6th Annual

Larry E. Blackburn

Memorial

Police Collectibles Show

Louisville, Kentucky

August 14-15, 2009

The Sixth Annual Larry E. Blackburn Police Collectibles Show  will be held in Louisville, Kentucky on August 14-15, 2009. 

The Show was named after collector Larry E. Blackburn, who passed away in 2004 after attending the first show.  Larry was a personal friend of mine who was well-liked and respected throughout the hobby.  His jovial attitude always lit up the room and brought a smile to the faces of those around him. When he first met you, you were his friend and he treated you like he had known you for years.  He truly enjoyed attending shows, and made every show he attended more enjoyable for others.  Larry was a great example of what this hobby is all about, and shortly after his death I decided to rename my show in his honor.  God Bless Him!!!

SHOW DATES AND TIMES

Friday, August 1412PM - 6:30PM

Saturday, August 15   9AM - 2PM

The show will once again be held at the Holiday Inn - Airport South located at 2715 Fern Valley Road in suburban Louisville.  This is the same venue as the 2005, 2006 and 2007 shows.  This is the sixth annual show, and 100 tables will be available.  All of the previous shows have sold out in advance, and I expect this year's show to sell out as well. 

Refreshments will not be served in the show hall, but there is an on-site restaurant at the hotel and a White Castle in the parking lot.  Security will not be provided this year over night, but the show hall will be locked at the end of the evening. 

ADMISSION IS ALWAYS FREE AT THIS SHOW!!!

TABLE INFORMATION

100 tables are available at $40.00 each.  The tables are eight feet long and 30 inches wide.  Each table is clothed and provided with two chairs.  I have established a "loyalty bonus" in which all tableholders from previous shows are notified of the show date earlier than the general collecting population, and are allowed to choose their table space first.  Because of this, wall space for the 2009 show is extremely limited.  Requests are still being taken for wall space, but I am unable to guarantee that any requests will be filled. 

Confirmed table holders for the 2009 show are as follows:  Jim Clark, Doug Runyon, Ryder Lusk, Dennis Daniels, Stan Watts, Jimmy Hall, Mark Pyne, Richard Rufo, Max Bellard, David Fox, Paul Bodenhamer, Damir Krdzalic, Andrew Nelson, David Hume, Willie Herald, Bill Fokes, Phil Lind, Steve Robertson, John Cook, Ed Zitek, Vic Elliott, Clarence Gibson, Jim Hart, Lee Hutcheson, Bill Swank, Alan Levy, Bob Mohr, Steve Petro, Leonard Hanham, Jim Lindsey, Jim Shattuck, Don Magruder, Donald Hawkins, Art Reifke, Bill Burks, David Martin, John Brothers, Wayne Alexander, Dave Calhoun, Paul Schroeger, Ed Sachs, Kevin Sosna, Ken Lucas, Dave Urso, Steve Curry, The Louisville FBIRA, John Lawson, Mario Maipid, Art Sinai and Bob Murray.

CURRENTLY THERE HAVE BEEN

HAVE BEEN 83 TABLES SOLD. 

27 ADDITIONAL TABLES ARE STILL AVAILABLE.

HOTEL INFORMATION

The Fern Valley Hotel and Conference Center (formerly the Holiday Inn), located at 2715 Fern Valley Road, is the host hotel for the 2009 show.  It is located approximately four miles from the Louisville International Airport and provides free shuttle service to and from the airport every half hour, 24 hours a day.  The hotel has complimentary parking, a fine restaurant, and room service.  In addition to that, several restaurants (White Castle, Wendy's, Frisch's, Waffle House, Outback Steakhouse, Arby's, McDonald's, etc.) are located within 1/2 mile of the hotel.  This is a Holidome hotel, and there is an indoor swimming pool and hot tub and a fitness center, as well as internet access in the hotel lobby.  There are also several shopping malls within a few miles of the hotel.

The room rates for the show are $75.00 per night + tax.  These rates are secured for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights on the week of the show.   The is currently accepting reservations and the rates will be honored until July 30.  Reservations can be made by calling the hotel at (502) 964-3311.  Special requests for non-smoking rooms will be honored on a first come - first serve basis as long as they are available.

