There were years when card players and sports hobbyists were left going to shops on the mainland or visiting online stores. But that all changed in March 2025 when lifelong residents Eric and Chris Ward opened up a card and sports memorabilia shop.
Today, Treasure Cove Collectibles in Tavernier is the go-to shop for the sports hobbyist, the vintage comics fan, the Pokemon card collector and the Magic: The Gathering player.
Many people may be familiar with the Ward brothers. Eric, who runs the shop, previously spent 25 years slinging drinks at Snappers.
He’s joined in the venture by his brother Chris, who helps stranded boaters at Sea Tow. Chris is big into comic books, and he also collects football and baseball cards.
The two have always been collectors and hobbyists, and they’re elated to be bringing their passion to local patrons.
“It’s something that I’ve always been a part of as long as I can remember,” Eric said.
Eric said the shop originated after his brother and he returned home from St. Petersburg on a cleanup mission with Sea Tow following Hurricane Milton in 2024. When Eric wasn’t working on crane bars, he was joining TikTok lives and buying a variety of signed and specialty NFL helmets. The jaw-dropping collection includes a Ja’Marr Chase rare specialty custom helmet split in LSU and Cincinnati Bengals, a Tom Brady-signed Patriots and Buccaneers speciality split helmet and a Buffalo Bills helmet signed by Josh Allen, to name a few.
“I came back from that trip with 60 helmets in my living room,” Eric said. “And that’s what really started this whole business was these helmets, because I needed something to get rid of them. So we were like, ‘Let’s open a card shop.’”
Eric added that there hadn’t been a card shop in the Upper Keys since his early days when Randy’s card show was around.
“Our whole plan was to bring something down here that wasn’t fishing or wasn’t the bar, something a little different,” he said. “And we wanted to try and give something to the kids.”
The shop opened in Key Largo inside Richard Mangel’s Keys to Embroidery on March 14, 2025. By August, Ward moved his shop to Tavernier next to Victor’s phone repair shop.
“What Richard did for me up in Key Largo was amazing … just giving me a shot and making sure we could make some sales,” Eric said. “So yeah, I really owe a lot to them guys.”
Since opening, the card shop has seen its fair shot of patrons opening card packs and leaving with some big hits. The pulls have ranged from a Panini Jayden Daniels Downtown and a Select signed George Kittle in football. The card shop has also witnessed patrons pulling a signed Lionel Messi Club Legends and Manga Erling Haaland in soccer.
“We’re not selling million-dollar products. For the amount of hits that came out of here, we’ve been doing really well,” Eric said.
Then there are the Pokemon cards, which by far has been the hottest product since Ward opened.
“If Pokemon comes in, it goes,” Eric said. “There’s no waiting around for that product.”
Magic: The Gathering has also taken off at the shop with weekly meetups. Players 18 and older have been bringing their favorite decks, building their stacks and enjoying the game with each other. The gatherings take place Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than anything, Eric said he’s appreciative of all the support his shop has received from locals and visitors alike. The shop has also supported community endeavors, such as trivia night at Snappers, and organizations like the Upper Keys Lightning travel baseball team’s recent trip to Cooperstown.
Treasure Cove Collectibles is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit Treasure Cove Collectibles on Facebook to see the latest arrivals. Products can also be viewed online at treasurecovecollectibles.net.
