My first Maine Card Show

With my wife’s job taking us to Portland, Maine for the summer, I have started to settle in lately and find the spots to continue my hobby of card collecting. This past weekend, I got to take in my first East Coast card show and did not leave empty-handed.

Now, I’m not a complete “noob” when it comes to Portland, as my wife has worked here on and off over the past four years. I already had one spot I knew about, Don’s Sports Cards, a great place to check out on a slow summer day. However, it was a new spot I found on a random walk that gave me the intel on a small card show on the pier the following week. Double Steves is a brand-new downtown shop that gave me a great deal on a Corbin Carroll, plus the show info. I’ll definitely be frequenting their spot all summer.

As for the show, it delivered for my PC (personal collection); usually, I’m only hunting for the PC at card shows anyway. My big collecting categories are anything Arizona D-backs, Notre Dame, Gonzaga, and Seattle Kraken, plus a few specific athletes like Steve Nash, Josh Allen, Ronald Acuña Jr., Craig Biggio, and Ken Griffey Jr.

Before I get into the haul, I did learn a couple of things, well, one I kind of already suspected. First, I always assumed card collecting was regional, and I was right. The deals I got on my D-backs cards out here were amazing because these guys just can’t unleash them in this market. This is huge for me, I’ll now be searching even more hardcore for anything snakes. The second fact, which actually shocked me…is that Maine is a national leader in card collecting and buying. That was surprising considering they don’t have a home-state major pro or college team. Of course, they are all-in on anything Boston, but it was still a trip to hear.

Okay, now for the haul:

First off, I went into the show telling myself "no more than $250 spent." I didn't want to go too big for the first show of the season. I actually came in way under budget, snagging all of this for $130.

D-backs

The older D-backs guys are always a big find for me. Finding them all numbered or with a patch was huge! I’ve been looking for a Curt Schilling, too. Out of the throwback D-backs, I’d say my favorites were the Randy Johnson and a dope patch card.

The D-backs finds didn’t stop there; I got three autos, including a sweet little Alek Thomas, I mean come on the helmet in the card is unique, & for half the listed price! Then FINALLY, a Justin Martinez auto after one got lost in the mail from eBay last year 😭! The Jack Hurley auto just had a cool look in the Hops uni and was a $1 grab. They had an auto Corbin Carroll I could have probably talked down from $160 to $125, but I held off to stay under budget.

Josh Allen

It’s not an auto, but it was listed for $50 and I got it for $35. I didn’t have any numbered cards yet in my Allen collection, and since his market is so overpriced, I felt this might be my only shot at an affordable, unique Josh card. It looks awesome, and since I’m not reselling, try not to hate on me too much here!

Ronald Acuña Jr.

I grabbed three of these, all with inserts or patches, for a great price. Acuña is one of those players where if I see a deal, I have to buy. I’m still searching for an affordable auto; it doesn’t have to be numbered, but it would be a nice touch to my Ronald collection. I have about 30 of him now.

Craig Biggio

One of the vendors had so many older Biggios that were numbered, parallels, or relic/patches, so snagging only one was difficult! Sometimes you just have to go with the card you think looks the coolest for the best price. This one fit both perfectly.

Red Sox

Alright, I’m not a Sox guy, but they’ve had some dudes over the years that I’ve liked from afar, and now that I’m in Sox land, how do I not grab a few? Nomar Garciaparra was iconic. What kid in the late '90s or early 2000s wasn't annoying people in the batter's box trying to copy his routine? Trust me, it would be the most viral TikTok trend today if it had existed back then!

As for the Franklin Arias cards, I got two numbered ones for $5. A little personal info: I’m working for the Portland Sea Dogs this summer, so my hope is to get them autographed and then flip one and keep the other! Hopefully, I get a chance before he gets moved up, because he is murdering the ball right now!

Well that was the haul! I get that for the big-timers it might not seem like a lot, but I’m pretty pumped with the pricing compared to what I walked away with. One thing I was bummed about was the absence of Jeremiyah Love cards, though Double Steves said they might have some at the shop soon. Until the next show, it’s back to shop hunting!