TCI Sports Fan

A family-run Dayton fixture since 1997 mixing sports cards with non-sport sets, NASCAR die-casts, and three collector card shows a year.

TCI Sports Fan has held down its Linden Avenue storefront since 1997, which makes it one of the longest-running card shops in Dayton — and the inventory shows nearly three decades of accumulation in the best way. Sports cards across every major league anchor the store, but the non-sport section is what separates it from the pack: trading cards from TV shows, movies, comics, and wrestling share space with NASCAR die-cast cars, coin collectibles, and display cases for autographed memorabilia.

The shop is family-run, and owner Terry is the reason many customers refuse to shop anywhere else. Reviewers consistently note his prices meet or beat what they find online — no small claim in the modern hobby — and first-timers get walked through the store rather than left to wander. It earns strong marks across platforms, including a 96% recommendation rate from Facebook reviewers.

Three times a year — March, June, and October — TCI organizes local card shows that pull dealers and collectors from across the Miami Valley, making the store a hub for the region's trading community well beyond its own four walls. Ask at the counter for the next show date; tables tend to fill early.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday 10AM to 6:30PM and Saturday 10AM to 5PM, closed Sunday and Monday. The store sits on Linden Avenue near the Riverside line on Dayton's east side, with parking out front. For supplies, singles across eras, or that odd non-sport set nobody else stocks, this veteran Dayton card shop has probably had it in a box since before some of its customers were born.