Baseball Card Shop - Cranberry Twp, PA

[wondo]

Was driving back to my hotel today and did a double take when I noticed a real live brick and mortar baseball card shop in a small strip mall. I did a u-turn and went inside. Turns out the Baseball Card Castle has been around for decades in this area 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh and seems to be doing well. Jeff, the owner, ws welcoming and I looked around for a bit. Millions of cards focusing on Pittsburgh teams and a ton of ball, pucks, jerseys, statues, rts. More 50s and 60s than I anticipated and a lone Goudey premium. Jeff said anytime T cards come in, which isnt often, they fly out. It was fun walking through a card shop again - stop by if you get the chance. Made my day.

[Rhotchkiss]

Great story. From time to time I pass brick-and-mortar card shops but do not stop; maybe I will next time bc of this post

I live just outside DC, and we have 10+ card shops between the MD suburbs, northern Virginia and the greater Baltimore area. Maybe once a quarter I take a day and drag my kids to 3-4 of them. They never have anything I want and their prices are almost always silly compared to eBay, but I still overpay on a card or two for my kids and always enjoy the experience.

[Leon]

When I go into a card shop nowadays they don't have what I collect (not that I blame them). And there aren't many to start with. "Online" is the 21st century card shop.

[markf31]

I stop by the Baseball Card Castle about once a month or so, usually with my daughter. Jeff is great and always a pleasure to talk to. They have frequent signing events for the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins as well.

About 25 minutes away, a little further south is Sports Cards Etc on Steubenville Pike, just up PA 60 from the 79 interchange. Sports Cards Etc has a larger pre war selection including tobacco and caramel issues and I stop in there also about once a month.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I think there's only one card shop left in my area just west of Boston, in the day there were many. The internet has totally replaced shops and shows for me.

[Butch7999]

Is one of the Pennsylvania shops mentioned the one that's weirdly located -- or was -- in the middle of nowhere
on the median of a divided major highway? Anybody know that one? Maybe they relocated. "Scheffer's" or something...
had a good selection of slightly overpriced post-War vintage...

[obcbobd]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I think there's only one card shop left in my area just west of Boston, in the day there were many. The internet has totally replaced shops and shows for me.

Where?

Thanks

Bob

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Butch7999

Is one of the Pennsylvania shops mentioned the one that's weirdly located -- or was -- in the middle of nowhere
on the median of a divided major highway? Anybody know that one? Maybe they relocated. "Scheffer's" or something...
had a good selection of slightly overpriced post-War vintage...

It is Schaffers (sp). Just a couple miles south of Lewisburg, PA and Bucknell. And we all know who went to school there.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by obcbobd

Where?

Thanks

Bob

Baseball etc. on Route 16 in Nonantum/Newton. I haven't been in quite some time but for many years they were mostly a place to buy newer stuff.

There is also Kenmore Collectibles which as the name implies is near Kenmore Square. More vintage there and they have an ebay presence. I've known the owner for decades, first-class.

[obcbobd]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Baseball etc. on Route 16 in Nonantum/Newton. I haven't been in quite some time but for many years they were mostly a place to buy newer stuff.

There is also Kenmore Collectibles which as the name implies is near Kenmore Square. More vintage there and they have an ebay presence. I've known the owner for decades, first-class.

Was not aware of them. I agree with you on Kenmore Collectibles . Baystate Coin on Bromfield St used to have vintage cards, but I've not been there in a while. There is also Hit and Run in Lexington, I don't think they have much if any vintage, but they do have supplies.

[Peter_Spaeth]

In the day when Kenmore Collectibles (then JJ Teaparty) was on Bromfield Street I would sometimes stop in to Bay State but I never seemed to buy anything there. I can still, after all the years, picture two of the guys' faces clear as day though.

[Butch7999]

Thanks, Taylor.
Certainly one of the oddest locations in which we've ever seen any business choose to locate itself...

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Butch7999

Thanks, Taylor.
Certainly one of the oddest locations in which we've ever seen any business choose to locate itself...

I'd like to see a picture of that, wt***?

[Orioles1954]

Schaefers is a great card shop. It's RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a median strip on the highway. They have several million cards, tons of weird oddball and just a mish mash of everything. I like 'em. It looks like the Dixie Card Shop in Williamsport finally shut down.

