Baseball Cards in Westerville, Ohio: A History of the Hobby
The hobby of collecting baseball cards has been a beloved pastime for many Americans for over a century. While the origins of baseball cards can be traced back to the late 1800s in Cincinnati, the small suburb of Westerville, Ohio developed a rich history with the baseball card collecting community in the latter half of the 20th century. Situated just north of Columbus, Westerville emerged as a hotbed for the baseball card trade during the 1970s and 1980s as the city became home to several prominent card shops and conventions that helped popularize the hobby nationwide.
One of the earliest card shops to open in Westerville was Bob’s Baseball Cards, which launched in 1975 and was located in the Otterbein Shopping Center on West Main Street. Owned and operated by local resident Bob Myers, the small 400 square foot store helped introduce the pastime of collecting to many in the area. Myers would travel to card shows around Ohio to purchase inventory for his shop and worked to cultivate relationships with the local collecting community. In the pre-internet era, his store served as an important social hub where collectors could trade, sell and discuss their favorite players and newest acquisitions.
By the late 1970s, Westerville saw a boom in interest in the hobby as the city’s young population eagerly embraced collecting cards of their favorite stars like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Tom Seaver. Two new shops, Sportscards Plus and The Baseball Card Exchange, opened to meet this growing demand. Sportscards Plus was owned by Dick Sutphin, who along with his son helped organize some of the first large card shows in the region that would draw collectors from across Ohio. The Baseball Card Exchange, owned by Jim Stauffer, focused on high-end vintage cards and memorabilia in addition to modern issues. Both shops helped expand the reach of the hobby and turn Westerville into a destination for collectors.
In 1981, Westerville hosted its first major national card show at the Westerville South High School that attracted over 1,000 attendees. Held each April, the “Westerville Card Show” as it became known, grew exponentially over the next decade to regularly bring in 5,000+ people each year and feature over 200 dealer tables. The success of this show helped put Westerville on the map as a baseball card mecca and inspired other cities to start their own large conventions. Major card companies like Topps, Fleer and Donruss used the Westerville show to debut new sets and sign endorsement deals with star players, generating nationwide publicity for the booming hobby.
By the mid-1980s, an estimated 10 card shops dotted Westerville to serve the red hot local collecting market. Shops like Trader Jack’s Baseball Cards and Game Time Sports Cards specialized in the latest wax packs, commons and stars while Ace Sports Cards and The Baseball Card Gallery focused more on high-end vintage inventory. Westerville native Greg Aumann opened Columbus Sportscards in 1984 and helped organize local youth baseball card shows and tournaments. With its critical mass of shops and large annual convention, Westerville truly felt like the epicenter of the baseball card world during the sport’s peak popularity era in the 1980s.
The overproduction of cards in the late 1980s caused prices to plummet and the market to crash. As the 1990s arrived, the baseball card industry consolidated and many shops in Westerville were forced to close. By the late 90s, only a handful of stores remained including Sportscards Plus, Ace Sports Cards and The Baseball Card Gallery. Despite the industry downturn, the annual Westerville Card Show continued on strong with 3,000-4,000 attendees each spring. Into the 2000s, the show adapted by adding more vintage, autograph signings and activities for kids to keep the hobby relevant for new generations.
Today in 2022, only two baseball card shops remain in Westerville – Sportscards Plus and The Baseball Card Gallery, both carrying on the tradition started over 45 years ago. While the online marketplace now dominates card sales, these local bastions provide an important social and cultural touchpoint for the Central Ohio collecting community. And each April, the Westerville Card Show proudly continues as the area’s largest and longest-running pop culture event, a reminder of the city’s rich legacy with the baseball card hobby. Through the dedication of its shops, shows and collectors over the decades, Westerville cemented its place in the history of an American pastime. Its impact helped spread the joys of baseball card collecting across the country.
