Joe has been passionate about collecting baseball cards since he was 5 years old. He got his first pack from his grandfather and was immediately hooked on trying to collect as many players as he could. Now at age 12, Joe has amassed an impressive collection of 310 total baseball cards spanning many years and players.
While some of Joe’s friends and classmates think it’s kind of “uncool” to collect cards, Joe sees it as a fun hobby that also teaches him a lot about the rich history of America’s pastime. He enjoys learning about the players, their stats, what era they played in and memorable moments from their careers. Joe tries to acquire cards that represent different time periods in baseball’s long tradition.
Some of the oldest cards in Joe’s collection include ones from the 1950s like a Mick Mantle rookie card from 1952 and a Willie Mays card from 1955. These early Mantle and Mays cards are in worn condition but Joe still treasures having pieces of history from when those all-time great players first came onto the scene. From the 1960s, Joe has a handful of cards showing the dominance of pitchers Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson among others.
The 1970s are well represented with stars like Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose and Jim Palmer. One of Joe’s favorite recent pickups from that decade was a 1978 Nolan Ryan card, capturing the flamethrower during one of his record-setting seasons. Moving into the 1980s and 90s, Joe has tracked the careers of all the big name sluggers like Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire through their rookie and prized cards as they smashed home run records.
Some corners of Joe’s collection highlight interesting subsets too. He has a collection of rookie cards spanning different eras. These include gems like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays alongside more contemporary debuts from Bryce Harper and Mookie Betts. Joe also tries to collect stars from each MLB franchise so he can represent teams from across the country.
Autograph cards are a personal area of focus for Joe. After saving up money from birthdays and odd jobs, he was able to land signatures from some retired legends like Tom Seaver, Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza through memorabilia shows and meet and greets. Joe displays these autograph cards in protective magnetic holders that he made to proudly showcase his signed treasures.
Of course, with a collection of 310 cards there is no avoiding some doubles. Joe has extra copies of common players that he keeps in a trade binder to swap with friends and other collectors. He enjoys engaging with others who share his hobby whether it’s through pickup games of baseball card bingo or just nerding out about the stats on the back of cards. Joe has big plans to continue expanding his collection for years to come, both to grow his knowledge of the game and to follow new stars as they emerge.
While the cards themselves are mere pieces of paper, they each represent an important thread in the fabric of baseball’s history that has enthralled Joe since he was a young child. His collection stands as a testament to his passion and dedication to learning about America’s pastime one baseball card at a time. At only 12-years-old, Joe has already amassed a noteworthy collection with over 300 cards – but this is only just the beginning of his journey to chronicle the legends of baseball through the pictures and stats on the back of these beloved pieces of cardboard.
