Trade ya a Mantle for a Kaline

In the summer of 1957, my cousin, John Liblong, and I went to Weaver’s dime store in Almont and each bought one Topps baseball card for a penny apiece.  They were wrapped in wax paper that also contained a pink stick of bubblegum. 

I have no recollection of what player’s card I got that day, but John hit the jackpot. He unwrapped a mint-condition Charlie Maxwell card. Maxwell played left field for our Detroit Tigers. John was even happier to know that he and Maxwell were both left-handed! 

Thus, I started collecting baseball cards and continued for several years. I bought five-packs (five cards) for a nickel each. Most of the kids I knew also bought cards. I’m not sure how many we purchased but I think store owner Sid Weaver was able to buy a new car with our proceeds. 

We kids got together occasionally to look at our cards and often traded with one another for one we wanted but didn’t have. Negotiation among 10 to12 year-olds could be intense.  I traded a Mickey Mantle for an Al Kaline once. I don’t remember what year’s card either was but a ’57 Mantle is worth about ten times more than a ’57 Kaline in similar condition. 

Of course, you know how the story ends.  My large stack of cards, wrapped in large rubber bands, disappeared. I don’t remember if I gave them away or mom disposed of them. But, alas, they were gone. Oh, how I wish I still had them. 

That, unfortunately, is a familiar story. Keith J. tells me he had more than 5,000 baseball cards. But his dad was in the foreign service and because they moved so much, his mom made him give them all away. John A. W. says that he had every player in both leagues from 1954-1960.  When he went away to college, mom gave them away. Both collections would be worth a fortune today. 

John W. says he collected all sports cards, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf, etc. for several years.  When the prices increased dramatically during the Covid pandemic, John was smart enough to sell the collection for a handsome profit. 

I was no stranger to card collecting. During the Davy Crockett craze in 1956, I bought several Crockett cards for a penny each. I loved them. I watched the Disney Crockett series on our black and white television set but the cards, with scenes from the series, were in color.  Very cool.   

There were actually two Crockett sets released, orange back and green back. Both sets had 80 cards each so a complete set was 160 cards. As much as I would have liked, there was zero chance I could raise enough money at nine years old to afford very many. 

So, a few years ago, I gave myself a present by buying a complete 160-card set on eBay. I thought about doing the same thing with the 1957 Topps baseball set of 407 cards but quickly gave up the dream when I discovered that they would cost $4,000-$6,000 for an average set. