Baseball cards have been a beloved part of American culture for over a century, with kids and collectors alike enjoying these colorful pieces of cardboard that capture moments from America’s pastime. While baseball card collecting and dealing has traditionally been most prominent in large cities and baseball hotbeds, the small city of Newport, Rhode Island has developed a vibrant baseball card scene of its own in recent decades.

Newport is a historic New England city located on Rhode Island’s southern coast, best known as a summer resort destination for affluent families in the Gilded Age. While the city never had a major or minor league baseball team call it home, baseball was certainly played recreationally in the area throughout the 20th century. It was in the 1980s that the first baseball card shops began to open in Newport, catering to both local collectors and the many tourists who visited the city during the summer months.

One of the pioneering baseball card shops in Newport was “Ace’s Baseball Cards,” which opened in 1984 in the downtown historic district. Run by lifelong Newport resident and former Little League coach Al “Ace” Petrillo, the shop became a hub for local collectors of all ages to trade, sell and admire their collections. Ace nurtured the growing baseball card scene in Newport by hosting card shows, giveaways and contests throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His shop helped spark further interest among locals young and old in the hobby.

In the late 1980s, two other prominent baseball card shops sprang up within blocks of each other downtown – “Chuck’s Cards” and “Bob’s Baseball Memorabilia.” Both were larger operations than Ace’s original shop and attracted collectors from around Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts on weekends. Chuck’s Cards was particularly known for its vast inventory of older, high-value baseball cards that collectors would travel long distances hoping to find. Meanwhile, Bob’s specialized more in signed memorabilia, photos and other non-card collectibles alongside its card selection.

The rise of these three flagship baseball card shops in Newport coincided with the overall boom in collecting interest nationwide in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Major stars of that era like Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and Cal Ripken Jr. produced some of the most coveted and valuable rookie cards ever. With a critical mass of shops in close proximity and friendly competition/cooperation between owners, Newport developed into a true baseball “card town” that continues to this day.

As the baseball card market cooled off in the late 1990s, two of the original three Newport shops closed. But Ace’s Baseball Cards soldiered on under Petrillo’s ownership, becoming more of an institution and gathering place over the years. Into the 2000s, the shop expanded its inventory to encompass other sports cards like basketball and football as well. Meanwhile, a new generation of local collectors began to emerge, keeping the hobby alive.

One such newer collector was Tom Gifford, who began frequenting Ace’s as a young boy in the early 2000s with his father. Fascinated by the nostalgia and artistry of the old cardboard, Gifford amassed a sizable collection by his teen years focusing on Red Sox stars. In 2011, shortly after high school graduation, he decided to open his own baseball card store – “Tom’s Cards” – just a few blocks down from Ace’s in an effort to help carry the torch of the hobby in Newport into the future.

Tom’s Cards found early success by catering to the many tourists who still flock to scenic Newport each summer. Gifford stocked plenty of affordable, family-friendly items like packs, pins, hats and memorabilia alongside higher-end vintage cards that collectors from afar hoped to find. Meanwhile, he organized community events and little league team sponsorships to further engage local families. By the mid-2010s, Tom’s Cards was thriving as the largest baseball card business in the city.

Sadly, Al Petrillo passed away in 2015 at the age of 80 after a long battle with cancer. By that point, Ace’s Baseball Cards had been a cherished Newport institution for over 30 years under his leadership. While the loss was deeply felt, Petrillo’s legacy was carried on as Gifford acquired the entire inventory and client list of Ace’s upon its closure. He moved Tom’s Cards to the now-vacant Ace’s shop space, preserving the original hub of the local hobby.

Today, Tom’s Cards remains the premier baseball card destination not just in Newport, but for all of Rhode Island. In addition to a vast selection of new and vintage cards, the shop also holds memorabilia displays, hosts card shows and runs a popular social media presence. Meanwhile, Gifford has taken up Petrillo’s mantle as the local ambassador for the hobby, nurturing young collectors, supporting youth leagues and keeping the spirit of the pastime alive in Newport. From its humble beginnings in the 1980s, the city’s baseball card scene has endured against all odds to become a true local tradition.

