Joe Davis has had a lifelong love of baseball cards that started at a very young age. Growing up in Kansas City in the 1960s, Joe would get a couple packs of cards in his Easter basket or as a treat from the corner store. Even as a little kid, he was fascinated looking at the photos and learning about the players. His favorites were always the stars from the hometown Kansas City Athletics like Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson.
As Joe got older, he started paying more attention to building a real collection. In the late 60s and early 70s, the main sets being produced were Topps and Fleer. Joe would save up his allowance and try to complete these sets by trading duplicate cards with his friends on the playground. His first big milestone was putting together the entire 1968 Topps set, which he still has proudly displayed in protective sheets in a binder to this day. That’s when Joe’s passion really took off and he decided he wanted to amass as many cards as possible, focusing on the stars from his favorite era of the late 1960s and 1970s.
In junior high and high school, Joe began frequenting the local card shop and sporting goods stores more seriously. While others his age were into the latest fashions or music, Joe’s hobby was scouring racks for packs, boxes, and spare singles of the players he coveted. He joined several pen pal groups through hobby publications too, building up his collection through trade networks across the country. Some of Joe’s most prized vintage pickups from this era include a near mint condition 1970 Topps Roberto Clemente, 1975 Topps Hank Aaron, and a 1977 Topps Reggie Jackson that is off-centered but has great eye appeal.
After high school, Joe went to the University of Kansas to study business administration. While keeping up with his card collecting, school introduced new challenges to the hobby. Dorm room space was limited and card allowance even tighter as a college student. But Joe found creative solutions, storing bulk commons and duplicates in sealed storage boxes under his bed. He’d map out trades to fill in specific needs, then ship cards media mail to trim shipping costs. One of Joe’s favorite finds during his college days was a near-complete 1979 Topps Traded set missing just a couple stars, which he pieced together over his four years in Lawrence.
Upon graduating in 1983, Joe started his career in insurance sales and investing more discretionary income back into his lifelong passion. By this era in the early 80s, the junk wax era was booming card production and Joe took advantage, stocking up on affordable complete sets which allowed him to cherry pick stars for his collection. He also used the surplus to start trading up for higher end vintage from his target eras. Some notable vintage pickups Joe acquired during this time include a PSA-graded Gem Mint 9 1969 Topps Tom Seaver, several 1970 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie cards in very nice condition, and a complete near-mint 1977 Topps set.
In the late 80s, the beginnings of the internet and electronic communication revolutionized Joe’s card hobby like many others. He started connecting with more collectors online through early bulletin board systems and usenet groups dedicated to sports cards. This opened up a whole new world of trading possibilities beyond his local network. Some of Joe’s best trades from this era netted him great classic rookie cards like a 1978 Topps Pete Rose, several 1968 Topps Bob Gibson rookies, and multiple 1970 Topps Johnny Bench rookies of varying conditions.
By the 1990s, the internet and electronic mail had fully taken over how Joe conducted the bulk of his card business. Online auctions also emerged, allowing him to selectively bid on and acquire true holy grails from his target eras that had eluded him through traditional means. Some of Joe’s prized vintage additions from this decade include a PSA-graded Gem Mint 8 1968 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie, a 1970 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie PSA 9, and multiple 1971 Topps Hank Aaron Near-Mint to Mint graded cards. In the late 90s, Joe also established his own successful website catering to collectors of the 1960s-1970s era, which remains online today streamlining his trading operations.
Into the 2000s and 2010s, vintage baseball cards entered a renaissance of strong collector demand and price increases. This allowed Joe the opportunity to routinely trade up for his most coveted missing vintage cards and chase true condition census pieces. Some of Joe’s crowned jewels acquired during this modern era include a PSA 9 1966 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie, multiple 1968 Topps Bob Gibson rookies graded PSA 8-9, and a true Mona Lisa in a PSA Gem Mint 10 1970 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie. Joe’s collection today numbers well over 10,000 individual cards concentrated on the 1960s-1970s stars he’s endlessly pursued since childhood.
Now in his late 50s and still going strong in the insurance industry, Joe’s passion for his baseball card collection burns as bright as ever. He remains an avid trader both online and through the major national shows. Joe also gives back sharing his vast knowledge with younger collectors, judging contests, and donating pieces to museums and historical displays. His lifelong quest epitomizes why collecting cards of our favorite players is about so much more than simple nostalgia, but an rich archive of baseball history that continues rewarding dedicated fans for generations to come.
