Have you gotten enough content from The National yet!? This year’s NSCC saw record-breaking crowds, and has rightfully been the talk of the hobby since the weeks leading up to the show. While the final recap videos go up on YouTube, I wanted to use today’s blog post as one last chance to reflect on the week that was.
From some INSANE cards and collectibles you won’t find anywhere else to just hanging out with the Loupe community in person for the first time, here are my five favorite parts of this year’s convention!
#5 – SO. MUCH. VINTAGE.
Whether you were at the show all week long or only made the trip to Rosemont for one day, one thing was very clear. Vintage sports cards were a MAJOR theme of this year’s National.
While much of the hobby’s focus has been on modern wax over the past couple years, countless tables at The National looked like something out of a history book. I’m not just talking 1986 Fleer Basketball or 1952 Topps Baseball either. I mean cards from the 19TH CENTURY, many of which were graded, that you would not find anywhere else.
Some of my favorite conversations at the show started by just asking people at different booths to tell me about the oldest cards in their collection and watching their eyes light up. With seemingly 1,000 other things going on throughout the week, I loved being able to take the time to learn from people who have truly loved the hobby longer than anyone.
#4 – The Main Stage
One of the best parts about Loupe’s booth being located in the breaker pavilion is that we had PRIME seats for the main stage all week long. The Go GTS Live guys did an incredible job hosting and bringing the best content in the hobby to life.
This year’s show programming was electric from the very beginning. On Wednesday’s VIP preview day during the PSA/StockX break, they pulled a Mike Trout rookie /60 from a sealed box of 2011 Topps Update! We also saw a ton of great speeches and interviews from the likes of Beckett Live Presents (of which Loupe was the presenting sponsor), including an interview with our CEO!
#3 – Live breaks at the Loupe Booth
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re already very well aware of just how much fun breaks on Loupe are. Now take that energy and bring it live to the Loupe Booth, and you’ve got some of the most exciting streams we’ve EVER had.
Hit N Run Sports Cards and Susie Sports kicked off the action on Thursday with back to back repack events. Matty’s Auction Madness was turning heads all afternoon long on Friday, and the FreshPullZ guys ran it back again to begin a busy Saturday morning. Finally, our very own Craig had his farewell stream with Hit Seekers, and ripped one of the most loaded boxes of 2018 Topps I’ve ever seen.
#2 – Seeing just how strong the future of the hobby is
The fact that this isn’t #1 on this list just goes to show how incredible The National was. Whether it was on the show floor, walking to and from the convention center, at the Kentucky Roadshow x Card Collector 2 Trade Night (pictured above), wherever you looked there were people of all ages with one thing in common: the love of sports cards.
Seeing just how many wide-eyed kids were there falling in love with the hobby is a clear indicator of how incredible of a spot sports cards are in. It’s one thing to see how well it’s doing online, but generations of collectors coming together under one roof was a truly special thing.
#1 – Meeting the Loupe Fam in person for the first time!
Is there any other answer!? Our community is what makes Loupe so special, and this was the first time so many of us got to meet.
For most of the Loupe team, this was the first time we got to see each other without having to join a Zoom call first. Our incredible breakers and community members who make us love what we do? First time putting usernames to faces. THIS is what the hobby is all about, and this is what made Loupe’s first National a resounding success.
Thank you to everyone across the hobby who made last week as amazing as it was, and we’ll see you in Atlantic City next year!