When Don was a kid, collecting Major League Baseball cards was one of his favorite pastimes. Back then, he thought if he kept his cards in A-1 shape he could pass them down to his son, or use them for a down payment on a home. Heck, he might even strike it rich with his collection!
Every year for Christmas, Don’s parents gave him the whole set of Topps’ cards. He saved those sets all these years, and recently looked through his collection to see what treasures might be in there.
One of Don’s all time favorites is a Pete Rose card. He still remembers how badly he wanted that card. It was a 1978 Record Breaker, that he kept buying packs for, but didn’t get. His neighbor buddy down the street had the card, and it took a huge bounty to get his friend to trade with him. Don gave the kid 40 Empire Strikes Back trading cards for the Pete Rose one, and still felt like he was getting the best end of the deal. Pete Rose was the bomb diggity and Don was so happy to have that card in his collection!
Don’s other favorite player that he has the most cards of is Rickey Henderson. He frequented card stores and flea markets to try to hoard as many Henderson cards as possible.
Growing up, Don and his family went to many baseball games. He always tried to go when Rickey Henderson was playing. One memory is being in the outfield stands yelling for Rickey to throw him the ball. Rickey Henderson looked straight in his eyes, threw the ball and a grown man in front of Don reached up and caught it. To this day, Don is still upset about the guy taking “his” ball.
One other card that Don thought would make him filthy rich someday is a Mark McGuire rookie card. At the present time, the card will get a decent amount, but nowhere near a down payment on a home.
Now that we have our own home and Don’s son is a teenager, it seems the collection will be for his own entertainment. The cards are not worth the fortune once anticipated, and most kids these days are not into baseball cards. It is still a lot of fun to look through the cards, remember the players and hold on to a bit of America’s favorite pastime.
