Baseball Cards in Glastonbury, Connecticut: A Rich History
Glastonbury, Connecticut has a long and rich history with baseball cards that spans generations. Located just outside of Hartford, the town of Glastonbury was a hotbed for baseball card collecting and dealing throughout the 20th century. While the hobby may seem small today, during the 1950s through the 1980s, Glastonbury was truly the epicenter of the baseball card universe in Connecticut.
Some of the earliest baseball card shops in the state were located right in downtown Glastonbury. Stores like Bob’s Baseball Cards and Sportscards Plus were pioneering the baseball card retail business in Connecticut during the 1970s. They helped fuel the boom in collecting during that decade by stocking racks with wax packs, boxes, and individual cards from the most recent sets. Kids from all over the region would flock to Glastonbury on the weekends, eager to add to their collections and hopefully find a coveted rookie card.
In addition to being a retail destination, Glastonbury was also home to some of the biggest names in the baseball card trade. Legendary dealers like Marty Einhorn operated out of his “Card Shack” in town. Einhorn was a pioneer in direct marketing and helped develop the concept of direct sales of individual cards to collectors. He would send out mail order catalogs to customers nationwide. Another top dealer from Glastonbury was Howie Wexler. Based out of his family’s liquor store, Wexler bought and sold some of the rarest vintage cards in existence during the 1960s and 70s. He had a national reputation.
In the 1980s, Glastonbury saw the rise of the modern sports card show. Promoters like Al Palicki and the Card Collectors Club of Connecticut helped launch some of the earliest and largest card shows in the region. These events, held at venues like Glastonbury High School, attracted thousands of collectors from across New England. Every weekend was like a baseball card convention, with tables filled with wax packs, commons, and high-end vintage cards. Some unforgettable deals were made and lifelong friendships were forged at these bustling shows.
As values skyrocketed during the boom years of the late 1980s, Glastonbury became ground zero for the high-end baseball memorabilia market as well. Auction houses like Robert Edward Auctions, located in town, helped pioneer the sports collectibles auction industry. Million-dollar transactions were not unheard of for rare T206 Honus Wagner cards and other iconic pieces that crossed their auction block. Wealthy collectors from across the country were flying into Bradley International Airport, just to drive the short distance to Glastonbury to check out the action.
While the white-hot collecting frenzy of the 1980s cooled down, Glastonbury maintained its status as a baseball card hub well into the 1990s and 2000s. Card shops adapted to the changing marketplace, focusing more on supplies, storage, and team sets over packs and commons. The card shows continued on a smaller scale. And dealers like Howie Wexler kept buying and selling some of the rarest vintage cardboard in existence. Glastonbury was still a required stop for any serious collector or dealer venturing through New England.
Today, while the industry landscape has shifted dramatically online, Glastonbury still supports the local hobby in several small ways. Card shops like Sportscards Plus are still in business, catering to longtime customers and newcomers alike. The town also hosts an annual baseball card and memorabilia show each spring, drawing collectors from around Connecticut each year looking to buy, sell, and trade.
And many longtime Glastonbury residents still have fond memories of growing up in the baseball card capital of Connecticut during the 1970s and 80s. Stories are still shared of the legendary dealers, big shows, and unbelievable finds made in town during the hobby’s golden era. While the activity level may be lower, the rich baseball card history and tradition in Glastonbury lives on. The town will always have a special place in the story of our national pastime on cardboard.
