How was the Chicago National 4 you?

Might as well get a really good post going here so lets hear the stories
since many of us went!

pkstore2 wrote:
Might as well get a really good post going here so lets hear the stories
since many of us went!


I'm lazy so I'll just cut and paste my review from my Beckett board post:

Just got back (to Madison, WI) from my long day in Chicago. Brother and
I left at 7:30 and after a few U-turns, made it to the Rosemont around
10:15. After the wait to get tickets, we were in the door! First off was
to get the UD redemptions just in case they ran out. Went to Dave and
Adam's to pick up boxes, I grabbed an 05 UD Baseball $48, brother
grabbed an 04 Past Time Pennats $47. Got our two Cubs packs, neither of
us got an auto. On to the first break of the day!

Past Time Penants:
Sid Fernandez Auto
Feliepe Alou Auto
Johnny Bench Big Red Machine Auto Penant BV $100

UD Baseball:
Kerry Wood Jersey (blue swatch)
Jason Bay Jersey
Vladimir Guerrero Jersey
Comment - eh, a dud mostly, although I kind of liked the Kerry jersey,
I've always been a fan since the 20K game.

Next off it was to get a set of Ace Tennis cards for $20 to get the free
Maria Sharapova Shirt card. Niiiiiiice, goes with my Anna Kournikova
Netpro jersey.

Heard about Press Pass having a redemption for an Aaron Rodgers auto,
being a huge Packer fan I was stoked, but disappointed to go over and
here all the football auto's were picked over, only basketball and
racing left. Oh well, forget that.

Next it was 3 packs of Leaf Ceritified Materials Baseball for the Sandy
Koufax 8x10 Zenith card. Commented to the DLP guys that I hope MLBPA
rethinks their decision and told him how much I loved their baseball
stuff (as you'll see throughout my post). He thanked me and said he
hopes so too but won't hold his breath. Brother asked about basketball
as a possibility and he was tight lipped saying "we're exploring all
opportunities".

My 3 packs:
Konerko cruddy insert
Torii Hunter /100 parallel
Manny Ramirez Jersey /250
Comment - eh

Brother 3 packs:
some cruddy insert
some auto /250
Japananese auto (forgot who) /5 emerald
Comment - darn him again!

After our Koufax's we got lunch, $6 for a hot dog, chips and soda.
Yeesh. Then we went looking around. Went through the autograph area
seeing Dwayne Wade from a distance, and fairly close to Lorenzo Llamas,
Penny Marshall, some Playboy playmates including Jeri Matheney, WWE
former and current wrestler Virgil and RVD. Then the surprise came, as
out of no where shows up none other than OJ SIMPSON with a table of
$100/auto stuff. Yeesh, no way I pay that. But just seeing a guy that
was the biggest celebrity in the world for a year in the mid 90's made
us a bit awestruck. We cracked about a hundred OJ jokes to each other
(my favorite being "can we write out our $100 auto check payable to the
Fred Goldman Fund?) and went off looking. Later on, OJ was leaving with
his security entourage and 3 hot blonde females all in OJ jerseys (haha,
really!) and he was posing and shaking hands. I ran up and shook hands
and said "hi Juice". The highlight of the day for me, just to be able to
tell people "I shook hands with OJ Simpson!" is a great converation piece.

Bought some other miscellaneous stuff:

Tri-Star Series 3 Baseball $20 - Mark Mulder autograph
Went over to the Tri-Star booth and actually unlocked one of the cases.
My prize? A pick of a bunch of cruddy BCCG graded Cubs cards (like 88
Topps Palmeiro, 88 Score Dawson, etc.) Settled on a McDonalds Dawson, at
least it was a nice oddball.

Brother 05 Absolute Baseball $45 - Sean Casey prime jersey/pants /50
Comment - haha! about time his luck ran out

My 05 Absolute Baseball $37 (another table) - Quad GU Cal Ripken /100
Comment - sweeeeet!!


It was then starting to get late and after circling the floors a few
more times further making our feet sore, we got our last pickups.
Brother grabed a box of 04 Leaf CM baseball:

04 Leaf CM $45 (Dave & Adams)
Edgar Martinez Jsy /250
Dwayne Brazleton Auto /250
Tony Gwynn Jsy /100
Bernie Williams Bat Emerald /5
Comment - nice box, the Bernie should go pretty good on eBay

I meanwhile started with an 04 UD USA, I loved the 5 auto's for $35
deal, even if I haven't heard of most, never know who might be the next
Prior or McGwire, nice looking stuff too:

04 USA National Team Set $35
Tagg Bozied Auto /360
Brett Hayes Auto /595
Taylor Teagarden /595
Ricky Romero Auto Jsy /275
Chuck Tiffany Auto Red /20
Comment - awesome looking stuff, not sure how I did player wise, but I
know the red auto makes the box realllly nice


Finally, the grand finale of my boxes:

2004 Leaf Limited Box $109
Box 1:
Edgar Martinez TNT Bat/Jsy 4/25
David Ortiz/Mike Sweeney base /749
Ott/McCovey Lumberjacks (non-GU) /100
Comment - dud

Box 2:
Randy Johnson Threads Jsy 27/50
Duke Snider Lumberjacks /407
Jamie Moyer/Brnadon Webb base /749
Comment - another dud

Box 3:
Frank Thomas Monikers Auto 19/50
Shawn Green Spotlight /100
Manny Ramirez/Juan Gonzalez base /749
Comment - Big Hurt!! Incredibly awesome looking autograph, very nice
pull since I've been collecting in the days when he first became a huge
star, too bad he's injured so much lately, still I'm happy, feels cool
to say I have a Frank Thomas autograph

Box 4:
Mike Piazza Monikers Auto/Bat Emerald 3/5
Juan Gonzalez Spotlight /100
Magglio Ordonez/Shawn Green base /749
Comment - verrryy nice looking card, judging by some ended Piazza /5
auto auctions, this guy is worth a solid $60-80 so I'm happy, betwen the
Thomas and Piazza, the box was fun and a success. By the way, still have
never pulled a 1/1


Other notes during the day. Saw Dominque Wilkins up close at a vendor
booth signing for $40. He was selling some of his trophies including
$5000 for his Slam Dunk championship. Also ventured to PSA's area who
was displaying some of the greatest cards/collectibles in history. The
PSA 8 Honus Wagner T206 (the king of cards!) from Gretzky/McNall, the
upside down biplane stamp, and a plethora of PSA 8 and 9 vintage
including 1952 Mantle and 33 Goudey Ruth. That little 6 foot wide
display case they were in had to be worth more than $3 million.

Well, that's it. This was my second National, was at Cleveland last
year. No more unless its close again, forget Anaheim. As you can see, I
love DLP baseball cards and bought a bunch, I hate you MLBPA. Had a
blast at the National, highly suggested for those of you into pack
breaking or vintage baseball cards, don't bother for other singles
though, stick to eBay.

Sounds like you had fun Scott. The OJ thing made it worth the trip on that
alone. I remember the last time when i was there when Rodman was signing the
year it was at the McCormick center i believe, i was on the escalator behind
this blond and she started talking and it was his wife if i recall at the
time and she was saying all kinds of things and it was very amusing. We also
got cases of the programs that were from there towards the end that made the
trip really really worth it. Chicago can be a fun place but the airport area
is kinda plain. For good food & fun you have to go elsewhere. The shows
there though are great since dealers come from the north with stuff that has
mingled from Larry Fritsch over the years as well as the normal dealer
group. The days of buying things in the parking lots or on the side of the
lines going in aren't like it use to be. Now days you'd be hussling new
cards/inserts. OK who else went?