Baseball cards have been a beloved pastime for collectors for over a century, with kids and adults alike enjoying amassing collections of their favorite players through buying, trading, and opening packs of cards. In Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, a popular mountain tourist destination located near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, baseball cards have found a home thanks to the numerous shops catering to collectors. Whether you’re a lifelong hobbyist or just starting your collection, Pigeon Forge offers plenty of opportunities to buy, sell, and trade baseball cards.
One of the largest and most well-known baseball card shops in Pigeon Forge is All Star Cards, located just off the main Parkway near the entrance to Dollywood. All Star Cards boasts over 5,000 square feet of retail space dedicated entirely to sports cards of all varieties, with an impressive inventory of over 10 million individual cards in stock at any given time. In addition to carrying the latest packs, boxes, and memorabilia from the current season, All Star Cards also has an immense selection of vintage cards dating back to the earliest days of the hobby in the late 1800s. Knowledgeable staff are on hand to assist collectors of all experience levels in finding cards to add to their collections. The shop also hosts frequent trading card shows and special events that attract collectors from across the region.
For those looking to buy or sell larger collections and more valuable vintage cards, Pro Cards is another top destination in Pigeon Forge. Located a short distance from All Star Cards, Pro Cards specializes in high-end transactions, frequently brokering deals worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. The staff includes professional graders who can authenticate and assign grades to potentially valuable older cards. Consignment services are also offered, allowing collectors to sell their prized possessions to interested buyers worldwide. Pro Cards maintains an online inventory in addition to their brick and mortar storefront. Whether you’re a small-time collector or a big investor, Pro Cards is poised to facilitate major baseball card deals.
While All Star Cards and Pro Cards cater more to dedicated collectors, Pigeon Forge is also home to card shops with a broader focus. Sports Cards Plus is located along the main strip and sells a wide variety of trading cards beyond just baseball, including football, basketball, hockey, non-sports entertainment, and more. Their stock includes all the latest retail products as well as some older items, and the friendly staff is happy to help new collectors get started in an affordable way. With a kid-friendly atmosphere and smaller selection compared to the bigger specialized shops, Sports Cards Plus provides a more casual browsing and starter-pack opening experience.
Along with dedicated card stores, many souvenir and gift shops throughout Pigeon Forge also carry some trading cards for visitors looking for a small piece of the hobby to take home. At the Family Entertainment Center, for example, visitors can stop by the prize counter area to see what packs and discounted singles they have available. Even some gas stations and drug stores in the area stock a few baseball card products that may include an affordable vintage pack or two amongst the new releases. So for travelers or families just passing through town, there are always opportunistic places to potentially find an interesting card or two to bring home.
In addition to brick and mortar retail locations, the Pigeon Forge area also supports the baseball card community through numerous online forums and meetup groups. On Facebook, the Pigeon Forge Sports Card Collectors group has hundreds of members who use it to organize in-person meets, post current inventory for sale/trade, and discuss the latest news and releases. Local card shows provide a venue for collectors both local and visiting the area to browse tables, make deals face to face, and connect over their shared interest. With its critical mass of stores, events, and enthusiasts, Pigeon Forge has undoubtedly become a baseball card haven for collectors in the Southeast region of the United States. Whether you’re a casual browser or a serious investor, this Smoky Mountain town offers no shortage of opportunities to feed your baseball card passion.
