Baseball cards have been popular collectibles across America for over a century, and Somerset, Kentucky has played an interesting role in the history and culture surrounding these cardboard treasures. Located in Pulaski County in southeastern Kentucky, Somerset has a population of around 11,000 and is perhaps best known as the birthplace of famous golfer Tom Watson. The town also has deep connections to the world of baseball cards that are still evident today.
Some of the earliest mentions of baseball cards being collected and traded in Somerset date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. Pulaski County residents would save cigarette cards, candy wrappers, and other promotional items that featured images of their favorite players. It was not until the modern era of mass-produced cardboard trading cards in the 1930s and 1940s that the true baseball card craze began in Somerset. Young boys would eagerly await the newest packs from companies like Goudey and Topps to add to their growing collections.
In the post-World War II era, several baseball card shops opened their doors in Somerset to meet the growing demand. Arguably the most famous was Raleigh’s Sport Cards, which was located downtown from 1949 until 1984. Owned and operated by local legend Raleigh Wilson, the small shop became a gathering place for all ages to buy, sell, and trade their duplicate cards. It was not uncommon to see the shop packed with customers on weekends and after school let out. Raleigh developed strong relationships with the card manufacturers of the time, often getting early shipments of the newest releases to satisfy his eager clientele.
While Raleigh’s Sport Cards closed its physical location in the mid-1980s, its legacy lives on. Many lifelong Somerset residents still have fond memories of spending hours poring over boxes upon boxes of cards at the shop as children. Some of the rarest vintage cards have even been attributed to originating from Raleigh’s original stock. In the 1990s and 2000s, several other card shops opened in Somerset for a time but none achieved the same iconic status. Today, many local collectors organize card shows and hobby events to keep the spirit of Raleigh’s Sport Cards alive.
The rise of online marketplaces like eBay in the late 1990s and early 2000s transformed the baseball card industry, including in Somerset. Now collectors could buy, sell and trade cards from all over the world with just a few clicks. This led to many valuable vintage cards originating from the Somerset area reemerging on the national scene. In particular, collections amassed by longtime local residents over decades were broken up and redistributed globally as the online marketplace boomed. Prices for coveted vintage cards from the 1950s and 1960s exploded, further cementing Somerset’s place in the history of the hobby.
While the physical shops may be gone, the passion for baseball cards remains strong in Somerset. Dozens of area residents still diligently add to their collections, chasing new parallels, autographs and memorabilia cards released each year by Topps, Panini and other modern manufacturers. Local card shows are routinely well attended, and the hobby remains a popular bonding activity for fathers and sons, as well as a way for former shop customers to reconnect. Vintage cards are still uncovered in attics and basements throughout Pulaski County as well.
The sport may have moved on from when Raleigh’s Sport Cards first opened, but the nostalgia and history surrounding baseball cards in Somerset lives on. The names of legendary local collectors are still brought up in hushed tones of reverence. And the cardboard treasures they amassed over many years, once seemingly destined to stay in Pulaski County forever, have since taken their place in collections around the globe. In this way, the small town of Somerset made its permanent mark on the worldwide pastime of baseball card collecting.
