Baseball cards have been collected by fans for over a century and the small town of Belmar, New Jersey has deep roots in the hobby. Located along the Jersey Shore just over an hour from New York City, Belmar was once home to several thriving baseball card shops that fueled the collecting craze in the region.
Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced in the late 1800s by tobacco companies as promotional inserts in cigarette and chewing tobacco packages. These included cards from companies like Allen & Ginter, Old Judge, and Sweet Caporal. While the earliest documented baseball card was produced in the late 1860s, the hobby didn’t really take off until the late 1880s and early 1900s as mass production allowed for wider distribution.
In Belmar, some of the first collectors and shops emerged in the 1930s as the hobby began to gain more mainstream popularity across the United States. One of the pioneering shops was Belmar Sportscards, which opened its doors in 1937 and was run by local resident Harry McLaughlin. Located on Main Street just blocks from the beach, Belmar Sportscards catered to both young collectors and adults looking to reminisce about the stars from their childhood.
McLaughlin would travel to nearby cities like New York and Philadelphia to purchase new shipments of cards to stock his shelves. In the late 1930s and 1940s, some of the most coveted sets included Goudey, Play Ball, and Leaf. McLaughlin also organized some of the earliest baseball card shows and swap meets in the area, helping fuel the burgeoning hobby. Belmar Sportscards remained a staple in the town for decades, surviving even the decline of baseball cards in the 1950s before closing its doors for good in the 1980s.
Another legendary Belmar card shop was Dave’s Sportscards, which opened in 1962 and was run by local legend Dave Capozzi. By this time, the modern era of baseball cards was underway thanks to the entrance of Topps in the late 1940s. Topps dominated production for decades and released hugely popular sets like 1952, 1956, and 1959 that are now among the most valuable in the hobby. Dave’s Sportscards was ground zero for the release of each new Topps series, with eager collectors lining up out the door for the chance to purchase unopened packs.
In addition to stocking the newest Topps releases, Dave’s also became renowned for its extensive back catalog of vintage cards reaching back to the 1800s. Capozzi had cultivated relationships with collectors, dealers, and auction houses along the East Coast to continuously upgrade his inventory. This allowed local historians and fans to research the early days of the game by perusing Dave’s extensive selection of tobacco-era cards and other memorabilia. Capozzi also organized the earliest annual Belmar Card Show, which kicked off in 1973 and still runs to this day.
The 1970s represented the golden age of baseball cards in Belmar, as collecting exploded in popularity across all demographics. Along with Dave’s Sportscards, other prominent shops during this time included Bob’s Cards and Coins and Andy’s Sportscards. These shops not only sold new series from Topps, but also hosted frequent trading sessions where collectors could meet, swap duplicates, and discuss the latest players and sets. Some of the most iconic 1970s issues that created a frenzy among collectors included Topps’ 1972 and 1975 sets, as well as oddball releases from companies like Fleer and Kellogg’s.
As values of vintage cards appreciated steadily through the 1970s, Belmar’s shops also became a vital source for collectors seeking to cash in on their childhood collections. Capozzi and other shop owners cultivated relationships with professional graders and helped facilitate countless lucrative sales of valuable 19th and early 20th century tobacco cards. This boom only accelerated in the 1980s, as Michael Jordan rookie cards, Steve Garvey error cards, and the arrival of the premium card market brought unprecedented media attention to the hobby.
By the late 1980s, the glut of sets from numerous fleeting companies contributed to the first baseball card crash. As the bubble burst, many shops in Belmar and beyond were forced to close. Only a few survived, including Dave’s Sportscards which remained open into the 1990s under new ownership. Meanwhile, the annual Belmar Card Show continued to thrive as one of the largest and most prestigious on the East Coast well into the 2000s.
Today, only a handful of card shops remain along the central Jersey Shore, as much of the retail business has moved online. The roots planted in Belmar over 80 years ago helped establish the town as a historic hub that fueled the growth of baseball cards from a small niche to a full-fledged national collecting phenomenon. Places like Belmar Sportscards and Dave’s Sportscards played a vital role in cultivating generations of fans and helping cement the card collecting hobby deeply into American popular culture.