Ken Martin began collecting baseball cards and other memorabilia three decades ago, right after he was seriously injured while fighting in Desert Storm.
Ken holds a 1991 Topps baseball card with a special Desert Storm insignia. A disabled Army veteran, he said Topps gave all soldiers going home from Desert Storm a box of packages of the 1991 set, which were marked with the Desert Storm insignias.
He draws on his passion for that longtime hobby in his latest business venture – the Score Big Collectibles shop at 508 N. Truman Blvd. in Crystal City that he and his wife, Karen, opened last month.
At the shop, the Martins, both 52 of Festus, offer a wide variety of sports collectibles, as well as other types of memorabilia.
Ken, a disabled veteran, said his ankle was shattered in 13 places while he was serving in Iraq and left the Army in 1991 as a corporal.
“That actually propelled my collecting,” he said. “The Topps Company (which makes trading cards and other collectibles) gave out baseball cards with Desert Storm logos stamped on them to anyone who wanted them. You got a box with packs of cards in them. Most soldiers didn’t want to bring them back home. Guys didn’t want to carry them.”
So, Ken not only returned home with his special baseball cards, but also with many he got from other soldiers.
“I traded to get extra boxes,” he said. “I actually put together an entire set. I still have it.”
He said his complete set of 1991 Topps Major League Baseball cards with the Desert Storm logos is not for sale, but he has others he is willing to part with.
“I have some of the Desert Storm cards to sell,” he said.
When the Martins opened Score Big Collectibles on January 13, they were surprised at the business they got right off the bat during a frigid weekend.
“We had over 45 separate purchases that day,” Ken said. “I was very happy.”
He said the shop also buys and trades collectibles.
Ken and Karen said their store displays numerous items for customers to inspect and buy.
“We also offer gaming collectibles, such as Pokemon and Star Wars collectibles” Ken said. “We also have vintage video games and figurines. We sell Nintendo, Xboxes, PlayStation, Atari. Pretty much any system there is, we buy, sell and trade. We have items from every sport, including baseball, football, hockey, basketball and newer ones, like MMA (mixed martial arts). We have autographed jerseys, bats and balls. We also do comic books.”
Karen said the store also sells other kinds of memorabilia.
“We have movie memorabilia, like Freddy Krueger figurines. We have Marvel superhero figurines and posters,” she said. “We have sports T-shirts and toys.”
The Martins also offer some collectibles that were giveaways at Busch Stadium, including mugs, jerseys and bobbleheads.
Ken said people of all ages have been visiting the store.
“We get younger kids. I’d say kids around 13 and 14 look at Pokemon and One Piece,” he said. “One Piece is a current cartoon. They’re interested in Dragon Ball Z (also a current cartoon).”
Adults often show up at Score Big Collectibles looking for memorabilia from specific sports teams or players or just to see what the shop has on display, the Martins said.
“Soccer is picking up with the St. Louis soccer team (St. Louis City SC),” Karen said.
“I’d probably say football and baseball are the most popular sports items during their seasons,” Ken added. “People are interested in Jordan Walker (a young Cardinal outfielder) and Masyn Winn (a promising Cardinal shortstop).”
He said people may be surprised to learn that memorabilia from O.J. Simpson remains popular.
“O.J. Simpson still sells a pretty good amount,” he said.
Ken said he previously owned a sports collectibles business when he lived in Indiana, but had been out of the business for quite a while.
He and his wife have lived in Festus for eight years.
“The hobby has changed a whole lot since then,” he said. “We went through what they call ‘The Junk Wax Era.’ That’s when they way, way overproduced (collectibles). That and the sports strikes put a damper on the collectible world. Since COVID, though, collectibles have come back tremendously.”
Ken said the one collectible he would love to acquire is the Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card.
“That’s probably the sports collectible GOAT (greatest of all time),” he said.
The Martins said their collectibles business is one of just a few in the area.
“There just aren’t many collectible places like this in the county,” Karen said. “We’re getting people coming in from all over Jefferson County. We’re wanting to expand out. I will be looking to do booths at fairs around the county.”
Score Big Collectibles is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed Sundays and Mondays.
Both Ken and Karen have other jobs. Ken works as an insurance adjuster, and Karen is a pharmacy coordinator.
“That’s why our hours are the way they are,” Ken said. “I do my inspections in the morning, then come in here.”
Karen said she’s impressed with her husband’s knowledge of collectibles and his desire to operate his own shop.
“He’s always wanted to open a store with exactly what we have right now,” she said. “He really knows his stuff. I’m very supportive.”
The Martins have four adult children, and two of them, along with Ken’s father, help run the shop.
For more information, call Score Big Collectibles at 636-331-5544 or send emails to Scorebigcollectibles@scorebc.net.