Author Archive
Featured Retailer: New York’s Card Shack Celebrates 25 Years in the Hobby!
Posted by: | CommentsWe love to spotlight our Certified Diamond Dealer partners and some reasons why you need to visit their stores. We especially love to share stories about shops who have managed to become successful for a long time. And that is the case with Card Shack in Lynbrook, New York. Steve Cardi is one of the truly good guys in the hobby and by treating his customers like gold they have come back repeatedly making the Card Shack the hobby shop you’ve got to visit in New York. He has a whole cavalcade of festivities planned for their 25th anniversary in the hobby beginning next week so make your plans to be a part of it!
Collectors throughout New York love their Card Shack!
Card Shack
9 Atlantic Avenue
Lynbrook, NY 11563
(516)561-5100
Email: sales@thecardshack.us
Website: www.sportscardsny.com
Click HERE to “Like” Card Shack on Facebook and click HERE to “Follow” Card Shack on Twitter
Hours: Mon–Fri: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Sat: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sun: Closed
Here’s Steve Cardi’s story:
“I grew up as a New York Islanders fan and I loved the sport of hockey growing up. When I was 10 years-old back in 1980 two very special things happened; the United States hockey team won the gold medal (The Miracle on Ice) in Lake Placid and a few months later the New York Islanders won their first Stanley Cup while going on to winning four more Stanley Cup Championships in a row. It was that year that my passion for card collecting exploded.
“With not many stores in or around my hometown of Valley Stream, New York, my parents would take me every once in a while to card shows. I also purchased complete sets through magazines like the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated. Things were much tougher before the internet for collectors without a hobby shop in their area.
“During high school I decided to rent a table at a local show and set up with my best friend who loved cards like I did. After weeks of pleading with my parents to drive me to the card show, they relented and that was my first venture into the business. Approximately one year later I told my dad I wanted to open up a small card shop and he agreed to help out. I was a junior in high school and had just got my drivers license. I found a small storefront (450 sq feet) less than two miles from my house and since I was still in school, it was fine that I was only open part time. Since the location was so small, I thought the perfect name for the shop was ‘Card Shack’ which has stuck as we have grown over the years.
Steve is celebrating 25 years in the hobby and we want to make sure our fans don't miss out on the festivities!
“As my success grew, I put myself through college by scheduling my classes very early as I wanted to devote more time to my business. My parents agreed to be supportive of my business as long as I maintained my grades. After four years in that location I moved my business to a much larger location back in my hometown of Valley Stream. It was there that I had 18 great years before relocating one mile away back to the town where I started.
Steve runs tons of promotions and giveaways at the shop to thank his loyal customers. The bottom line is that those who become a frequent customer at New York's Card Shack score!
“Through the years I have expanded from just strictly sports cards to carrying a full line of sports memorabilia and sports novelty items. In early 2001, I launched a very successful web site that is hosted by Beckett.com with almost 4 million sports cards listed. As much as the internet is where a lot of the card business is generated, my passion is still for engaging collectors in the shop and seeing not only the regulars, but new collectors as well. This is my passion as it always has been and I strive hard each and every day to give back to my customers. People ask me how I’ve been in business this long, I tell them, ‘Take care of your customers.’
Card Shack supporters know better than to miss out on Steve's promotions!
“And now that I’ve reached 25 great years of being a brick and mortar store, I am totally excited for what is still to come. I run lots of promotions throughout the year, but with the 25th anniversary looming on May 30, 2012 will be the best of all my yearly promotions in a one week bonanza! Here is the calendar of events for what is sure to be a very memorable week for our collectors at the Card Shack:
Tuesday, May 29 – We are starting off our week with a Card Flipping Contest (call for details).
Wednesday, May 30 (actual anniversary day) – For one day only, fans can save 25% off any items in the store, don’t miss the savings!
Thursday, May 31 – We are having New York Yankees 1977 & 1978 World Series Champion centerfielder Mickey Rivers appearing for a FREE autograph signing at the store (call for details).
Friday, June 1 – Don’t miss our Customer Trade Night where you can bring in your singles to trade with other collectors.
Saturday, June 2 – We will start off with a Pack Wars for Kids and a Card Collecting Seminar (under 12 only). It is also ‘Jersey Sponsorship Day’ all day where anyone who comes in wearing a jersey receives a free pack of cards! We will be ending Saturday with a bang, by having our 1st session of Anniversary Box Breaks.
Sunday, June 3 – The anniversary festivities end in style with a Customer Appreciation Brunch from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. followed by our 2nd session of Anniversary Box Breaks in which the winner will receive a prize that could be valued up to $1,000.
