Jason: Welcome, well, collectors, to another episode of Boomin' Sports Cards, the podcast where the hobby stays hot and the card stays boomin'. I'm one of your hosts, Jason.

chat: And I'm Alex, with the National Right round the corner today, we're gonna give you the biggest tips and tricks and strategies to help you have the best experience possible. Whether it's your first national or your tenth, there's always something you could do to save money, make better deals, and avoid accommodant mistakes. What is the nationals, Jason?

Jason: So the national, if you don't know now, it's the largest sports card and memorabilia show in the United States. Just think your card show, your local card show times like 10. Thousands of dealers, tables, you got manufacturers like Topps, Panini, Upper Deck, Fanatics, just scattered around. And you're probably gonna l spend a lot of money. Did I miss something? Is there anything else?

chat: No. And then we got the you got the the graders there too. You're gonna Beckett, PSA, T C all those other ones, you're gonna see and you and that's one of the one of the best experiences around too. ⁓ you're gonna see the collectors from ⁓ youngest to oldest, grandpas, it's just babies that just got born. You're gonna see everybody there.

Jason: Yeah, you got families and everything. ⁓ it's just a great experience. ⁓ even if you're a very casual card collector like most of us are. ⁓ yeah, 'cause you see cards that you won't even imagine is there, see things that you obviously can't afford, but you can find some great deals. The national is pretty much for everyone. It's a great experience. Would highly recommend if you're in the Chicagoland area or traveling. For this, it's just a fun experience. I love the national. I've gone to it once and I can't wait.

chat: Yeah, me and Jason went last year, first year, man, it was overwhelming. ⁓ great experience though. I just wish that if you do go, I recommend taking less two days to go.

Jason: I recommend that too, because I'm pretty sure I missed like a whole room last time. You know? Cause I was like, I'm already here for like I don't know, it's like four or five hours and I'm like, this is a long time. I'm very overwhelmed because so many tables. I get lost. It's like, ⁓ there's a deal over there. And then I go back, I was like, where the fuck was that table? ⁓ but yeah, two days, a lot of giveaways and stuff like that. So yeah, big recommend recommendation, two days.

chat: No, no. Big recommend. Two days. ⁓

Jason: So now let's start ⁓ go ahead, Alex.

chat: No, you can go. Sorry.

Jason: All right, let's start with ⁓ before you go. So some tips and tricks before you go. So what do you got for us, Alex?

chat: Set a budget. Set a budget meaning that have in mind how much money you're gonna bring. let's not overspend, guys.

Jason: Yeah, it can it can sp ⁓ speed up on you, it can creep up on you that there's so many good cards and next thing you know it you have zero dollars in your bank account, but you have all these cool cards. So set that budget, make sure you know what you want to invest in, if you want some PC money or just some like money aside just to get some like low cards. So just leave room, make make sure you know what you want. budgeting is very important. You don't want to go overboard. And yeah, you can have a good experience with any amount of money. Even if you bring like, I don't know, a hundred bucks, you're you're good. You can get a couple of decent cards and just have a great time there.

chat: Make a list, know what players you're looking for and have the prices for a certain cards that you're hunting for. I already have a list of c ⁓ certain players I'm looking for. I'm not gonna be ⁓ what do you call it? Gun ho and buy whatever I see. I know what cards really want. For me, ⁓ one big card for me is Caitlin Clark velocity card. Rookie cards like at least ⁓ a hundred dollars raw. So you're looking we're gonna look for that at the Nationals.

Jason: Yeah, knowing the players that you're looking for is very important 'cause there's so many. Every player you think of, there's probably a card in that room for you. ⁓ but narrowing it down goes a long way because you can just start asking these son ⁓ these vendors if they have that kind of player or that specific card that you want. So making sure you know what specific card, knowing the price of that specific card can give you a great experience and have a great deal.

chat: ⁓ shows and tips and tricks, bringing essentials for the day, backpacks, water bottles, snacks, charger cards, sleep protections, and most importantly cash. ⁓ I recommend having a backpack 'cause it does get real hot in there. ⁓ you remember the first day you went in there, Jason? ⁓ super beamin' 'cause there's so many people everywhere.

