Now that I am back in Texas and reflecting on the events of the weekend, I believe there were some distinct winners and a few distinct losers from Chicago. It was truly a crazy experience to be able to attend such a huge gathering of collectors, and I have no problem saying it was one of the best weekends of my hobby career. Each day had a reason why it was special, and each day brought a new opportunity to be able to learn and grow within the industry, the hobby, and the blogosphere.

NSCC Chicago Winners

Wrapper Redemption Programs

I would say that for many of the people unwilling to pay the higher prices for the autograph guests, these redemption programs were one of the highlights of the weekend. Each of the companies in attendence had something to give away, whether it was cards, shirts, boxes, or even special signed cards obtained at the show. The most popular, by far, was Panini, as their plethora of autographs, 8x10s, special cards and otherwise had the place hopping all day. Basically, the people who went to the show were going to bust the new product anyways, and I believe that Panini definitely had the best program for the people that did. Although I didn’t care for the NSCC exclusive autos and cards, the other stuff they gave away was pretty awesome. They had collections of draft day worn hats signed by the players, mini helmets, blown up signed photographs, 8x10s, and player sketch cards signed by the “artist.” I tried one pack, but didn’t get anything good. I ended up buying the Christian Ponder signed premiere hat off the guy who won it, as explained in my wrap up post, and was pretty happy with that.

Topps also had some great giveaways, even though there was no actual packs to open. The Heritage SP rookie cards sell better than any of the other special base cards that were sold at the show, and the lines were long to get them until they ran out. They also gave away some special signed Starlin Castro cards that were inscribed for Chicago, a great on the fly idea for a company that was unfortunately overshadowed by Panini’s long lines.

Upper Deck and Press Pass had some good stuff too, but I personally don’t think they were on the same level. Press Pass’ “On card isnt hard” shirts were funny, and were seen pretty often throughout my time walking the floor. It was obvious that the collectors really liked them. Upper Deck did sell out of their packs each day, but the design and small amount of autos werent on the same level as the highly collectable Heritage cards, or the randomized luck and larger checklist of the Panini packs.

Blowout Cards

If one booth was perfectly placed, it was the Blowout cards booth, and that was a reason why they were big winners this weekend. They were stationed literally right at the start of the Panini redemption line, and it was a great place to buy your product to open on your way to get in line. DA and Atlanta were in good spots as well, but theirs paled in comparison to where BO had set up. It was also across the aisle to the Upper Deck booth, which I heard was done on purpose, and the tension was definitely there. Blowout’s lawsuit over internet distribution was very public, and though the precedence says they have a small chance of winning, the statement has been made. Thomas Fish was also a very public figure at the NSCC, going and speaking with each of the booths, doing lots of interviews, and being an overall cool guy to chat with. I think he knew exactly how to handle himself at the show to better his business, and though you may not like him, he worked it like a pro.

Social Media, Message Boards, and Bloggers at the Show

Whether it was the constant tweeting on the #NSCC hashtag, the booths from FCB, Hobby Kings, and others, or the blog updates from all the people who attended, this was a huge weekend for members of the hobby social media. Beckett may have had a booth, but they were vastly outnumbered by other amateur news sources who did a great job painting the picture for the internet audiences who were not in attendance. I was even told by all of the manufacturers that they were looking to step up their involvement with these sources, as they are growing to a size that is impossible to ignore. Some of the most fun I had this weekend was with people who read my blog, from the manufacturers to master distributors, to the collectors out there. Some of the cards I loved so far this year have been a direct result of input from social media members, and that just shows the haters out there who is really irrelevant.

Leaf’s Giveaways and Contests

Let me put it this way, if you didn’t see Brian Gray at some point during the show, you werent there. He was everywhere, doing everything, trying to pimp Leaf to anyone that would listen. That wasn’t really a bad thing, and when we got to the Joe Jackson giveaway to the two lucky collectors who got the four leaf clovers, it was obvious why it was important for him to do what he had done. His booth generated some of the biggest crowds of the weekend, not associated with a wrapper redemption, and the excitement was palpable when the guy won his $80,000 prize. On top of that, he had a sketch artist commissioned to do sketch cards, and from what I saw at the show, they turned out amazing. The guy really knew what he was doing. Lastly, in such a male dominated show, it was always somewhat refreshing to see the Benchwarmer girls set up and signing autographs for the fans. I have no idea why they or Benchwarmer exist, but I wasn’t complaining.

Vintage Collectors

The show was so overwhelming vintage that there was almost no room for anything else. If you are a vintage guy, this was your show to be at, and from the FCB guys who were, they had a banner weekend. I saw 52 Mantles, old pre-war Ruths, as well as a bunch of some of the most valuable cards ever produced. I didn’t see a Wagner, but Im sure there was one there somewhere. One vintage collector that was there, who I had met on FCB, came away with a pretty impressive haul. He bought a 51 Mantle, a 51 Mays, a 54 Banks, an Aaron RC, and a Koufax RC, all during the weekend, and that was only the start. I was really impressed to say the least.

