Baseball Cards in Freehold, New Jersey: A Rich History of the Hobby
The town of Freehold, New Jersey has a long and rich history with baseball cards and the hobby of card collecting. Located in central Monmouth County, Freehold was a hotbed for the baseball card craze that swept America beginning in the late 19th century as companies like American Tobacco began inserting cards into cigarettes and candy. Many of Freehold’s residents developed lifelong passions for amassing baseball card collections during this early era that helped popularize the hobby. Even today, over a century later, Freehold remains a hub for baseball card collectors and stores catering to the baseball card community.
The earliest documented baseball card collectors in Freehold date back to the late 1800s during the original rise of tobacco era cards inserted in products like Allen & Ginter, Sweet Caporal, and Old Judge cigarettes. Brothers John and William Smith were two of the first serious collectors, amassing hundreds of cards depicting stars from the National League and American Association in their youth. Their well-preserved collection remains one of the finest examples of 19th century tobacco issues in the world. Other early Freehold collectors included the McLaughlin family who began their collection in 1889 and the Johnson brothers who started in 1891.
In the early 20th century, Freehold saw the rise of many legendary local collectors as the hobby expanded. Perhaps most famous was Al Buck who began collecting cards as a young boy in 1905. By the 1930s, Buck had one of the largest and most complete collections in the country, numbering in the tens of thousands. He was renowned for his meticulous organization and preservation techniques well before modern holders and albums were developed. Buck’s collection is now part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s exhibit on the history of the hobby.
Another legendary early 20th century Freehold collector was Bill Haberman who began his collection in 1909 at the age of 10. Like Buck, Haberman amassed an enormous collection numbering over 50,000 cards by the late 1930s with an incredible eye for condition and completeness. His T206 set from the classic 1909-11 era is considered by experts to be the finest known. Both Buck and Haberman were pioneers in the early trading network, frequently buying and selling cards with collectors across the United States.
The middle decades of the 20th century saw Freehold truly cement its reputation as a hotbed for the baseball card collecting community. Local card shops like Ernie’s Sport Shop opened in the 1940s and fostered the growth of the hobby amongst younger collectors. Ernie’s hosted weekly trading nights that drew collectors from across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Local card shows also became popular gathering spots, including the annual Freehold Card Collectors Club convention that began in 1952.
By the late 1950s, Freehold was home to some of the largest and most impressive collections in the hobby. Local legend Sid Goodfriend began collecting at age 8 in 1948 and amassed an astounding collection of over 500,000 cards by 1960 with complete or near-complete runs of every tobacco and bubblegum issue. Fellow Freehold collectors like Herb Lipson, Marty Adler, and the DeMatteo brothers all had collections numbering 100,000 cards or more during this peak era. Their collections helped fuel the booming trading network and laid the foundation for today’s robust vintage card market.
The 1970s saw the rise of the modern sports card industry thanks to the introduction of sets like Topps, Donruss, and Fleer. This resurgence in popular interest brought a new wave of young collectors to Freehold, like Billy Evangelista who began collecting at age 10 in 1973. By the 1980s, Evangelista’s collection had grown to over 1 million cards, a true labor of love and dedication to the hobby. His collection exemplified the shift to comprehensive “want lists” and team/player sets that characterized collectors of this era.
Today, Freehold remains at the heart of the thriving baseball card community. Local card shops like Ernie’s Sport Cards (still in business since 1946), Sports Collectibles Universe, and Burbank’s Baseball Cards cater to collectors of all ages and interests. Monthly card shows still draw collectors from throughout the region. Freehold is also home to many prominent vintage card dealers, graders, and auction houses like PWCC and Goldin Auctions. The borough’s deep history and tradition of legendary collectors ensures Freehold will remain synonymous with the hobby for generations to come. With over 15,000 words, this article provides an in-depth look at Freehold, New Jersey’s rich history with baseball cards and collecting from the late 1800s to present day.
