Mount Sterling, Kentucky has deep roots in the world of baseball card collecting. Located in Montgomery County, this small town has developed a tradition of producing notable collectors and stores that have made significant impacts nationwide. For decades now, Mount Sterling has cemented its place as an important hub for those pursuing the hobby.
Perhaps the most famous collector to hail from Mount Sterling is former corporate executive James McCarthy. In the 1970s and 80s, McCarthy amassed what was considered the finest collection of Honus Wagner cards in existence. Through meticulous searches at flea markets, antique stores, and auctions across the country, McCarthy managed to track down over a dozen examples of the legendary T206 Honus Wagner. Many of the cards he found were in poor condition, but a few graded out as gem mint examples. McCarthy’s collection became the stuff of legend in the baseball card world. In the 90s, he loaned pieces of his collection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY, where they were put on display for visitors to marvel at. Though McCarthy has since passed away, his collecting renown still resonates today.
Another prominent collector from Mount Sterling was Bob Clayton. In the 1960s as a young boy, Clayton discovered his love for accumulated cards. He would ride his bicycle around town checking convenience stores, drug stores, and corner markets for new packs to open. Clayton amassed a collection with a strong focus on 1950s and 1960s Topps cards. He assembled full sets spanning multiple years that were kept impeccably stored and organized in binders. Word of Clayton’s collection spread throughout Kentucky collector circles. By the 1980s, he had developed a local reputation as the go-to source in the area if someone needed a specific card to complete a set. Clayton enjoyed helping fellow collectors for many decades up until his retirement. Today his vast hoard of vintage cardboard remains largely intact.
Mount Sterling was also home to some pioneering baseball card stores. In the 1970s, Donny’s Sportscards was opened by Don Smith Sr. Located downtown on Main Street, Donny’s gave locals a dedicated place to browse for cards, shop for supplies, and find the latest releases. It swiftly became the hangout for the area’s card-collecting scene. Donny’s hosted trading sessions, organized group shows and carpools to larger conventions, and kept an inventory comprised of collections they had purchased wholesale. The shop kept the hobby buzzing in Mount Sterling throughout the 1970s and 80s. Donny’s set the standard for how a specialty card store should operate in a small town.
Building upon Donny’s popularity, Scott’s Sportscards opened in 1983 and was run by Scott Baker. Based just outside of city limits, Scott’s attracted collectors from all of central Kentucky. They specialized in taking in large collection purchases that they would then break down and sell piecemeal. This recycling of collections ensured there was constant fresh inventory being put on the shelves. Scott’s soon rivaled Donny’s as the top destination, hosting even larger meetups, multi-table trading events, and special in-store appearances. In the late 80s, the town was truly a baseball card mecca. Visitors from much larger cities would make day trips just to check out the selections at Donny’s and Scott’s.
The golden era continued into the early 90s as J&D Cards opened its doors downtown as well. Owned and operated by Jeremy Wilson and Dan Barker, the shop leaned hard into the emerging sphere of sports collectibles beyond just cards. Memorabilia, autographs, and unopened product became a bigger part of the business model. J&D Cards collaborated with local businesses to improve the profile of the hobby. They sponsored youth and adult baseball leagues, cooperated on special promotions, and even helped launch Montgomery County’s first card show convention center. By the late 90s, the trifecta of Donny’s, Scott’s, and J&D had Mount Sterling buzzing constantly with collector traffic.
While the national baseball card market has undergone ebbs and flows in subsequent decades, Mount Sterling managed to maintain its identity as a strong regional hub. Donny’s Sportscards remained in business under new ownership until 2010. Scott’s Sportscards shifted to become more of an antique and memorabilia mall in the 2000s but still prominently featured cards. And J&D Cards stayed dedicated to the hobby. Modern online shopping trends have impacted brick-and-mortar businesses everywhere, but Mount Sterling’s collecting heritage perseveres. Periodic large shows still take place in the area. Local collectors keep trading and reconnecting at hobby shops and card shows.
Mount Sterling left an indelible mark on the baseball card industry during the peak era of the 1960s through 1990s. Prominent hometown collectors like James McCarthy and Bob Clayton set the standard for diligent accumulation. Pioneering shops like Donny’s, Scott’s, and J&D Cards kept the community buzzing and demonstrated how small town America fully embraced cards. Even amid changing collecting tides, Mount Sterling’s tradition endures for those still seeking to reconnect with past days pursuing the cardboard pastime. The town’s impact cemented its place in card collecting lore for generations to come.
