In what can only be described as a groundbreaking innovation for trading card enthusiasts far and wide, two titans of the trade met at the crossroads of commerce and community to usher in a new era for collectors. PSA, the proverbial gold standard in card grading, and Burbank Sportscards, a haven for seekers of rare cardboard treasures, have formed a partnership that echoes the epic alliances of old.
Come May 30th, this vibrant collaboration reaches its ultimate form as PSA opens a physical retail store, cozily nestled within the expansive confines of the new Burbank Sportscards megastore in sunny Southern California. This freshly minted emporium marks not only a milestone for these two well-known entities but also sets the stage for an exhilarating and forward-thinking chapter in the annals of the collecting community.
Unlike pheasant on a chapel spire, PSA’s new venture doesn’t exist in solitude. Instead, it integrates seamlessly into Burbank’s impressive 14,000-square-foot domain—a fusion of industry expertise and expansive inventory. It’s like a brick-and-mortar version of a Swiss army knife, with meticulously crafted facilities designed to provide collectors with more comprehensive hands-on support than ever before.
Ryan Hoge, PSA President and spokesperson of this new era, exudes enthusiasm as he describes the impetus behind this brick-and-mortar revelation. “This is about being closer to the customer,” Hoge explains, painting a picture that resonates with any collector’s vision of perfection. “Collectors love being able to talk to our team at events. Now we’re giving them a place to do that every day.” Imagine being able to submit items for grading—any manner of wonder from standard trading cards to autographs and beyond, Funko Pops included, even down to unopened packs of mystical allure and hieroglyphs on tickets of times past.
The new space also offers the practicality of PSA’s Vault storage and the allure of eBay consignment services, as if personal valets were at your beck and call, ready to whisk your treasures off to fortune.
Rob Veres, the mastermind owner of Burbank Sportscards, equates this latest initiative not just to an upgrade but as a significant reinvention of what it means to be a card shop. “Our vision was something immersive,” Veres articulated with the clear-eyed zeal of a pioneer unveiling a new world. The space will evoke the mist and magic of a card show, presented within the dependable structure of a top-tier retail environment, the sense of wonder and engagement heightened by the certainty that every visitor is securely at the nexus of the hobby.
The store employs a system reminiscent of an arcade of infinite amusements, providing access to over 40 million cards via a kiosk setup. Simply summon the digitally archived wonders you desire, and be bestowed with cards plucked from their catalogue’s deep, labyrinthine depths. Also, for those who delight in delightful discoveries without plundering their coffers, over a million cards priced at just 25 cents each are sorted on the floor by sport and year—a veritable treasure trove for the frugal detective clad in the guise of a collector.
For Burbank, the transformation doesn’t stop at the store’s threshold. Earlier this year, Burbank Sportscards dropped another proverbial pebble in the pond with their decision to draw all inventory from eBay, casting instead their lot with the promising tides of the Fanatics Collect marketplace. Announced with the resonance of a herald’s trumpet at the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention, this move sent ripples through the trading card universe that now become part of the tsunami of excitement surrounding this latest evolution.
As they pull back the curtains on this marvelous assembly, a curious contemplation arises—will this gem of a partnership spawn a realm of like-minded outposts across the continent? Will hobbyists elsewhere see similar flowers of friendship bloom? Or is this a singular enclave celebrating the longstanding relationship between these two entities?
Regardless of speculated futures, what’s irrefutable is that this new endeavor strikes a chord that resonates with the growing chorus of demand for in-person, expert-level service. The confluence of PSA’s authoritative grading within the rich ambiance of Burbank’s collector-friendly environment signals more than the mere unveiling of a new store. It heralds the dawn of an evolution, transforming the hobby into a more inclusive, interactive, and community-driven pursuit for the modern collector. A place where passion and prosperity dance together to the music of nostalgia and novelty alike.
