This week on Special Conditions, Adam, Justin, and special guest Lane from Good Morning Johto dive deep into the highs, lows, and downright strange moments from Collect-A-Con Cleveland. From overpriced cards and Wi-Fi woes to epic deals and Final Fantasy box flips, we cover it all — both from the customer and vendor sides. We also talk about variety at shows, the rising popularity of One Piece cards, and those elusive cards that make our collector hearts race. Plus: TGA raw grading fun, Mega Pokémon card reveals, and a few spicy hobby hot takes. Whether you’re a buyer, seller, or just love a good con story, this one’s for you. 00:00 – A warm welcome (and warmer convention halls)00:30 – Meet Lane from Good Morning Johto02:00 – Setting the scene for Cleveland’s Collect-A-Con04:00 – Why Cleveland almost didn’t make the cut05:00 – Hunting deals and dodging scalpers08:00 – The Wi-Fi desert and card show survival10:30 – When price checks fail you14:00 – “Market value” vs. “what I’m charging”15:30 – The $200 booster pack pitch18:00 – A floor full of variety… and a few surprises21:00 – The vendor with the untouchable showcase24:00 – Cash-only lines and an ATM apocalypse28:00 – One Piece takes over the trading floor29:00 – Cleveland’s last Collect-A-Con?30:00 – Vendor life: rules, deadlines, and setup drama33:00 – Racing the clock (and the load-in line)36:00 – Whatnot buyers on the prowl39:00 – Slabs worth cracking open42:00 – The $7,200 Final Fantasy surprise sale45:00 – Buying at shows: tips from the trenches49:00 – Pokémon, Magic, and One Piece sales showdown50:00 – Shoutout to the New England Cardhouse crew51:00 – Patreon thanks and TGA partnership53:00 – Peel to Reveal: a shiny Growlithe moment56:00 – How raw grading really works58:00 – The odd charm of a graded Celebrations coin59:00 – First looks at the new Mega EX cards SpecialConditions@PokemonProfessor.com  Voicemail, Text, and Picture Line - 732-835-8639 https://linktr.ee/PokemonProfessorNetwork  Music provided by GameChops and licensed through Creative Commons ▾ FOLLOW GAMECHOPS ▾ http://instagram.com/GameChops http://twitter.com/GameChops http://soundcloud.com/GameChops http://facebook.com/GameChops http://youtube.com/GameChops http://www.gamechops.com Intro Music Trapped In A Pokéball Dj CUTMAN and Belthesar GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  http://soundcloud.com/DjCUTMAN http://soundcloud.com/belthesar Break Music He Walk - Furret / Accumula Town Remix  Dj Cutman http://soundcloud.com/djcutman  http://twitter.com/videogamedj  http://youtube.com/djcutman Outro Music Kanto Trainer Battle Mykah GameChops - Ultraball http://gamechops.com/ultraball/  https://soundcloud.com/mykah Hosts Adam Tuttle Justin Keller Executive Producer Tish Smith Pokémon And All Respective Names are Trademark and © of Nintendo 1996-2024Pokémon Professor and Special Conditions are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Nintendo #pokemon #pokemontcg #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices