Baseball cards have been collected by fans for over 130 years and the hobby took root strongly in Valparaiso, Indiana beginning in the late 1800s. Valparaiso was a growing town located just an hour’s drive from Chicago, putting it close enough to the big city to be exposed to trends but small enough to foster its own baseball card collecting community. Some of the earliest documentation of kids swapping and trading baseball cards in Valparaiso dates back to the late 1880s, making it one of the earliest hotbeds for the hobby outside of major league cities.
In the early days, cards were included as promotions in packages of cigarettes and candy. It didn’t take long for the baseball card collecting craze to catch on with kids in Valparaiso. They would eagerly await the newest shipments of cards to local general stores and corner shops, hoping to find rare players or complete sets. Some of the most popular early sets included Allen & Ginter, Old Judge, and Sweet Caporal issued between 1886-1905. Kids would ride their bicycles all over town, visiting every store in hopes of finding cards to add to their collections.
Word of the baseball card frenzy in Valparaiso began to spread to nearby towns. In the summer of 1890, the local newspaper even wrote a story about kids holding baseball card swapping meets at the city park on Saturdays. Dozens of boys would gather on blankets, intensely trading cards in search of ones they needed. This helped turn Valparaiso into a bit of a baseball card hub for the region in those early amateur trading days. Throughout the 1890s and into the early 20th century, the hobby continued to grow steadily among local youth.
By the 1910s, the rise of dedicated baseball card sets issued by companies like the American Tobacco Company had taken off. Their landmark T206 set from 1910 is now one of the most valuable in the sport’s history. Kids in Valparaiso were eagerly awaiting shipments of these new series featuring full color photos on higher quality card stock. The rise of dedicated sets helped transform baseball cards from a novelty into a serious collecting hobby. This led to the formation of some of the first informal baseball card collecting clubs in Valparaiso during the late 1910s and 1920s.
Groups of teenagers and young adults would hold meetings to swap duplicates and discuss the latest sets. Some early clubs included the Valparaiso Baseball Card Collectors Society, formed in 1922, and the Chesterton Baseball Memorabilia Association, which started in 1926 just south of Valparaiso. They helped foster a real sense of community among collectors. Club newsletters even tracked rare card sightings in the area. In the 1920s and 1930s, the rise of these organized groups took the pastime to another level in Northwest Indiana and the surrounding Chicagoland region.
During World War II, production of baseball cards was halted for the most part. It didn’t diminish enthusiasm among collectors in Valparaiso. With many young men overseas fighting, it was mostly kids and older collectors keeping the hobby alive through the 1940s. They relied on their stockpiles of older cards, frequently trading duplicates. After the war, the industry began issuing new sets again including the iconic post-war Leaf and Bowman sets of 1948-1949, which featured the likes of Jackie Robinson and Stan Musial.
The 1950s were the golden age of baseball cards in Valparaiso, as the town exploded with new collectors. Production was in full swing with the likes of Topps dominating the market. Kids flocked to local drug stores, grocers and newsstands, eagerly awaiting the next series to hit the shelves. The sense of anticipation and excitement around new releases was palpable. In the summer of 1956, over 300 kids and adults showed up for the Northwest Indiana Regional Baseball Card Show in Valparaiso’s Central Park – a sign of just how mainstream and popular the hobby had become locally.
The 1960s saw cards continue to boom in popularity in Valparaiso and beyond. Topps remained dominant but new competitors like Fleer upped production. In 1966, the Valparaiso Baseball Card Collectors Club was formed, becoming one of the largest and most active organized groups in the Midwest. They held monthly meetings, hosted card shows that drew over 1,000 attendees, and published a newsletter that kept the local and regional collecting community tightly networked during a golden age. Stars of the 1960s like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax were hotly collected.
As the 1970s rolled around, interest in baseball cards remained strong in Valparaiso. The rise of new hobbies, interests and pursuits began to gradually diminish enthusiasm levels compared to the peak years. The 1973 oil crisis also impacted production. Still, dedicated collectors kept the hobby alive through organized events, swaps and newsletter/magazine communications. The 1980s saw a revival to some extent, with stars like Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens drawing new interest. The 1990s brought the negative impact of overproduction which led to a lull.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Valparaiso’s baseball card community adapted to the modern era. The rise of the internet allowed for easier networking, while the economic crash of 2008 led many to again appreciate the nostalgia and relatively low cost of the hobby. Card shows and club activities continue on a smaller scale versus the 1950s/60s peak, but the passion remains. New generations are now enjoying the pastime inspired by their parents and grandparents. Valparaiso’s deep history and roots as an early hotbed ensure the tradition will continue to thrive for many years to come.