The room rates are also available for other nights if you plan a longer stay, but must be arranged by contacting the sales manager, Cathy Rigdon.  She can be reached Monday through Friday from 9AM - 3PM at the same number.

The show hall is located within the hotel on the first floor.  Loading and unloading of displays is very easy at this venue.

DOOR PRIZES

As with past shows, the door prizes are donated by the table holders.  Each table holder is provided with one raffle ticket per table purchased, and additional tickets are available for $1.00 each.  The money received from the raffle will go to help with the costs of the show.  If you have items available for the raffle and would like to donate them, please bring them with you or contact me.

There will be no show awards this year to reduce costs.

REPRODUCTION POLICY (BADGES AND PATCHES)

This policy applies to all areas of collecting, including but not limited to badges, patches, coins, etc.  There is also a separate policy listed below pertaining to badges, including authentic issues.

I feel very strongly about the sale of unauthorized reproductions and what they are doing to our hobby.  Therefore, I have established what I believe to be the strongest anti-reproduction policy of any show in the hobby.  I will step up on my soapbox for a minute and say that I work very hard on these shows and make very little, if any profit on them.  This is my hobby that I do for friendship and enjoyment.  It is not a business.  I'll say that again:  IT IS NOT A BUSINESS.  My show is designed to promote friendship and the enjoyment of all aspects of the hobby.  I don't charge admission, and I have never kicked anyone out of the show hall because it "was time to go".  If guys and girls are still trading, or sharing stories, then the show will go on until they are too tired to continue.  I only set the show times as a guideline, so that I can eventually get something to eat and get some rest. 

Although I only collect FBI patches and coins, I enjoy looking at badges, pins, die-cast cars, etc. and enjoy the friendship that comes from talking to the collectors of these items.  Everyone has a passion in this hobby and I enjoy that passion, whatever it may be, as much as I enjoy the collecting.  If it becomes a business, then it takes away the fun.

Reproductions were made for the business end of the hobby, and I am sickened that they have ruined "the chase" of getting a hard-to-find item for our collections.  I therefore established a tough policy so that people don't get ripped off at my show and the friendship part of the hobby thrives.  After hosting three successful shows, I think I've found a formula that works.

That being said, if you disagree with my policy, that is okay.  We can agree to disagree; however, if you disagree with it to the point that you can't or don't want to abide by it, then simply stay home.  This is a private show hosted by an individual, so all of you that want to threaten lawsuits saying that you are entitled to come to a public venue, then I say bring them on.  Anyhow, I'll step off the soapbox now and get to the policy.

DEFINITIONS:

Authentic:  Any item that was ordered by the agency listed and used on either a uniform item or as a token of remembrance or appreciation for those assigned to that agency, or to those involved in any special group or task force.  This also includes items sold as an official fund raiser.

Reproductions:  Any item that is an unauthorized copy of an authentic item.  This also includes items in which the basic design of an authentic item was copied, but only a few colors were changed. 

Fantasy:  Any item which was made for a specific agency, group, or event, but was not ordered or approved by that agency.

Bullion (Patches Only):  Patches which are made of gold or silver springs and are used for presentation purposes on a plaque or blazer.  These many times copy the design of other, all-cloth patches.  To qualify under this definition, these patches must be made of actual metal and not metallic thread.

POLICY:

All reproduction items must be marked as such.  Tables which have reproduction items must have them in boxes or bags that are clearly marked "REPRODUCTIONS" in bold letters on all sides.  If they are being displayed individually, the tables must have a sign taped on the display surface that states which items are reproductions.

In the past, some quick thinkers have tried to pull a fast one and buy some authentic items and display them alongside reproductions to confuse beginning collectors.  Therefore, all reproductions which are to be displayed alongside real items must be individually marked as such, either with a small sticker or with permanent marker directly on the surface of the items.  If you don't have time to individually mark the items, then don't display them.

If you have several reproductions of one item, then all of them must be marked or placed in a box or bag that is marked as described above.  This will be part of the cost of doing "business" with reproduction items.

Signs which say, "I don't know if these are repros or not", or anything to that effect, will not be sufficient.  If you don't know, then there will be plenty of reputable collectors on-hand to advise you.  If there is a difference in opinion, then the item may be sold or traded as an authentic item under the discretion of the show host.

