed a prize, in most instances. The way people interact at this show is great and collectors are generally happy for other collectors when they find an item they have been looking for for a long time. People have hit 1/1 out of mystery bags and the crowd has erupted. Others have hit graded autos of the hottest basketball rookies from a rotating (wheel of fortune) type wheel. I have also witnessed numerous people find their missing card from their collection in a 50 cent or a $1 dollar box at many different vendors at many different times. Most vendors are easy to negotiate with and most will trade depending on their personal situations at that time. Also, don’t be afraid to dig through those boxes at the flip and find some amazing deals.
Overall, my observation of this show and the shows they have put on in the past is great. They care about their patrons and offer giveaways and gifts for the children, such as free cards. Many different ages of collectors come to this show, and most are knowledgeable in the hobby. This show brings all walks of life and all types of collectors together, sometimes twice a month, to gain knowledge and gain items for their respective collections. If you are ever in the state of Alabama, or the surrounding areas and see The Flip Trade show having a show nearby, make sure to come out and find those rare items for your collections.
Thanks for reading and contributing to this amazing hobby- Matthew (Ransomcards) ransom @MDRANSOM1