Alright, let me tell you about my recent dive back into sports cards, specifically around Seattle. It started kinda randomly. Cleaning out the garage, found an old binder with some baseball cards from when I was a kid. Mostly junk wax era stuff, you know? But it sparked something. That feeling of opening a pack, hoping for a star player. So, I thought, what’s the scene like these days? Especially here in Seattle.
First thing I did was hop online. Just typed in “sports card shops Seattle” and poked around. Saw a few names pop up, some in the city, some out in the suburbs. Honestly, it felt a bit weird. Back in the day, you just knew where the local shop was. Now, felt like I was starting from scratch. Read a couple of reviews, but you never know how much to trust those, right?
Heading out to explore
Decided to just pick one and go. Found a place that wasn’t too far a drive. Pulled up, parked, and walked in. The smell hit me first – that mix of old cardboard and maybe cleaning supplies? It wasn’t quite the dusty, crammed shops I remembered from the 90s. This place was cleaner, more organized. Lots of bright display cases filled with graded cards, slabs everywhere. Definitely different.
I wasn’t really looking for anything specific, more just wanted to get the feel of things again. Started wandering around. Looked at the singles in the cases – saw some nice Ken Griffey Jr. stuff, some Seahawks cards, even some Sonics bits which was cool and a bit sad. Prices seemed all over the place. Some stuff felt crazy expensive, especially the graded cards. Then you had the boxes of new packs behind the counter. Tempting, but also pricey.
- Spent some time just looking through the common boxes. You know, the cheaper stuff.
- Picked up a few Mariners cards from recent years, nothing fancy.
- Chatted briefly with the guy behind the counter. Seemed knowledgeable, but busy.
It felt less about the fun of collecting and maybe more about investing? That was the vibe I got anyway. Lots of talk about “holding” and “grading potential.” Didn’t see many kids, mostly guys my age or older.
Digging a bit deeper
Didn’t buy much that first trip. Just a few bucks worth of singles to feel like I did something. But it got me thinking. A week or so later, I heard about another shop, supposedly bigger, further north. Decided to make the trek on a Saturday.
Wow, this place was different again. Bigger, yeah, and way more chaotic, but in a good way. More like the old shops. Boxes everywhere, people trading at tables, way more buzz. They had tons of vintage stuff, which was cool to see. Spent a good hour just digging through bins labeled by year and sport. Found some decent older Seahawks cards I didn’t have. Felt more like a treasure hunt this time.
Ended up buying a few packs of a newer baseball set, just for the heck of it. Pulled absolute garbage, haha. But it was fun! That little rip, the anticipation. That part hadn’t changed.
So, what’s the deal with cards in Seattle?
My takeaway? The hobby is definitely alive in Seattle, but it feels changed. Some shops are super modern, focused on high-end, graded stuff. Feels slick, maybe a bit cold. Others still have that old-school vibe, messy and full of hidden gems if you’re willing to dig. Prices are up, for sure. The internet changed everything, everyone knows what everything is supposedly worth instantly.
It was interesting dipping my toes back in. Not sure if I’ll go full-bore collector again, chasing rookies and autographs. But just browsing, picking up a few cards for the personal collection, chatting with folks who share the interest? Yeah, I can see myself doing that again. It’s still got that pull. Just gotta find the spots that feel right, you know?
