The National Sports Collector convention is in full swing, and after spending a full day on the floor, its just as fun as ever. There are so many items to see, people to talk to, and goodies to collect. Every year the national continues to be the biggest gathering of collectors, and this year is no different.

With two major products hitting shelves today, many collectors are capitalizing on the giveaways associated with them, mainly in the Panini Redemption packs and the Topps exclusive giveaways. I managed to get some of both, and luckily I got there early enough that there wasnt much of a wait.

2013 Topps National Convention Yasiel Puig Bowman Platinum Exclusive /125 – Very cool looking card.

2013 Topps National Convention Yasiel Puig Gypsy Queen Exclusive RC

There are already some of the big hits already posted, and seeing them first hand is definitely impressive. The Panini packs are already selling for big money, and I would expect them to continue to sell big until the show closes.

2013 Panini National Convention Yasiel Puig RC /499

2013 Panini National Convention Evan Gattis RC /499

2013 Panini National Convention Geno Smith RC /499

2013 Panini National Convention Manti Te'o Auto

The first stop for me was to get the exclusive Yasiel Puig Gypsy Queen insert from Topps, and the line swelled quickly when the doors opened. I had to buy a product I had zero interest in, but the card is really cool and should be tough to get if you arent willing to shell out some dough. I also got the six Bowman cards that Topps had planned as their main giveaway, and they definitely look awesome.

2013 Topps National Convention Eddie Lacy Bowman Promo

2013 Topps National Convention Mike Trout Bowman Promo

As for Panini, I broke ANOTHER box of Elite, and was able to snag 5 packs. I pulled a pretty awesome prime glove patch of Keenan Allen and traded some other cards to get the Cordarrelle Patterson numbered rookie. National Treasures was a hot item, with many people in line busting multiple cases. I saw a few of the high dollar cards come out of the product, including a few logomen that the product is built around.

These cards look really cool in person:

2012-13 Panini National Treasures Kyrie Irving Auto Nicknames Inscription

2012-13 Panini National Treasures Anthony Davis Jumbo Patch Auto /5

2012-13 Panini National Treasures Anthony Davis Inscription Auto

After stopping for a break at Starbucks in the lobby, I ran into Bill Simmons, who is on site for Grantland for the fifth year in a row. He was a nice guy and was really happy to talk about his time on the floor. His annual write up of the convention is a big piece that a many of us will read, and I am interested to see how it turns out.

I didnt buy much other than the products to get the redemption packs, but I am guessing it will change with so much memorabilia and cards to choose from. The people are awesome here, and its always cool to put faces to names.

Basically, if you havent made a trip out here to one of these before, I would put it on your calendar for next year. Definitely worth it.