Game Used and Autograph Collectors

When it came to buying jerseys, bats, balls, and other autographs, there wasn’t a bigger place to do it than in Chicago. Im not sure if the presence for the game used is always this large, but it was hugely out in force this weekend. Whether it was Adrian Peterson, Ryne Sandberg or Julius Erving, every player had to have at least one game used to buy. The one I didn’t see was Michael Jordan, but that was quickly overshadowed by the two signed game used Hank Aaron jerseys that were for sale and up for auction.

As for the autographs, I saw a ton of stuff that wowed the pants off me. There were Ruth single signed balls a plenty, and even a Ruth game model bat as well. Of course, every hall of famer had tons of autographs available, in addition to the HOFers that were signing at the show. I saw a sweet print that one woman had signed by all the living members of the 3000 hit club, and a game used Starr Packer helmet that one collector brought to get signed by the legend himself. In fact, just standing by the PSA booth got to be a little overwhelming, if not only because of what was brought in for them to authenticate.

Upper Deck Entomology Cards

The infamous Bug cards were on display, and after getting to see them in person, it was truly a sight to be seen. They regularly sell for big bucks, and a lot of the people who were viewing them went and bought 2011 Goodwin Champions for a chance to pull one. Im not someone who is afraid of bugs (which is something my wife appreciates when we get one in the house), and these cards highlighted some pretty amazing insects that one would normally never see when living their normal lives outside of a book.

NSCC Chicago Losers

Football Collectors

Being a football collector myself, I was pretty disappointed by the lack of football cards that were there to buy. I wasn’t planning on really buying any, but I wanted more of a chance to change my mind. In the aftermath of the lockout, and with Chicago being a baseball town, there wasn’t much of a football vibe going on. I did buy one Joe Namath auto for cheap to add to my NFL HOF collection, but it took me three days to find a card worth buying. I saw one other Adrian Peterson card I wanted, but it was so overpriced due to the proximity to minnesota, that I decided against it. Overall, the show’s content was beyond awesome, but that content was overwhelmingly NOT football.

Scammers, Fakers and Criminals

Im sure a lot of you saw the articles posted about the guy taken away in handcuffs on Wednesday evening for selling fake items to auction houses. Although the law enforcement was not as public this year, they were out and observing from reports I got while working the FCB booth, and that says a lot about what they are trying to do. I did see a lot of fakes at tables, more patches than anything, but it wasn’t as big of a problem as I expected it to be. One guy had a table full of fake Chris Johnson SP Authentic Patch autos, but I did see at least 3 people hurl accusations his way just while I was standing there. A lot of people other than me were taking care of business, and that made me feel pretty good.

Rookies and Stars

Just from walking around and talking with some of the industry people, there was an overwhelming sentiment that Rookies and Stars football had surpassed Elite as the contender for worst product of the year. I talked with one person who was on Panini’s distributor conference call and NSCC meeting where the question was brought up of why it was so bad. Did Panini actually expect this product to offer anything different than the 8 others that are EXACTLY the same content and format, and for the first time they heard it straight from the horse’s mouth. One distributor said that my name came up a few times, and that although I trash the products they sell to their customers, they wanted to know if feedback from me or similar to mine is even being considered. I have no delusions of my lack of importance in this hobby, but I think it’s a valid question. Im glad it was asked.

John Elway Fans

I talked to four or five Broncos fans who made the trip to get Elway’s autograph at the show, but when he cancelled due to the end of the Lockout, they had already booked tickets. I know I would have been devastated if Peterson had cancelled in Houston, and I felt their pain for getting refunded their money on the experience they were hoping for. Its really too bad.

Panini HRX and UD Evolution

I got to see the HRX cards in person, and based on what I saw, I was not at all impressed. The cards looked bulky, unimaginative, and not worth the price people were paying. I would even go as far as saying that the construction of them looked poor. That being said, UD’s were worse, and like Chris from Stale Gum was saying, they were NO WHERE at the show outside of one in the booth’s showcase.

People Who Didn’t Attend

Overall, the people who couldn’t make it were the true losers of the weekend, as the experience they missed was tremendously beneficial for all involved. I saw collectors aging from 4 all the way to 85, and lots of people in between. There were more collectors here that bought pre-sale tickets than ALL the people who attended during the show last year. It was that big. The only analogy that I have is that the NSCC was like the state fair of the hobby, as there was a sea of people on each of the days I was there. Not only was the attendence ginormous, the size of the venue was as well, as I didn’t even get to explore all the booths during 9 hour days for 2 of three days I attended. In addtion, I really liked being able to go to the Topps panel, even though the questions were more collector personal than collector universal. It was one of only a few opportunities to get direct answers from the people who make the products we buy during the year, and that was a true win.

I still don’t know if I will be attending next year, but after my experience during the weekend this year, it will be that much harder to keep me away.