First of all, we just got back from a really exciting show.

It seemed like we had a great turnout(I hope that's the case)!

I must first thank Batman for his initial offer of a ride from the bus station, and Ed for his offer of a ride TO the bus station, and to Todd Jordan for taking us there Sadly, the bus station is too far away from the mall to walk it. (what we card addicts won't do...)

I had a great time visiting with everyone, again, but Dee Robinson, we missed you(It IS all about Dee, you know)

Rittenhouse had it's phenomenal display of the upcoming BSG S4 release to tempt me, and this set will be fantastically loaded.

And, they were raffling off a 19 card promo set from Paramount of the new Star Trek movie which opens next week. Monica & I both won one! Apparently card #17 is rare(Which we did not win). It's a Flash drive card, which was really cool looking, and they were going to raffle that off at the Dinner tonight.

I did some trading and visiting with TWS & SciFi Cards(Thank you, both).

I met Curler(hope you come back to Allentown), spoke to Tom Breygent about his fantastic, upcoming Dexter set.

We got some new Breygent Ghost Whisperer promos, and a new Dexter Promo from Breygent. Rittenhouse had CP promos of Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek and X Men Archives. Artbox gave out 3 promos from their upcoming Harry Potter release. It was kind of lonely without Inkworks there in the mix though.

I commissioned a sketch from NAR, who's always just a super nice guy, and I met Kate Red Bradley there too for the first time, who's also very nice!

Apparently, I had a hot hand, because I bought one Wolverine box and an inexpensive Fantastic Four box and pulled these gems





I wish we could have stayed overnight and attended the dinner and the donut social, but I'm just happy I got to come at all!
There were a lot of people I would like to have talked with more, but all in all I have to thank NSU and the Reighters for another fantastic show. I hope the show as good to them as it was to me!

Wow! What a show! I know this is my first Philly Show and I have no frame of reference to which to compare things, but this is a GREAT show!

We got to the show a little early and I'm glad we did. When if saw Harris, I thought he was just "working the line" but in reality, he was handing out numbered "cards". The cards were numbered 1-50 and we each received a NAR! lithograph! So, the first thing we did when we got in was to have NAR! autograph them for us. (By the way, I have to agree with Jane and say that NAR! is a really great guy.)

Next, we made a bee line to the RA table to get the promo cards, meet everyone (as this was my first time doing so), and to admire the cards and Stargate: Atlantis costumes they had on display. VERY nice!

We went to the Breygent table and Tom was very friendly and gave us some terrific promo cards. I told him how much I loved the Classic Sci-Fi & Horror Posters set, which really is one of my all-time favorite sets.

Next, I had to go see my friend Laura (aka Wandring Rebel). Over the course of the day, she so graciously accepted my money in exchange for some cards. Lol Actually, I got two individual autograph cards for the Wizard of Oz set. (I got two of the Munchkins.)

The dealers seemed to be fairly busy and I hope they're doing good business at the show.

Of course, we stopped at the NSU tables. It's always a pleasure to see the Tosers again. They gave us each one of the Breygent promo cards for the show.

As for the dinner.....it was a LOT of fun! Dave Thompson (NSU writer and DJ extraordinaire) did the emcee duties for the show and he did a terrific job. And I have to compliment Harris on the great Power Point presentation he put together highlighting the history, people and events from the past Philly Shows. Frank and Phyllis Reighter were the guests-of-honor, and rightly so. They were given a very nice gift certificate and also the original artwork that NAR! did of them. The artwork was made into special promo cards that were given to attendees of the dinner. We were given other dinner-exclusive promo cards. While the cards are extremely nice and highly coveted, they were just the icing on the cake to a truly wonderful evening. And as we were leaving, all of the attendees were given a NAR! lithograph too.

I have to mention something weird that happened to Sue & I regarding the lithographs. As I mentioned earlier, we received lithographs for being among the first 50 people in line. Well, when we were handed the lithographs at the dinner, Sue & I received the exact, same ones we received in the morning. Not only that, she was handed the same one she received and I was handed the same I had received. I don't know what the odds are for that happening, but it was pretty funny. Anyway, we were allowed to exchange the dinner lithographs for two others.

The evening ended on a rather bizarre note. Sue & I left the show and got in the car, but the car wouldn't start. Most of the people had left the show and it was getting rather dark. I saw some people leaving the show and, no knowing who they were, walked up to them to ask for a jump. It turned out to be....Frank & Phyllis Reighter! Well, Frank generously tried to give me a jump but, for some reason, the car wouldn't start. Long story short, we called AAA, got a jump and then bought a new battery. Hey, this isn't just a vacation...it's an adventure! Lol

I have lots of pictures to post, but they'll have to wait until tomorrow. We just got back from getting the battery and we're pretty tired. Plus, we have to get up a little early to go to the Donut Social in the morning.

