Sweet F.A. baby.
It's a smaller show (15-20 tables) held the first weekend of every month in the lobby of a hockey/curling rink.
There was a women's hockey tournament going on, so it looked like a lot of people were there, but in reality maybe 20 customers.
I have never seen so much overpriced cards in my life. No dealers, only wannabes. Every seller there was between 48-65 years old. Unwashed. Still living in his mom's basement. You know what I'm talking about. Stereotypes exist for a reason kids!
Everwhere you looked it was quadruple jersey autographed game worn jock super refractors. Millions of them. And no prices. Anywhere. Warning! Warning!
I found two dudes selling football and baseball, and pulled a Kenshin Kawakami '09 Ballpark autograph /200. No price. *sigh* "How much?" I ask. "Well son, that card books for over $80, but I've never seen it sell on ebay for less than $100. You see, he's Japanese! It's rare that us white folk ever get to see a card like this. Them Japs snap 'em up so quick!" he says, snapping his fingers. I look around, assuming I just transported into middle Arkansas. Nope. Still surrounded by women on skates. "But I'll let you have it for full book. A steal!" he says.
I'd already walked away. I found one when I got home. Better snag it before them foreigners do, eh?
Wow. It didn't get any better. Finally I paid some dude $6 for 18 cards from the '76/77 and '77/78 OPC hockey sets. I think I got raped on that too... but I was busy looking over my shoulder for the Japanese.
And then I left. Thank the gods it was free admission and I could go watch some hockey after...
11 comments:
Man, that's classic.
That's a strange world you inhabit.
I've been to cards shows bad enough that I'd be embarrassed to be seen there. This sounds like one of those.
LMAO...gotta look out for those Japanese
I hear them Chinee are even worse.
Incroyable!
Ugh... I got a guy like that at the flea market now. I pulled a mangled T205 card of a Brave (er... Rustler actually) and he's all like "Oh yeah... we looked that one up in the book, it's a very RARE one, hi book at $200! I could let you have it for $80". For a dirt common in mangled condition.
I actually wanted to buy a few things from him out of the quarter box so I was able to restrain myself and keep from bitch slapping him into the next county. I would not have been able to restrain myself with this guy.
hahahaha. I almost peed a little on the Arkansas part.
There was a local guy who had a card/video (vhs!) store about a dozen years or so ago who loved to quote and price by book prices. One day I waltzed in there with a Sandy Koufax RC (probably a solid 8 condition wise, but that was before people got grade-happy - it was nicely centered though, with slightly fuzzy corners). At the time I think it booked $600-650 or something like that and I told him I'd sell it to him for half and he could double his money. After all, he priced all his cards at book. He refused, hehe.
In comparison, back in the 90s, there was a guy at a flea market I went to each week who dealt in non-sports only. He would pay me or trade half book on any inserts I pulled. That was fun. He was a good guy. I think he still has his booth at the flea market, but has 'upgraded' to gaming cards.
Dealer collusion!!!
It just takes one wacky 'Everything Must Go' dealer to bring down the stranglehold. Too bad there wasn't one there.
Sounds painful.
I actually wrote something similar a couple weeks ago because it sounds like the last show I went to. Serial numbered quad jersey sticker patch refractor cards with no prices. Not a vintage card to be seen.
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