Baseball Card City

Vintage 1960s Topps behind the counter and binders of commons up front make this Peoria mainstay the area's true old-school sports card destination.

Baseball Card City has been the name Peoria collectors trade back and forth for decades, and the W Glen Avenue storefront still delivers what the sign promises. Run by Randy and Tammy Conlee, the shop built its reputation on baseball — especially vintage — and the boxes of 1960s and 1970s Topps behind the counter remain the main event. Set builders working on mid-century runs will want to ask the staff to pull the vintage stock; much of the best material isn't on the open floor.

That said, the inventory long ago outgrew the name. Football, basketball, and hockey cards all have real shelf space, and the shop has added Pokemon, Marvel Universe, Star Wars, and even Cabbage Patch collectibles over the years. One visiting parent described staff walking her son straight to the hockey section and talking to him about the sport — the kind of counter service that keeps a Peoria card shop in business across generations.

Pricing runs fair rather than flashy. Reviewers consistently mention reasonable prices on packs and singles, and the commons boxes reward anyone willing to dig. It's a browsing shop in the best sense: old and new inventory mixed together, with finds at every budget from quarter cards to serious vintage keys.

Hours are Monday through Friday 11AM to 6PM and Saturday 11AM to 5PM, closed Sunday. If your collecting leans toward baseball cards in Peoria — or you just want the experience of a genuine, family-run hobby shop — this is the first stop to make, and at 4.7 stars across nearly 90 Google reviews, plenty of others agree.