[Orioles1954]

While on vacation with my family, I came across a treasure amidst a sea of crappy baseball card shops. Although I do not actively collect anymore, I always like to drop in on new places just to see what's up.

Shaffer's Trading Cards is located on Route 15 South (yes, in the middle of the highway) just south of Lewisburg and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Going through the store's front doors was like going back in time to some of the old card stores that first got me into the hobby as a young boy, like Den's Collectors Den. The shop has been in the same location since 1978. The owner is personable, upbeat, and was great to my semi rowdy kids who I towed along. More than anything, his card shop offered a homish, welcoming feeling.

The shop is smaller but offers an inventory of 3.2 million cards. For the set collector numerous monster boxes from every imaginable sports and non-sports set from the 1950s-current are neatly stacked and organized. Dozens of showcases stacked with singles from sets ranging from T206 to Goudey to Topps/Bowman and recent shiny cards seemed fairly priced. Need 1970s OPC Football sets? He had them. Want to buy 1980s oddball packs? No problem. What about that obscure 1970s TCMA set? Singles and sets were available. He carried wax of products that were released last week ranging to obscure, non-sport issues going back to the 1950s. In the end, I didn't buy anything. But my children did love their packs of 1982 Topps Smurf cards that they picked out. Just wanted to share an uplifting experience on my end.

James