Visiting an Orlando LCS

I have been trying to make it a point to visit card shops when I am traveling for work.  This week I went out to Orlando, FL for a work vendor conference.  The highlights included some actual sun and warm weather (it has been a pretty awful KC winter), a tour of some of the backstage areas of Disney World to learn about their world class approach to customer service and a trip to Orlando Sportscards.

I found Orlando Sportscards doing a quick google search.  It was located fairly close to the airport and I had a few hours to kill between my flight landing and the conference reception.  The card store had tons of cards, mostly singles, sorted in all different ways.  They had dozens, if not hundreds of 5000 count boxes with single sorted by team and set along the left wall.  The right wall had display cases with stacks of cards on the top shelves and 5000 count boxes sorted by team on the bottom shelf. 

I started by taking a look at the box of 1957 Topps cards.  As he handed me the box, the owner indicated that the singles were half off the marked price.  I liked that each card was marked so there was a clear understanding of what the prices were.  I wasn't a fan of the cost of the 57s and didn't pick any up, the lowest priced cards were listed at $12-15 in okay condition and even half that is above what I have been spending on commons.

In the back of that same box was a small stack of 1960 Fleer cards, a set I am working on completing.  These prices were pretty good and I ended up picking up these 5 towards my set:

I am within 9 cards of finishing this set and although a few of them are bigger names, I am going to make a push and try to get it done by the middle of 2019.

Next up I looked through a box of 1972 Topps looking for the dreaded high numbers.  They didn't have a ton but more than I have seen in one place in some time.  The prices were really high, which always is my problem with 72 high numbers.  I didn't get any, I can't seeing paying $8-10+ per card when I need well over 100 cards for the set - I may have to end up giving up on the set or saving up to buy a complete set and selling off my partial.  I also looked through several stacks of star card ranging from a couple of 1952 Topps cards up to early 80s rookies like Ripken and Henderson.  I already had most of the cards I thumbed through so I moved on.

Next I asked to see a large box of Giants cards.  It had mostly hits and serial numbered cards.  A lot of the hits were Bowman prospects that never panned out or relics I already had.  I did find 2 cards to add to my haul:

I really like both cards, the 2005 SP Legendary Cuts set has a few great looking insert sets, I need to see if I can track down more.  The Posey Panini Spectra is the Neon Blue parallel /99.  The card looks really nice and is a very thick card.

After the Giants I saw a row of Sacramento Kings in a box in the cabinet and asked to see that.  I have a few Kings cards in my collection but they are a little underrepresented.  I was able to find 3 cards to get from the Kings' "glory" years (can you have glory years without winning a title???):

I now have 3 Vlade autos in the collection, this National Treasures /25 sure is a nice looking card.  I also picked up the other 2 in part based on aesthetics.  I really like the basketball net look to the Bibby relic and find it cool it is commemorating a milestone.  The acetate Bobby Jackson is a great looking card with a nice big signature.

While looking through the Kings stack I picked up a couple KC era hits:

I started a Tiny Archibald collection during Black Friday and was planning on focusing in on his vintage cards.  I couldn't pass up either of these, both are great looking cards.  While I don't plan on pursuing tons of Autos or Relics of Nate, I suspect I will grab a few hear and there if the price is right.

Finally the highlight of the visit was finding this in a display rack:

This is the current issue of Beckett Vintage Collector featuring Greg of Night Owl Cards fame in a article about the SSPC set.  My LCS didn't have it and I hadn't seen it elsewhere.  I am very happy to have it and will be reading through it this weekend.  Thumbing through the magazine, I am super excited to read all the articles and check out all the photos of Babe Ruth along with an article about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in addition to Greg's article.  I am least interested in the price guide at the back but if these articles are good I may plop down the $60 for a 2 year subscription.

All in all, it was a descent store visit, the above stuff was sold to me for an even $60.  I would rate the volume and selection of cards at Orlando Sportscards highly but the prices are a little steep compared to what I find online.  While I understand it and don't blame them, I am a bargain hunter at heart.