IN THE CARDS.

Byline: Eric Florip The Register-Guard

Brian Corley's job is a sports fan's dream.

As the owner and sole operator of Springfield Sports Cards in downtown Springfield, Corley is immersed in sports culture. He watches players and teams closely, and he can tell you the value of just about any piece of sports memorabilia, past or present.

But Corley's small, old-fashioned card and memorabilia shop is a dying breed. Corley said shops like his have declined during the past decade, mainly because of the rise of the online eBay market. At the same time, many children have lost interest in collecting, instead choosing to while away the hours on an Xbox or a Playstation 3, he said.

"The video games have taken away from this market," Corley said. "It's not like it was 10 years ago. This place would have been filled with kids 10 years ago."

Corley first took over the store two years ago, and he's since tried to expand his customer base by embracing the online market. He already sells the store's inventory through his own eBay account, and plans to launch a Web site as early as this week. There, Corley said, he can reach other markets and sell items that might not have as much appeal in Springfield or Eugene.

"I think it's diversifying," he said. "I think the Web site will help because it will increase my customer base without having to increase my walk-in traffic."

But that's not to say Corley doesn't already get visitors in his small space - just over 300 square feet - at 145 Fifth Street under City Hall. The store houses hundreds of football, basketball and baseball cards, along with several collectables of sports stars in "the big three" sports.

Corley said the business of collecting and trading is similar to handling an investment.

"It's like playing the stock market," Corley said. "You try to buy at the right price, and then you sell at the high."

That sounds simple enough, but it's not always that easy, he said. A card or collectible's value can fluctuate daily based on a player's performance and success, along with any number of other factors. In the case of NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who last month pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges, memorabilia with his likeness took a nosedive in price, Corley said. An autographed Vick card sold before the charges surfaced would have brought in about $1,500, he said. Now, that number's closer to $275.

But there is money to be made with a little bit of good fortune, said Mark Dorfman, a collector who visited Springfield Sports Cards on a recent afternoon. He said he also treats cards as an investment, often trying to buy a rookie player's card and cash in on later success.

"Typically I like to buy an unknown and hope I get lucky," Dorfman said. But the practice can be stressful, he added.

"It gets tiresome because the windows of opportunity are very small these days," he said.

Corley hopes to provide a place for collectors to share their hobby, both online and in his downtown shop. Many of his customers now are regulars, he said.

Corley said he's been encouraged by his first two years at the Springfield store. After owning three previous stores in the 1990s, Corley sold Oregon Sports Cards in Eugene in 1997 to take a job at Firestone, he said. But after taking over Springfield Sports Cards in 2005, he said his current venture is his most successful yet.

Corley said he plans to continue to expand on that success - making a business out of being a sports fan, and making plenty of friends in the process.

"It's really fun," Corley said. "It's fun talking sports. Sometimes it becomes like a barber shop, talking about life."