Thank You to Board Members
 

Posted By: <b>Chris Ahart</b><p>Leon- Please delete if you feel this is too off target, or an advertisement.<br /><br />I wanted to issue a very large thank you to the members of this board for the knowledge that I have gained since discovering this site. I've been blown away time and time again with the breadth of product in pre-war material, and the amount of experience here. I just recently helped my friend, Dan Fox, open up a sports card store here in southern Illinois. Here's a link to an article on the development of the store-<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/latest/eyesore-to-card-store-illinois-mans-dream-takes-s.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/latest/eyesore-to-card-store-illinois-mans-dream-takes-s.html</a><br /><br />The store has a developing range of 50's to modern era cards & memorabilia. We were both bit by the vintage bug very hard, so we a case of pre-war material. There hasn't been much interest in the tobacco era material in our market, which is great if it doesn't sell either <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>. It sets us apart from the mall style store to have that material for kids to see. Plus we love it. Nothing exceptionally expensive, mainly some vg-ex commons.<br /><br />I've read posts of some unscrupulous EBay sellers that live within an hour or two from us, a person from Johnson City, Illinois, comes to mind. I believe that person sold either reprint or trimmed material to a board member. If you have had any bad experiences with sellers from our area, please let me know. I would like to stay ahead of the curve and hope to keep the bad buying to a minimum. As I, and Dan, really appreciate the tobacco material, it is not our strong point. If you see a thread started by me questioning the authenticity of a card I've scanned, odds are someone is attempting to sell us an item that I'm not experienced enough with to feel one hundred percent comfortable. Thanks in advance, and the past, for the help & knowledge. <br /><br />Chris Ahart<br />

Thank You to Board Members
 

Posted By: <b>bigfish</b><p>Great story. I wish you the best of luck!!

Thank You to Board Members
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>Chris,<br /><br />It sounds like yours is a "field of dreams" type story. You build the card shop and the customers magically appear. I'm glad you guys went for the gusto. The best of luck to you and the store owner.<br /><br />Peter

Thank You to Board Members
 

Posted By: <b>Rick McQuillan</b><p>Hi Chris,<br />I live in Wisconsin and go through Southern Illinois 3-4 times a year. Will you post your address, phone number, and the hours that your store is open? It is rare to find a card shop that carries pre-war, so your business might warrant a special weekend trip.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Rick

Thank You to Board Members
 

Posted By: <b>Jason Duncan</b><p>I am from Harrisburg originally and I was just in MArion this past week. Email me your address and number. Next time I pass through I will stop in.<br /><br />Jason<br><br><a href="http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZvintage*investmentsQQhtZ-1QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZvintage*investmentsQQhtZ-1QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0</a>?

Thank You to Board Members
 

Posted By: <b>Chris Ahart</b><p>The store's address is-<br /><br />Fox Sports Card & Collectibles<br />1100 Tower Square<br />Marion Il 62959<br />(618)997-3800<br /><br />Mr. McQuillan,<br />The store hours are 9:00am - 6:00pm, Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Next time you're coming to Southern Illinois drop me an email or give the store a call. We can always be open later, earlier, or on Sunday for anyone's convenience. <br /><br />Mr. Duncan,<br />Same goes for you. I have to say those are some very nice items you are selling. Our vintage merchandise is nowhere near the quality of yours, yet. Although we have some rather amazing 19"x28" photos, like this one, that are just stunning in person. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.zoneartsgroup.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=26" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.zoneartsgroup.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=26</a><br /><br />Thanks again<br />Chris Ahart<br /><br /><br /><br />