T&L Baseball Cards: A Hillsborough Township Institution
Located in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey, T&L Baseball Cards has been a mainstay in the baseball card collecting community since 1977. What started as a small hobby shop run by Tom Zarzycki and Larry Schuman out of Zarzycki’s basement has grown into one of the largest and most well-known baseball card stores in the entire country. For over four decades, collectors from around the world have made pilgrimages to T&L seeking rare and valuable cards to add to their collections.
In the late 1970s, Tom and Larry were avid collectors themselves who enjoyed sorting through boxes of newly released cards and discussing the players and stats. They started buying and selling cards out of Tom’s basement to support their hobby and were surprised by the interest from other local collectors. Word of mouth grew their basement business to the point where they needed a storefront. In 1978, they opened their first brick and mortar location on Route 206 in Hillsborough.
The 1980s were a boom time for the baseball card industry. More kids than ever were getting into the hobby thanks to television exposure of the sport and accessibility of packs of cards. T&L’s customer base grew rapidly to keep up with demand. They stocked the latest releases from Topps, Donruss and Fleer and also bought collections from people looking to cash in on the surge in popularity and rising card values. T&L became known for having the most extensive vintage inventory in the area for collectors seeking older and harder to find cards.
Another key aspect of T&L’s success was their personalization and expertise. Tom and Larry got to know their customers not just as buyers but as fellow fans. They enjoyed discussing players, trades, and the state of the game. Their encyclopedic knowledge helped guide newcomers and long-time collectors. They also offered fair cash prices which kept collectors coming back to sell-off duplicates or older unneeded cards. On weekends, the store would be packed with people of all ages trading and chatting baseball.
The baseball card boom came crashing down in the late 80s as the market was flooded with overproduction. But T&L adapted and solidified their reputation. In the lean years of the 1990s, they doubled-down on service and selection. New releases remained front and center but T&L also acquired entire collections that individuals were eager to unload. Their vintage selection grew to be the most extensive on the East Coast. Important vintage rookies from the 1950s onwards could always be found alongside oddball issues and obscure regional sets that many other stores didn’t carry.
The 2000s saw another renaissance in the hobby. New collectors rediscovered the fun of the pastime and rising stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones drew fans to packs again. The boom also attracted speculators who changed the landscape. Prices rose significantly on modern stars while vintage gems reached unprecedented levels. Despite turbulence, T&L maintained focus on fun over frenzied investing. Their friendly, low-pressure atmosphere kept the shop a gathering spot.
During this time, Tom made the difficult decision to retire and pass the reins fully to Larry. However, Tom’s influence was still felt as Larry carried on the store’s tradition. In the 2010s, the digital card era took hold yet T&L adopted internet selling smoothly without losing their core local business or personal service. Online allowed access to even more collectors worldwide but many still visited hoping to find that one special vintage card only found through years of acquiring entire collections.
Today, Larry’s son Marc has become an integral part of continuing the family lineage at T&L into its fifth decade. Renovations in 2022 expanded the storefront to better handle constant crowds swarming card release days. The shop now sees multi-generational families as grandchildren inherit their parents’ and grandparents’ love of the hobby. In a highly corporatized sport card sector, T&L Baseball Cards remains passionately independent with small-town values placing the customer experience above all else.
For over 40 years, T&L Baseball Cards has been more than just a store – it is an institution and gathering place for the Hillsborough baseball card community. Through multiple industry booms and busts, Tom, Larry, Marc and the entire staff have kept their focus on fostering new collectors while also ensuring those with collections dating back decades always feel at home. For many, T&L Baseball Cards holds memories of first discovering the hobby and will remain where the next generation comes to build their collections for years to come. The shop continues flying the flag for old-school personalized service in an increasingly digital era.
