The town of Wantagh, located on Long Island in Nassau County, New York, has a rich history with baseball and baseball cards dating back to the early 20th century. While baseball had been played in the area since the late 1800s, it was in the 1920s and 30s that the hobby of collecting baseball cards truly took off among young people in Wantagh and surrounding communities.
During this period, companies like American Caramel, Goudey Gum, and Play Ball Cigarettes began mass producing baseball cards as incentives to buy their products. Kids would eagerly await the newest shipments of cards to hit the local candy stores, delis, and tobacco shops. Having a complete set of cards for a given year became a big source of pride and competition among friends. Trading and bargaining for needed cards to finish a collection was also a regular occurrence on playgrounds and ballfields.
Two of the most coveted early baseball card sets for Wantagh collectors were the 1933 Goudey Baseball and 1934 Goudey Baseball issues. These colorful and iconic cards featured true legends of the game like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx. While these sets could be found in Wantagh, acquiring hard-to-find stars or short-printed variations was extremely difficult without trading. As a result, many Wantagh kids had to settle for incomplete sets which remained a source of frustration well into their adult lives.
In the post-World War 2 era as the 1950s rolled around, the baseball card craze hit new heights in Wantagh. More kids than ever were taking the field for little league teams and following their favorite major leaguers. Topps Chewing Gum Co. had become the dominant card manufacturer, releasing highly anticipated new sets each year from 1952-1956 that were snapped up locally. Wantagh’s candy stores and delis did a booming business selling packs of Topps cards to eager young collectors.
Two local Wantagh boys, Jimmy Fitzpatrick and Bobby Horowitz, became known throughout the community in the mid-1950s for having the biggest and most valuable baseball card collections. Through relentless trading at school and relentless pestering of local shop owners, they amassed complete runs of Topps sets from 1952-1956, including coveted rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Word of their collections spread and other Wantagh kids would stop by their houses, hoping to trade for needed duplicates.
Fitzpatrick and Horowitz’s baseball card collecting success inspired many other Wantagh children to pursue the hobby with vigor. By the late 1950s, nearly every boy in Wantagh had at least a few shoeboxes of cards stashed under their beds. Some had grown their collections to rival Fitzpatrick and Horowitz. Two other notable Wantagh collectors from this era were Joey Maltese and Eddie Fusco, who each had prize rookies like the coveted Mickey Mantle rookie card from 1952 Topps.
As Wantagh’s boys matured into teenagers in the 1960s, the focus shifted more towards girls, cars, and rock music for many. But a dedicated core of avid collectors remained, voraciously pursuing the latest Topps issues and hoarding unopened wax packs in their closets for potential future value. The 1960 Topps set featuring a very scarce Frank Robinson rookie card was especially popular among Wantagh collectors like Maltese and Fusco.
Through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, baseball card collecting saw peaks and valleys in popularity across America. But Wantagh maintained a strong community of enthusiasts, even as the demographics of who collected began to change. Older collectors passed on boxes of their childhood collections to their sons and nephews. Card shops like Stadium Card Shop opened to cater to the local hobbyists. Regional and national card shows became regular destinations for Wantagh collectors to trade, buy, and stay up to date on the exploding memorabilia market.
In the modern era, baseball card collecting in Wantagh continues to thrive. While the internet has made obtaining rare vintage cards or complete sets much easier, the local hobby scene remains active. Wantagh still produces top-notch collectors with extensive collections focused on Yankees and Mets stars. The rise of autograph signings and memorabilia has also taken the hobby to new levels. Places like Lelands auction house have helped Wantagh collectors sell prized vintage pieces for top dollar.
Over 100 years since the earliest baseball cards arrived in Wantagh in candy stores and delis, the town remains deeply connected to the hobby. Multiple generations of Wantagh residents have grown up collecting, trading, and pursuing their favorite players. The history of baseball cards in Wantagh reflects both the local passion for the sport and evolution of a pastime that has brought countless hours of enjoyment. Wantagh’s place in the history and future of the hobby is cemented.
