Business

Rosemont hosts big collectibles show this weekend

Posted July 13, 2010 11:00 pm

By Ross Forman

The FansEdge Sports Spectacular, running this weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, is anything but your average weekend trading card show.

The autograph lineup, for starters, features Hulk Hogan, Dennis Rodman and Tonya Harding.

The roster of 50-plus signers will include Hall of Famers from all four major sports, including Terry Bradshaw, Barry Sanders, Al Kaline, Billy Williams, Stan Mikita and Julius Erving.

Plus, there will be appearances by former players in the old Negro Leagues, such as Hank "Baby" Presswood, 89, who played for the Cleveland Buckeyes in 1948-49.

Dolly Konwinski from the Rockford Peaches, made famous in the movie 'A League of Their Own,' will be signing, too.

LifeSource also will hold an on-site blood drive Friday and Saturday, giving away prizes and, naturally, signed sports memorabilia to select donors.

"The FansEdge Sports Spectacular is a must-attend event," said Jon Carr, 38, a collector from Carol Stream.

Several hundred dealers from across America will descend upon Chicago for the three-day sports fest, where autographs mix with trading cards, game-worn memorabilia and vintage souvenirs.

The show is considered one of the top 10 sports collectible shows of the year, and more than 7,500 collectors are expected. The largest annual card show, the National Sports Collectors Convention, will be held Aug. 4-8 in Baltimore and will be back in Chicago for its 2011 run.

"Chicago is a great (collectibles) market, by and large the strongest in the nation," said Rich Gove of Houston-based Rich Gove Collectibles, which specializes in vintage cards. "There are a good blend of collectors looking to buy (cards) and also collectors looking to sell their collections.

"Chicago collectors are very knowledgeable; it's just a great city for this industry."

Autograph prices start at $15 for such stars as Charley Taylor and Bob Feller, who are in the Pro Football and Baseball Halls of Fame, respectively. Autographs also are as much as $199 each for select items signed by Terry Bradshaw.

Several autograph stars are labeled "rollback guests," as show promoters have cut the traditional asking-price in hopes of selling more signatures. Derrek Lee of the Cubs was listed at $79 and $99 per item, but prices have been cut to $59 and $69. Pro Football Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle is $29 for any item, down from his traditional $39 and $49.

"It's good to see that (show) organizers acknowledged the need to try to bring a bigger crowd to the event, given where the economic climate is at," said John Arcand of Big John & Little Debby's, a sports memorabilia store in the Edgebrook/Sauganash neighborhood that opened in 1989.

"I think it was a necessity, that it was needed to be done."

Brian Schwartz, vice president at Mounted Memories, the promoter for this weekend's show, said sales of autograph tickets for those signers whose ticket price is north of $100 have slowed in recent years. But collectors still pay the big bucks, just not as many.

"People still come to meet these athletes and get their autographs. Meeting these A-list athletes is still priceless to a lot of people," Schwartz said.

Derrek Lee will have autographed photos available. Courtesy Mounted Memories

If You Go

What: FansEdge Sports Spectacular, July 16-18 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont.

Hours: Friday, 3:30-9 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Admission: $10 daily ($5, 7 and under)

Autograph stars: Hulk Hogan, Terry Bradshaw, Dennis Rodman, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Stan Mikita, Dick Motta, Dale Murphy, Curt Schilling, Barry Sanders and Pete Rose, others.

Who's Hot in trading cards: Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals. Look for boxes of 2010 Bowman Baseball, which will cost about $175; and 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter, which sells for about $110. "The big hit today is Stephen Strasburg," said Chicago-based card dealer John Arcand. "We're happy that people are chasing (a certain card) once again, and we're cautiously optimistic the prices (won't) drop as quickly as they go up."

Details: <a href="http://www.MountedMemoriesShows.com" target="new">www.MountedMemoriesShows.com</a>.

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