Baseball cards have been a beloved hobby for over 100 years, transporting collectors of all ages back to simpler times through images and information tucked inside those little rectangles of cardboard. For many, opening packs of cards brings back happy childhood memories and sparks curiosity about the players, teams and eras represented.

While there was a lull in physical card collecting for a number of years as technology evolved, baseball cards have roared back in recent times due to growing nostalgia and new avenues like online auctions. Card shops that had closed their doors have found new life as demand has surged.

Got Baseball Cards, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, is one such shop that has been thriving in recent years through a combination of in-store and online sales. Over 35 years in business with a staff of knowledgeable employees, Got Baseball Cards has become a destination spot for avid collectors locally and around the world seeking to grow their collections, check values, or simply reminisce.

The shop is open 7 days a week for browsing its vast inventory sorted by player, team, year and more. A range of coins, memorabilia and unopened packs of older vintage cards also line the walls. Knowledgeable staff are on hand during business hours to answer questions, provide appraisals and purchase collections.

Got Baseball Cards is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and on Sundays from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The consistency of the hours makes it easy for collectors to stop by before or after work or on weekends. Employees are punctual about opening and closing to ensure plenty of browsing time for customers each day.

Typically the busiest shopping days are Saturdays when families and groups of friends are more likely to make a special trip together. Weekday afternoons also see good traffic from collectors fitting a stop into their lunch breaks. Sundays tend to be the slowest as some prefer to spend that day doing other activities. With plenty of inventory and seating, there is rarely a need to hurry customers along.

During open hours there are usually 4-5 staff members available to assist customers of all levels of sports collecting experience. The attentive, knowledgeable staff sets Got Baseball Cards apart from many other hobby shops and auction houses. Being able to converse with experts and get valued opinions face-to-face adds to the in-store experience.

Decades of collecting, dealing and studying the sports memorabilia field have given employees deep expertise that is gladly shared. They can speak authoritatively on everything from currency values and grading standards to the history behind iconic players, sets and events that have defined the business. This type of passionate customer service helps foster regular return visits and builds brand loyalty.

While shopping you may hear friendly sports debates flare up as staff discuss their favorite teams and eras. An inviting atmosphere also encourages customers to geek out together over rare finds and trading stories about their collecting journeys. Assistance is never far away whether you need appraisals, want to sell cards, or just need help navigating the crammed shelves.

For those wanting to dive deeper, a membership program is available at Got Baseball Cards. Becoming a member, even at the basic $25 per year level, provides benefits like additional store discounts, exclusive member events, hobby packs mailed to your doorstep each month and access to the members-only buying and trading room on Saturdays. This is a popular option for serious collectors.

Besides physical card shopping, Got Baseball Cards also sells online through popular auction platforms as well as their own website shop. This expanded their reach beyond local fans. Orders are carefully packed and shipped worldwide daily to satisfy customers globally. Online sales help move older inventory and reach new collecting audiences.

The shop’s social media presence on platforms like Facebook and Instagram further boosts the brand. Regular posts showcase latest acquisitions, highlight historic cards and sets, provide industry news updates, reminisce about baseball memories, and more. This engages both local enthusiasts and the broader collecting community online. It has become a top follow for sports card aficionados worldwide.

With the recent spike in baseball card collecting interest, Got Baseball Cards has stayed busy helping new and lapsed collectors join or grow their collections. Staff report eager customers of all ages, from children to grandparents, browsing the aisles again. The beloved hobby appears here to stay for generations thanks to the nostalgia and connections it provides people. Shops like Got Baseball Cards play a big role keeping that passion alive through expertise, service and community.

Whether collecting as a fun pastime or serious business, Got Baseball Cards aims to make every customer feel welcomed with its friendly staff available during posted business hours. Consistency in hours of operation, knowledgeable assistance, and growing online presence have sustained the shop for over 35 years. Their passion for the hobby emanates through both digital and in-person customer interactions.

Baseball cards have been an integral part of the sport since the late 1800s when cigarette and tobacco companies began including them in their products as promotional items. Over the decades, baseball cards evolved from simple promotional incentives to treasured collectibles chronicling the history of the game. This article will explore the origins and evolution of early baseball cards from the late 19th century through the 1920s, covering some of the most iconic and valuable cards produced during the sport’s formative years.

The earliest documented baseball cards date back to the late 1870s but were not mass produced until the 1880s when tobacco companies like Goodwin & Company and Allen & Ginter began inserting simple cardboard cards into packages of cigarettes. These early cards featured individual player portraits with basic stats and biographical information but no team logos or uniforms. Players represented multiple teams over their careers so early sets had no organizational structure. Still, they captured the likenesses of stars like Cap Anson and helped promote the growing popularity of professional baseball.

In the 1890s, tobacco giant American Tobacco Company began the first major baseball card series with its production of cards for series like Old Judge and Leaf. These early sets featured color lithographs and more sophisticated designs that captured the visual aesthetic of professional baseball. Players finally began wearing uniforms representing their current teams, a standard that remains today. Sets became organized by team, making them easier for new baseball fans to collect and understand the rosters of different clubs. Stars of the 1890s like Cy Young began achieving lasting fame through their cardboard representations during this period.

The turn of the 20th century saw further improvements and specialization in baseball card production. In 1909, the iconic T206 tobacco set was released, considered by many the high-water mark of early baseball cards due to its artwork, scarcity, and the stars it captured in their prime, including Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson. The same year, the Cincinnati based company American Caramel began their famous caramel card inserts that also featured the games’ biggest names. These sets helped cement baseball cards as a mainstream collectible for the first time.

In the 1910s, several significant developments changed the baseball card landscape. The rise of dedicated sport card companies like Joy Tobacco and E90 allowed for larger, more complex sets specific to baseball rather than mixed sports. Color photography also began to appear, capturing a new level of realism. The introduction of the modern baseball card size format of 2.5 x 3.5 inches also became standard in the 1910s, a size that remains the industry standard today. Rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth also began appearing, fueling demand that persists a century later.

The 1920s saw early 20th century baseball card production reach its peak, both in terms of quality and quantity. Goudey Gum Company released several iconic sets in the decade that featured the first gum or candy card inserts. Sets like Goudey (1933) and Play Ball (1929) contained rookie cards of legends like Ruth, Gehrig, and Cobb. The rise of dedicated sports magazines also led to oddball issues from publications further chronicling the stars of the era. Meanwhile, tobacco brands like Murad and Hassan perfected the art of color lithography, crafting dazzling cards that captured the spectacle of the deadball and liveball eras in vivid detail.

By the late 1920s, the Great Depression caused the baseball card bubble to burst, as discretionary spending on cards declined. After a few years hiatus, production would resume at a smaller scale through the 1930s, but the golden age of early baseball cards had come to an end. Still, the cards of this pioneering era established baseball cards as an indelible part of the national pastime. Today, nearly intact sets and individual cards from sets like T206, Goudey, and Hassan fetch millions of dollars. They remain prized as some of the most historic and visually stunning collectibles documenting the early history of America’s favorite sport.

The early baseball cards of the late 19th and early 20th centuries played an important role in promoting professional baseball and cementing the sport in American popular culture. Through colorful lithographs and photography, sets from brands like American, Goudey and T206 captured the biggest stars and crystallized rosters during baseball’s formative decades. While production slowed during the Great Depression, the cards of this pioneering era laid the foundation for today’s multibillion-dollar industry. Featuring legendary players in their prime, these early cardboard collectibles remain treasured for their historic significance and aesthetic beauty.