Pardon my tardiness in publishing this much overdue review of the 2022 National Sports Collectors Convention (NSCC).
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I wasn’t able to get it done until now.
That being said, the show was absolutely fantastic, and Maddie and I enjoyed meeting and getting to know countless awesome people.
Jackpot Sports Cards had an incredible show, capped off with a raffle to give away five amazing prizes on the final day!
Every customer who made a purchase from Jackpot Sports Cards, either online or in person at the show, was awarded one raffle ticket for every $100 spent, and on Sunday, July 31st, we conducted a live drawing from our booth to select the names of the lucky winners.
Eric Cooper from California was the big winner, as his name was drawn 3 times! Eric took home a 1998 Skybox E-X 2001 Football Hobby Box, a 2001 Topps Traded & Rookies Baseball Hobby Box, and a 2003-04 Topps Rookie Matrix Basketball Hobby Box.
As you can see from the images below, he got quite the haul!
Ohio’s Brian Turner won the 2001 Upper Deck SP Authentic Golf Hobby Box shown below.
And Tennessee’s John Foster won this 1989 PSA Gem Mint 10 grade Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. card:
If you want to watch me and Maddie do the drawing, you can click here to check out the video.
Takeaways from the 2022 National Sports Collectors Convention
So, what do I have to say after attending this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention?
Well, from my perspective, there were two things that definitely stood out above the rest.
First of all, the vintage unopened sector of the market is booming, and secondly, the camaraderie and wonderful relationships I’ve come to know and love are still alive and well in the sports card industry.
In addition, BBCE and RVP wrapped vintage unopened boxes, BBCE wrapped rack packs (sport and non-sport), and PSA graded wax and cello packs were all in high demand. In fact, we sold almost every single PSA-graded wax pack we displayed, and approximately half of the PSA-graded cello packs we had to offer.
BBCE wrapped vintage rack packs seemed to be the most popular and inquired about vintage unopened items, followed by 1970s vintage unopened sports boxes, and 1980s vintage unopened non-sport boxes.
In regard to graded slabs and individual cards, Mike Trout (even with his most recent back injury), LeBron James, and Justin Herbert were by far the most requested players by our customers. 1986 Fleer Basketball cards (stars or commons) in PSA 10 grade were also highly sought after.
Junk wax was also a heavy mover at this summer’s show. We offered approximately 25 sealed cases of assorted years and brands of junk wax and were fortunate enough to sell them all.
There were also many show attendees looking to sell to dealers.
While the majority of products offered to us were graded slabs, we did purchase two solid vintage unopened items from people who came to our booth.
The first item we acquired was a 1977 Topps Series 1 Star Wars Wax Box.
But our favorite purchase from this year’s NSCC has to be a 1972 Topps Baseball Rack Pack that features the Pittsburgh Pirates “In Action” from game four of the 1971 World Series, showcasing Roberto Clemente on top of the pack!
All things considered, Maddie and I agree that the greatest component of the 2022 NSCC was the people who were in attendance.
We enjoyed catching up with pals from around the nation who attended, and we also got the opportunity to meet some incredible new customers, and make a lot of new friends.
Recently, the sports card industry has been overwhelmed with negativity on social media from a variety of sources, including many who seem more interested in tearing people and this hobby down, rather than building these things up.
That being said, the hobby remains alive and well, and this year’s National showed that there are still plenty of outstanding and upstanding people within our industry.
Those Whom We’d Like to Thank
We would like to extend our most sincere gratitude to everyone who came by the Jackpot Sports Cards booth. We enjoyed visiting with each and every one of you, and it was a lot of fun getting to put real human faces to the virtual names we’ve gotten to know over social media during the past few years.
It would be impossible for us to name everyone who made a positive impact on Jackpot Sports Cards’ trip to The National this year, but we would like to mention a few people specifically and cite some examples of their kindness.
First off, thank you to our good friend Michael Honeyman for organizing and funding a 20+ person dinner at the Hard Rock Casino’s Council Oak Steaks & Seafood restaurant, along with helping us during setup, and making purchases at the show.
We’d also like to send a huge thank you to our good friend Kurt Christensen of rippingvintagepacks.com for all of his help during setup, his willingness to help with authentication questions during the show, and for the purchases he made at the show, as well.
I’ve also got to thank my friend Jason Sanchez of thepackguy.com for organizing and funding a huge meet and greet at Tun Tavern at the Sheraton, as well as the purchases he made at the show.
And last but certainly not least, a special thank you goes out to our good friends Calvin Arnold of robertedwardauctions.com, and his son, Tyler.
On the final day of the show, as Maddie and I were beginning to tear down, pack up, and begin our trek home, I had the unfortunate experience of having four large kidney stones wreaking havoc on my body.
Within minutes, I found myself completely incapacitated, with extreme pain and nausea, and no possibility of being able to help Maddie dismantle our booth and load the van.
By the time word reached Calvin that I was very sick, he and Tyler had already left the convention center, but generously, they turned their vehicle around and returned to the show to help Maddie break down our booth and pack our van.
We can’t thank you enough, guys. We would have been facing a nightmare scenario without you.
Still, despite this minor setback, we had a great time, as usual, and Maddie and I can’t wait to see you all again next summer!
Are you looking to add to your collection before next year’s National? You should start by having a look at my online store. And if you want to learn more and connect with fellow card enthusiasts, you can check out Jackpot Sports Cards on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
