Sports Card Dealers
A Fun Run: Kevin Savage still going strong as one of the hobby’s longest-running sports card dealers
Kevin Savage started as a sports card dealer in the early 1980s and had a mail-order business while a college student.
But after graduating, he jumped into the hobby full force. Sports memorabilia, particularly trading cards, was his full-time job. And he had a brick-and-mortar hobby shop in Ohio from 1983-93.
“I’ve never really done anything real, a real job … but it’s worked out pretty well,” Savage said, laughing. “It’s been a pretty good run. Heck, I probably wouldn’t know how to do anything else.”
Savage, 63, still recalls years ago telling his then-girlfriend, JoAnn, now his wife, that he was going to give it five years. He had a certain amount of money that he wanted to make selling sports memorabilia to figure out if it was something he could do long-term. He had goals and was focused on fulfilling them.
He has. Flash forward to the present: Kevin Savage Cards is still a full-time sports collectibles business based in the Toledo, Ohio suburb of Maumee. It offers weekly auctions and a trade show schedule, plus millions of vintage cards and more. The auctions are updated weekly, and fresh collectibles are offered every Friday.
“It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends, people who do what I do,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of dinners on the road with fellow dealers and collectors. It’s always been fun; it’s never been something where I dread going to [a card show] because it’s going to be boring. And that’s good.
“There are a lot of great people in the hobby. I love sports. I was a huge collector as a kid, so I understand the collecting mentality.
“The sad thing is, thinking about the people from the hobby who are not around anymore. There are a lot of friends who have passed, especially in the last five to 10 years. I miss those … old-timers, as I politely call them. They are the ones who blazed the trail. It’s definitely been a blessing to have met so many interesting people.”
Savage missed the first National Sports Collectors Convention in 1980 in Los Angeles. He was a sophomore in college that year and was simply a collector then. In 1981, when The National landed in Plymouth, Mich., Savage sold his wares across two tables.
Savage will again be buying and selling at the 44th National in Cleveland. He has only missed the National twice.
“We have built our business on strong customer service, fair and accurate grading, and standing behind our products and services. We were here last year, we are here today, and we will be here next year,” Savage said. “The market is always changing. You kind of learn how and why people collect, what kind of service they want or need. But the market changes, so you must be flexible.”
Savage sells mostly vintage cards and autographs.
“I’ve bought a lot of significant collections, some from $100,000 to $500,000, but no $5 million deal. … But that’s not something we’ve been chasing, and that’s okay with me.”
Savage’s business has never featured the prized T206 Honus Wagner card, but he has sold many examples of the iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card. In fact, he’s probably had 40 or 50 in his business over the years.
He recalls the promo craze that carried the 1991 National in Anaheim, Calif. The 2023 National in Chicago was also memorable.
“The last three [Nationals] have been really well attended with crazy crowds,” he said. “I think this year’s National is going to be really, really good. Nice to be back in Ohio. There are a lot of collectors in the Midwest, and Cleveland seems to be a good place to have it.
“The industry is healthy right now. There are still a lot of people collecting. There’s still a healthy group of collectors looking for vintage material.
“People in the Cleveland market are very excited that it’s coming to Cleveland and I expect huge crowds with brisk selling and buying, a lot of business transacted.”
Savage is always looking and always buying, but he does not collect personally anymore. His hobbies are golf, coaching, and working with charities.
He still attends about 13 shows annually—smiling, selling, and buying. He plans to stay active as a hobby dealer for another three to five years, then maybe venture into collectibles consulting or another area of the hobby.
“I’d probably drive my wife crazy if I retired and was home every day,” he said, laughing. “It’s been a good run, a fun run, for sure.”
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