The last day rolled around more quickly than I wanted it to, but it also happened to be the busiest day of the week. With everyone off work, it was absolutely crazy with all the people walking through the booths. Based on the feedback I got from the dealers at the show, it was a VERY good saturday at the NSCC, more than they usually get each year. Further evidence to put it in Chicago every year.

It was obvious to me that collectors wanted National Treasures basketball more than anything. For good reason too, because the cards do look really nice. I knew going into it that the product would be the belle of the ball, but I didnt expect to see so much wheeling and dealing going on.

When you see the prices, its easy to see why:

2012-13 National Treasures Kyrie Irving Rookie Patch Auto /199

2012-13 National Treasures Kyrie Irving Rookie Patch Auto /199 #2

2012-13 National Treasures Anthony Davis Rookie Patch Auto /199

2012-13 National Treasures Kahwi Leonard Spurs Logo Patch Auto /5

The process was pretty simple. Break a box, pull the good cards out and take them to BGS. If they get a 9.5 take them to one of the five or six dealers around the booth that were buying and sell them. After Wednesday, there was a 50 dollar fee for same day, but with a card selling for this much, its easy to pay that kind of cash. I saw someone get 2500 cash for a Kyrie Irving RPA with a nice patch BGS 9.5, which was insane to me. I knew he played pretty well during the season, but its not like he is the second coming of Lebron. Just goes to show why Panini has the wrong approach making piddly cheap sets in a basketball environment dominated by high end. Even guys that are relatively bit players are selling for ridiculous prices.

After some drama the previous day with the Topps Bowman platinum redemption line, the guys stepped up and did a good job with crowd control. The line didnt form until the show opened, and though the convention staff had a talk with them, it all moved smoothly. For the first time during the week, the 2013 Topps Minis were in demand, and I saw some really nice pulls. The black parallels /5 sold extremely well, and many of the set collectors were chasing them down to complete their want lists.

The big event of the day was the Panini VIP event, which required the attendees to verify 7500 worth of purchases at the show to attend. In return, they got some free food and drinks, as well as autographs from Yasiel Puig, Pedro Martinez, Chris Chelios and company. They also got a ton of special gold VIP redemption packs, which were delivered last night. From people that were there, it was a really fun night.

They sell for a lot of money:

2013 Panini National VIP 14 gold packs

Some of the swag has already been put up on eBay:

2013 Panini National VIP Anthony Davis Patch Auto Lava Flow

2013 Panini National VIP EJ Manuel Auto 1/1

I headed home around 3pm and didnt make it into San Antonio until close to midnight. It was a long day, but it was definitely a great week and I had a blast seeing everyone again. For the first time, there wasnt really anything bad that I have to say about it, even in terms of fakes or general discontent. There was a dealer that got booted for selling fake Michael Jordan shoes, but honestly, it was very easy to tell what was what. Considering how every autograph worth buying came with a JSA or PSA cert, there is no reason to go buying questionable stuff. It was too affordable to do it the right way, and to think that people actually wasted time and money selling junk. We know its all over eBay, but when you are at a show where the companies are authenticating on site, there should be NO question in your mind.

I have full recaps on Twitter at my handle @SCUncensored, including a write up of the Topps meetup from Thursday. Check it out.