Baseball cards have been capturing the escapism of America’s pastime for over 150 years. Throughout that history, the coastal city of Newport, Rhode Island has played an interesting role in the story of these collectible cards. From the early tobacco cards of the late 1800s to the modern era of inserts and memorabilia cards, Newport has had a presence in the world of baseball card productions, promotions, and collections.

Some of the earliest references to baseball cards being found and collected in Newport date back to the late 19th century during the time when tobacco companies like Goodwin & Company and Allen & Ginter began inserting memorabilia cards into their cigarette and tobacco products. Local newspaper archives from the 1890s include advertisements showing that Goodwin & Company tobacco products featuring early baseball cards could be purchased in retail shops throughout Newport. While the cards themselves from this early era are quite rare today, it’s believed that the tourist destination of Newport likely exposed many visitors to some of the first baseball trading cards who would take them back to their hometowns.

In the early 1900s, Newport saw more direct connections to the baseball card industry. The American Caramel Company, which produced some of the most iconic early tobacco-era cards from 1911-1913, had distribution centers located in nearby Providence and Fall River, Massachusetts which helped get their product containing precursors to modern baseball cards into the local Newport markets. Some of the rarest American Caramel cards have been found in old collection amid Newport and have sold for tens of thousands of dollars in recent years.

Through the 1930s and 1940s, the heyday of baseball card production from companies like Goudey, Play Ball, and Bowman saw cards readily available in Newport shops, drugstores, candy stores and newsstands. Many local young collectors from that era would tell stories of searching Newport shops for packs containing their favorite players. The rise of bubblegum cards in the post-war 1940s just enhanced the connection of baseball cards to Newport’s youth.

In the 1950s, Ted’s News in downtown Newport became one of the top retailers for the hottest new cardboard releases from Topps, another dominant force in the post-war bubblegum card era. Owner Ted Farrell would make sure to stock up on the newest Series each year, knowing the demand from local collectors. His newsstand became a gathering spot for young fans to trade and talk cards. Ted’s News remained a staple for cards through the 1960s and 1970s until its closure in the early 1980s.

By the 1960s, card shows and conventions had started springing up across America as collecting boomed. One of the earliest and largest Northeast shows was the New England Card Collectors Club Show, which made its inaugural appearance at the Newport Inn & Conference Center in 1963. Drawing collectors from all over New England and beyond, the NECCC Show in Newport helped expose local fans to the emerging conventions-based aspects of the hobby. The club continued to hold annual shows in Newport through the 1970s before outgrowing the space and relocating elsewhere.

In 1984, Newport saw one of the rarest and most valuable baseball cards ever printed be uncovered amongst other stray cards in a lot purchase – the infamous 1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig “Dunn Baking Company” back variation. Graded near mint, it would go on to sell at auction for over $80,000, capturing headlines around the sports card community at the time. Other rare vintage Newport finds in past decades have included a 1967 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie card and 1919/1920 series tobacco cards.

Modern era promotional releases and inserts from the late 1980s on have also highlighted Newport at times. In 1990, Topps produced a small run of hand-collated ‘Newport All-Stars’ insert cards featuring Minor League players from the now defunct Newport Gulls franchise who played at Cardines Field. Fleer produced a subset of baseball location “Dugout” cards in 1998 that included an image of Cardines Field, honoring the site’s baseball history before being demolished.

Today, with collecting having evolved into digital and memorabilia markets, the local hobby scene in Newport remains active. CardCon RI, a small but popular card show, runs yearly while several local collectors groups organize meets. Online auctions see Newport-tied vintage cards surface. And memoriam inserts or patches featuring Newport locations or players can still pop up in modern releases as producers recognize baseball’s enduring legacy in the Ocean State coastal city. From those first Goodwin cards of the 1800s to the current day, Newport’s unique position has woven the city into the fabric of baseball cards’ incredible history.