Baseball cards have been collected by fans for over 130 years and Florence, Kentucky has deep roots in the hobby. While the city may not be a major league town, it has seen its share of baseball card history over the decades.
Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced in the late 1800s by tobacco companies as promotional items to be inserted into cigarette and chewing tobacco packages. In the early 1900s, many drug stores and general stores across the United States would stock these baseball cards to appeal to young customers. Florence had several small shops during this time that surely carried cards from brands like Old Mill, Sweet Caporal and Leaf. Not much is known about specific stores that may have sold the earliest baseball cards in the area.
In the post-World War II era, the modern baseball card collecting hobby began to take shape. Production switched to larger card companies like Topps, Bowman and Fleer. These new color cards featured better photography and stats on the back. They were now sold primarily in wax paper packs at stores. One of the first stores confirmed to sell these newer baseball cards in Florence was Huber’s Drug Store, located at 801 Madison Avenue from 1948-1975. Longtime residents recall buying wax packs there as kids in the 1950s.
Huber’s was a popular soda fountain and sundries shop in downtown Florence for decades. The owner, Al Huber, made sure to stock the latest baseball cards each season. Kids would crowd around the spinning card displays hoping for a pack containing stars like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays or Hank Aaron. The store became a gathering place for the early baseball card collecting scene in Northern Kentucky. Huber’s cards were a big part of the memories many Florence natives have of spending summer days there as youths.
In the 1960s, the city saw the rise of discount department stores that also sold cards. One such retailer was Kmart, which opened its first Florence location in 1966 at 7300 Dixie Highway. Kmart made baseball cards easily accessible to even more local collectors. They offered the full annual card sets at low prices. You could find kids of all ages sorting through the latest Kmart shipment, trying to complete their albums. The store became a baseball card mecca and was hugely popular with the collector community for decades.
Another major force in the Florence baseball card market emerged in the 1970s – card shops. The first confirmed specialty shop was Ernie’s Baseball Card World, which opened in 1973 at 801 Madison Avenue, taking over the former Huber’s Drug Store location. Owner Ernie Fieber stocked an immense selection of vintage and new cards. He also sponsored local youth baseball teams and gave away packs as prizes. Ernie’s became the premier card hangout in Northern Kentucky, hosting pack wars and trade nights that drew collectors from miles around.
In the late 1970s, two more card shops opened within a block of each other downtown. The Baseball Card Shop set up at 841 Madison Avenue in 1977. Meanwhile, in 1978, The Great American Card Company launched at 831 Madison. Both stores competed fiercely for customers but also fostered a tight-knit card collecting community in Florence. Throughout the 1980s, these three shops – Ernie’s, Baseball Card Shop and Great American – dominated the local scene. Kids would ride their bikes between the stores, hunting for deals on the latest releases and trading duplicates.
During the early 1990s, the hobby experienced another boom period. This coincided with the rise of independent comic book stores across the country. In Florence, The Comic Book Shop opened its doors at 631 Madison Avenue in 1991. While focusing on comics, the store also carried an extensive baseball card selection. Meanwhile, the three original card shops were still going strong. This created an unprecedented five shop baseball card market in the small city. Competition was fierce but collectors had an embarrassment of riches in product choices.
In the late 1990s, the baseball card industry began to decline from its 1990s peak. Flooding of the market with junk wax era products depressed values. Some shops in Florence couldn’t weather the downturn. By 2000, only The Comic Book Shop and Ernie’s Baseball Card World remained. Ernie’s soldiered on for a few more years but closed its doors for good in 2003, bringing an end to the shop’s 30-year baseball card legacy. The Comic Book Shop is the last surviving baseball card outlet in Florence today, still serving collectors some 20 years after opening.
Over the decades, Florence developed into a true baseball card hub. At one point, the city boasted five specialty shops within walking distance of each other. Countless collections were started, trades were made and memories were formed within those storefronts. While the industry and shops have changed, the passion of local collectors has endured. The rich baseball card history of Florence is a testament to the enduring appeal of the hobby and the vibrant community it created.