Reproduction patches may be traded and sold, but the maximum selling price of any reproduction patch will be $3.  Due to some concerns recently brought to my attention by the local offices of the FBI and TSA, reproduction badges may only be traded and can not be sold.  This section of the policy applies only to reproduction items.  I will not set limits on authentic items, as the market will determine the value of these items.  If you are of the opinion that your reproduction patches are worth more than $3 each, then leave them at home and rip somebody off elsewhere.

Bullion patches are easily spotted due to the materials used, and are exclusively collected by many hobbyists.  Because of this, they may be sold without price restrictions.  This is the only exception to the reproduction rule.

Fantasy items are permitted and do not have to be marked as such.  There are no price limits on fantasy items. 

Hopefully, this policy is clear enough to eliminate any problems.  The final decision on any dispute will be solely that of the show host, and must be abided by or considered and infraction of this policy.  Anyone who refuses to abide by the policy will be forced to leave.  Most of you are knowledgeable enough to know if your stuff is real or not.  If you show up and expect to squeak by, then don't get mad when I call you on it.  Table holders will only be given one warning if there is a policy infraction.  A second infraction will require the table holder to forfeit his/her table(s) and all fees associated with them with no refunds.  Anyone asked to leave is banned from the remainder of the show.

I shouldn't have to say this, but I will anyways:  Kentucky law permits the seizure of counterfeit items sold as authentic items under our fraud laws.  Don't end up getting your stuff taken and having to deal with criminal charges because you are too stubborn to abide by this policy.

BADGE POLICY

No current-issue federal badges may be sold or traded at the show, regardless of authenticity.  Commemorative issues, such as millennium or inaugural badges, are permitted.  Current-issue federal badges may not be displayed unless accompanied by a letter from an authority of the agency stating that the display holder is entitled to do so.  This letter must be printed on official letterhead.

The sale of any reproduction badge is prohibited.  I will not be checking identifications at the door, but it is advisable to limit the sale of any badge to known collectors and/or law enforcement officials.  None of us want any headache involved with selling a police badge to an unknown civilian.  This will be your responsibility and not mine. 

Department-issued Identification cards may be displayed, but the sale and/or trading of these items is prohibited for obvious reasons.  It is our responsibility to police the hobby, before someone else decides that they have to do it for us.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS

Three major expressways come through Louisville:  I-71, I-64, and I-65.

I-65

From the north:  Travel south on I-65 through downtown Louisville.  Take Exit 128, Fern Valley Rd.  At the bottom of the ramp, turn left at the light.  Cross over the interstate, and the hotel is on the left.

From the south:  Travel north on I-65.  Take exit 128, Fern Valley Rd.  At the top of the ramp, turn right and immediately get in the far left lane.  The hotel is on the left at the next stoplight.

I-71

From the north:  Take I-71 into the Metro area.  Before reaching downtown, follow the signs for I-264 West.  Take I-264 West to I-65 South.  Take I-65 South to Exit 128, Fern Valley Rd.  At the bottom of the ramp, turn left at the light.  Cross over the interstate and the hotel is on the left.

I-64

From the west:  Take I-64 into downtown Louisville.  Merge onto I-65 South.  Take I-65 South to Exit 128, Fern Valley Rd.  At the bottom of the ramp, turn left at the light.  Cross over the interstate, and the hotel is on the left.

From the east:  Take I-64 into the Metro Area.  Before reaching downtown, follow the signs for I-264 West.  Take I-264 West to I-65 South.  Take I-65 South to Exit 128, Fern Valley Rd.  At the bottom of the ramp, turn left at the light.  Cross over the interstate and the hotel is on the left.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The show is hosted by Louisville Metro Police Detective Jim Clark, a long-time collector of FBI memorabilia.  I can be reached at (502) 931-5805 or by email at jmclark0478@insightbb.com.  I work the day shift, so please call after 4PM EST if possible.  If I do not answer, please leave me a message and I will return your call as soon as I can.

Please include a show registration form along with checks or other payment for the show  to:

JIM CLARK

9016 Wanlou Drive

Louisville, KY  40272