Baseball Cards, Comics, Collectibles On Full Display at 757 Card Show

A few weeks ago, I reached out to the organizers of the 757 Card Shows here in Hampton Roads. Phil and Russell were awesome to get back in touch with me and I mentioned that I was going to their recent show (January 25th, 26th) at the Virginia Beach Fieldhouse. They agreed to meet up with me and answer a few questions, so I was psyched to get over to the Fieldhouse to check out the card show and meet these amazing promoters. And it was my first visit to the VB Fieldhouse, so I was doubly excited when I arrived and saw what an amazing complex it was.

My first impression of the card show was WOW!!! The card show took up a huge area of the fieldhouse and was filled with rows and rows of vendors and fans. Each row offered a different set of eye candy – comic books, collectibles, toys, guest speakers, and tons of sports cards, especially baseball cards. I didn’t know where to start, so I let Rachel push me into the fold to kickstart my card show experience.

Every lane, every vendor station had something cool to offer/sell/talk about. Rachel and I stopped in on a few that peaked my interest, namely baseball cards of the 1950s and 1960s. We chatted with sellers and collectors about the show, their cards, their passion for baseball, and their passion for collecting baseball cards. These were my kind of people, the ones who could talk intelligently about the 1967 Boston Red Sox and the 2024 Atlanta Braves. Their cards and collectibles and prints were just amazing. And their character and personalities were just so friendly and fun to be around. Awesome experience simply walking around the show.

Rachel and I walked around for nearly an hour before seeking out Russell and Phil. I found Russell, with his family, on one end of the show. He escorted me over to where Phil and his family were set up. The show was a family affair, it had that feeling of comfort and friendliness throughout. As Russell passed me off to Phil, I got an opportunity to learn more about the value of baseball cards. I had brought in a number of cards for Phil to evaluate, and boy did I get an education. Do you know what the number one category is when evaluating a baseball card? If not, get ready to be surprised…

According to Phil, it is the player on the face of the card. Meaning, the value of the card is first and foremost determined by the stature of the player. #2 is where the player’s career is at. Rookie cards hold the most value, per Phil, “the first year card is key.” Phil mentioned a number of metrics following player and rookie card, including but not limited to “condition, rarity, series number, and the all important hype machine of the player in question.” When I asked Phil what was the age profile for the average collector he answered that “collectors tend to be older in age and that the youth movement at card shows is a mix of collectors and sellers, with the tilt towards sellers.”

Phil was so impressive. His knowledge of baseball cards, their value, their history, their place in the collectibles world is absolutely off the charts. I spent about 10 minutes or so just listening before I pumped in another question about the cards industry and the cards I brought in. By the way, my cards are priceless to me and apparently worthless in cash value – so I will be keeping all of them!!! But seriously, Phil was so great. Highly recommended for the novice to expert card collector to price out your single card or entire collection.

When we were finished, Phil pointed me to a few exceptional tables and sellers. The photos in the blog were taken with the seller’s permission and include some of the most incredible baseball cards I have ever seen. I stared at each case for about 10 minutes in complete awe that the cards were that close to me. Joe Namath, Ichiro, David Wright, Jerry West, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, Luis Tiant – the list goes on and on. What an incredible opportunity for a baseball fan, like myself, to view history right there in front of my eyes. Spectacular.

What an awesome card show experience at the January 757 Card Show. First off, the VB Fieldhouse is incredible. What an amazing indoor sports complex, loved to see all the activities going on that Saturday. Russell and Phil were so friendly and knowledgeable and just overall good guys. Huge thanks to Phil for giving me the rundown on the value of cards and the state of the card collecting industry. Personally, I loved the family feel of the show. And I especially loved all the great conversations with fellow collectors and those incredible vendors. Overall, it was a fantastic 757 Card Show experience and I can’t wait to attend the next one in late February. And no, I will not be trading in my Nolan Ryan Angels Card!!!