Visalia has a rich history with baseball cards dating back to the early 20th century. Some of the earliest baseball cards produced included images of players from the Visalia Farm Teams that operated in the early 1900s. While these early baseball cards from Visalia are quite rare today, they helped spark the golden age of baseball card collecting in the region.
Through the 1930s and 1940s, baseball card collecting really took off in Visalia as kids traded and swapped cards regularly. The rise of gum and candy companies like Topps, Bowman, and Fleer in the postwar years meant that baseball cards became even more widely available. Kids in Visalia could find wax packs of cards at local drug stores, grocery stores, and even vending machines. Visalia’s two baseball card shops – Bob’s Baseball Cards and Collectors Corner – date back to this era and are some of the longest continuously run card shops in the country.
In the 1950s, Topps secured the exclusive license to produce baseball cards. This standardized the baseball card format that still exists today with a photo on the front and stats on the back. Kids in Visalia eagerly awaited the release of the new Topps sets each year and would trade diligently to complete their collections. The 1952 Topps set is particularly renowned in Visalia today due to containing the famous Mickey Mantle rookie card.
An interesting side story from this period involved Hank Aaron’s first Topps card from 1954. A young boy from Visalia purchased a pack at a local drug store and discovered he had pulled the rare Hank Aaron rookie card. Knowing its significance even at a young age, he opted to keep the card in his collection rather than trade it away like many kids did. Today, that Hank Aaron rookie in near-mint condition would be valued at over $100,000, making it one of the most valuable baseball cards in the world.
The 1960s represented the peak of baseball card collecting in Visalia. Kids carried binders and boxes full of cards to school and sports card shops did a booming business. Iconic sets like 1967 Topps are remembered fondly today by collectors who begin their hobby in Visalia during this decade. The rise of the California Angels, located just 60 miles away in Anaheim, also boosted interest in baseball cards in the city and surrounding Tulare County area.
In the 1970s, the popularity of baseball cards began to wane somewhat with the rise of new hobbies and pursuits among kids. The 1973 airbrushed design change by Topps hurt interest too. Shops like Bob’s and Collectors Corner kept the hobby alive locally. The start of the Ryne Sandberg rookie card craze in the 1980s reignited baseball card fever to a degree in Visalia. But the late 1980s/early 1990s crash in the market that corresponded with the arrival of upper deck really damaged the LCS business model.
This led to the closure of many shop throughout the 1990s in Visalia and beyond. Places like Bob’s survived and a new generation of kids continued to enjoy baseball cards powered by stars like Ken Griffey Jr. Today, Visalia still boasts two enthusiast-run card shops that keep the local card collecting legacy alive through the present day. Events like monthly trading card shows help foster community among collectors too. Places like the Tulare County Museum also preserve the history and memorabilia from Visalia’s rich baseball card past.
While the boom days may have faded, Visalia is still regarded as a hotbed of baseball card enthusiasm today due to the nearly 100 year history of kids and collectors in the area. Local shops pride themselves on the historical pieces still prevalent in many collections and pay homage to the early roots of the hobby in Visalia through photos and displays within their businesses. The legacy of baseball cards lives on locally.