“Lastly our Good Student Program which has grown immensely since the inception in 2001. We will be rewarding all students double Pack Wars Bucks the week of our anniversary for all good grades brought into the Card Shack. We look forward to seeing all the sports fans at the Card Shack!”
Steve understands the importance of giving back in his community as well. Here he is with some future Upper Deck NHL collectors and possibly players!
As you can see, Steve is pulling out all the stops to thank his valued collectors with this great event. Steve has served on multiple Chamber of Commerce boards for his great creativity with the youth as long as a long time sponsor of local youth teams and leagues. And he has three boys who all think that their dad has the best job ever! Drop by the Card Shack and see for yourself!
Steve invests in bringing in players to do signings for his customers. Here he is with his three boys and Fernando Tatis at the Card Shack.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Brag Photo: 2011 Upper Deck Exquisite Football Cards Continue to Arrive
Posted by: | CommentsWhen we first announced that there would be a 2011 Upper Deck Exquisite Football set at the 2012 Las Vegas Industry Summit, the room buzzed with excitement. And there was plenty to be excited about as Certified Diamond Dealers in attendance enjoyed seeing the return of UD Black and the new Exquisite Dimensions autograph cards. And now as we get closer to launch, more and more hard-signed autograph cards are arriving here each week. Take a look at a small portion of cards recently received in.
We are bringing out the best patches of the year to use with the ultra-premium Exquisite Football set.
Patch swatches are significantly larger than the 2010 Upper Deck Exquisite Football product.
And with bigger patches, come more colorful swatches!
Look for autographs of legendary players like Jerry Rice!
Charles White has a particularly beautiful signature. Fight on!
And this Rocket Ismail Book Mark card features a beautiful painted image of the playmaker for Notre Dame in action.
Gold paint pen on some of the rookie autographs really make the hard-signed signatures "pop!"
The inclusion of inscription autographs help provide for some compelling chase for collectors.
As more autograph content arrives, we look forward to sharing a release date for this product in the near future. Look for more galleries on 2011 Upper Deck Exquisite Football in the future leading up to the pack out of the product where we will share a HUGE preview on the UD Facebook page.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Brag Photo: Upper Deck’s College Mascot Patch Card Complete Set
Posted by: | CommentsThe new College Mascot patch cards found in 2012 Upper Deck Football have been white hot in the secondary market and more than a few collectors have made the decision to put this set together. We put together a set and grabbed the guys who built the product to talk about what components made it work so well with collectors and what fans can expect to see with these cards in the future.
Additionally, we also scanned all the cards so you could check them out for yourself and decide which ones you are going to chase. And remember to check out the short print list on these cards by clicking HERE.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Winnipeg Jets Fans Love Superstars Sports Collectibles
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve known Al Franklin, the owner of Superstars Sports Collectibles, for quite awhile now and he is one of the best store owners I have ever met. I feel this way primarily because he works very hard to provide his customers with a store that is very well maintained and an experience they will not find with many other shops in the area. He also makes it a point to set up at shows as well and recently I was able to catch up with him at the Sports Cards & Collectibles Expo.
And here is a little more about them:
Superstars Sports Collectibles
1885C Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3J 0H3
(204)831-9001
Email: collect@superstarssports.com
Click HERE to “Like” Superstars Sports Collectibles on Facebook and click HERE to follow them on Twitter.
Hours: Mon-Weds: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Thurs-Fri: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., Sat: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sun: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Superstars Sports Collectibles was established in 1990 by Al and Kyle Franklin when they opened their first store at 1885C Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Both Al and Kyle are lifelong sports fans so it was easy to convert their love of all things sports into a successful business which has grown rapidly and continuously over the last twenty plus years.
The team at Superstars are always available to help their customers locate what they need.
They have been at the same location for the entire time, but have undergone three major renovations including a substantial expansion to increase the size of the store a couple of years ago. They believe it is necessary to put back some of their gains to improve the service levels they provide their customers and show them they are here for the long term.
Superstars carries tons of inventory on all the latest trading cards and even vintage products.
They are open sixty hours a week, with partners Kyle and Al, manager Jason Hinther and part-timer Tyler manning the store. They are presently working on replacing the outside signs on our building to give us a fresh and more pertinent look, with emphasis on being an Upper Deck Certified Diamond Dealer and Authorized Internet Retailer.
Inside the store they have twelve hundred square feet of space devoted to sports cards, collectibles and memorabilia. They carry every brand of sports cards released by the major manufacturers in the four major sports as well as a good selection of non-sport and gaming cards. Their customers appreciate the fact that they carry a good inventory of all new releases and they are able to get their product on any visit to the store.
