Baseball cards have a long history in Poulsbo, Washington dating back to the early 1900s when the small town was just starting to grow. Some of the earliest residents would collect cards as a hobby and some local shops even sold packs of cards. While Poulsbo was never home to a professional baseball team, the town embraced America’s pastime through card collecting.
One of the first shops to sell cards regularly in Poulsbo was Johnson’s General Store, which opened in 1905. Owner Carl Johnson would stock new shipments of cards in his store throughout the baseball season and they quickly became a popular item. Kids would save up pennies from chores to buy a pack, hoping to pull rare stars of the day like Ty Cobb or Walter Johnson. By the 1920s, card collecting was a mainstream hobby for both children and adults in Poulsbo.
As the town grew in the following decades, so did interest in baseball cards. New shops like Bob’s Sporting Goods and Carl’s Corner Store opened in the 1930s-40s and ensured a steady supply of cards was available. Local teens and young men would trade, swap and discuss their collections. Some of the most coveted vintage cards circulating in Poulsbo during this era included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio.
In the post-World War II boom of the 1950s, Poulsbo saw a surge of families move into the community looking for small town life on the Puget Sound. This spike in population helped grow the local baseball card scene considerably. New hobby shops opened like Poulsbo Sportscards and the Poulsbo Card Collector, catering specifically to the card collecting crowd. Kids baseball and little league also exploded in popularity during this period.
The 1960s represented the golden age of baseball cards in Poulsbo. Iconic stars of that era like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Sandy Koufax were highly collectible in the town. The first official “Poulsbo Baseball Card Show” was even held in 1966, drawing collectors from around the region. Top Poulsbo cards at this time included rookie editions of Reggie Jackson and Tom Seaver. The 1970s saw the rise of star players like Pete Rose and Rod Carew spark new interest.
In the 1980s, Poulsbo saw a resurgence of baseball card collecting tied to the arrival of superstar rookies like Don Mattingly and Dwight Gooden. The proliferation of sports card shows and conventions nationwide also exposed the town to more vintage and rare cards. High prices were paid in Poulsbo during this “boom” era for old Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb tobacco cards. The opening of Card World and Pacific Sports Cards brought in more serious collectors too.
The 1990s represented both a boom and bust for the baseball card market. More kids than ever collected cards of stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken Jr. But the overproduction of cards watered down scarcity and prices plummeted. This led to the closure of some Poulsbo shops. Dedicated older collectors in town kept the hobby alive focused on vintage cards.
Today, baseball card collecting remains a popular pastime among both young fans and collectors with a passion for history in Poulsbo. While the market is smaller, dedicated hobby shops like Liberty Bay Cards have sustained the community. Annual card shows still attract collectors seeking new additions or to trade duplicates. Meanwhile, some of the most valuable vintage cards to come from Poulsbo collections over the years include rare Honus Wagner, Mickey Mantle, and Sandy Koufax issues.
So in summary – while a small town, Poulsbo developed a rich baseball card collecting culture that paralleled the growth of the sport and hobby nationwide since the early 1900s. Key vintage cards, dedicated shops, shows, and collectors helped ensure the pastime remained alive for over a century in the community.
