For These Collectors, It Is All in the Cards : Memorabilia: A crowd estimated at 25,000 to 30,000 jams the Anaheim Convention Center for the National Sports Collectors Convention.

Apparently there is no overestimating the allure of cardboard.

Officials estimated a crowd of 25,000 to 30,000 descended on the Anaheim Convention Center on Thursday for the first day of the 12th National Sports Collectors Convention. Had the 300,000-square foot building been larger, the crowd would have swelled as well.

“It’s just a shame that there isn’t a building with half a million square feet,” said Harlan Werner of Brea-based AW Sports, “because we could have filled it.”

The lines began forming more than six hours before the 10 a.m. opening of the sports memorabilia’s premiere event. Though the Convention Center was never so full that people in line were forced to wait for others to leave before entering--as had been feared--approximately 15,000 seeking tickets were turned away.

Those admitted were drawn by the prospect of shopping from more than 700 dealers, who offered an array of cards from all sports, uniforms, statues, programs, magazines and other collectibles.

They also proved that everyone loves getting something for nothing. Most who attended headed straight for the convention’s corporate island, a collection of booths from which many of the sponsors were handing out free promotional items.

Even the display of the Honus Wagner tobacco card, for which Kings owner Bruce McNall and player Wayne Gretzky paid $451,000, seemed to take a back seat to the give-aways.

The largest line formed behind the Upper Deck display, the Yorba Linda company that handed out sheets featuring prototypes of its new set of basketball cards. The line stretched into an adjoining hall, past the area where Steve Carlton and Lou Brock were signing autographs, and doubled back.

“The fire marshal was about ready to close it down,” said Jay McCracken, Upper Deck’s vice president in charge of sales, who, along with several other companies, agreed to allow his promotional items to be distributed at the exit.

Unfortunately, that caused long lines near the exits and a bottleneck, until other exits were opened.

“We’re working to rectify the problem,” said Tim Turner, the press manager. “We’re hoping to have people receive the promos as they come in to the show.”

“There were more people than everybody thought there would be, and the logistics could have been better,” said Dave Kohler of Sportscards Plus in Westminster. “But there’s never been anything like (the corporate give-away) tried before.”

The size of the crowds seemed to take organizers by surprise, although record crowds of 70,000 to 100,000 had been predicted for the four-day event. Last year’s record attendance in Arlington, Tex., averaged 10,000 per day.

After collecting their freebies, the convention goers made their purchases from what is likely the largest collection of sports memorabilia for sale under one roof, from 19th century tobacco premiums to the latest sets.

Much of the interest appeared to center on new high-end sets--Fleer Ultra, Topps Stadium Club and Donruss Leaf--produced to compete with Upper Deck’s glossy line of cards.

“Obviously, we’re bringing a lot of new collectors into the hobby this week,” said Kohler, 29, who started dealing in cards as a La Quinta High School sophomore and has built one of the largest retail outlets on the West Coast.

“It’s a lot different than when I was a kid. Now the value of the cards comes into play. The old-timers might say that’s what’s wrong, but if it wasn’t for the profit potential, you wouldn’t have things like Roger Craig and Ronnie Lott signing free autographs over at the Pro Set booth, or dealers from New York coming out here for this show. We’ve come a long way.”

For John Parks, the scene was almost too much to absorb.

Parks, a Garden Grove teacher, had a modest collection of older cards at his table, a display reminiscent of the days when he helped form the Southern California Sports Collectors Club in 1970. That club went on to host the first National 10 years later.

“I’m used to quieter, smaller happenings,” he said with a smile. “This has all passed me by.”

Orange County’s two card producers, Upper Deck and AW Sports, were celebrating the addition of new card lines.

Upper Deck, which will be moving to a new facility in Carlsbad later this year, recently announced that it has been licensed by the NBA to do a set this year, making it the only company to produce sets for baseball, football, basketball and hockey.

AW Sports, which debuted this spring with a boxing set and is following up with a collection of Indy car racers, will be doing a Canadian Football League set this fall.

Notes

The convention continues through the weekend, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. . . . Perhaps the most eclectic autograph pairing of the weekend will be today from 1-3 p.m. at the Star Pics corporate booth, where Catherine Coulson, who played the mysterious Log Lady on the television show “Twin Peaks,” and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Bo Kimble will be signing. The common denominator is that each has appeared on a Star Pics-produced set. . . . Official autograph guests today will be Steve Carlton, Warren Spahn and Don Drysdale in the morning, with Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Tom Fears and Elroy Hirsch in the afternoon. Spahn, Drysdale and Snider will be signing for free. . . . A solid-gold rendition of Action Packed’s Randall Cunningham card will be auctioned off at 4 p.m. Saturday, with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.