Baseball cards have been an integral part of American culture for over a century. From the early tobacco cards of the late 19th century to the modern era of inserts, parallels and memorabilia cards, baseball cards have captured the imagination of fans both young and old. Portland, Oregon has a long and rich history with baseball cards that spans the entire lifespan of the hobby.
Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced in the late 1880s and early 1890s by tobacco companies like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge as promotional items to be inserted in tobacco products. While the Pacific Northwest was still a sparsely populated frontier region at the time, it’s likely that some of those early tobacco cards made their way to Portland. Baseball was already popular in the city by the late 1800s with the Portland Webfoots minor league team playing at the Multnomah Athletic Club Grounds starting in 1885.
The first documented baseball card shop in Portland opened in the 1950s as the hobby began to explode in popularity during the post-World War II era. Located in downtown Portland, Bob’s Baseball Cards was an early pioneer in catering to the growing number of young collectors. Bob’s stocked the latest baseball cards released by Topps along with other sport cards and offered customers the ability to buy, sell and trade with other collectors.
During the 1960s, several new baseball card shops opened their doors in Portland to meet rising demand. Card Collector’s Heaven, Baseball Card City and Portland Sportscards all helped fuel the first golden age of baseball cards. The shops stocked not just the latest Topps and Fleer sets, but also carried wax packs, boxes and factory sets directly from the manufacturers. Portland’s robust minor league scene during this time also contributed to the growth of card collecting, with teams like the Portland Beavers and Portland Mavericks giving local fans players to root for.
As the 1970s dawned, the baseball card market in Portland continued to expand. New shops like Northwest Sportscards and Portland Card Traders opened additional retail locations around the city. The rise of the hobby shop business model allowed collectors to not just purchase new inventory, but also gather to trade, organize and participate in the social aspects of the growing baseball card culture. Portland hosted its first card shows during this decade, huge multi-table events where collectors from around the region could buy, sell and meet other enthusiasts face-to-face.
In the 1980s, Portland’s baseball card scene entered its golden age as the city produced several influential figures in the hobby. Richard Theiler, founder of Beckett Publications, got his start grading and pricing cards as a teenager in Portland. His Beckett Almanac and Price Guide would become the definitive pricing source for the industry. Another Portland native, Bill Mastro, became one of the most famous autograph collectors and dealers in the world after starting his business as a teenager. Both Theiler and Mastro helped professionalize the hobby and attract a new generation of collectors.
As the 1980s progressed, Portland’s card shops expanded dramatically to keep up with new product releases and demand. Stores like Northwest Sportscards, Stadium Club and Portland Sportscards opened additional locations around the city and region. Expos grew to showcase thousands of tables of cards for sale. The ‘Junk Wax’ era of the late 80s also saw Portland kids ripping packs of Topps, Fleer and Donruss at record levels looking for stars like Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr.
In the 1990s, the baseball card market experienced both a boom and subsequent bust period. However, Portland’s dedicated shops and collectors weathered the downturn better than most. Stores consolidated but remained fixtures in the community. The rise of the internet also allowed Portland collectors to easily buy and sell cards online. Notable cards from Portland collections during this decade include a rare Nolan Ryan rookie card graded mint condition that sold for over $100,000.
Today, while the physical baseball card shop landscape in Portland is more sparse, the city remains an important hub in the modern collecting world. Online retailers like Portland-based DaMomsCards.com have helped fuel renewed interest. The annual Portland Card Show, still one of the largest and longest running in the country, is a major destination each fall. And the city’s long tradition of producing influential figures in the hobby endures, with contemporary YouTube stars and bloggers calling Portland home. From its earliest days to the present, Portland has played an important role shaping baseball card culture.
