DJ’s love for baseball began at a young age. Growing up, he enjoyed playing little league baseball and spending summer afternoons watching his favorite MLB teams on TV. What DJ really became passionate about was collecting baseball cards. It started when he was just 6 years old and received his first pack of cards as a birthday gift. Inside were stars like Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, and Pedro Martinez. DJ was instantly hooked.

From that moment on, DJ began saving any spare change he could find to buy more packs of cards at the corner store. He would meticulously organize his growing collection in binders sorted by team and player last name. DJ’s favorite part was learning about the stats and backstories of his favorite players by reading their baseball card bios. He spent hours poring over the cards, admiring photos and relishing the distinctive cardboard smell. Baseball quickly became more than just a game to DJ – it was a full-fledged hobby.

As DJ got older, he expanded his collection beyond just opening packs. He started regularly checking card shows and shops for singles of players he wanted to add. DJ also began tracking stats and following the careers of players so he knew when someone was having a breakout season and their cards might increase in value. His collection grew to over 1,000 cards organized in multiple binders taking over his bedroom. DJ’s parents were supportive but worried there wouldn’t be room for anything else if he kept expanding at this rate.

In middle school, DJ joined the school’s baseball team and continued feeding his baseball card obsession. Since he didn’t have much money to spend, DJ got creative with expanding his collection. He started a small side business where he would buy boxes of older cards in bulk, sort through them, and sell any duplicates or less valuable cards to classmates and teammates. The profits went right back into buying more boxes and singles for his personal collection. DJ also began tracking the values of his cards using the Beckett price guide and eBay sold listings to estimate their worth.

All through high school, DJ’s love of collecting never wavered even as his interests in other areas evolved. He maintained straight A’s to ensure he could afford to spend his earnings on cards. In fact, DJ decided to major in business in college so he could potentially turn his hobby into a career down the line. His collection grew to over 5,000 individual cards neatly stored in a custom-made baseball card cabinet that took over the corner of his bedroom. DJ took meticulous care of preserving and displaying his prized collection, which was truly a work of art at this point.

After graduating from college with his business degree, DJ began working for a sports marketing firm. His true passion remained in the baseball card industry. In his spare time, DJ launched his own online baseball card shop and worked to build a loyal following on social media. He offered a large selection of both vintage and modern cards at competitive prices. DJ also shared baseball card collecting tips, videos of recent pulls from packs, and insights into the industry that readers found highly engaging and helpful. Within a year, DJ’s side business became so successful that he was able to transition into running it as a full-time venture.

Now at 30 years old, DJ’s baseball card collection numbers over 15,000 individual cards after a lifetime of dedicated collecting. The collection is valued well into the six-figures based on the skyrocketing prices of vintage cardboard in recent years. DJ has cards ranging from the earliest T206 era all the way to modern issues. His prized possessions include a near-mint 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, a 1969 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie card, and a gem mint 1984 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie among many other notable pieces of baseball history preserved on cardboard. DJ’s online card shop is also thriving, bringing in over $500,000 in annual revenue.

Through his business, DJ is living his childhood dream of being immersed in the baseball card world daily. He has traveled to card shows across the country, met many of his favorite players, and built lifelong friendships with other collectors. DJ even writes an popular blog about the hobby he loves. Most rewarding of all, DJ gets to rekindle the same sense of wonder and joy in discovery that he felt as a young boy ripping packs of cards for the first time. His lifelong passion became his career path, and DJ couldn’t be more grateful for how far his baseball card journey has brought him over the past 25 years. He plans to keep building his collection, serving customers, and ensuring the hobby thrives for generations to come.