A card shop tucked inside the manor: slabs under glass, wax on the shelves, and a cereal aisle nobody can explain.
OPENSports Cards
The room is named for a real shop: Locker Room Sports Cards, on Walnut Street in Carlisle, run by a kid and his father. The paper wrote it up. Everything below is captioned from what’s printed on the cards, slabs and boxes. Click any photo to look closer, and press Rip a pack to light the sign.
The shop’s founding document, framed by the register.
The shop’s business card, ballplayer leaning on his bat.
“New business, young businessman”
From The Carlisle Mercury: a new baseball card shop in town, run by a young operator and his father, called Locker Room Sports Cards. It was on Walnut Street in Carlisle, with a line of new and old baseball cards in the case.
The original lives in the family shoebox on the home page. Visit the shoebox →
READS: New business, young businessman · The Carlisle Mercury · Locker Room Sports Cards · Walnut Street in Carlisle
Season’s greetings from Upper Deck
Locker Room Sports Cards was a commercial wholesaler for Upper Deck from day one, which is why an Upper Deck holiday card landed at the shop. Santa brought his own bat.
READS: Happy Holidays · UPPER DECK · LOCKER ROOM SPORTS CARDS · 366 WALNUT STREET · CARLISLE KY 40311 · IRVINE CA · DEC 17 ’92 · U.S. POSTAGE .52
Favorite Player
The Ryan Express
The shopkeeper’s favorite player growing up, given his own shelf: a signed photo, two prized cards and a tape nobody is allowed to record over.
A signed 8x10, framed
Ryan in a Rangers cap, blood on his lip and down the front of the jersey, signed across the chest in blue.
Shown from the shoulders up.
READS: T · signed: Nolan Ryan
The owner’s most prized cards
1968 Topps Rookie Stars, #177
Ryan’s rookie card, shared with Mets teammate Jerry Koosman. Kept in a screw-down holder.
READS: 1968 ROOKIE STARS · METS · JERRY KOOSMAN • P · NOLAN RYAN • P
1970 Topps Nolan Ryan, #712
Gray border, Mets pinstripes, glove up at the set.
READS: METS · Nolan Ryan · PITCHER
The 300th, taped at home
DO NOT TAPE OVER
The owner recorded this one himself, the night Ryan won his 300th game: July 31, 1990, Rangers 11, Brewers 3, at Milwaukee County Stadium. Ryan went 7⅔ innings and struck out eight.
READS: handwritten: July 31, 1990 Rangers vs. Brewers · Nolan Ryan Gets 300th Win · DO NOT TAPE OVER
The shopkeeper’s words: error cards were the chase cards of his generation. Gotta love the junk wax era. Every error and variation in the shop is filed in this one case: three Bill Ripkens and a mirrored Murphy.
1989 Fleer #616: three versions
The infamous one. Fleer shipped Bill Ripken’s 1989 card with a four-letter word written on the knob of his bat. Ripken later said he’d marked it to tell his batting-practice bat apart. Once people noticed, Fleer fixed it mid-run, more than once: whiteout, white scribbles, black scribbles, and finally a solid black box. Every fix became its own card, and collectors chase them all.
Here are three, in the order they came off the press. Ask the shopkeeper about it and he just points at the black box.
1 · The original: FF error
The way it first shipped, with a four-letter word written right on the knob of the bat, plain as day.
READS: 1989 FLEER #616 · BILL RIPKEN · FF ERROR · MINT 9
2 · The scribble
1989 Fleer Bill Ripken, “Black Scribble.” Another way Fleer tried to hide the knob of that bat: black marker-style scribbles right over it. Card #616, again.
READS: HGA · 1989 Fleer Black Scribble #616 · BILL RIPKEN · 8.5 NM-MT+ · Corners 8.0 · Edges 8.5 · Surface 8.5 · Centering 10 · SECOND BASE · FLEER
3 · The fix that stuck: black box
Fleer’s last big correction: a solid black box over the knob. Same player, same pose, same number.
READS: 1989 FLEER #616 · BILL RIPKEN · BLACK BOX OVER ERROR · MINT 9
1989 Upper Deck Dale Murphy, #357
The reverse negative: the photo was printed flipped, so the Braves script on his jersey runs backward. Upper Deck corrected it early in the print run.