Jason: Yeah, that convention center it gets hot. Like even in the winter where it's fuck it's freezing outside, you have your jacket, ⁓ maybe like an hour in you start feeling it's hot and you gotta and then you don't wanna carry your back your jacket with you. So having a backpack, putting that inside, carrying all the other essentials is very important 'cause you're gonna be standing a lot of the time. So you wanna be comfortable and you wanna have the essentials 'cause You don't wanna keep going out to buy stuff or like running to your car back and forth. ⁓ yeah, essentials are very important. And cash, ooh, we n you need that cash, Alex, don't you?

chat: We need the cash. People love cash more than importantly. ⁓ because ⁓ people have two ways of like buying cards either through the apps, like Zell, Cash App, etcetera. But more importantly, people will make a better deal with you if you have cash on you. So ⁓ especially if if it's a smaller deal, people do not do Zell or Cash App. They'll automatically turn you away because they know there's a large fee for ⁓ those apps. So Always have cash on you.

Jason: Yeah, ca cash is very important. Like yeah, people can shy away from making deals. Another thing is respecting when be respectful when negotiating. I mean, there's you can ask that gives your c ⁓ room for a card, offer realistic offers, ⁓ make a bundle, may you can get a better deal with that. But also don't chase every deal. At times sellers can be unrealistic on prices. And even at small shows that's very apparent, but in the national, it can They can be pretty firm on prices and possibly overcharge.

chat: Yeah, you gotta be respectful. Just don't lullball anybody. ⁓ if the somebody asks you to ⁓ like when I ask somebody like how much would you go for and they say just give you a price, let's not just punch them in the gun and be like fifty bucks and when it's a hundred dollar card. Let's be realistic, say seventy five, eighty bucks. ⁓ because be let's be honest, you're gonna be disrespectful to them, they're gonna be disrespectful to you, and then the they won't probably won't make any deals with you afterwards.

Jason: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Also don't shove like numbers in their face. Be like, ⁓ this was what sold last time. Be respectful. And then that's when the car dealer turns evil and it's like, Yeah, but I don't care about their price. So be respectful. ⁓ 'cause they are human. You are human. Just just be a good person, you know?

chat: We're all trying to have a good time. And then one case that being respectful did work as well. Me and Jason bought ⁓ that Lemino Mall card for twenty five bucks from that vendor. I remember how we had the interaction, we shook his hand, we said thank you, and then we also introduced ourselves, asked how he's doing. See, that's a be that's being polite. He understands how like we're just here to look for cards, he's trying sell some cards. And then the second interaction had it when I ran back to get that ⁓ PC nine of K Cunningham. He gave me a for a good price and he's like, Just for you, I'll give you for this price and he's handed it off to me. Which was a great interaction. And all I had to do was be respectful.

Jason: Yeah, respect can go a long way. Definitely when negotiating. Mm everyone wants a better deal. And as long as we're respectful, we can get that better better deal if you want.

chat: ⁓ the next trick or tip is inspect the cards. ⁓ take your time look at the service overall condition slow down when looking at it. It can stop you from getting a purchase later. Which is true. I bought ⁓ a Aaron Judge ⁓ rookie card paper back in ⁓ at Sports ⁓ Tectacular back in March. I regret buying it. Well I don't regret buying it, but the condition is horrible and I think I can never get it graded. If I would have took maybe another second minute Where had Jason looked at the card, we would have both known that card was not the best to ⁓ get graded or it was not in the best condition.

