Dave’s Vintage Baseball Cards is a small business located in a strip mall in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin that specializes in collecting, grading, selling, and trading vintage baseball cards from the late 19th century to the 1980s. The shop was opened in 2005 by Dave Johnson, a lifelong baseball fan and collector who wanted to share his passion for the history captured in these old cards with other enthusiasts.
While baseball cards have been around since the late 1800s, it was not until the late 1970s and 1980s that collecting them really took off. During this time, production and distribution expanded exponentially which resulted in many valuable older cards becoming more scarce. This surge in popularity coincided with Dave’s own childhood experiences collecting and sparked the idea to one day open a dedicated store. After working for years in information technology, Dave decided in his early 40s to take the leap and pursue his dream full-time.
He started small, operating out of a small rented space with just his personal inventory and collection to sell and trade. Word of mouth and Dave’s expertise and friendliness helped attract a growing customer base. Today, the store has expanded to 1,500 square feet and stocks over 100,000 individual vintage cards along with related supplies like sleeves, holders, and display books. While the focus remains on the pre-1990 era, Dave works hard to have representatives from every year, team, and player available to browse.
A key aspect of the business is grading cards. This process involves thoroughly inspecting each card for factors like centering, corners, edges and surface quality before assigning a numerical grade on the widely used 1-10 point scale. Higher grades command significantly higher values. Dave spent years learning the intricate grading standards of the two major third-party authorities, PSA and BGS, and is now a certified authenticator for both. Offering this service has proven very popular with collectors and helped increase traffic and sales.
Beyond buying and selling, Dave’s also caters to the social and research aspects of the hobby. A large community room in the back regularly hosts card shows and meetups that bring collectors from across the state together. Older enthusiasts especially enjoy reminiscing about their favorite childhood players and trades. Dave also maintains a vast digital library and database of card stats, prices, and checklists that patrons can access.
Among the most prized items currently in Dave’s personal collection are a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, graded PSA 2.5; a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 8; and an unopened 1984 Fleer box. The real treasures are the stories behind each card that get shared every day in the shop. Whether it’s a customer finding a card from their youth or two collectors bonding over an obscure player, Dave takes pride in fostering the rich history and community surrounding the hobby.
While the sports card market experienced ups and downs over the decades, vintage baseball has proven remarkably resilient. Even with the rise of digital platforms, collectors still place high value on the tangible pieces of history held in their hands. And as more baby boomers who grew up with the cards reach retirement, many are reconnecting with their collections which bodes well for the future of the industry. For Dave, who has seen the shop flourish since opening fifteen years ago, his passion shows no signs of fading. He looks forward to many more years of helping collectors old and new appreciate the nostalgia and charm of these vintage cardboard treasures.