READS: Dale Murphy · OF · UPPER DECK
Aisle III
The Legends Case
Behind the counter, under the good glass: old names, old cardboard, and a row of rookie cards next to Rickey Henderson’s signed ball.
1980 Topps Rickey Henderson, #482
His rookie card, filed right next to his signed ball. Some of the owner’s prized cardboard.
The Score Board’s certificate that came with the signed Nolan Ryan ball, kept right beside it. Guaranteed, it says, unconditionally.
READS: Certificate of Authenticity · has been personally autographed by Nolan Ryan · The Score Board, Inc. · Cherry Hill, NJ · Sports and Entertainment Marketing Specialists
Just admiring. Not in the collection; it’s here because it’s beautiful.
READS: NO. 30 · RED STOCKING (CINCINNATI) B.B. CLUB
The legends spread
READS: HANK AARON · REGGIE JACKSON ATHLETICS · 1989 UPPER DECK · 1981 TOPPS JOE MONTANA · 1968 ROOKIE STARS · NOLAN RYAN · SINGLE · PETE ROSE · THE SPORTING NEWS · 1993 UPPER DECK SP · 1994 UPPER DECK SP
Seven Bo Jacksons
READS: BO JACKSON · ROYALS · RATED ROOKIE · FLEER · SUPER ROOKIE · SCORE · FUTURE STARS
A ball signed Babe Ruth, under glass
Captioned as it reads, with more names crowded around it. Cropped in close to dodge the glare off the case.
READS: Babe Ruth · more signatures around the ball
The tall boys
READS: ELGIN BAYLOR · LOS ANGELES · PAT RILEY guard PORTLAND · BILL BRADLEY forward NEW YORK
Aisle IV
The Air Jordan Flight Club
Everything Michael Jordan in one aisle, starting with the Wheaties box on the end cap. Not every collectible came in a pack: some came in a cereal box, on a blister card, or with gum. Then the Flight Club welcome kit, the rare AIR tribute set, and some of the owner’s prized cards.
Wheaties, with poster
Cropped away from the hand holding it.
READS: WHOLE GRAIN WHEATIES · FREE Michael Jordan POSTER ON THIS BOX!
READS: THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS · WHOLE GRAIN WHEATIES · MADE WITH 100% WHOLE GRAIN
The welcome letter
Membership perks, listed right up top. Members only on the T-shirt.
READS: WELCOME TO THE AIR JORDAN FLIGHT CLUB! · AJFC T-shirt - for members only · AJFC Newsletter - sent out twice a year · Air Jordan Poster · Autographed photograph · AJFC Membership Card · Sincerely, Michael Jordan · AIR JORDAN FLIGHT CLUB · NIKE · 9000 S.W. NIMBUS AVENUE BEAVERTON OREGON 97005
The photograph from the welcome kit. The signature is printed on.
READS: signature: Michael Jordan · Jumpman Flight Club patch
rare AIR, in its envelope
1994 Upper Deck’s Michael Jordan rare AIR set, 90 cards.
READS: THE UPPER DECK COMPANY PRESENTS · rare AIR · MICHAEL JORDAN 90-CARD RARE AIR TRIBUTE SET
rare AIR, opened up
The booklet with a few of the cards still in their pockets. The paper towel and the counter were cropped away.
READS: The Upper Deck Company Presents: The Michael Jordan “rare AIR” Tribute Set · rare AIR · out TAKES · mj decade of dominance · Specific Highlights of the “rare AIR” Tribute set
1987-88 Fleer Sticker, #2 of 11
Some of the owner’s prized cards start here. Stars down the rail, Bulls red up front.
READS: FLEER · Michael Jordan — Bulls • Guard
1987-88 Fleer Michael Jordan
The base card that goes with the sticker. Gray bands, one finger up, ball on the hip.
READS: FLEER · BULLS · MICHAEL JORDAN · GUARD—FORWARD
1985 Star Crunch ’n Munch All-Stars, #4
One of the owner’s prized cards. From his first All-Star trip, in the East lineup.
