My Collecting Journey

[Eric72]

For those of you who collected back in the 80s, I’m sure you remember the staggering number of card shops. Of course, we called them, “baseball card stores” back then. The hobby was very heavily focused on the diamond in the 80s. Sure, there were other sports (and non-sport) cards floating around. However, baseball cards dwarfed everything else put together.

I spent countless hours in my local baseball card store. My first experience with price guides (CCP…remember that one?) and the “value” of cards was here. So, too, were introductions to penny sleeves (funny how their price has changed so little throughout the years) and top loaders, screw-down holders and 9-pocket pages. And, of course, there were cards. Cards in cases, binders, boxes, sealed packs. Cards everywhere! Including, as it turns out, cards of a different kind sitting right on the front counter.

I grabbed this business card nearly 40 years ago. Amazingly, I managed not to lose it. Sure, I misplaced it few times throughout the years. It would always resurface eventually, though. A few years ago, I was going through a box of cards I hadn’t looked at in a while. Sure enough, this card was there to greet me, to remind me of a time when life (and the hobby) was much simpler. A time when I’d grab my bike on a Saturday and head to the baseball card store. A time when I’d spend a few hours (talking baseball and cards, probably driving the owner crazy) figuring out how best to spend a few bucks.

When I look at this card, my thoughts drift back to those glorious days gone by. Although I realize it was just a storefront from the 80s, my mind recalls a place that might as well have been painted by Norman Rockwell. A large window display, inviting passersby with a colorful sign and assortment of merchandise. Shoppers browsing; they’re leafing through binders, gazing upon racks, excitedly pointing at showcases. A friendly shopkeeper, helping his customers from behind the counter. And in the middle of this idyllic scene, there’s me. Wide-eyed and filled with joy, grinning from ear to ear.

So, do you still have any cards from your youth? Do you still take them out and look at them every now and then?

When you do, what goes through your mind?