Baseball card shops

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Posted By: Alan

There used to be a ton of baseball & sports memorabilia shops that sold old, vintage cards as well as the current, new junk. It used to be a lot of fun going in there, talking to the owner, asking about upcoming shows, seeing any recently acquired vintage stuff, etc,... Are these stores now history because of ebay & auctions ? I don't know how the very few still around are paying their bills. Opinions ?

Alan

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Posted By: T206Collector

eBay killed the vintage card store just like video killed the radio star. Any dealers that continue to stock old stuff make their money on Yu-Gi-Oh cards or whatever the latest magic is.

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Posted By: jay behrens

They were a dying breed in the early 90s when I got out. Sacramento's last vintage shop started carrying shiny crap to be able to pay the bills. It's tough to keep a vintage store open beucase our buying habit are pretty selective and we generally don't, make impulse buys. The impulse buying of random unopened packs is the bread and butter of stores. When I had my gaming and comic store, it these impulse buys of packs and boxes of MAgic:The Gathering and other cards that made up most of our business, not the sale of expensive, Silver Age comics of the X-Men and Spider-Man.

Jay

I like to sit outside drink beer and yell at people. If I did this at home I would be arrested, so I go to baseball games and fit right in.

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Posted By: tbob

Ebay may have been the stake through the heart but card shops were dying long before ebay became the end-all. They were starting to peter out even in the late 80's.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

I havent been there in 5 years which means im about due,but Cooperstown had some card stores that were mainly old cards and you'd be able to find cards of some of the old players you just saw at the hall of fame.I remember one small store had a case of only vintage cards,prices were a little high but there were some nice cards there.

My local cards store,theres 3 within 5 miles of my house,think that cards from the 50s are vintage.The oldest thing ive seen in any of them is some strip cards which i bought.The one guy lists on ebay any old cards that might come in so they never even hit the display case.The ohter places rarely get anything from the 50s.I couldnt imagine not wanting at least a couple old cards,even if they are t206 commons just to put in a display.You could get 2 GD condition ones of ebay for $30,put it in the display for double the price,and either sell them and make a big profit or have people who come in because they havent seen one

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Posted By: D.W.

Guy Dewolf deals mostly in nothing but vintage items, he has a wonderful selection of cards and runs from early 1900's stuff to 50's and 60's. He has a nice showing of baseball (loads of T cards, but lots of others as well), but his boxing and football cards are substantial as well. He barely carries any newer items at all and almost all of his stuff is raw with only a small portion being slabbed. His number is: 757-229-5544.

FYI, he will be having surgery next week so will not be at his store... and you guessed it, he is the owner and sole employee.

Tell him that Dan sent you his way.

Regards, Dan.

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Posted By: mike p

there is an excellent vintage shop located in pittsburgh. it is called triple play sportscards. the shop has many psa ,gai , sgc high grade 1950's and 1960's cards, along with graded pre-war cards. the shop also carries vintage autographs and memorabilia

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Posted By: JimB

Beverly Hills Baseball Card shop in L.A. has been around for probably 20 years and always has vintage stuff when I go. The last time I was in L.A. and stopped by Matt had a bunch of N28s, about 300+ T206s, some Goudeys, Diamond Stars, etc. along with the usual stuff you would expect to see at a card shop these days. He really loves the vintage stuff and loves talking about it. Nice guy and a straight shooter.
JimB

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Posted By: Glen V

Stevens Creek Sportscards in San Jose, CA has a variety of vintage cards towards the back of the store. Just shield your eyes as you walk past all the shiny stuff.

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Posted By: jackgoodman

Let's not forget Max Himmelstein at Valley Baseball Cards in Tarzana (the San Fernando Valley/L.A. Area - for those out of state). Max carries the new stuff, but has great selections of vintage and stuff from the 30's - 60's as well. Same location - 24 years.

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Posted By: tbob

The entire state of Arkansas and as far as the crow flies in all 4 directions doesn't have a single vintage shop. I would have thought Tulsa or Oklahoma City might have a decent shop, or surely New Orleans or Memphis, Tennessee, but zilch. Even going north in to Missouri is a waste of time. Thus ebay is a lifesaver...

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Posted By: Shane Killian

I have been trying to find a decent one in Ohio but when i happen to actually run into something it's all unopened 2000+ packs, a few stray 80's card and mostly comic books and gaming cards.