Dallas Card Show Review | April 23-24, 2022 | Ep. 297

This show was located at the Arlington Expo Center. It was the first show at which I setup. Since I only attended Saturday and because I wanted to dig around a bit before I setup, time was limited. As soon as I arrived, I worked quickly to get my search done. A few hours later, I walked to my car to retrieve inventory then came back, setup, and just sat there for 2 hours. While I sold some product, I hated sitting there. I’d much rather be digging around and talking with dealers. That said, while I’m likely to setup again at a future show, I’m also likely to hire someone to manage my table since it doesn’t require negotiation skills due to set prices. In any case, it was a learning experience and I did enjoy attending the show; it was another good one.

1990s Inserts & Other:

As with my normal routine, while I briefly reviewed showcase content, I spent my time digging through as many bargain bins as I could in search of the usual. Since time was limited, I worked quickly but managed to find some really nice pieces. I almost passed on the Giants 2001 Topps Chrome Retrofractor but figured I’d grab it for good measure. It was nice to find the Mark Grace 1998 Topps Tek Diffractor. The others were cherry picked and I didn’t spend more than $3 on anything here.

During closing time on Saturday, I was in the middle of negotiations with a seller for a variety of cards that’d make for great blog content. Since we didn’t have time to close the deal, the seller said he’d set the cards aside for me to revisit at the May show so we’ll see if I can grab a few cherries from that pile when I see it again.

To view the current eBay auctions for 2001 Topps Chrome Retrofractors, click here.

Football:

I found these two 1999 Playoff Contender SSD Buybacks but have had no luck identifying what product issued them. I’ve gone through every known listing for every card made of both players – Akili Smith and Cade McNown – and found exactly nothing. However, at $3 for the pair, I figured I’d grab them. If you have any info on what product issued these buybacks, I’d love to know; send me a message.

I really like the 1999 Playoff Contender SSD set. With slight embossing, a holofoil finish, and a few parallels, these cards are quite beautiful in hand. The Finesse Gold parallels /25 are the most popular. These cards are particularly condition sensitive. I’ve noticed some examples with separated laminate, which compromises the visual appeal. These cards are otherwise stunning.

To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Playoff Contender SSD, click here.

In Conclusion:

Because I felt a bit rushed at this show, I didn’t get a chance to see all the bins I wanted to. Some were crowded by lots of people, while others didn’t have anything I wanted. I figured a lot of whatever I didn’t see would be at the next show anyway. Plus, with what I buy and the way I collect, a lot of this stuff is really just going to appeal to me anyway so I’m not really worried about competition. However, should stuff I like get acquired, acceptance is a law of nature. There are always other cards.

While I didn’t particularly enjoy sitting behind a table, it was nice to at least try it this time and it’ll probably happen again. However, my time is better spent walking around, digging into bargain bins, and talking with dealers. While product marketing is important, when I’m at a show I get the most enjoyment out of searching for stuff for my collection and for writing.

This was another excellent show. The venue was in Arlington so the drive was lengthy for many. Even so, I hope the venue is used again in the future since it gives me an excuse to visit Arlington, which allows me to gain more understanding of where things are here. The parking fee was $10, which seemed a bit high but since I drove all that way, I paid it without hesitation. Kyle and his team do such a great job and they work so hard; we should all be very grateful.