Baseball Cards Are Filled with Childhood Memories

I collected baseball cards for much of my childhood. I started in 1978 when I was just six years old and I continued on through 1987 when I was in my teens. Some of the cards are worth a few bucks now, while others are barely worth the cardboard they are on.

Two of my brothers and for a short while one of my sisters also collected baseball cards. We never ventured out into football or basketball cards. We would head down to the corner store and basically clean out whatever was on the shelf, when we got our allowance. We would take them home and open them up and see what treasures each pack held.

When I first started collecting I was interested in two things. One the powdery rectangle of gum that was in every pack. Two how many New York Yankees would I get. It wasn't until I was a few years older that I started to want to complete the whole set. Then when that happened I would buy pack after pack hoping to uncover that elusive Hector Cruz card.

There are a few cards that I still have that are more special than others. My favorite would be my 1984 Topps Don Mattingly rookie card. It isn't the most expensive card, it would go or about $20, but he was one of my favorite players. He played the game the way it was meant to be played. He was a quiet leader that always gave his all on the field. It is all you can ask for from a baseball player.

Now the cards are in boxes in packed closets. It has been a while since I have taken them out and looked at them. I'm sure it would bring a smile to my face. I would remember spending time with my brothers. I would remember sorting them by number and then resorting them by team, just because I liked looking at them and just thinking of baseball. It was just a nice and simple time in my life. It is why baseball cards will always bring up good memories. Maybe I should go out and pick up a pack or two just for old times sake, unfortunately they no longer have gum inside.