Connecting at Day One of the National Sports Collectors Convention

as posted on the Cardboard Connection


To me, Day 1 of The National Sports Collectors Convention is more about meeting people than it is about finding the right sports card.

Earlier in the week while building my game plan for Wednesday's Sneak peek, my list became more about meeting the collectors I talk to on blogs, web sites, and on The National Facebook Group and less about finding the last hard-to-find card for my team set. I had a list of people that I needed to meet and plenty of dealers from previous shows that I wanted to find.

As I walked around Wednesday's 4-hour preview, it became apparent that I wasn't the only one with the same thought. I found more people talking to each other, introducing themselves to trading card moderators, magazine editors, and bloggers than busting wax and sifting through the bargain bins.

I think this is a sign and a credit to the hobby getting better connected. The increase in blogs, trading forums, and social networking sites is making it easier for collectors to meet, trade, and share card reviews. But the National is just warming up and the next few days will be more about cards, memorabilia, and collections than it will be about networking tools, tips, and trade secrets.

Multiply the 4-hour sneak peek by 10 and that should give anyone who attended the National on Wednesday a pretty good idea of what to expect Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The big names begin rolling through the autograph pavilion, the rows between tables swell with collectors and the Ferris Wheel in the middle of the I-X Center will endlessly rotate a steady stream of laughing kids.

That's right, the 30th Annual National Sports Collectors Convention is punctuated with a Ferris Wheel in the middle of the Cleveland I-X Center. Hang on, the next few days are going to be a wild ride!

Special thanks to the Cardboard Connetion for allowing me to work with them.

Notes:
- Don't forget to comment for a chance to win the Tristar Obak Carlos Santana card. I'll pick up some more this weekend.
- Follow the twitter updates: twitter.com/jamesryanj or follow hashtag#NSCCShow.