Jason: Yeah, that that's happened to me many times. I have ⁓ a Ken Griffey, which I pr I I I bought it like under value, but it's a pretty rough shape. If I would have spend maybe like ten, twenty bucks more, I could probably got a a low graded card and but already slabbed. ⁓ but yeah, always take up take your time. It can everything can move so fast, but ⁓ just a quick glance and if you don't see anything good, if you see it something's good and then go for it, buy it. But take your time, you don't want to Regret that purchase later. ⁓

chat: Yeah, and and then the other thing about inspecting cards, maybe you can get a better deal with that card. Just insane.

Jason: Yeah. So sometimes those deals are like too good to be true, and maybe it's probably because of the conditions. So pay attention to that as well. ⁓ all right, so our next tip and trick is don't ignore value boxes. Look for rookies, potential, super short prints, numbered cards, vintage cards, anything that'll look cool. Value boxes can go a long way. There's gonna be countless sellers that have boxes at their tables. They can just take a quick lick look through. There's oftentimes like older guys who just sit down and look at those boxes. But just be respectful. So in that way, but ⁓ you can find a lot of good cards. I've seen a bunch of videos where like ⁓ people go to the national and just hunt cards, look through the value boxes, and they can get some good deals, like $20 cards for a buck or two. Like it there's value in a lot of cards that people don't know.

chat: For example, Jason got two Jalen Brunson rookie cards the other day for ten dollars and they're both like fifty twenty five dollars each.

Jason: Yeah, that's insane. Yeah, people forget to price the card correctly or like it's been a long time they haven't priced checked the price on the card. ⁓ so you can find a lot of good deals.

chat: Yeah, and people people forget that they have those cards in there. So they usually don't remember not change the prices on them either. So it's always good to double check ⁓ the the the value of boxes.

Jason: Yeah, like at Brunson, ⁓ they had the paperback of that Raider Rookie one in their showcase. And they had the prism in inside of like a box full with like other basketball cards. And I was like, Okay, why is this so cheap? So I bought ⁓ all.

chat: It's always a good time to check the bins. ⁓ let's ⁓ talk about networking, talk with dealers, collectors, breakers, creators. That leads to having a long-lasting relationship. ⁓ one story is I met bruh well previously when we had our guest Bruce Brakes. ⁓ met him in person. Real nice guy. And then after that we met in person, we hit him on the pod. ⁓ yeah, that leads up to inside ⁓ like deals, not deals, like inside like information from breakers, creators. Just that networking is a great way to get meet new people and just get more cards.

Jason: Yeah, like the there's can be sellers from all over the United States that are there. So you can find even even if you're not from Illinois, that there's loc there can be some local ones there. So always build a connection with the dealers, with the breakers, 'cause they can go a long way. Just a quick chat talking about sports. That builds relationship and in networking. I mean, next thing you know what, you can make a deal with a guy later on the road. So yeah, just Talk to people. Don't don't shy away. Everyone loves his hobby. And we can all have fun, you know?

chat: We all can have fun.

Jason: So now ⁓ last thing is take advantage of exclusive deals. There's so many promotional giveaways, merch, breaks, wax packs, wax packs, singles, people give out. I remember one one of the one of my favorite things from last year was like I I I keep forgetting the company, but there someone was giving away slabs. They had a whole thing where like if you sign up for their app, ⁓ you can hit this button and you'll pick a Sport and they give you a slab of some random player. Got a Cooper flag out of it. Not the biggest card, but having a slab from your front for free. That that's pretty cool.

chat: He is not run giveaways, ⁓ promotions. ⁓ one of the promotions I remember was this company ⁓ they gave out green boxes and I had get gotten a Darrow Strawberry Auto on a one of those little ⁓ Ellen Ginters ⁓ cards or like little ones. He had an auto in it, that was pretty cool. The other thing they were giving away was a ⁓ Justin Herbert downtown PSA ten and ⁓ the way the way we were giving it away was that that you get like a chance to get it from like the from the some vending machine, like a claw. And if you get it, you can keep the card or they offer you the money for the exact same card. So which was kind of cool. And that was probably one of the coolest promotions like it. At the end of it I still got a card. I didn't really care what it was. I didn't really care about the downtown, but I still got a card out of it. They gave everyone a free card.

