“Hit” is a term in the hobby world used to describe a big value pull from a pack of cards. That’s exactly what The Collector’s Ward is in Oakdale.
The shop, which will mark its one-year anniversary in August, is a popular spot and has seen many customers have their fair share of “hits.” Big time cards have left the shop, including multiple 1-of-1 cards.
Owner Chad Ward enjoyed the hobby of card collecting at a young age.
“When I was a kid (late 1980’s early 1990’s) my dad used to bring me baseball cards and that was something that we shared in common. You see, he was a hunter and that is not my thing, but what helped us bond was the love of card collecting,” said Ward.
It was a passion that Ward kept into adulthood and turned it into a successful career.
“In about 2013 I got back into card collecting and pursued it to a career. I was not trying to make a lot of money from it but in about 2017 I was selling on eBay and it turned a profit.”
The Collector’s Ward is the only major source of card and sports memorabilia in town, on the east side of Oakdale. Prior to opening, collectors had to commute to Modesto or further just to get a chance to purchase something.
“Oakdale is a tight knit community. The Foothills (Jamestown, Sonora area) does not have any sports (card) shops. Oakdale loves sports, but I was not sure if they loved sports cards or anything like that. However, on my eBay store, we did notice that a few buyers were from Oakdale. We figured we could give Oakdale a chance and honestly, I am glad we did. Things are coming together. We did not want to overwhelm anyone but as time has gone on things have evolved into a smoother groove.”
The shop offers cards and memorabilia from Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association, World Wrestling Entertainment, Ultimate Fighting Championship, soccer and more. They also feature a wide variety of Pokémon, Magic the Gathering, Disney, Star Wars, Funko and more, appealing to a wide range of customers and interests.
“When we first opened, we did not have any Magic and little Pokémon. We saw the demand for it and it has become a staple here in the shop. We have tournaments and other events for them,” added Ward.
Other big items they have include autographs from big stars including Devonte Adams, Cody Rhodes, George Kittle, Tim Brown, Justin Herbert, Shaquille O’Neal and more.
Recently the store got their approval for Upper Deck products. That means they can now carry products from Upper Deck like National Hockey League, All Elite Wrestling, Pro Golf Association, Jordan and Marvel.
“It’s a big deal to get approval from them. It’s something we were working on and we got the approval so in the near future we will be adding those items to our shelves,” Ward explained.
On July 6 the store will be hosting a Magic the Gathering tournament in conjunction with the release of Assassins Creed. The night before they will be hosting a trade night at 5 p.m. where folks will be able to come in and trade their cards with one another.
The store is run by both Ward and his friend of nearly a decade, Juan Meza.
“Juan is a great dude. He is knowledgeable of the products; he knows a lot about wrestling and pop culture and he is great with customers,” Ward said. “He truly does a great job as a manager here. I am lucky to have him on board. He is a collector at heart and his passion shows.”
The store also offers a grading service for cards.
“Grading cards is a service we offer. That means if someone wants something graded, we can ship it out to PSA (the most reliable source for card grading) and PSA will ship it back to us and we let the customer come back and pick it up at the store.”
The grading system is on a ranking scale of one to 10, with 10 being the best. Cards are returned in a covering that protects the card along with a sticker on top showing information on the card and the grade it received. Cards are much more valuable when they are graded, Ward noted.
The store is in the Oak Ridge Plaza, at 1570 E. F St., Suite G, Oakdale. They are also active online with Instagram (TheCollectorsWard), eBay (CaCardBreaks) and Facebook (The Collector’s Ward and CaCardBreaks-Live Breaks). The phone number is (209) 341-9389.
