Baseballcardman

  Chapter: The Michigan Shift (1989) The Flint mall was buzzing with the kind of electricity only the sports card boom of the late 1980s could generate. Rows of folding tables stretched down the concourse, packed with plastic binders, acrylic display cases, and dealers eagerly talking shop. I was a long way from Missouri, up in Michigan for construction work, spending my free weekend doing what I loved most—hunting for cardboard gold. As I browsed one of the tables, a local dealer struck up a conversation. It didn't take him long to realize I wasn't a local. "Hey, you're from Missouri," he said, pulling a pristine card out of his display case. "Look at this. I have a 1975 Topps George Brett Mini. I want eighty dollars for it." I looked at the shrinking version of the classic '75 design. The colors were incredibly vibrant, and the centering was dead-on. "I got it off of Charlie," the dealer added proudly. I blinked. "I have no clue who ...

 Chapter 1, Part 1: The 1970s   The Heat, the Wax, and the Gold Cup The summer of 1973 had a specific temperature: blazing. I can still feel the heat radiating inside my mother’s 1968 Chevy Malibu, a beautiful car that felt like a rolling oven because it didn't have air conditioning. We had just made a run—probably to the local grocery store or the dime store—and I was sitting there, sweat dripping, holding a crisp new pack of 1973 Topps baseball cards. When you opened a pack back then, it wasn't just a visual experience; it hit all your senses. First came the distinct snap of the wax wrapper, releasing that unmistakable sweet aroma of the pink flat slab of bubble gum mixed with the scent of the fresh cardboard itself. Digging through that pack, looking at those iconic vertical team ribbons at the bottom of the cards, was pure magic. I remember staring at one card in particular that stood out from the rest: card #181, Jack Brohamer of the Cleveland Indians. Now, Brohamer ...

 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...

Neil Smith and Bart McClaughry at the Customer Appreciation Day at Trade Fair Mall in Harrisonville MO.    

  Triple Play Sports Cards, Inc.  Located in:   South Western Square Address :  3816 S Western Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57105 I got a nice    Hall of Famer Rod Carew’s 1974 Topps #50 baseball card  and a  1979 Hostess All-Star Team - Rod Carew #38 in the drop Box.  I bought a BCW Blue1600 count card bin! Great Buy

https://chasingcardboardtv.com/pages/about Had a great time at the Kansas City card show sharing all my collecting years with Ty Wilson of chasing cardboard YouTube show. The biggest card show in KC HISTORY!!! 450 tables, and tons of players signing autographs from the 1985 and 2015 Royals championship teams!!!

My First Auto in the Mail Thanks Denny