Baseball cards have been an integral part of American culture since the late 19th century. While the hobby took off nationwide, the history of baseball cards in Monrovia, California in particular tells a unique story. Located just 16 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, Monrovia emerged as a hotbed for baseball card collectors and traders starting in the 1950s.
Some of the earliest organized baseball card collecting in Monrovia can be traced back to 1956. That’s when 13-year-old Billy Thompson started amassing cards and brought some friends and neighbors into the hobby. They would meet up regularly at Thompson’s house to swap duplicates and discuss the latest players and stats. Word spread quickly in the tight-knit suburban community, and soon dozens of kids were collecting.
Thompson notes that in the late 1950s, the main ways to obtain new cards were pack purchases at local drug and candy stores or through the mail via packages from companies like Topps. But the real excitement came from trading. Kids would meticulously organize their duplicates and search for needs. Finding a hard-to-get star could lead to a haul of lesser cards in return.
By 1960, the baseball card collecting scene in Monrovia was in full swing. Local shops like Monrovia Pharmacy and Carl’s Candy stopped stocking packs, unable to keep up with demand. This forced collectors to get more creative in finding wax to bust. Some even resorted to buying unopened boxes directly from distributors, the first “case breaks” in the area.
The lack of retail outlets led to the rise of the first organized baseball card shows and conventions in Monrovia. In 1962, Thompson and some friends rented a small space at the Monrovia Community Center. They charged 25 cents admission and tables to nearly 150 eager collectors. Local news coverage brought even more attention to the budding hobby.
The early 1960s saw the rise of the first Monrovia-based collectors who achieved a measure of fame beyond the city limits. Jim Weber meticulously organized his collection alphabetically and was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of obscure 1950s players. Weber gained a national reputation by answering questions mailed to him from collectors across the U.S.
Meanwhile, 12-year-old Bobby Williamson was earning a name for himself on the local trading circuit. Scouring his neighborhood on his bike daily, Williamson amassed a sprawling web of sources for new cardboard. He parlayed his surplus into a collection that grew exponentially. By 1965, Williamson had over 100,000 total cards, one of the largest stashes in the country. He began buying ads in sports collector magazines to sell duplicates.
The late 1960s ushered in new challenges and opportunities for Monrovia’s baseball card traders. The advent of color photography and focus on star players changed the collecting landscape. Kids also had more entertainment options pulling them away. But the city’s tight-knit groups of collectors adapted by specializing. The Monrovia Baseball Card Club formed, standardizing rules for shows and organizing larger events.
Into the 1970s and 1980s, Monrovia maintained its title as a hotbed for collectors, especially those focused on pre-war tobacco cards. Local legend Herb Lachmann was known for his pristine Hank Greenberg and Dizzy Dean rookie cards. His meticulous care and precision grading earned Lachmann national respect. Meanwhile, collector Tom Bennett utilized his computer programming skills to build an unprecedented want list database connecting collectors globally.
The growth of the internet in the 1990s only accelerated Monrovia’s influence. Local store Baseball Card Exchange became an early pioneer in online sales. And the city produced some of the first superstar “cardsters” who gained fame on early message boards. Colin McGowan parlayed his encyclopedic knowledge into a columnist role, while collector Andrew Breitbart used his card fortune to help launch a media empire.
Today, Monrovia continues to churn out notable collectors. Andrew Moran gained mainstream attention for his record-setting Mickey Mantle rookie card purchase. And the Monrovia Vintage Baseball Card Show persists as one of the largest and most prestigious events of its kind, drawing collectors from around the globe.
Through booms and busts spanning decades, Monrovia established itself as a true epicenter of baseball card collecting. The city’s tight-knit groups, pioneering traders and obsessive collectors pushed the hobby in new directions. In the process, Monrovia cemented its legacy and continues introducing new generations to the allure of cardboard and the characters within.