Jason: Yeah, if it's free, I'll take it. I I ⁓ remember there's like some other ⁓ promotion where it's like sign up for our app and it'll give you a free pack. I'm like, all right. Doesn't cost me anything, got a free pack, got nothing out of it, but there's so many things to get. You can even get like stickers, there's so many sticker places or like you can get top stickers, you can get panini stickers. ⁓ just lots of fun, a lot of free stuff out there, bags and whatever. ⁓ yeah, just take advantage of those exclusive deals. You never know what you can get.

chat: most importantly, enjoy the experience. Nash isn't much about but the people and memories as it comes with the cards. ⁓ I'm going with my family. ⁓ I'm gonna go for our family card collector, so we'd love to go to the nationals. That's gonna be another great experience. I had a great experience with Jason and the Nationals. W when we went to the Nationals, that's when we started hanging out more by talking about cards. So things flourish from things like that. So and the memories do stay with you. Especially meeting a new friend, catching up with a friend or making new memories with the family.

Jason: Yeah, no doubt. Yeah. I'm gonna try to get to to the show. ⁓ th there's a day that might work out, but I'm gonna try to figure that out. Or else I'm gonna I'm gonna be jealous what all Alex gets. He's gonna s he's gonna be sending me pictures, be like, I I got I got this PSC ten for like ten bucks and be like, Bro, that's like a hundred dollar card.

chat: I'm just waiting for waiting for Jason to just be like, I'll give you three hundred dollars and just buy me whatever you think is good out there. I'm like, All right. Drake May cards on the way.

Jason: Yeah, and he's gonna be like, dude, I just robbed this guy at the parking lot. Now I have like ten Caleb Williams cards. I'm gonna be like, bro, without me?

chat: Do you want one? It's like here's the ⁓ here's the here's one of them and it's gonna just be an auto.

Jason: Be like, bro, you're routing without me? Come on, man. Yeah, so yeah. Join the nationals. ⁓ let us know how it goes. ⁓ so now let's move on to collectors corners. So players on the radar. I'll start first. So I got Colson Montgomery, but this man keeps hitting home runs. And the White Sox are rolling. I saw a graphic, I don't know if it was true or not, but the Sox are like the second seed if ⁓ the playoffs would start right now.

chat: Come on man. This is a duo thing. Well they can.

Jason: Which is insane. I don't know if it's true or not, but like Colson Montgomery, the boys are rolling. I love it. I need more of his cards. ⁓ another guy, my goat, Drake May. I need to get more of his cards. football's right around the corner, so we need we need to get those cards going before it's too late, like last season. ⁓ yeah, just those two guys. What you got, Alex?

chat: Yeah, I saw that. That'd be cool. picking up my X Rectors. I just picked up what are who I just picked up? Just picked up ⁓ Drake Baldwin, ⁓ the for the Atlanta Braves. He's back, he's back in action, he's playing again, which is kinda good. ⁓ picked up more Caleb cards. I got two Caleb cards for thirty dollars less on a auction. ⁓ which is kinda crazy because ⁓ I got a PS ten for like see thirty five bucks, and then a PS A nine of his pink optic for like fifteen bucks and they came out to sixty seven dollars and both come out to ninety nine dollars and I was like holy crap we just made a deal of the century

Jason: W, big W. Are you looking what players are you looking at now?

chat: Right now I just picked up what's his name? Scooba from the Detroit. Picked up his X Factor rookie card. ⁓ I got a I got it I got it in the shit. He might go to freaking Pittsburgh. That'd be crazy. Him and ⁓ Paul Schemes, that'd be a crazy duo. ⁓ I picked up his ⁓ I picked a cheap up card, ⁓ so

