Schofield Coin & Hobby

Schofield Coin & Hobby is a collectibles shop at 754 Grand Ave in Schofield, Wisconsin, open since November 2008. It is a coin dealer first, with sports cards, comics, stamps and currency sharing the cases, which makes it a stop for collectors who range across several hobbies rather than players looking for a game night. There is no organized play here, so the draw is the stock and the buying counter.

What's on the shelves

The store carries collectible coins, currency, comics, sports cards and stamps. Baseball is the deepest sports-card category, with vintage issues sorted by manufacturer and year: Bowman from the late 1940s through the 1950s, Fleer from 1960 to 1963, Goudey, Leaf, and Topps runs from 1952 through 1972. Basketball, football and hockey cards are stocked too, along with oddball and food issues, non-sports cards and a section of graded cards.

The coin side is broad. US coins are organized by denomination and type, from half cents, two cents and three cents through the Seated Liberty, Barber and Mercury series, and on to Morgan and Peace dollars, mint sets, proof sets and commemoratives. US currency, US stamps and world coins, currency and stamps round out the numismatic and philatelic stock. Comics span Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Valiant, Gold Key and Golden Age titles, among others, and a postcard selection is sorted by US state and world region.

Much of the inventory is also sold online, a business that grew out of more than 5,000 successful online sales by the owner.

Buying and appraisals

The store buys collectibles from customers and offers a free appraisal in person. Buying is a priority here: the owners aim to be the strongest buyer in the area for coins, cards and other collectibles.

History

The brick-and-mortar store opened in November 2008. The owner has been collecting stamps and sports cards since the age of 5, has more than 40 years in the hobby, added coins to his own collecting in the mid 1990s and began dealing in rare coins in 2001. That long collecting history explains the store's lean toward vintage material and an inventory sorted the way advanced collectors search it.

The local scene

Schofield sits beside Wausau, and several other card and game stores are within a mile or so. Johnny Cee Cards in Schofield is the closest at 0.2 miles. Coulee Cards & Gaming Wausau is 0.8 miles away. Odin Games and Hobby and ChAdam Games, both in Schofield, are each about a mile off, as is a second Johnny Cee Cards location in Wausau. Collectors who want games and organized play alongside coins and vintage cards can combine a visit here with one of those shops.