What was the one thing at this years National that surprised you the most

[Pacmeyer]

People going to the biggest card show anywhere and only remembering the weak AC, body odor, breakers yelling, cases etc being dragged around, the general crowds and long lines. In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of those things kind of go together.

[jdhaugh11]

Originally Posted by Triple B

Should have mentioned that...it was all graded stuff. That's all I brought, thinking that most wouldn't have any interest in raw. It was all stuff that I couldn't move here in Toronto so it all was left behind in Chicago.

I figured, even $50-$60 raw cards are mostly in boxes and not in dealer cases at the National.

[JohnnyAppleseed]

Originally Posted by WillBBC

The amount of new(ish) businesses tangentially tied to trading cards that had crazy big booth presence.

Also, TAG slabs surprised me. They looked incredible in person. I'm a big 3 guy from the late 90s/early 2000s so I look at all these guys as dead on arrival, but good grief I hope they're able to survive.

They're heavier than the others, and the cards look more forward facing than in other slabs. That plus the clear acrylic all the way around helps them pop. The QR code showing you exactly what the issue with the card is - very nice.

They have serious potential for a lot of reasons.

[Digerati]

How expensive, difficult and uninteresting the Autograph Pavilion thing is.

[Digerati]

Originally Posted by JohnnyAppleseed

They're heavier than the others, and the cards look more forward facing than in other slabs. That plus the clear acrylic all the way around helps them pop. The QR code showing you exactly what the issue with the card is - very nice.

They have serious potential for a lot of reasons.

I agree with the TAG comment. The slabs look fantastic in person and felt really solid too. The clear label is great and doesn't clash with any card design.