Jason: So W. He might he might be traded too. I nuts.

chat: ⁓ picked up a seven point five Beckett card for twenty bucks. I was like, that's not better at all. I was like, and then it's in the s it's already slapped. I'm like, I don't really care if it's like slab anymore because if I convert this it'll probably be like a nine, which is fine. Which is kind of funny. ⁓ yeah, just and then I picked up ⁓ last card I picked up this week is a Ardonus Chapman rookie card, future Hall of Famer. Can I have that future

Jason: W. Feature future feature.

chat: Yeah, picking up X Ractors, adding more Caleb cards. My fear, big fear, is Caleb's gonna win a Super Bowl one of these days and I will have didn't buy all his cards before he did that, so

Jason: Fuck, I hope. All right. Let's move on to experiences. kind of slow. I haven't bought anything crazy. So focusing on World Cup sticker book. 93% down chat. I'm almost there. World Cup is wrapping up soon. There's like game every single day, and I am locked in to to the TV. I was looking at like Ronaldo old stickers. Like that there's like slab stickers.

chat: Well my goodness.

Jason: Which is kinda cool. ⁓ like there's like a Ronaldo from like two thousand and four. Two thousand two thousand four, two thousand six, I remember. But it was like a World Cup sticker and ⁓ it was like fifty bucks. I was like, ⁓ that's kinda cool. But yeah, nothing crazy. No no crazy experiences. How about your

chat: Two of four. ⁓ just collecting more X Factors to get the list down ⁓ I was thinking of collecting ⁓ Puerto Rican players, Francis Francisco Lindoros on the list, but sorry. ⁓ he doesn't have an X Factor rookie card, I just found out. He's a part of that ⁓ twenty fifteen tops chrome that didn't release X Fractors. Him and ⁓ freaking ⁓ Chris Bryant doesn't have one, which is fucking annoying. ⁓ which ⁓ Which it was gonna hurt. So the only one I found out Chris Bryant is the one I sent you the other day where he's in the his prop prospect ⁓ card yeah. Yeah, they only did it that year, which I don't understand. And they have a lot of like good rookies in there. I'm like I'm like, why? Why is this a thing? Why did you guys they're like twenty fourteen and then boom? We stopped it this year, so we could introduce the the CPA and the pink refactor. I was like, come on.

Jason: That's random. I didn't know that. I don't like those C C P cards. ⁓ they're just th they're boring to me.

chat: And then the next thing they they bring it back twenty fifteen, no, twenty sixteen, and they're like, it was high demand, people wanted it back. I'm like, Yeah. And then that's the year freaking Shohei has. I'm like, ⁓ my god. ⁓ Shohei.

Jason: Yeah, no sure. Yeah, that's a hard one. I was looking at his normal as like Dodgers one. It's not too bad overpriced.

chat: Yeah. All his X factors are like fifty bucks and I'm like and my heart my heart wants to buy one but I got I have the like strict way. If it's not a rookie one, I won't buy it.

Jason: Yeah, it's like the But show hey.

chat: Yeah, but show hey. But I haven't had any experience still selling cards. Just bought it. I just picked up ⁓ not picked up, I just broke one out of ⁓ fat pack. I got a ⁓ Freddie ⁓ Freddie Freeman ⁓ out of one fifty color match from the top series too. So I'm gonna be selling that this week. So eBay is killing it. And I gotta sit down this week and actually look at these stickers so I can give them the Jason, Jason so Jason can finish this ⁓ collection of stickers.

Jason: Yeah. I need to finish it. I'm so close.

chat: That's what friends do. Just give just check if we have the s some stickers he needs.

Jason: W stickers.

chat: ⁓ that's gonna do it for today's episode of Boomin' Sports Cards. If enjoyed the show, make sure to give us a follow on our socials and wherever you enjoy your podcast. Stay ripping, stay collecting. Remember the hobby is always booming. We'll catch you next time.

Jason: See ya.