A Lifetime in Baseball Cards: A Collector’s Journey
A Lifetime in Baseball Cards: A Collector’s Journey I bought my first baseball card in 1973 when I was 12 years old. What started as a simple childhood interest turned into a lifelong hobby that has followed me through every stage of life. Over the decades, my collection has grown into something I would describe as substantial and meaningful—not just in size, but in memory. Each card represents a moment in baseball history, and for me, also a moment in my own life history. I attended my first card show in 1977. At the time, I didn’t realize I was stepping into something that would become a long-running tradition. I’ve since attended shows and conventions in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and into the 2020s. Very few hobbies offer that kind of continuity across so many eras of change in both baseball and collecting culture. One memory that stands out goes back to 1975, when baseball cards increased in price from 10 cents a pack to 15 cents. At the time, it felt like a major setbac...
