The Nutter Center Sports Card Show - Part 1: The Journey and The Experience

Last weekend I managed to get out to a card show for the first time in well over a year. The monthly show at Wright State University's Nutter Center was happening so I made the 50-minute trek up to the large arena on the northeast side of Dayton to check it out.

Pulling up to the arena without any major events going on was pretty strange. I followed the signs to the show off the main road which led me around to the back of the building, through an entrance that I never knew existed, and down a hallway to the back part of the gym where the show was being held. The gym was partitioned off by curtains and while doing my shopping, the sounds of a girls basketball practice could be heard on the other side of the curtain.

The show itself was small, with only about 45 tables, which is plenty for me as I tend to feel overwhelmed and out of place at larger shows. I walked in and was greeted by Dan, who has been promoting the show since 1992, who I had made arrangements with the week before to take some photos at the show. We chatted for a bit, he mentioned it was an average dealer turnout and he had a few people cancel on him. He handed me my ticket for a door prize and I went off to hopefully score some good deals.

The show featured a little bit of everything, from brand new sealed wax to vintage and everything in between. There were lots of dime and quarter boxes to be had and you best believe that I went through more than a few of those with a fine tooth comb. Pretty much every dealer seemed genuinely happy to be there and was very friendly, which goes a long way in my book. Since the show was so small, I made sure to stop and check out every table.

I spent just over two hours at this show and I can definitely say that this was one of the more enjoyable card shows I've been too. At some of the larger shows I've been to in the past, I've felt pressured by more than a few dealers while looking at their table. Here I felt none of that, just a bunch of friendly cardboard enthusiasts like myself getting together on a late fall Saturday morning and having a good time. After all, that's all that you can ask for, right?

As for what I bought, here's a sneak peak ...

Somehow the Topps Update pack I just posted about snuck its way into the photo. Otherwise, this was a very nice haul. A closer look at the cards themselves are coming up later this week so stay tuned!