Baseball Cards in Concord, New Hampshire: A Rich History of the Hobby
Concord, the capital city of New Hampshire, has a long history with the hobby and business of baseball cards dating back to the early 20th century. While the popularity of collecting cards has waxed and waned over the decades, Concord remains a hub for enthusiasts in the region to this day. From the earliest tobacco cards to modern inserts and parallels, the story of baseball cards intertwines deeply with the story of Concord.
Some of the earliest baseball card collectors and traders called Concord home in the 1900s and 1910s. During this time, tobacco companies like American Tobacco, Goodwin & Company, and American Caramel started including baseball cards in their cigarette and candy products. Young boys eagerly awaited the arrival of the newest series to add to their collections. In Concord, informal trading sessions would be held on street corners and in neighborhoods where kids could swap duplicates. This helped foster local communities of collectors even before organized hobby shops and conventions existed.
As the decades progressed, Concord developed its first dedicated baseball card shops. In the late 1950s, Concord Sport Cards was opened downtown by lifelong resident and former minor league player Bill Henderson. It became a popular hangout for both children and adults to buy, sell, and trade cards. In the 1960s, another iconic shop called Topps Cards & Comics opened its doors under owner Harvey Goldberg. Both of these pioneering shops in Concord’s hobby scene would stay in business for over 30 years.
During the 1970s, interest in collecting cards boomed across the United States during what became known as the “golden age” of the hobby. In Concord, local card shows started being regularly held on weekends where hundreds of collectors from near and far could come together under one roof. Some of the earliest and largest shows were held at the former Concord Auditorium, with tables manned by independent dealers as well as the city’s shops. This helped further cement Concord’s reputation as a baseball hotbed in New England.
As the 1980s rolled around, Concord was fully immersed in the wider craze surrounding the rise of sports memorabilia and the debut of ultra-premium card products like Fleer and Donruss. New specialty card shops opened to capitalize on the boom, such as Great American Sportscards. Meanwhile, existing stores like Topps Cards expanded to larger locations. The city hosted some of the first regional sports memorabilia conventions in New England during this decade. Major shows continued to be held annually, as well as smaller weekend trading events that attracted collectors from all over the state.
In the 1990s, the sports card market experienced both huge highs and lows. While interest temporarily declined from its peak, Concord’s strong collector base helped the local hobby weather the storm. Card shops adapted by expanding inventory of other related items like autographs and equipment. Meanwhile, the city gained national recognition for hosting some of the largest and most prestigious vintage card, autograph, and memorabilia shows in the Northeast. Events like the Concord Card Show were featured in major hobby publications and drew A-list dealers.
Today in the 2020s, while online sales have impacted brick-and-mortar businesses, Concord remains a proud hotbed of baseball card collecting. Local card shops like Hall’s Cards provide everything from new wax boxes to vintage supplies. The city also continues to host memorable memorabilia shows several times a year. Meanwhile, Concord is home to private collector clubs that keep the rich history alive through events, publications, and preserving one of America’s oldest hobbies. From its earliest beginnings to modern day, the story of baseball cards has been deeply intertwined with New Hampshire’s capital city.