Baseball Cards in Quincy, Illinois: A Rich History of the National Pastime
The city of Quincy, Illinois has a long and storied history with America’s favorite pastime of baseball. Nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River in Western Illinois, Quincy developed a strong baseball culture beginning in the late 19th century. As the popularity of collecting baseball cards grew nationwide in the early 1900s, Quincy became intertwined with the hobby through its local businesses and the cards of players who called the city home. To this day, Quincy remains passionate about the sport of baseball and appreciates its baseball card collecting roots.
One of the first documented baseball card businesses in Quincy was started in the early 1920s by Herb and Louie Benes, brothers who owned the Benes News and Novelty Store downtown. From their storefront, the Benes brothers sold many of the most popular baseball cards of the era directly to eager young collectors in Quincy. Sets from companies like American Caramel, Candy Manufacturing Company, and Goudey Gum were steady sellers. The Benes News and Novelty Store helped foster the baseball card hobby in Quincy during its early growing period.
In the following decades, other card shops and hobby stores in Quincy helped further popularize baseball cards. Places like Quincy Hobby and Card Shop, Wigwam Cards, and Quincy Sportscards gave local collectors a dedicated place to browse through boxes of new releases and trade with others. Major sets from Topps, Fleer, and Donruss found many buyers in Quincy. Stores also sold unopened boxes of packs so collectors could try their luck at pulling a sought-after rookie or star player.
Quincy developed its own connection to baseball through native sons who made their mark in the major leagues. Pitchers like Earl Henry, Jack Knott, and Gene Bearden all called Quincy home and had their own baseball cards collected eagerly by locals. Their accomplishments and cards added to Quincy’s baseball lore. Other Midwest-born players like Bob Uecker of nearby Joliet, Illinois and Stan Musial of Donora, Pennsylvania also found many cards in the hands of Quincy collectors due to regional ties.
In the 1980s, Quincy’s baseball card scene thrived with the sport’s surge in popularity. Television coverage grew through ESPN while blockbuster films like The Natural reignited fans’ passion. Major card companies pumped out new sets at a record pace to keep up with demand. Quincy’s card shops did a booming business and hosted active baseball card shows where hundreds would gather to buy, sell, and trade with vendors and each other. The city’s card collecting community was in its heyday.
As baseball cards transitioned to the modern era of the internet and online auctions, Quincy’s brick and mortar card shops began to disappear. The city’s love of collecting never faded. Today, Quincy remains home to an active baseball card collecting scene, just in a new online form. Social media groups like Quincy Baseball Card Collectors connect hundreds of enthusiasts locally and beyond. Online group breaks where boxes of new cards are opened and randomly distributed still foster excitement. Local card shows also continue with smaller, dedicated crowds.
Quincy’s long baseball history is remembered through its local legends immortalized on cardboard. Places like the Quincy Baseball Hall of Fame preserve memorabilia and honor native sons. New generations are now pursuing vintage Quincy-connected cards of players like Earl Henry and Stan Musial online. Though the shops have closed, the baseball card hobby lives on in Quincy, a reminder of simpler times when the city could find community at the local card store counter. Quincy’s deep roots with America’s pastime on the field continue to blossom through the cards off it.
