Local Collectors Gather at Sports Factory Card Show

Emily Ramsey | Writer

Dozens of people bustled about, carrying briefcases through rows of tables adorned with rare sports cards and memorabilia.  Sports collectors expected to have all their bases covered, featuring both vintage and modern singles, graded cards, and unopened sets.  While negotiations and cards might sound like business, the Sports Factory Card Show offered insight into the world of sports card collecting. 

Welcoming hobbyists and serious collectors alike, The Sports Factory of the Lehigh Valley and sports card store Rookies and Rarities collaborated to host this event on April 7, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The card show provided over 80 card dealers, multiple giveaways and card breaks, and food and beverages served by the HiJinx Brewery and All Star Grill.  

Chris Tripp, co-owner of the Sports Factory and one of the event organizers, expressed the importance of providing young athletes with the opportunity to collect cards.

“Baseball card collecting has had a resurgence, it's incredibly popular,” he said.  “There’s a large crossover between young boys and girls that play sports today and sports cards, so the goal is to capture that new collector, provide them with a free show, and allow them to buy, sell, and trade sports cards.”

However, Tripp wasn’t the only one who expressed the importance of involving kids in the card collecting process.  Ian Ginsberg, co-organizer for the Sports Factory Card Show and owner of Rookies and Rarities, hosted multiple card breaks during the event.

“After they’re all paid for, the 32 NFL teams are paid for, they randomly get assigned a team, and that team is what they’re rooting for to come out of the break …,” Ginsberg said.  “I’m also doing a free version of that for 30 children, 30 kids for baseball.”

In terms of tables, sponsor tables present at the event included: NashCards, offering card grading services, Murphy’s Law Cards, Jersey Shore Card Supplies, Oasis Cards, and Wags Sports. 

Additionally, multiple raffles were held.  Chase Loban won the giveaway for a Jalen Hurts Autographed Mini Helmet and Christopher Jurkiewicz won the giveaway for a Mike Trout Autographed Jersey.