Baseball cards have been a beloved hobby for collectors across the United States for over a century. In the city of Quincy, Massachusetts, located just outside of Boston, baseball cards have a rich history and remain a popular pastime for both young and old residents alike. Quincy has been home to many dedicated baseball card collectors, shops, and shows over the years.
Some of the earliest baseball card collectors in Quincy can be traced back to the late 1800s and early 1900s when the hobby first started gaining widespread popularity. During this time, tobacco companies like American Tobacco began inserting baseball cards into cigarette packs and packages as a marketing technique. Excited young boys in Quincy would eagerly await finding cards of their favorite players from the recently formed National League and American League in their smokes. Word quickly spread among friends about valuable finds, igniting card collecting as a fun competitive activity.
Through the early decades of the 20th century, baseball card collecting remained a beloved hobby for many Quincy children and adults. It wasn’t until the late 1950s that the first known baseball card shop opened in the city. In 1957, Quincy resident John Mullin established Mullin’s Sport Cards at 258 Hancock Street in order to cater specifically to the growing local demand. Mullin’s became a popular hangout where collectors could browse racks of cards, check pricing guides, and trade and sell with one another. The shop helped further cement Quincy’s reputation as a baseball card hotbed in the region.
During the 1960s and 1970s, baseball card collecting in Quincy truly exploded in popularity alongside the rise of the city’s beloved Red Sox dynasty teams. With stars like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice, interest in collecting cards of the local heroes was at an all-time high. Numerous shops popped up around Quincy like K&K Sportscards and Quincy Sportscards to meet demand. Meanwhile, Mullin’s Sport Cards continued going strong, cementing its status as the longest running baseball card shop in the city’s history at over 50 years.
In the 1980s, the baseball card boom reached new heights with the emergence of the mass-produced wax pack and increase in card shows nationwide. Quincy was fully immersed in the craze, with its shops doing a bustling business in sales and trades. Some of the most desirable vintage cards and star rookies changed hands in Quincy during this time. The city also began hosting its first organized baseball card shows in local VFW halls and community centers to bring together the huge collector community.
Into the 1990s and 2000s, while interest in sports cards as investments waned somewhat, the hobby maintained a dedicated following in Quincy. Mainstay shops like Mullin’s continued operating alongside newer additions like Quincy Cards & Collectibles. The city’s shows also grew larger and more frequent. Today’s Quincy collectors can choose from vintage offerings or chase modern parallels and autographs at these local businesses. Meanwhile, the Quincy Historical Society has archived many collections documenting the history and passion of baseball card fandom in the community.
In the modern era, Quincy remains an epicenter for baseball card collectors and activity in the region. While internet sales impacted brick-and-mortar business, Quincy Cards & Collectibles has thrived by providing a comfortable local gathering place. The shop hosts regular group meets, break case sessions, and special signings that draw collectors from miles around. Quincy also plays host to two major annual shows each year that bring in thousands of attendees and hundreds of vendors. These shows are a testament to how deeply rooted the baseball card hobby remains in the community.
For over a century, Quincy, Massachusetts has been at the forefront of the baseball card collecting hobby. From the earliest tobacco era through modern parallels, the city’s passion for the cardboard has been unwavering. Through dedicated collectors, longstanding shops, and large-scale shows, Quincy has cemented its legacy and influence. Its rich history serves as a proud reminder of how baseball cards have brought joy to generations and created communities of fans across the country. Quincy’s story reflects the universal appeal of the simple pleasure found in collecting, trading, and admiring the stars frozen in time on a piece of cardboard.
