Old trading cards can be worth a lot of money, but for some collectors in Albuquerque – that’s not what makes them special. For collectors like Alfredo Rios, trading cards are a ticket to something bigger.

“Card collecting allows you to, you know, be a little bit closer to your favorite players and your teams,” Rios said.

Rios mostly collects cards of basketball players, and he’s been doing it since he was a kid.

“Jordan and his shop are one of the last remaining stores here in Albuquerque,” Rios said. “With the evolution of the internet and eBay, a lot of card shops have actually gone under,” Rios said. “So he’s one of the ones that have survived that.”

But Rios says the inventory is not what makes Jordan Robinson’s shop so special.

“Very similar to Olive Garden, I felt like when you’re here, you’re family,” Rios said. “He’s very quick to tell you what you have. If somebody’s looking to sell their collection, he’s always available to make an honest and fair offer. And you just don’t see that, you’re not gonna get that online.”

Of course, Robinson has cards for the serious collectors, but Robinson’s door is always open for young collectors too.

“He also rewards children for their good grades, so they’re welcome to bring their report cards in, and I believe for every A, they will be able to redeem that for a product in his store, which is, you don’t you don’t see that anymore,” Rios said.

He says it makes a difference.

“On the weekends, you’ll see a lot of young children come in and their sports equipment, maybe after their baseball games or basketball games, and they want to share their accomplishments on the field and on the court with Jordan, because he creates that environment where there’s such a positive feel to what they’ve done,” Rios said.

After five years of faithful trading, Rios decided it was time to Pay it 4ward. Click on the video above to watch.