Coast Cards LLC

Coast Cards LLC is a family-friendly card shop at 20 Goulds Lane, Suite 2, in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania, run by a family with more than 30 years in the trade. It carries sports cards and memorabilia alongside a broad range of trading card games, and it also buys, trades, takes consignments and handles grading submissions. The shop sits close to Hazleton, West Hazleton, Drums and St Johns, and about a half hour from Wilkes Barre.

What's on the shelves

Sports cards are the core of the stock, covering baseball, basketball, football and other sports, from vintage cards to recent releases. Memorabilia, including signed items, sits next to them. The cards are sorted by team, star and card type in blue bins, which the store occasionally puts on buy-one-get-one sales.

On the trading card game side, the store carries Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece Card Game, Weiss Schwarz and Disney Lorcana. Cards and packs are sold in store, and the store also sells online and ships within the US with a few exceptions.

Buying, trading and consignment

The store buys sports cards and trading card game cards, typically paying around 70 to 75 percent of market price, and it prioritizes cards of significant value over commons. Baseball cards from 1980 to 2000 are generally not wanted, and neither are football cards from 1990 to 2000. Memorabilia is bought only when it has been authenticated by a recognized service such as PSA, Beckett or JSA.

Trades are accepted for cards and items of significant value, with each one evaluated for fairness. Evaluations of cards and items are free in most cases, though a consultation fee may apply to very large bulk orders. Consignment carries a 20 percent fee per listed product, and consigned items travel with the store to the card shows and events it attends.

Grading submissions go through PSA or SGC for a flat $25 per card, paid half at submission and half when the graded card returns to the store. Promotional specials on submissions come up occasionally.

Events

Trade Nights run at the shop twice a month, giving collectors a chance to trade with the store or with each other. One past edition ran 4 PM to 9 PM and welcomed Pokémon, One Piece, Weiss Schwarz, Magic: The Gathering and Lorcana players, who could trade, sell and play. It also included a Super Smash Bros. bracket with $30 in store credit for the winner. The store has hosted its own card show, the Summer Slam Card Jam, held on August 2 with water and basic amenities for attendees, and it regularly attends local card shows as well as larger ones in and outside Pennsylvania.

Store policies

Events in the shop's enclosed space require attendees to be clean and showered, and anyone who doesn't meet that standard is removed. The store accepts major credit cards, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Pricing on in-store items is flexible where possible. Past promotions have included 10 percent off all store items on Black Friday.

Hours and getting there

The store is open seven days a week except major holidays.

Coming from Allentown, the route runs up I-476 North and I-81 North to exit 145, then follows PA 93 to the store in Sugarloaf Township.

The local scene

Hazleton has two other stores within about six miles: Golden Unicorn Comics, 5 miles away, and Savadge Dragon Games, 6.2 miles away. Margo: Intergalactic Trash Collector in Hazle Township is 7 miles out, a second Golden Unicorn Comics in McAdoo is 7.7 miles away, and Totally Cool Collectibles in Berwick is 10.1 miles away. For shows, one on East Mountain Road off Route 115 starts November 22, about 21.9 miles away, and The Big Show Card Show begins November 7, about 37.2 miles away. A show at Susquehanna Valley Mall, about 43.6 miles away, follows on November 29.