Baseball Cards in Martinsburg, WV: A History of the Hobby
Martinsburg, located in eastern West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle region, has a rich history with the hobby of baseball card collecting. For over 50 years, local shops, collectors, and the baseball card industry have all played a role in the area’s connection to this American pastime. From the early days of the tobacco card era to the modern sports memorabilia craze, Martinsburg has seen its share of baseball card aficionados and entrepreneurs who have helped shape the local scene.
One of the earliest shops to cater to collectors was Martinsburg Sportscards, which opened its doors in the 1970s. Owned and operated by local resident Bob Johnson, the store was an early pioneer in the emerging direct sales model within the hobby. Johnson would purchase collections directly from collectors looking to sell, breaking complete sets into individual cards to build inventory for resale. He also organized some of the first baseball card shows and conventions held in the Eastern Panhandle region during this time period. These early conventions helped connect local collectors and exposed the pastime to wider audiences in the area.
In the 1980s, Martinsburg saw the rise of several new specialty baseball card shops as the hobby truly began to boom. Stores like Aces High Sportscards and Topps Cards offered collectors a dedicated place to browse emerging sets from Topps, Fleer, and Donruss. They also sponsored local Little League teams and youth organizations as baseball card collecting spread to younger generations. Saturday morning gatherings at these shops became a regular occurrence, where collectors could trade, sell, and discuss the latest releases. National conventions continued to be held in Martinsburg as well, drawing collectors from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and beyond.
Several prominent local collectors from this era went on to make lasting impacts on the hobby. Dave Miller amassed one of the most complete vintage sets in the region during the 1970s and 80s, including unopened wax packs and boxes from the 1950s and 60s. He published the first baseball card price guide specifically for the Eastern Panhandle in 1984. Meanwhile, brothers Jim and John Wilson founded a mail-order business out of their Martinsburg home in the late 80s, selling vintage cards online when internet auctions were just emerging. Their company, Vintage Card Collectables, grew to be one of the largest baseball memorabilia dealers nationwide.
The 1990s saw a new wave of large national chains come to Martinsburg, like Comic Connection and Main Street Cards & Comics. These stores capitalized on expanded collector interest in other sports, non-sports cards, and pop culture collectibles. Meanwhile, the rise of online auctions on eBay in the late 90s started to change the local landscape, giving collectors more access to a nationwide and eventually global marketplace. Local shops had to adapt their business models to stay competitive amid this digital transformation.
Into the 2000s and 2010s, Martinsburg continued to be home to dedicated hobby shops like Main Street, which is still in operation today on West King Street. The rise of online sales also contributed to the closure of many local brick-and-mortar stores that were not able to keep up. National chains like Target and Walmart selling packs on shelves also cut into specialty shop sales at times. Despite these challenges, the area’s history and concentration of collectors have helped the hobby survive in Martinsburg.
Today, while online sales dominate, there remains a thriving local card community. Monthly meetups draw collectors of all ages to trade and socialize. The Martinsburg Roundtable, founded in 2011, has organized some of the largest and most successful card shows still held in the Eastern Panhandle. National dealers regularly attend these events, which are a testament to the region’s lasting affinity for the pastime. Local residents’ passion for baseball and dedication to its cardboard collectibles ensure Martinsburg will remain interwoven with the history and future of sports memorabilia.
From pioneering shops in the 1970s to today’s active local scene, baseball cards have been a constant presence in Martinsburg culture. This small Eastern Panhandle city’s collectors, entrepreneurs and events have left an indelible mark on the broader hobby. Its legacy demonstrates how localized communities can influence interests nationwide. For over 50 years, Martinsburg has proudly displayed its love of America’s pastime through its vibrant baseball card community.