Card Show Saturday!

Christmas comes but once a year, but across the river from me in Portland OR, my own personal Christmas comes once a month!  Card show!!!  OK, this is not a card show like many of you get with nice crowds and tons of tables.  It's at an older Mall and runs through the middle of the walkway.  There are about 20 dealers most months, usually the same guys.  But hey, it's a CARD SHOW!!  I am what financial advisors call 'poor', so I look at the cool stuff, but I always end up at a couple of dealers that have cheapo boxes.  They are both great guys but have opposite philosophies on how to sell.

Dealer 1 has TONS of stuff, organized by price.  He starts at one end of his tables with 1/2 off Beckett boxes and moves gradually through dollar boxes to quarter boxes to dime boxes and on some occasions, even penny boxes.  I spend a lot of time here, always talking with the dealer.  We have become friends.  A few months ago, I asked him if he had any Wes Welker.  He didn't know who he was!  But over the next few months, he remembered and looked specifically for Welker for me.  The last 2 shows, he has shown up with Welkers and given them to me for free!  Great guy, I'll always spend at his tables.

The other guy is right next to the first one. He is a Vietnam Vet and always has wierd and entertaining stories to tell.  His low end boxes are unpriced.  If anyone ever asks him how much, he just says 'cheap!'.  At first that turned me off, I want to know how much I will be paying for a card before I decide if I want it.  After several months of just passing by the guy, I finally found some cards that I couldn't pass up at his table.  I presented him with a short stack and asked how much.  After his obligatory 'cheap' response, he gave me a price that was just silly low.  I grabbed the cards, threw money at him and ran out the door!  I have been a customer ever since.  the deals vary, but I always look.

I have grabbed cards for several bloggers from these 2 guys in the past including Dave at Tribecards, WickedOrtega, and Smed.  Now that I am becoming more a part of the community, I hope that will continue.  So the show is Saturday!  Stay tuned to see what I get.

I'd be interested in knowing about your experiences at shows.  What do you look for, how good are the shows and dealers?