Superstars carries just about everything a sports fan could want or need and has it all very organized.
They have over half a million cards in stock, all sorted by product and number to facilitate easy access for their customer’s want lists. They have spent a lot of time to make sure finding what you are looking for is a very easy experience.
UD will sometimes work with Superstars to provide some prizes for events they throw to thank their customers for their support and loyalty.
Throughout the year they hold a number of events, draws and contests to create and maintain additional interest in the hobby for their customers. For the last two years they have also held a specific Upper Deck customer appreciation night tied in to the release of one of Upper Deck’s major releases (this year was SP Authentic Hockey). Over fifty people attended for a fun night of pack and box breaks, free draws and prizes. Superstars Sports Collectibles also provide pizza, pop and lots of sports card hobby talk. Special thanks to Upper Deck for their contribution to the event.
Fans love the events Superstars holds for them!
As of late there has been a tremendous interest in all things Winnipeg Jets and Superstars Sports Collectibles is one of the best places to shop for Jets collectibles and apparel. As an Authorized Internet Retailer for Upper Deck, Jets fans throughout Canada can visit their website and pick up their favorite items. Go Jets Go!
Remember to visit Superstars Sports Collectibles for National Hockey Card Day as well where they always have tons of giveaways for their customers including free packs from Upper Deck!
Popularity: 1% [?]
Special Agent Phil Coulson’s Vintage Captain America Trading Cards
Posted by: | CommentsI recently saw Marvel’s The Avengers and the acclaim it is getting is well deserved in my opinion. It was great watching The Avengers “assemble” and without a doubt one of the main reasons they did so was because of Special Agent Phil Coulson’s vintage Captain America trading cards. That’s right, had it not been for the inspirational speech from Nick Fury to some members of The Avengers while sharing these cards, I’m pretty sure they would have gone their separate ways. And had that happened Loki would now be the supreme ruler of Earth. Thank goodness for trading cards!
But all this is just fantasy right? Well some of it certainly is, but there actually are Captain America trading cards and in fact there are trading cards for all of The Avengers. Some of the best cards out there were produced by your friends here at Upper Deck. Check out some sets you should definitely be aware of if you are a fan of The Avengers.
UD's The Avengers Assemble trading card product packs a punch with all sorts of exciting inserts like this autograph card of Thor himself!
2012 Upper Deck Avengers Assemble – This product has been almost as hot as the movie and has sold out at most retail locations causing collectors to scurry to find more boxes before they are gone. This comprehensive release looks at how The Avengers assembled and gives shots of the current movie as well. There are plenty of other great elements to chase with autograph cards, movie memorabilia cards, sketch cards, printing plate cards and Ultimate Panel Focus cards. Get them while you can!
2012 Upper Deck Marvel Super Hero Squad – Take your love for Marvel to another level with trading cards you can use to play a fun interactive game with friends. Special loot cards can also help you unlock rare items in the Super Hero Squad online game.
Take your love for Marvel to a whole new level by playing the Super Hero Squad trading card game!
2011 Upper Deck Marvel Beginnings I – This comprehensive set is the first of three releases that will chronicle all the main characters in the Marvel universe including The Avengers. This release also gave us the first look at UD’s Ultimate Panel Focus cards with pieces of actual comics.
Marvel Beginnings was a great release for fans of all the characters in the Marvel universe.
2011 Upper Deck Avengers Kree-Skrull War – Upper Deck presented Marvel trading cards in an entirely new format with this set where they can be assembled to create a comic experience with an entirely new story from The Avengers. Additionally there were some cool chase elements like sketch cards as well.
Comic fans could put together the untold stories of the Kree-Skrull War by using cards to assemble the story.
2011 Upper Deck Captain America – Yes, the Captain got a set of his own. Not only do you have all the usual chase elements with sketch cards and autographs, you also have some very cool manufactured patch cards available as well. Check out this video of an artist working on one of his cards for the set featuring Captain America and the Red Skull.
2011 Upper Deck Thor – This release introduces us to Thor and his amazing planet of Asgard. Look for some great autograph cards, sketch cards and most importantly, movie memorabilia cards of Natalie Portman. Nice…
Movie memorabilia cards of all your favorite stars of the Marvel movies are out there for fans to find!
2010 Upper Deck Iron Man 2 – There are some sketch cards of Captain America in the set as well as tons of great content on Robert Downey Jr. as Iron man including autographs and movie memorabilia.
Many of these items are available on the Upper Deck Online Store, but to track down some of the other items you may want to work through an Upper Deck Authorized Internet Retailer.
Popularity: 1% [?]
