Andrew Salkin remembers vividly the moment his love of trading cards was born.
He was 5 years old and riding on a school bus. Another kid got on board carrying a box full of sports trading cards and dropped it. The cards scattered across the floor of the bus.
“I was a nice kid, so I helped him pick them up,” Salkin said.
The appreciative other kid said he could keep some of them as a reward for his kind behavior. It was a wide assortment, a mix of cards featuring players from different sports.
There was Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ed Belfour, he recalled. There was Yankees catcher Jorge Posada.
Salkin was hooked.
“I think they were just fun,” he said. “You’d collect them, trade them with your friends. We’d have sleepovers and all bring our cards.”
Andrew Salkin of Plymouth Meeting looks through cards during the Pennsylvania State Card Show at the Redner’s Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Today, the recent college graduate from Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County, has turned his childhood hobby into a business. He runs PHLCardz, buying and selling all sorts of trading cards.
On Saturday that brought him to Reading. He was one of hundreds of collectors who filled the Redner’s Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium for the Pennsylvania State Card Show.
“It’s nice to see so many people excited about the hobby,” said Nick Palladino, CEO of event host Pals Sports Cards, LLC.
Palladino has been a collector since he was a kid and said he’s excited to be able to bring back some youthful feelings through continuing.
“It’s my stress relief,” he said. “It brings you back to when you were a kid. And I can get stuff now that I couldn’t afford back then.”
Palladino said he enjoys collecting older baseball cards as well as newer football cards and anything featuring Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
Nick Palladino, CEO of Pal’s Sports Cards, the organizer of the event, stands with his son Brock, 13, who is selling cards during the Pennsylvania State Card Show at the Redner’s Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Palladino said the idea of the show is to provide a safe, welcoming environment for collectors young and old to share their passion.
“We want it to be a fun environment, not all of the hustle and bustle of the bigger events,” he said.
Indeed, the event did have a laid-back feel. People smiled as they perused, seemingly glad to be among others who share their passion.
Salkin thumbed through boxes packed with cards, looking for deals in hopes of reselling his finds for a profit. About an hour into the show, he had a backpack already one-third full.
Daniel Grycon of Manheim holds up a Jalen Hurts card he is selling during the Pennsylvania State Card Show at the Redner’s Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Daniel Grycon was on the other side of things.
The 12-year-old from Manheim was working at a table, selling cards from his collection.
“It’s fun to make deals with people and negotiate,” he said.
Grycon said he started getting into cards about a year ago, partly by watching YouTube videos of people opening packs of cards or attending shows like Saturday’s.
He said he really enjoys finding rare cards — the one-of-one Mookie Betts cards that featured a patch he had for sale — and collects specific athletes. The Orioles’ Jackson Holliday and Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence are two of his favorites.
Grycon’s dad, Billy, accompanied his son to the show. But he made clear that it was his kid who was running thing and watched with a smile as he made deals.
“I’m proud of him,” he said. “It’s teaching him good business sense.”
Andrew Salkin of Plymouth Meeting scans the web for pricing during the Pennsylvania State Card Show at the Redner’s Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Collectors jam the Pennsylvania State Card Show at the Redner’s Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)