Baseball Cards in Round Rock, Texas
Round Rock, Texas has a rich history with baseball and baseball cards dating back to the early 20th century. Located just north of Austin, Round Rock was traditionally a small farming community that developed a strong passion for America’s pastime of baseball. As baseball grew in popularity across the United States starting in the late 1800s, the sport also took root in Round Rock. Local youth would play pickup games in empty fields, and the community would rally around their high school baseball teams.
In the early 1900s, the first baseball cards began to be included as incentives in cigarettes and candy. Kids in Round Rock were among those across the country who eagerly collected these novel trading cards featuring professional baseball players. Having local heroes to look up to on baseball cards helped fuel children’s interest in the sport. Round Rock’s first minor league team, the Round Rock Rifles, was established in the 1930s and further stoked the community’s baseball fervor. Card collecting became a popular pastime for many Round Rock boys in those pre-World War II years.
After World War II, the growth of the modern baseball card industry began in earnest. Iconic card sets from Topps, Bowman, and others featured the biggest stars and rising prospects. Kids in Round Rock swapped, traded, and competed to amass the most complete sets. The postwar economic boom also allowed more families to attend minor league games to see the local Round Rock Rifles and get a glimpse of tomorrow’s major leaguers. This helped solidify baseball as the most popular sport in town for both players and fans, young and old.
In the late 1950s, the Rifles moved to nearby Georgetown but a new minor league team, the Round Rock A’s, took their place in 1960 as a farm team of the Kansas City A’s. This ushered in Round Rock’s most successful period in minor league baseball. Led by future major leaguers like Jim “Mudcat” Grant and Dick Green, the A’s won Texas League championships in 1960 and 1962. Young baseball card collectors were on the hunt for cards of these rising Round Rock stars, hoping they would one day make the majors. The minor league scene remained strong through the 1960s, keeping interest in baseball cards brisk.
The 1970s saw baseball cards truly explode in popularity. Iconic sets from Topps, including the first color photos and oddball promotions, kept kids across America enthralled. Round Rock was no exception, as the local Round Rock Express minor league team carried on the tradition. Rival card companies also entered the boom, like Fleer and Donruss, leading to fierce completion to collect entire sets. Expos, baseball card shows, and garage sales became hotspots to trade and sell duplicates. The rise of specialty shops also catered to the growing hobby.
Two such shops that opened in Round Rock in the 1970s were Baseball Card World and Sports Card Exchange. Both were immediate hits with the city’s passionate young collectors. In addition to carrying the latest card releases, they also hosted trading sessions and tournaments. This helped foster a true community of collectors in Round Rock. Some of the shops’ original young customers still frequent the stores today and have passed on the hobby to their own children. Baseball Card World and Sports Card Exchange have become institutions, outlasting many of the chains that tried to move in over the years.
The 1980s saw the hobby reach new heights, with sports cards becoming a multibillion-dollar industry. Round Rock’s shops and collectors fully embraced the boom. The shops started carrying higher-end vintage cards to appeal to older collectors looking to invest. Local card shows in the Austin area drew hundreds. Meanwhile, the Round Rock Express continued providing the city’s minor league baseball fix. Notable Express alums like Nolan Ryan and Jeff Bagwell gained greater notoriety as their MLB careers took off. Their past Round Rock cards increased in value for local collectors.
In the 1990s, the baseball card market began fluctuating more wildly with overproduction. However, Round Rock’s shops and collectors weathered the ups and downs better than most. The shops diversified product lines beyond cards into other memorabilia. Local collectors also became more discerning in what they collected long-term versus quick flips. Meanwhile, the Express were consistently competitive, winning Texas League titles in 1995 and 1999. Their success kept interest in the team’s past players’ cards strong.
Today, Round Rock is a booming city of over 100,000, but baseball cards remain deeply engrained in the local culture. Baseball Card World and Sports Card Exchange are still going strong after 50 years in business. They work to preserve the hobby for new generations. The Round Rock Express also continue packing their stadium as a popular AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros. Their past players often see spikes in card values when called up to the majors. Meanwhile, local card shows are still a major event. Round Rock has shown that a passion for baseball cards can last lifetimes when fostered within a supportive community.
In conclusion, Round Rock’s history with baseball and baseball cards dates back over a century. From the earliest cigarette cards to today’s modern releases, cards have been a consistent thread connecting the city’s love of America’s pastime. Local shops like Baseball Card World and Sports Card Exchange have played a key role in cultivating generations of passionate collectors. And the success of Round Rock’s minor league teams has kept interest high in following future MLB stars’ early career cards. This unique culture has cemented Round Rock as one of Texas’ top hotbeds for the baseball card hobby.