READS: STAR ’85 · Crunch ’n Munch · MICHAEL JORDAN · East All-Star
1991 Upper Deck, #SP1
One of the owner’s prized cards. White Sox batting practice; the card back dates it July 25, 1990, at Comiskey.
READS: UPPER DECK ’91 · Michael Jordan
Starting Lineup, 1990 Edition
READS: STARTING LINEUP · FEATURING ROOKIE YEAR COLLECTORS CARD · ROOKIE YEAR 1984 · 1990 EDITION · Kenner
Starting Lineup, #23 at home
READS: STARTING LINEUP · FREE SLAM DUNK BASKETBALL FIGURE AND BASKET · Offer expires 12/31/89 · Kenner
Sealed boxes, still in their shrink wrap, and the packs inside, shown shut and then with the lid up. Some of them promise a chase card somewhere inside.
1983 Donruss, Puzzle & Cards
36 packs to the box. Every pack came with three pieces of a Ty Cobb puzzle instead of gum.
Upper Deck’s first baseball set, the one that opens with card #1, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Star Rookie. One box still wears its plastic.
READS: UPPER DECK · NEW! · BASEBALL 1989 EDITION · A Minimum of One 3-D Team Logo Hologram per pack! · Limited Edition, High Quality Cards · 15 Baseball Cards per pack · Counterfeit-Proof Cards · Random Sequencing · Tamper-Proof Pack
1989 Upper Deck, lid up
Foil, not wax, but it still counts on this shelf. The shop sold Upper Deck from day one, wholesale.
READS: MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL · 1989 · WIN! · A Minimum of One 3-D Team Logo Hologram & 15 Baseball Cards
Pop stars on cardboard, a card you have to look at twice, a gum tin, grab bags, a stamp album, and the long box where everything else lives.
Madonna, Pro Set Super Stars
Straightened and lifted out of the hand.
READS: PRO SET SUPER STARS · MADONNA
MC Hammer, Pro Set Super Stars
Straightened and lifted out of the hand.
READS: PRO SET SUPER STARS · M C HAMMER
Mark Jackson, times three
Collectors famously point at two courtside fans on this card. Look closely.
READS: MARK JACKSON · Guard · NBA HOOPS · KNICKS
Griffey gum tin
Cut out from a photo; the hand is gone.
READS: Ken Griffey, Jr. · NET WT. 1.5 OZ.
Baseball Card Grab Bags
What’s inside is anybody’s guess, which is the whole point.
READS: BASEBALL CARD GRAB BAG · ALL KILLER. NO FILLER. · ??? · WHAT HALL OF FAMERS AWAIT? · BEST DEAL ON THE INTERWEB
1961 Topps Baseball Stamp Album
Ten cents, sold separately from the stamps. The PROPERTY OF line is still blank, so it’s anybody’s.
READS: TOPPS · BASEBALL STAMP ALBUM · 10¢ · PROPERTY OF
The long box
Cropped away from the hand holding it.
Back Counter
The Sticker Bin
Gross-out parodies and a one-of-one sketch card, front and back.
Bill Pick’en, “Snot Base”
A Garbage Pail Kids-style parody of the Bill Ripken error card (see Aisle II), on a “Flinger” card. Artist unknown.
READS: BILL PICK’EN · SNOT BASE · FLINGER
Garbage Pail Kids, 2021
News-of-the-day parody cards in sleeves.
READS: ELECTRIC ELON · BIG SCREEN BERNIE · CASH MACHINE · BUSTED BILLY
The Martian Parody Set
Ten numbered cards in a Mars Attacks-style parody, invasion and all. Set name not readable in the photo.
READS: THE INVASION BEGINS · PEST CONTROL · BLAST OFF FROM EARTH · MARS IN RUINS · BRAIN CHIP
GPK Sketch Card
A one-of-one, hand-drawn Garbage Pail Kids sketch card: a bomb head sprouting a plant. Signed and dated ’21; the signature looks like “Skubis” (Manor lore · unverified).
…and Its Back
The Topps back that makes it official.
READS: SKETCH CARD · CONGRATULATIONS! YOU NOW OWN A ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECE OF HAND-DRAWN ART!