I still have more things to get at the show tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to it.

That's going to do it for me tonight. I'll have another post...and pictures...tomorrow.

Waah- I don't think I am going to make it this year- I just got home from a friend's wedding and I am tuckered out.

Glad you had a great time Jane- I am going to miss seeing everyone at the Philly show that I usually stop in to see.

Val

Great to hear you are all having a good time.

Those star trek promos sound intresting.

Great reports so far, sounds like a great show - looking forward to the pictures.

With those Stargate: Atlantis costumes there it looks like we might be seeing a season 5 set later on this year. Now I know what my wife will want for Christmas !

quote:

Originally posted by justm:

With those Stargate: Atlantis costumes there it looks like we might be seeing a season 5 set later on this year. Now I know what my wife will want for Christmas !

I thought I heard RA was showing Battlestar Galactica season 4 costumes at the show not Atlantis costumes. I think we will have to wait for instant replay. Pictures anyone?

quote:

Originally posted by jane:

Apparently, I had a hot hand, because I bought one Wolverine box and an inexpensive Fantastic Four box and pulled these gems

http://i49.photobucket.com/alb...ardlady/IMG_0653.jpg

That Iron Fist is awesome! Congratulations Jane!

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi_Collector:

quote:

Originally posted by justm:

With those Stargate: Atlantis costumes there it looks like we might be seeing a season 5 set later on this year. Now I know what my wife will want for Christmas !

I thought I heard RA was showing Battlestar Galactica season 4 costumes at the show not Atlantis costumes. I think we will have to wait for instant replay. Pictures anyone?

They had the BSG costume cards already on display, hopefully Harris got some photos. Many of the cards have two swatches on them. I have to say, they all looked fantastic. Next time I'll bring my camera.

Today's show as just as much fun as yesterday's. I'm glad we made the trip.

After scoring some more of the show-exclusive promos, I went off in search of some cards I wanted. Thanks to Laura aka WandringRebel, I was able to get quite a few. Among the ones I got were some autograph cards from Art & Images: Star Trek the Original Series. I was also able to get the 1-of-100 show-exclusive Breygent promo cards like the following:



I also took a LOT of picture which I'll post in a separate thread. I appreciate everyone at the show who put up with my requests to pose for pictures, but when I told them it was for Card Talk, they were more than happy to oblige.

Oh, I want to take the opportunity to publicly thank Bill DeFranzo who saved me from having an absolutely horrible experience at yesterday's show. I had the promos in a box which I sat down on a table out in the mall. I walked off without the box and by the time I got back, the box was gone. I was kicking myself for over an hour. (Hey, it was my own dumb fault!) Anyway, Bill happened to overhear me telling someone about my trying to get some replacement promos and he walked away for a moment only to return with my box of promo cards! He had seen the box setting on the table and kept it safe for whomever it was that misplaced it. So, thank you, Bill!

I also want to thank the Reighters and the Tosers for making the Philly Show such a fun, warm and memorable experience.

That DeFranzo guy is Alllll Right, isn't he? Glad you & Mrs. Kennywood were able to come! See what you've been missing?

Ya'know... it really didn't click in my head that Atlantis costumes were on display and that we'd be getting another Atlantis set...

Anyway... what a GREAT show. Thanks to all the manufacturers, artists and promoters who put a lot of effort and energy into making this a really special show. There were people I hadn't seen in years that stopped by the show on Saturday. It was great seeing Kennywood, Sue, Jane, Cverdec, Sherry, TBear, Ted Dastick, Frank Amico, Harris, Batman and all the other CardTalkers who's names I'm blanking on at the moment. It was even good to see TWS again. I know Kate Bradley was at the show but I never got a chance to talk to her. I talked with NAR! briefly... what a nice guy. That Sean Pence is ok too. Always great to see/chat with Rich Molinelli, Jim Kyle and Brian Kong even if I didn't have too much time to chat with them.

Kennywood - Glad to hear that Bill had your box of promos.... and thanks for the Quisp!! Here's hoping your ride home is uneventful.

Thanks again to everyone who attended and helped make this a GREAT show.

Had a great time at the show. It was great to see everyone again. I won't mention names because I'll forget some like Laura did (ahemmmmm).

We got there kind of late Saturday afternoon and the first order of business was to get as many of the promos that I knew were being given out. And to be honest, that is about all the time that I had for that day. I did meet Don Norton for the first time since it was his first Philly show.

Of course we went to the dinner and had a great time there too. The food was better than I was expecting, but not gourmet by any stretch... Of course, it was about the 50th Philly show though and the tribute to Frank & Phillis and the Tosers for all of their contributions. Harris had put together slide shows, at least one was shown before the formal presentations, and then another was played during the presentation by Dave Thompson. A lot of memories there. More slides that included me than I would have liked! I also introduced myself to Kennywood as we had never met either.

