Sports Card Dealers
Cranston Sports Card Show going outdoors for summer, oceanside event
Mike Mangasarian has been holding the Cranston Sports Card Show since 1976, when there was still an American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks were NFL expansion teams.
As the longtime show promoter, Mangasarian was looking for something different for the hobby’s oldest charity-run sports card show.
How about a summertime show held outdoors near the beach?
With more promoters experimenting with outdoor shows, Mangasarian decided to take his show outdoors in the beautiful summer resort town of Wickford, R.I. The oceanside village is a hidden gem in Rhode Island and is starting to attract summer tourists on their way to Cape Cod and other New England resort locations.
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“I decided I wanted to be a little different than all the shows happening over the summer and am willing to take a few chances,” Mangasarian said. “The purpose is to come to the Ocean State and have some fun, enjoy the fresh seafood restaurants whose fishing trawlers dock in Point Judith, R.I., and do it while shopping for sports collectibles. The ocean is less than a half-mile away and the facility is heavily shaded with shade trees.”
The one-day show will be held Aug. 12 at the Wickford Middle School at 250 Tower Hill Rd, North Kingstown, R.I. Mangasarian says there is ample parking and plenty of shade trees at the location at the intersection of Routes 1 and 102.
There is a $200 participation fee for up to 15 tables and dealers are allowed to drive right up to the location to set up. Dealer setup is sunrise or 5:30 a.m.
Admission is $3 per person, or $5 for 2, with children 5 and under free. The show opens at 8 a.m., with a rain date scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 13.
In addition to modern and vintage sports cards, the show will include autographs, vintage sports equipment, tobacco cards, wax boxes and packs, Pokémon and other non-sports cards, hobby supplies, vintage photos, pennants, yearbooks, programs, ticket stubs, regional issues, comic books, stamps, coins and more.
“We are anticipating the weather cooperating for this to be a collectible experience like none other previously offered,” Mangasarian said.
For more information, contact Mike Mangasarian
401-601-5703 or email MikeMango1@gmail.com. The shows social media accounts are: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cranstoncardshow/; Instagram cranstonsportscardshow; Twitter: @cardcranston; Tik Tok: @cardcranston
