At Wheelhouse Cards, trading baseball cards has become a father-son bonding experience
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) - Trading sports cards is an old-school hobby that saw a resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it continues to grow. Wheelhouse Cards, a full-service sports card and collectible shop, opened its second location in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Inside Wheelhouse, the walls are covered with cards featuring players from baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer and more. The shop even has Pokémon cards.
This past weekend, Topps Hobby Rip Night drew in dozens of people who opened and traded dozens of cards.
"We were opening Top Series 1 2024," Wheelhouse Cards owner Charles Kappe said, "which is the flagship release that just came out on Valentine's Day."
Recently, comedian and Philadelphian native Kevin Hart was on social media with Michael Rubin, owner of Fanatics and Topps, talking about his appearance with selected Phillies baseball cards.
"There is a Kevin Hart on a baseball card, but he's not the main image," Kappe said. "It's on Philadelphia Phillies cards, and there's only 52 with a player and a little Kevin Hart."
Also inside the shop are the rare collectible cards with players like Phillies stars Bryce Harper and Trea Turner.
"You'll also see Eagles cards," Kappe said, "where Jalen Hurts is one of the most wanted collectibles along with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith."
In August 2022, a Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps baseball card sold for $12.6 million.
As these cards are rare, so are these stories.
"We get a lot of kids that are just getting into collecting and come in here for some knowledge," Kappe said, "and dads who may have stumbled upon their old collection."
Wheelhouse is open seven days a week.