Of course I loved all of the promos being a promo collector.

After the dinner was over, a bunch of us (15 people I think) headed over to Red Robin (next to hotel many of us stayed at) for some uhh, liquid refreshments and good company. I think 5 artists were part of the group including Nar and Kate Bradley. Harris Toser, Bill DeFranzo, Bob Hulsart (Batman), OTim (CT name) and some others were there - see, I told you if I mention names, I would forget some...

I skipped the card talk coffee Sunday morning and slept in a bit longer.

I picked up more promos including a few I had missed the day before, talked with a bunch of friends (dealers and collectors), picked up some boxes of card pages, bought some promo cards (found some great deals on a few things), and held off on buying any boxes of cards to open. Waiting for the new Trek cards.

Speaking of Trek, I did win one of the Star Trek Paramount sets, but I also got card PP17 - only 100 made. I was thrilled. It was a mid-day drawing on Sunday by Rittenhouse Archives and was the only one I believe being given away that day. I had gotten my ticket for the drawing maybe 30 minutes before the drawing.... Thank you Rittenhouse for the drawings!

The turnout for the show seemed a lot better than the last few shows, which was great to see. Most dealers that I talked to were happy with the turnout and with sales as well.

Thank you to the Reighters, and the Tosers for all their work in putting this show together, to the manufacturers for all of the promos, to Nar for the art work for the Frank & Phyllis card and the lithograph prints that were handed out, to the dealers for supporting the show, and the collectors for attending!

Mike.

Thanks for all the show reports, glad to see you all had a great time.

Got home at 11:45 pm last night, and had to open a box of Harry Potter Magic Moments before I went to bed, so I'm posting late.

The trip out there was a long drive - I kept thinking as we drove east - "Isn't the ocean coming up soon? Are we near England?"
My friend Dave and I arrived Friday afternoon after a stop at Hershey Pennsylvania, where they make those delicious Hershey bars. We went and saw Harris and Roxanne and then toured the Merchant's Mall, which had all kinds of collectible stuff, including many cards. Dave picked up a Mary Anne Mobley auto from an Elvis set for $10.

The next day we were there for opening, and the show was great. I picked up nice nice stuff, but the real thrill was meeting people who I had dealt with over the phone or by email, Michael Beam (Beamer), Kurt Kerstiener (Monsterwax), NSU Editor Alan Beigel, and Mike Tillford (sorry we didn't really get to chat much Mike). Of course, there were many familiar faces, Ed from Sci fi Cards, The Tosers, Paul Maiellero from the Midwest Show, Kennywood and his wife, and Dealer Ron Gahan.

A big thrill was meeting artist Ken Kelly, a great guy, very friendly and down to earth, his wife is a lovely person. I got a book, 2 prints and a card all signed by him.

Part 2 of report coming up after I bring my daughter to school ....

quote:

Originally posted by miket999:
Had a great time at the show. It was great to see everyone again. I won't mention names because I'll forget some like Laura did (ahemmmmm).


Mike.

Yes, late last night I realized I forgot to mention you. Sorry about that

I'm also realizing there's an entire section of the room I never visited... I never did get to the MonsterWax table.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: WandringRebel,

Okay, the kid's off gettin' some book learnin', so back to the show...

Promos abounded, I did not pick up much in the way of extras, but there seemed to be a bunch of show exclusives, I haven't even gone through all my cards yet.

The buy of the show - the Norm Saunders book by his son, David Saunders. This book sells for $40, Monsterwax had a bunch for $30, and also the card set for $10. If you love Norm's work - this is THE book. After I bought mine and stored it in the car, (it's heavy!) we discovered all the books had been signed by the author with a sketch inside on the title page! I got a Martian head on mine, the card set was also signed.

The dinner was great, great company, good food, and a slide presentation with music from Harris's collection. The salute to the Reighter's was well done, and they got a get-away package to a casino as a gift.

The Donut social was nice, to sit and chat with folks. Talked to Roxanne about shoes - and Harris about music. I didn't see much of Harris since he busy working all weekend. Some people, like NSU's Scott Thomas, got delayed when the roads got blocked off for a marathon Sunday Morning.

I won one of Rittenhouse's Star Trek promo sets also, no #17, but that's okay. It was nice speaking to the Rittenhouse crew and some of their comments will appear in my next article.

Dexter and Ghost Whisperer look like killer sets from Breygent. Artbox was promoting the new Harry Potter set, which I bought a box of.

Besides Ken Kelly, lots of sketch artists there. Nar was great, but for me, Sean Patrick Pence had art that blew me away. I got a nice print for my daughter of some Twilight characters.

In the way of goodies I picked up from vendors - got some nice autos, got an inexpensive box and binder from Golden Compass, many singles to fill holes in my collection. Things I looked for that were not there - any "Lest We Forget - Canada at War sets or cards. I figured if they'd be anywhere, they'dbe here.

