Last Saturday, I attended the 2014 Fanatics Authentic sports collectibles show. The show was put on by Fanatics Authentic at the Donald E. Stephens convention center in Rosemont, Illinois. This was my first large sports card show (more than 30 tables) in over twenty years ago in the early 1990’s. I got some great deals and was able to see incredible collections of cards.
Show Details
The show took place on November 21st through the 23rd at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Admission was $10 with a VIP package for $99 if you planned to attend more than one day and get autographs.
The Dealers
I was incredibly impressed on the amount of graded vintage cards available. I had never been to a show and seen so many graded vintage cards. This was my first time seeing high graded Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Ty Cobb. Even though these cards are out of my budget, it was incredibly fun see them and talk to the dealers.
As I was expecting, the hockey selection was somewhat low, but I was not disappointed. I eventualy found some dealers with an nice amount of hockey, but nothing that caught my eye.
Group case breakers, Friendly Box Breaks was breaking boxes at the show. The setup they had was quite impressive with a nice crowd of people around watching the live breaks. Make sure to check out their site of follow them on twitter @FriendlyBreaks
My Pickups
I was completely overwhelmed by the size of the show. I had gone in not knowing exactly what I wanted, so I bought a few things that had caught my eye.
Conclusion
I had a great time at the show. If there is a 2015 show, I will plan on attending. However, next year I will need more time to look around. I will probably go Saturday and Sunday just so I can get it all in.
