Bankston's Comics and Collectibles

Family-run since 1985, Bankston's stocks millions of baseball cards alongside deep back-issue comics, making it Waco's longest-standing vintage stop.

Four decades in the same business puts Bankston's in rare company. Family-owned since 1985, this S Valley Mills Drive institution is by a wide margin the oldest card destination in Waco, and the inventory shows the accumulation: the shop advertises millions of baseball cards, spanning vintage tobacco-era style classics through modern MLB, NFL, and NBA releases, alongside autographed memorabilia and one of the region's largest comic back-issue selections.

Customers describe the place as a mecca of overflowing shelves — vintage action figures, anime merchandise, and statues crowd the aisles between the card stock. The buy side of the counter matters as much as the sell side here: Bankston's actively purchases and trades for collections, and staff can special-order nearly anything in the comics and collectibles world. Serious vintage hunters should budget real time; the sheer volume rewards patient digging more than a quick in-and-out.

Every May the store throws one of the bigger Free Comic Book Day parties in Central Texas, complete with live music, a bounce house, and a sidewalk sale. Bankston's also shares ownership with King's Landing Games one block down, so a single parking trip covers both vintage sports cards and an active tournament scene — a pairing that makes this corner of town the closest thing to a collecting district any trading cards Waco search will turn up.

The shop keeps traditional retail hours, roughly 10AM to 6PM Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday; calling ahead to confirm the opening hour is smart, as posted times vary slightly by source. Private lot parking and wheelchair access make visits easy.