Notes: STL Shops Buzzing; Philly Show; LaMelo’s History-Making Shoes at Auction
“When the pandemic hit, I thought we were toast,” Jim Miller, owner of Collector’s Corner in Belleville, IL told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “What we sell is not a necessity.”
Like many others, St. Louis area card shops quickly discovered the opposite was true. A market on the uptick really took off in 2020 and the momentum has generally remained positive in the first six months of 2021.
Connecting with cards turned out to be a popular pastime and shops that found a way to make it work during some challenging times last year are thriving. The Post-Dispatch visited a few of them for this story.
The Philly Show returned last weekend after being forced off the grid for over 12 months and there was a big turnout at the Valley Forge Resort and Casino.
One collector saw what he termed a “buyer’s market” for modern era cards after prices for many of them have continued to slip over the past few months. “The modern dealers were swept pretty clean,” Hector Castro told The Athletic. “Friday they said the buyers were out and very aggressive. Saturday had bigger crowds and good buying still and Sunday was a mix between the two.”
In its story on the show, The Athletic also talked with one busy vintage card dealer who was selling to both collectors and those buying in hopes of future profit. “They’ve never seen these players. They’re not reliving anything. They just know that there is more demand than there are cards,” stated Nick Migliaccio of New Jersey.
NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball is auctioning off the pair of autographed Puma Clyde All-Pro Elf shoes he was wearing when he became youngest player in NBA history to record a triple double on January 9. The auction was scheduled to open Thursday night at 10 PM Eastern time and run for only 24 hours.
In addition to the autographed triple double shoes, the auction winner also receives a signed Ball jersey. It’s all tied to a promotion involving Ball’s line of NFTs.
