National Sports Collectors Convention, By Jason Vesledahl.

 

One of my favorite trips of the year was going to the National Sports Collectors Convention (NSCC). I grew up collecting baseball cards until I was 12, but I stopped to enjoy High School and college, so collecting anything took a back seat, until I rediscovered it again 3 years ago. The show was July 31st to August 4th in Chicago, featuring dozens of sports figures signing autographs. Hundred of dealers filled the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center with millions of dollars worth of memorabilia ranging from newspaper clippings to the Honus Wagner t206 baseball card worth 1.2 million. If you have the money to purchase that baseball card it would be a great investment, the value only goes up and there are many people willing to purchase it if it goes on the market. Collecting cards has also turned into a investment for a lot of people. The NSCC first came about in 1980, when a group of collectors got together at a Marriott hotel ballroom outside of Los Angeles international airport. Since then it has become the “Superbowl” of card collectables and memorabilia. Collectors, fans, Hall of Famers, card companies, travel ever year to the National Sports Collectors Convention because of the fun experience and chance to meet some famous athletes. To gain interest from the whole country, the NSCC skips around the United States and hits a different city every year. The NSCC is so big, that is can only be hosted by certain venues across the Nation. But they do there best in trying to reach more collectors and fans, so they have opportunity to experience this exciting atmosphere.

Remember those cards you collected in the 80’s and 90’s? You can pretty much go and recycle those. They were extremely over printed, making a majority of them worthless. Since then, cards have gotten a little bit more spendy. Instead of buying a pack for .99 cents and getting some bubble gum, you have your choice of buying a pack of cards from $1.99 to $250. Since the NSCC is only once a year, I thought I would try my hand at a pack of baseball cards for $175. Every pack had a guaranteed autograph from a player in the t206 set from 1909-1912. I was fortunate to get an autograph t206 card of Hall of Famer Rube Marquard. Bill James a baseball historian was quoted saying this about Rube “probably the worst starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame.” (Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame? Baseball, Cooperstown, and the Politics of Glory. New York, NY: Fireside. p. 170) That does point to a good question. With having a record of 201-177 with a 3.08 ERA. Would he make in to the HOF today?

They even have packs of cards from high school players, that competed in the Power Showcase in Florida, with autographs and game worn jersey cards. If you want to get nostalgic, they had unopened packs from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Pretty neat you could wind up with a Mantle or a Maris card if you got lucky. Aside from buying packs of cards, there were plenty of individual cards that were for sale. One in particular, I had to have was a Jumbo Game Used Jersey Patch of Joe Mauer. The dealers aren’t all about selling though. You can also trade and sell your cards as well, so I made a few trades and even sold a cards from my collection. My best trade of the day was my Max Scherzer for a Justin Morneau jersey Card, #ed 6/9. If baseball cards aren’t your thing, they had plenty of sports memorabilia available for purchase.

I collect bobble heads, my favorite is of the great Babe Ruth, it’s not worth a much since it is new, but it goes well with my collection. I was able to find a enormous collection of bobble heads (above) so I had to check out. Today they make bobble heads resemble the athlete very well with their facial features. You may be able to tell form the picture above that they all look the same, just having different team colors. One of the most unusual items I found at the NSCC was an a large poster of Stan Musial advertising cigarettes. It looked like a advertisement from the MadMen of the 1950’s and 60’s. It shows how far we have came as a society. But it is a valuable piece of history. Could you imagine Albert Pujols in an ad like that?? I also thought it was funny to see a bat stand from Spalding with all Louisville Slugger bats on it. Just shows how they took over the game. Maybe we will see Annex Wood Bats in the the record books someday? Their quality is there that’s for sure! At the National Sports Collectors Convention there is something for everybody, I had a great experience and will be back. I already can’t wait until next year where it will be held in Cleveland, Ohio.

If you are interested in autographs, every year they have a wide variety Hall of Famers. This year was no different. The list included: former Cub Greats Billy Williams and Ferguson Jenkins. Joining them will be Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Tommy Lasorda, Joe Morgan, Eddie Murray and Tony Perez. Also appearing on Sunday are fan favorites Pete Rose, Roger Clemens, Johnny Damon, Steve Garvey, Eric Davis, Jeff Reardon as well as White Sox stars like Lamarr Hoyt, Jack McDowell, Gary Peters and Ralph Garr. Not to bad of a list and some good conversations.

Thank you for the read, and I hope to see you at the National Sports Collectors Convention next year! Take a look in your attic, you never know what you might find. It could be your ticket to hundreds of dollars, and your chance to share a piece of history. It’s a great time and you meet a lot of interesting people. If you are interested in learning more about the National Sports Collector Convention and finding dates for future events, please visit their website.

– Jason Vesledahl

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