Last week, I vacationed with the in-laws in New Hampshire. We
had a few cabins on a lake nestled nicely in the mountains. The first few days
were great weather-wise, but as the week went on, rain and cold temperatures
moved in. We weren’t able to enjoy the lake or anything outside for that
matter. Add in the fact that we had an 18-month-old boy holed up in a small cabin,
and well, the days started to grow a bit frustrating.
On Thursday afternoon, I decided I needed to get out by
myself for a bit. I knew there was a Walmart nearby, and figured maybe I’d go
pick up a few packs or a blaster. Before I left, I decided to type “baseball
cards” into Google Maps on my phone to see if I was missing the opportunity to
visit a LCS. Sure enough, a red pin popped up on my map about 7 miles away in
Laconia, NH called “All Sports Cards”. Bingo.
I called to make sure they were open and it wasn’t an old
location, and sure enough they were open for business. I couldn’t get in the car fast enough.
After about a 12 minute drive, I was there. It was tucked nicely into a small
strip mall next to a Subway restaurant. The smell from Subway was strong as I
entered the shop, but luckily went away after the door was closed. You know that unmistakable smell.
I immediately struck up a conversation with Brian, the
owner. Other than his Red Sox shirt, he was a great guy. We talked a lot about
the hobby and what I collected, as well as his patrons. I asked about business
and how long he had been there (over 20 years!). He said business was a bit
slow, but tends to pick up in the summer when vacationers are in the area,
which makes sense. He has a few repeat customers every year who are seasonal
guests.
Brian also talked about his disdain for collectors only
interested in big hits and graded cards. He often gets patrons who try to talk
him down on a price because the card would “only grade a 6.” Oy.
I was hoping to find a nice dime box to go through, but I
didn’t find one for baseball. There were some bargain boxes of football,
basketball, and hockey though. The store was large and didn’t feel cluttered
like most card shops, which was nice.
I asked Brian if he had any vintage, beat up Yanks I could
look for. He pulled out a few stacks from the ‘60s and said I could look
through them. He also plopped down a binder of 1975 Topps that I could leaf
through. He had just picked it up at a yard sale to help out the local football
team. Most of the good 1975’s had been plucked out, but I grabbed this Lou
Piniella. Also, there were a few pages of 1975 minis. If I had half a brain I
would have pulled up Night Owl’s want list and seen if I could have helped him
out. Instead, I pulled out one very miscut Mel Stottlemyre, as I actually don’t
own any 1975 minis.
I also grabbed three packs of Series Two, as I hadn’t gotten
anything yet. I didn’t pull anything too special.
I asked if he had any 2013 Bowman Yankee Prospects, and he
plopped a big box of 2013 cards on the counter that he hadn’t yet sorted. I
pulled out a few cards for myself, and found this Dutch Oven card for
NapkinDoon, as well as two Josh Willingham cards for my buddy
Jaybarkerfan.
Lastly, I found $1 grab bags that were buy one, get one
free. I didn’t know what to expect, but grabbed two of them, hoping to at least
find an interesting card or two for
Listia. I didn’t expect to pull an
autograph! If I had opened these at the shop, I probably would have bought a
bunch more, and maybe even held a contest for one of them on this here blog.
Brian gave me all of the above for $10, which was generous of
him. The three Series Two packs alone were $2 each. I gladly paid and felt very
good about my experience at my VCS…vacation card shop. If and when I return to
New Hampshire for a future vacation, I’ll definitely stop back. If you’re even
in or near Laconia, NH, I strongly recommend taking a trip to All Sports Cards.
