About Us

Dean and Marilyn Bapes

Dean and Marilyn have been collectors since they were kids. Born and raised on the South Side, the White Sox were their favorite baseball team. Some of their Sports Heroes are Aparicio, Fox, Landis, Minoso, Mantle, Maris, and football greats like Unitas. They started doing card shows out of their garage, then set up at card shows. They opened their first store in 1991 in Aurora moving to Naperville in 1996. They expanded in 2002 by adding the 4U2Room to accomodate meetings signings, parties, and gaming tournaments. "The Dugout is committed to make your collecting experience a positve, fun time."

Michael Paniak

Michael joined the Dugout team in 2008 but is far from being a "rookie" when it comes to collecting. Starting over 30 years ago, Michael's hobby started thanks to his cousin David. Michael began doing card shows at Holiday Inn and Brother Rice High School selling a vintage sports collection for $12,000. Been a member of eBay since 1998 where he has sold nearly 800,000 cards and is recognized as a Power Seller. Using his computer skill and technical knowledge, Michael has expanded the online portion of the business. Some of his creative ideas have included a re-designed website, eBay sellers club, upcoming newsletters, VIP Email communications, and Diamonds in the Dugout.