[Orioles1954]

Schaefers is a great card shop. It's RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a median strip on the highway. They have several million cards, tons of weird oddball and just a mish mash of everything. I like 'em. It looks like the Dixie Card Shop in Williamsport finally shut down.

[Peter_Spaeth]

This from 2015 says he was closing.

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...p-selling-out/

[frankbmd]

Cranberry Twp has never had a more successful thread on Net54.

[Mark]

Glad to hear that the Castle is still up and running. I drive by it a few times every summer, but I haven't stopped in for a few years. I will make a point of doing so.

[blackandgold]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

It looks like the Dixie Card Shop in Williamsport finally shut down.

I think they've been closed for a while now. I went to college in Williamsport and spent a lot of time there. I wanted to stop in during the LLWS a few years back, and it was no longer in operation.

Originally Posted by markf31

About 25 minutes away, a little further south is Sports Cards Etc on Steubenville Pike, just up PA 60 from the 79 interchange. Sports Cards Etc has a larger pre war selection including tobacco and caramel issues and I stop in there also about once a month.

I always visit this shop any time I go to Pittsburgh, which is a few times a year.

Another great shop in PA is Kinems Sports Cards in Erie.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I'd like to see a picture of that, wt***?

One can't say that it isn't easy to get to, no matter which way your are going on PA 15. Note the "Store Closing" sign. I stopped in back in December and was told the owner was retiring but have no idea when the store would actually be closed.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sh...!4d-76.8619666

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sh...!4d-76.8619666

[Cozumeleno]

Been to Shaffer's but Dixie was my local shop as a kid and the first one I'd ever been to. First owner, Bob, originally sold and went into a brewery business, I think. They had this great box for newbs like me that didn't know anything about cards. You could trade any two of whatever you had for any one card in the box.

Small shop for those of you that have never been there. Basically every inch of space was used for boxes, displays, etc. And since it was located basically right next to the Little League World Series, it was packed at that time, which didn't take much. It adequately held about ten people and any more than that, it was kind of tight. There'd be 30 or so people at times and you wouldn't even be able to move.

They also had a back room which I had the pleasure of getting into once which was even more full. It was nuts. Random unopened wax and cello with stars/rookies on top, boxes upon boxes, etc. Seemed like they had as much stuff back there that they did in the actual store.

Really fond memories of that place, including being there for an incident when someone tried to sell the owner some stolen cards, which resulted in him being chased out the door with (IIRC) the stuff being recovered.

[Butch7999]

Schaffer's seems still to be pretty active, judging by their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/shafferstradingcards/

Must disagree on whether the place is easy to reach. Maybe so, if you've already been there and
know exactly where it is. If all you have is the general location, you shoot right past it at 70mph
looking for a shop located sanely on the right. Even if you're looking for a store in the median,
the only sign is right at the driveway, so you fly right past it anyway. Somewhere between
"charmingly eccentric" and "damned infuriating"... you make the call...

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Butch7999

Schaffer's seems still to be pretty active, judging by their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/shafferstradingcards/

Must disagree on whether the place is easy to reach. Maybe so, if you've already been there and
know exactly where it is. If all you have is the general location, you shoot right past it at 70mph
looking for a shop located sanely on the right. Even if you're looking for a store in the median,
the only sign is right at the driveway, so you fly right past it anyway. Somewhere between
"charmingly eccentric" and "damned infuriating"... you make the call...

Or you could use GPS and know when to slow down.

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I think there's only one card shop left in my area just west of Boston, in the day there were many. The internet has totally replaced shops and shows for me.

When my nephew played football for University of New Hamphire and I would go the games, there was a little card shop in Saugus, MA called Slapshot, IIRC, that I used to stop by.

[Butch7999]

This was quite a few years ago, Peter, before the invention of electronics, and our horses like to pull our Conestoga wagon really fast...
GPS, that's another 3rd-party grading service, right?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Butch7999

This was quite a few years ago, Peter, before the invention of electronics, and our horses like to pull our Conestoga wagon really fast...
GPS, that's another 3rd-party grading service, right?

We believe so.