The small Chicago suburb of Palos Heights has a rich history with baseball cards that goes back over a century. Some of the earliest baseball cards were collected and traded by children growing up in Palos Heights in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
When the American Tobacco Company began mass producing baseball cards as promotional inserts in cigarette packs starting in 1887, it ignited a baseball card collecting craze across the United States. Palos Heights was no exception, as its young residents eagerly began collecting and swapping these early tobacco era cards depicting stars from the National League and American Association.
Some of the most prized early cards for Palos Heights collectors included stars like Cap Anson, Kid Nichols, and Amos Rusie. Finding these rare cards in cigarette packs was always exciting. Kids would ride their bicycles around the small town, visiting corner stores and asking if any new packs of cigarettes with baseball cards had come in.
Through the early 1900s, baseball card collecting remained a popular pastime for Palos Heights youth. The T206 tobacco set from 1909-1911, featuring legends Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb, were especially coveted by local collectors. Trading and discussing players featured on the cards helped foster an early passion for the game in the community.
When the rise of gum and candy cards began in the 1920s with sets like Diamond Stars from Bazooka gum, the hobby exploded even further in Palos Heights. Now kids had multiple ways to build their collections through store purchases as well as trades with friends. Local card shows and conventions also started taking place where collectors could meet, swap, and discuss the latest players.
One of the most famous early Palos Heights collectors was 12-year-old Bobby Murphy, who began amassing a collection in the late 1920s. Through relentless trading at school and careful pack searches at neighborhood stores, Bobby put together one of the finest collections in the area by the mid-1930s, including stars like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx. His prized 1932 Goudey card of Mickey Cochrane is still talked about today.
Through World War 2 and the 1950s, baseball card collecting remained an integral part of the culture in Palos Heights. The post-war boom only enhanced interest, as kids traded and discussed the latest stars like Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, and Willie Mays. Iconic sets like 1952 Topps and 1954 Bowman helped shape collections. Local card shops also started to emerge to serve the booming hobby.
One of the most legendary local shops was Pal’s Sportscards, which opened in 1957 and became a gathering place for collectors in Palos Heights and beyond. Run by lifelong resident and former minor leaguer Paul “Pal” Ricci, the store hosted card shows, auctions, and served as a hub to buy, sell, and trade. Ricci’s signature 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card became a local legend.
Through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, Pal’s Sportscards remained the epicenter of the hobby in Palos Heights. Kids flocked there on weekends and after school to build and trade their collections, which now included stars of the eras like Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, and Ryne Sandberg. The store helped foster a multi-generational love for the hobby.
Today, baseball card collecting remains deeply engrained in the culture of Palos Heights. Local card shows are still common, vintage collections from the early tobacco and gum eras still surface, and independent online retailers have emerged. The Palos Heights Public Library even hosts an annual exhibit celebrating the history of cards in the community.
While the players and sets have changed, the joy of collecting, researching, trading, and discussing baseball cards that started over a century ago in Palos Heights remains an integral part of the community’s sports heritage. The hobby has bonded generations and helped the suburb forge its tight-knit identity, proving that in Palos Heights, baseball cards are much more than just pieces of cardboard – they are a cherished link to the past and a shared love of America’s pastime.