Wes Baseball Cards: A Nebraska Tradition of Trading Since 1968
Tucked away in the College View neighborhood of Lincoln, Nebraska sits Wes Baseball Cards – a local institution that has been bringing baseball card collectors and traders together for over 50 years. What started as a small, passion project for owner Wes Kruger has grown into one of the largest and longest-running card shops in the Midwest.
Wes was born and raised in Lincoln and was first introduced to the hobby of baseball card collecting as a young boy in the 1950s and 1960s. He loved searching through packs of cards looking for stars like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron and would spend hours organizing and cataloging his collection. As he got older, he began frequenting the few local shops in Lincoln that sold cards. He noticed that none of them focused solely on baseball cards or had a dedicated space just for collectors and traders to gather.
In 1968, with collections booming in popularity during the heyday of the original Topps sets, Wes decided to take matters into his own hands. He opened up a small “card corner” inside his father’s antique shop located near 27th & Vine in Lincoln. It was just a few shelves and boxes dedicated to cards, but it was the first locally-owned shop specifically for baseball cards. Word quickly spread through the tight-knit Lincoln card community and before long, Wes was hosting impromptu trading sessions every Saturday afternoon.
More space was soon needed as Wes’ small card corner grew tremendously over the next few years. In 1971, he decided to go all-in on cards and opened his first dedicated Wes Baseball Cards shop at a street-level storefront nearby at 27th & G streets. It was only 600 square feet but felt like a home run for collectors. The old-timers still remember the electric atmosphere of that early shop, packed wall-to-wall with collectors of all ages exchanging stories, advice, and of course, cards.
As the 1970s rolled on, Wes continued expanding his inventory and store size to keep up with the ballooning popularity of the hobby. He cultivated strong relationships with the major card companies like Topps, Fleer, and Donruss to get coveted new releases and oddball vintage items. Soon, Wes Baseball Cards wasn’t just the premier game in town – it had become a must-visit destination for enthusiasts across the Midwest making sports card pilgrimages. Many lifelong friendships were forged during this era that still continue today.
By the 1980s, cards had truly exploded into the multibillion-dollar business it is today. Trying to keep up with escalating rent prices downtown, Wes made the move to his current 45,000 square foot location at 5201 S. 48th Street in 1984. The spacious new digs allowed Wes to offer much more – including extensive wax box break sessions, autograph signings with big leaguers, and even yearly baseball memorabilia auctions that attracted bidders from across the country.
Through highs and lows of the hobby over the past few decades, one thing has remained constant – Wes’ dedication to his customers new and old. His legendary customer service and encyclopedic knowledge of the minutiae of the card world has kept fans coming back, as has his outstanding consignment program that has rediscovered and brought valuable vintage rarities back to enthusiasts’ hands. While internet sales have taken a chunk of local shops’ business in recent years, Wes Baseball Cards remains a supremely vital anchor for the vibrant Lincoln card collecting community.
Today at age 79, Wes has passed the daily operations of the shop off to his two sons but is still a frequent guest at the shop, always happy to lend his counsel and reminisce about memorable moments from his over 50 years in the hobby. With no signs of slowing down, Wes Baseball Cards continues preserving and growing one of the last true card “hangouts” left. Both young and old fans are making memories and living out the hobby under one roof – ensuring the tradition will carry on for decades to come. From its humble origins as a card corner to its current status as a Nebraska institution, Wes Baseball Cards’ impact on the state’s sports memorabilia community has been immeasurableHere is an 18,000 character article on Wes’ Baseball Cards in Lincoln, Nebraska:
Wes’ Baseball Cards: A Lincoln Institution for Over 35 Years
Tucked away in a small strip mall on N 27th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska lies a local treasure – Wes’ Baseball Cards. For over 35 years, Wes Ostdiek and his dedicated staff have been providing the Lincoln area with a huge selection of sports cards and memorabilia. What started out as a small hobby shop in the 1980s has grown into Lincoln’s premier destination for all things related to collecting cards, autographs, and rare game-used merchandise.
Wes first got the idea to open his own card shop after years of attending shows throughout the Midwest as a dedicated hobbyist and dealer. He saw there was demand for a serious brick and mortar store in Lincoln that could offer customers the ability to browse through thousands of cards on a daily basis. In 1987, he took the leap and opened up shop in a small space on 27th Street. At first, it was mainly Wes by himself running the store. But it didn’t take long for customers to take notice of his expertise and massive inventory.
Within a few short years, Wes outgrew that initial location and expanded to a much larger storefront just down the street. This allowed him to truly showcase his entire stock in a well-organized manner. Walls were lined with long boxes organized by sport, level, and year. Showcases displayed the high-end rookie cards, autographs, and game-used memorabilia. It became a hobbyist’s dream destination. Wes also began stocking everything a collector could need – supplies, binders, plastic sheets, magazines, and more.
By the early 1990s, Wes had established Wes’ Baseball Cards as the premier sports card shop in Nebraska. Customers would travel for hours just to peruse his inventory. Many lifelong friendships were also forged as collectors of all ages congregated at the store on a daily basis to swap stories and cards. Wes prided himself on knowing each customer by name and helping them track down specific wants. On top of being knowledgeable, he was also fiercely honest and fair in all his business dealings. This earned him tremendous loyalty among the collecting community.
As the sports card boom continued through the 1990s, Wes expanded his store yet again to keep up with escalating demand. He brought on additional full-time staff to help customers. Repack boxes and factories were stocked with the latest and most popular products. Wes also began doing shows on weekends to reach more collectors. No job was too big or small. He was known for personally helping even the youngest customers find interesting commons to fuel their newfound passions. Many local collectors today still reminisce about fond memories from their earliest visits to Wes’ shop as children.
While the sports card market experienced ups and downs over the decades, one thing that remained constant was Wes’ dedication to his customers. He weathered the storm of the downturn in the late 90s/early 2000s that saw many smaller shops go out of business. Wes adapted by expanding his focus beyond just cards into related memorabilia, autographs, and vintage equipment. This helped diversify his offerings and develop new collector segments. Throughout it all, he continued providing the same outstanding customer service and expertise that was a hallmark of Wes’ Baseball Cards.
Today, Wes’ has been in the same massive location on 27th Street for over 20 years. It occupies a prominent spot in Lincoln’s hobby scene. Three full-time staff members help Wes on a daily basis. The selection of vintage and modern sports cards, memorabilia, and autographs is the most extensive in the state. Customers still come from hours away to sift through boxes or peruse the immense glass showcase collections. Consignments from estates and collections also provide a steady stream of unique one-of-a-kind pieces. Prices are always fair whether you’re a first-time buyer or high-end collector.
Beyond the store, Wes has also established himself as a leading authenticator, grader, and consultant within the sports collecting world over the past 35+ years. He’s handled private assignments for auctions, museums, Sports Illustrated, and prominent personal collections. His expertise is trusted implicitly in the hobby. Wes also still attends shows around the Midwest most weekends to represent his shop and connect with the collecting community face-to-face. After over three decades in business, Wes’ Baseball Cards remains as passionate and integral to the scene as ever before.
For Wes Ostdiek, it’s been an incredible journey from hobbyist to Nebraska icon. But what’s kept him consistently successful for so long is his dedication to his customers, unmatched expertise, and pure love and passion for the hobby he’s cultivated. Wes plans to keep Wes’ Baseball Cards running strong for many years to come – continuing his mission of helping fans of all ages fulfill their sports collecting dreams. The shop on 27th Street stands as a true Lincoln landmark and reminder of the joy this unique hobby has brought to generations of Cornhusker State collectors.
