Encounter

Union Boulevard collectibles shop stacked with three decades of comics, figures and trading cards, open eleven to eight every single day of the week.

Thirty-plus years of accumulated inventory is the honest description of Encounter, a deep-shelved collectibles store on Union Boulevard that has become a default stop for anyone selling a mixed box in the Lehigh Valley. Trading cards sit alongside modern comics, back issues, figures and collectible games, and part of the appeal is that you rarely leave with only the thing you came for.

What separates it from most trading cards Allentown destinations is the buying desk. Walk-in offers are made on the spot, and reviewers consistently report leaving with more than they expected for boxes they assumed were worth little. That reputation is built across 408 Google reviews, a volume no other card seller in the city comes close to.

Expect a browse rather than a curated case. Shelves run floor to ceiling, and the good stuff rewards patience — long boxes of back issues, collectible card games from the last three decades, and a rotating spread of figures and oddities. One long-running review politely notes the dust; the flip side is that nothing has been picked over and repriced by an algorithm.

The hours are the easiest in the city to plan around: 11AM to 8PM, seven days a week, no exceptions for Sunday. If your only free window is a Sunday evening, this is effectively the sole Allentown option still open.

Union Boulevard has street parking directly out front and the shop sits in a walkable stretch of storefronts, so it pairs well with a broader afternoon out. Bring cash if you plan to haggle on a stack, and set aside more time than you think you need — nobody gets through this place in fifteen minutes.