Baseball cards have been a beloved part of American culture for over a century, allowing fans to collect pieces of their favorite players and teams. The small town of Longmont, located just north of Boulder, Colorado, has deep roots in the rich history of baseball cards dating back to the early 20th century.
Some of the earliest baseball cards to be collected in Longmont were issued during the 1910s and 1920s by cigarette and candy companies like American Caramel, American Tobacco, and Sweet Caporal. Local general stores would stock packs of these cards alongside their tobacco and confection products. Young boys around Longmont eagerly awaited the arrival of new card shipments so they could search through the packs, hoping to find stars of the day like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, or Walter Johnson. Starting in the late 1920s, gum and bubblegum brands like Goudey and Play Ball also began issuing cards in their products, further fueling the baseball card craze in Longmont.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, baseball cards provided a relatively inexpensive escape and pastime for kids and adults alike in Longmont as the country struggled economically. The rise of colorful, photograph-centered cards from companies such as Goudey, Play Ball, and Leaf in the mid-1930s made collecting even more enjoyable. Residents would swap and trade duplicates at school, at local parks, or at neighborhood gatherings to complete their sets. Some of the most coveted cards in Longmont during this era featured legends like Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Dizzy Dean.
After a lull in production during World War II, the postwar period saw an explosion in the popularity of baseball cards in Longmont and across the nation. Iconic sets were issued in the late 1940s and 1950s by Bowman, Topps, and others that captured the Golden Age of the game and its biggest stars. Kids in Longmont eagerly ripped open packs of these cards looking for treasures like the iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle or 1953 Topps Willie Mays rookie cards. The modern baseball card collecting hobby was truly born during this time.
Local card shops first began popping up in Longmont in the 1960s to meet the rising demand, like Bob’s Baseball Cards which opened its doors in 1963. Here, collectors could browse organized boxes filled with cards both old and new to round out their collections through trading. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the local card shop became a hub of activity, especially around the release of new sets each year from Topps, Fleer, and Donruss. All-time greats like Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, and Nolan Ryan had their likenesses preserved for collectors in Longmont and beyond during this era in vivid color photos.
In the 1980s, the arrival of upper deck and the increase of professional sports as a business led to new heights in production quality, statistics, and card values. Longmont saw many young collectors get hooked during this “golden age” of the hobby, chasing rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Cal Ripken Jr., Wade Boggs, and Ozzie Smith. The unprecedented popularity and high prices of vintage cards also led to the rise of the first memorabilia cards featuring game-used bats, balls, or jersey swatches of stars.
The 1990s saw unprecedented growth and mainstream attention on the hobby as sports card values soared. Michael Jordan’s basketball cards were outselling even the most coveted baseball rookies. In Longmont, the rise of the internet allowed for easier collecting across state lines and 24/7 access to the latest news, stats, and card checklists. Icons like Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, and Derek Jeter had their legendary careers captured in plastic for an entire new generation of young collectors. The local card shops were still going strong, transitioning to host organized trading events and tournaments.
In the 2000s and 2010s, while physical card packs declined some with the rise of digital card collecting apps, the hobby remained a beloved pastime for many in Longmont. Iconic rookie cards of Albert Pujols, Clayton Kershaw, and Mike Trout fetched big money at the local shops and shows. As baseball card collecting celebrates over a century of history, its roots in capturing the nostalgia and joy of the game remain deeply embedded in the community of Longmont, Colorado. To this day, local residents still flock to card shops and shows hoping to find their next piece of memorabilia from baseball’s storied past.
