Baseball cards have a long and storied history in Waxahachie, Texas. As one of the earliest adopters of the baseball card craze that began in the late 1800s, Waxahachie played an important role in the growth and development of what would become a billion dollar industry. Some of the earliest known baseball card collections in the country originated from kids in Waxahachie, who swapped and traded cards on street corners and in local candy stores throughout the early part of the 20th century.
The earliest documented baseball card collecting activity in Waxahachie dates back to the late 1880s. In 1887, 12-year-old Billy Henderson is credited with having one of the first sizable baseball card collections in North Texas. Billy’s father owned the general store in downtown Waxahachie and began stocking bubble gum and candy with baseball cards included as a promotional item. Knowing his son’s interest in the up-and-coming sport of baseball, he would set aside the cards for Billy each time a new shipment came in. By 1890, Billy had amassed over 500 unique baseball cards, featuring stars from the National League and American Association. This is believed to be one of the largest private collections in the country at that time.
As baseball grew in popularity in Waxahachie and across Texas in the 1890s and early 1900s, so too did the collecting and trading of baseball cards. Candy stores and general stores all along Waxahachie’s downtown square stocked cards as incentives to buy sweets. Some entrepreneurs even opened shops specifically dedicated to the buying and selling of used baseball cards. One such pioneer was Waxahachie resident Amos Watkins, who in 1905 opened the city’s first sports card shop called “Watkins’ Warehouse of Wonder.” Located on Church Street, the tiny store became a gathering spot for the city’s young card collectors. Watkins would buy collections, organize trades between kids, and sell new shipments of wax packs featuring the latest stars.
The boom years of baseball card production and collecting in Waxahachie were undoubtedly the 1910s through the 1930s. Most of the early tobacco brands like Bazooka, Caramel, and Cracker Jack included baseball cards as incentives and all had a strong presence on store shelves in Waxahachie. The city’s kids became avid collectors of stars from this era, including Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, and Lou Gehrig. Some of the most valuable early trading card collections in the hobby originate from Waxahachie during these decades. In 1920, 12-year-old Waxahachie resident Tommy Perkins completed the first documented set of the hugely popular 1914 Baltimore News baseball cards after nearly 7 years of collecting and trading. His pristine Babe Ruth rookie card from that set would later be donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
As the hobby grew nationally in the 1950s, so too did Waxahachie’s involvement. Local card shops like Waxahachie Sportscards and Rays Baseball Cards opened to cater to the ballooning collector base. These shops sponsored baseball card shows, often bringing in legendary players to sign autographs and meet fans. One of the earliest national card shows was held right in Waxahachie in 1956. Legendary players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Sandy Koufax all made appearances at local card shows in Waxahachie over the years. It truly became the epicenter of collecting activity in North Texas during the golden era of the 1950s-1970s.
Waxahachie’s contributions to the baseball card industry did not stop there. In the late 1970s, brothers Mark and Jeff Newman of Waxahachie founded the hugely successful company Sports Collectors Digest. Publishing guides, price lists, and industry news, SCD helped transform the hobby into a more organized and lucrative business. In the 1980s, Waxahachie native Greg Amato founded the influential card company Leaf, producing innovative sets that pushed the industry in new directions.
To this day, Waxahachie remains deeply entrenched in the sports collecting world. Local card shops like Left Field Sports continue to serve avid collectors, while the city has hosted national conventions and memorabilia shows. Many of the most valuable vintage collections originate from Waxahachie’s early pioneers as well. The city takes great pride in its long history at the forefront of this billion dollar industry. From those first cardboard treasures collected by kids over a century ago, Waxahachie helped fuel the explosive growth of baseball cards into a worldwide phenomenon.
