Posted in: Collectibles, Props | Tagged: cgc, heritage auctions, psa, The National

The National Brings Crazy Memorabilia To Cleveland

We spent Sunday looking at all kinds of cool pop culture items at this years The National Sports Cards Convention.

The National Sports Card Convention is the biggest sports and non-sports memorabilia show of the year, and the 2024 edition took place in Cleveland this past weekend. Booth after booth of incredible artifacts and high-end items everywhere you look; it really is a sight to behold. In a way, walking through the National is like walking through history, only unlike a museum, you can buy the items. Well, I couldn't, I am not rich. But, it was very cool to walk through the different booths and see everything on display. My other takeaway: there are so many options for grading collectibles now. The powerhouse names are the biggest still, but others are starting to make a name for themselves. This also came on the heels of the announcement that PSA will be grading comics now. Their bread and butter are still cards, but the announcement of the comic grading was an interesting one. Anyway, let's look at cool stuff.

The National Is For Everyone

When I say they have memorabilia at The National that you will never see anywhere else, I mean it. Multiple booths had football items from all the way back to the 40s, like these old helmets and college pennants. Or the 1964 Green Bay Packers signed football. How amazing is it that the signatures on that ball have not faded to nothing over time? Also, around the show, everywhere were old shop ads for everything from cigarettes to old sports equipment, like the Winchester one for an old basketball uniform.

Graded everything was everywhere at this show. One booth had hundreds of graded Sports Illustrated issues, many populations of one. Comics were well represented as well, which was surprising. A personal favorite that I really wanted to charge to my credit card was this gorgeous graded copy of Famous Monsters #2. Also never thought I would see a sealed box of Tron trading cards, I used to buy those constantly when I was a kid.

A really old Olympics pennant felt timely to see, and how cool is that Philadelphia Eagles football program from their first franchise win? As a huge baseball fan and collector, seeing that Connie Mack signed baseball was cool, as was the number of old and new bobbleheads that many booths had. I am also a big UFC fan, and seeing Conor McGregor's signed gloves and title was epic. Another big thing was buttons and pins. Tons and tons of vintage buttons were everywhere, but these old Beatles buttons and pins were great.

The showstopper booth on the floor of The National was from our friends at Heritage Auctions. They have some really big stuff going up for bid soon, both in the sports and pop culture worlds. Some of this stuff could be considered priceless, though they do have one attached to most items. While there were many cool items, a few of my favorites include a ticket stub from the game where Babe Ruth called his shot, Babe Rith and his wife Claire's signed contract for the right to their life story, and a game-used Jackie Robinson jersey.

As a figure guy, seeing the carded figures they will have coming up made me smile ear to ear. Look at those old Aurora Frankenstein and Wolf Man model kits. Gorgeous. That Kenner Super Powers Superman is a grail for me, and I had never seen a MOC Captain Action Captain America until that moment.

On the pop culture side, as a huge Metallica fan, it took everything in me not to pry the case open and take the signed drumhead. Very cool to see the Bruce Springsteen and plaque as well. Magic the Gathering fans can bid on original card art, as can superhero card collectors with the Topps 1966 card art.

Their upcoming Hollywood prop and memorabilia auction has all sorts of amazing pieces from the MCU, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Wizard of Oz, TMNT, and more. The Wolverine claws felt pretty timely, and some of that old Oz stuff was tear-inducing.

Of course, they had CGC-graded comics on display, including Superman #1 and the first appearances of The Flash and Poison Ivy.

The National did not disappoint this year. The next three summers, the show will head to Chicago, before returning to Cleveland in 2028. I cannot recommend going enough, even if you do not end up buying anything, just walking around and seeing all the history on display is more than worth the price of admission.

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