Leesburg, located in Lake County, Florida has a rich history with baseball cards dating back to the early 1900s. Some of the earliest baseball cards produced were collected by residents of Leesburg who enjoyed the growing national pastime. Even as recently as the 1980s and 1990s, Leesburg was home to several thriving baseball card shops that catered to collectors of all ages and interests.
One of the pioneering card shops was Bob’s Baseball Cards, which opened in 1984 and was located on Main Street in downtown Leesburg. Owned and operated by Bob Johnson, the shop became a popular hangout for locals to buy, sell and trade their baseball cards. Bob prided himself on having a vast inventory of cards from the 1950s through the present day at competitive prices. He also organized tournaments and events for collectors to meet, compete and show off their rarest finds. Bob’s shop helped grow the hobby in Leesburg during the peak of the baseball card craze in the late 80s.
Another legendary shop was Frank’s Sport Cards, which opened in 1990 in the Leesburg Mall. Frank Santini had an encyclopedic knowledge of the baseball card industry and could find even the most obscure cards from requests. He cultivated relationships with distributors to get new releases the day they were shipped. Frank’s shop also served as a card grading service center, where collectors could have their vintage cards professionally graded and encapsulated by PSA or BGS. This added value and authentication that increased resale prices. Frank was also known for throwing annual baseball card conventions that attracted dealers from all over Florida.
Two other popular shops during this time period were Ace’s Cards, run by Al Carter, and Slugger’s Sportscards owned by Ralph “Sluggo” Wilson. Both shops had a loyal local following of customers but couldn’t sustain the competition from the larger chain stores that began entering the market in the late 90s. This contributed to their eventual closures in the early 2000s, marking the end of an era for mom & pop baseball card shops in Leesburg.
The hobby remained strong in Leesburg with collectors joining clubs, trading online, and attending card shows. In the 2010s, two more baseball card shops opened to serve this dedicated community. Mike’s Cards & Collectibles was launched in 2011 by Mike D’Amato, who had collected cards since childhood. He focused on moving vintage inventory and provided a more specialized experience than the big box retailers. Meanwhile, in 2015, Jim & Joe’s Trading Post debuted in downtown Leesburg. Co-owners Jim Taylor and Joe Murphy created an inviting atmosphere for all ages to buy, sell and appraise sports and non-sports collectibles.
Leesburg continues to have an active baseball card scene today, even with the rise of online sales platforms. Local collectors still meet regularly to trade and show off their collections. Two of the largest annual shows are held every January and June, drawing hundreds of vendors, buyers and enthusiasts from across Florida. The Leesburg Public Library also hosts baseball card programs and houses materials about the history of the hobby in the community. With generations of residents having grown up collecting and trading cards, the passion remains strong in Leesburg for this classic American pastime.