As I was leaving, I stopped to shake hands with Frank Reighter and thank him and his wife for organizing this show 25 years ago. Also, thanks to the Tosers for their hard work, and my good friend Dave who drove all the way there and back.

Now, it is time to sort my cards, (I must have stack of them 15 inches high), look at my books, (Norm Saunders, Ken Kelly and new Promo Guide from Todd Jordan), and take a nap and reflect on some great memories of this show.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Don Norton,

I also attended the show, on Saturday only, because my son, the Boy Scout was coming home from a camping trip Sunday morning and someone hadda pick him up.

While at the show, I had fun, reconnected with old friends (hugs for Kay!!), met some new friends (Kevin Graham is Evan's new best friend!), bought some cards, TRADED some cards, even sold one poor promo pack and had dinner with some very talented (and patient!) friends.

I did not attend THE dinner I hear though that my clan was represented in the slideshow presentation - messy donut faced children I have *lol*, or the donut thingy (reason: see above) but I'm glad everyone had a good time.

As for what got purchased - hmm. We bought 3 boxes of cards - Marvel Masterpieces 2 and 3 and Star Wars Galaxy 4. Got a lovely sketches out of all three boxes (will scan for food, I mean will scan later). I bought a Marvel Masterpiece 1 sketch by Lui Antonio. And I traded for a gaggle of other sketches (thanks again!!). Evan spent his time at the show playing with Shrek mini-bobble heads and SW Magnet heads - too cute! And watching Scooby Doo videos under the Rittenhouse table.

All in all a good time was had by all.

Thanks everyone for the REALLY nice reports posted above so far. Its appreciated.

We had a really nice show. I had a great time myself. Personally, though, too much stimulation for my feeble brain -- every time I turned around, there was a question, mini crises, or whatnot. I spent the entire weekend talking and felt like I didn't get to speak to anyone, if that make sense. I guess I didn't get to speak to anyone for more then a few minutes.

It was really honoring to see a few people come in from far away -- Kennywood and Sue, Paul and Diana Maiellaro (who has big things planned for '09 and '10), Don Norton and Dave Loosen, NAR!, Kate Bradley, Tim and Tammy, Graham (all the way from the U.K.!!), etc.

I was happy the dinner went of so well. I was so SURE we'd get there and realize we'd forgotten some patch cable or something which would have prevented us from showing the Power Point presentation. All in all, that went off without a hitch. I must say that Dave Thompson, our MC for the night, did a great job!

As always, it was great to see friends who we see every six months -- Laura, AWR, Jane, Monica, Joanna, Mike M, Mike T, Batman, Chris and Sherri, etc. etc. (I'm only naming a few names as I know I'll miss a bunch).

Big thanks to Todd for coming down for the weekend too. We had fun hanging out. And congrats to the Reighters on 50 shows.

Unfortunately, I only took a few pictures so I'm hoping to see a bunch from others there. I know Kennywood took a bunch. So did Gayle and Cliff and if they send them to me like they've done in the past, I'll post them.

Hope to post more later.

Once again, this was an awesome show!! Like everyone else, I'm sure I'll forget to mention someone....

Harris, nice to see you again! Thanks for almost setting me up at the show. You can call me anytime.

Bill DeFranzo - Thanks for the "help."

Great to finally meet Mike & Kurt from Monsterwax. They're both great guys to deal with. And if anyone dropped by their table midway through Sunday they had some "top secret" work of mine sitting on their table.

Paul from Chicagoland, I'm looking forward to making my way out west eventually!

Tom at Breygent, thanks for the promos!!

Laura, I think I'm gonna hit you up for some of those Disney Cel Cards in the future. I was in "box" mode at the show, didn't spend much on anything else.

Frank, I'll make it to a Stooge Convention at some point, I swear!!

TheJazzer - Never found you Sunday. I still have these sets for you...


To my artist buds:

NAR! - Great to meet you man! Next time you have to teach me how to flair or flare, whatever it is.

Danny K. - Damn you're a big dude, how do you draw so small?

Brian - Thanks again for the Will Clark folder! And congrats on the Allen & Ginter work, I can't wait to get my hands on them. Top-notch!

Rich - Hopefully made it back home much easier than your trek up.

Jim - Still tired?

Sean - Great to put a face to the name! And thanks for the Wolverine print, my wife was floored when I showed it to her.

Kevin - We really didn't get to chat. Next time!

Kate - You're sick.


And to all the Card Talkers and collectors I met that complimented on and purchase my work, THANK YOU! I'm glad I can give you something you want to collect.

quote:

Graham (all the way from the U.K.!!)

GRAHAM WAS THERE AND NOONE TOLD ME????!??!??



It's not like I'm hard to find - just looking for the slightly frenetic mother with the REALLY cute kid...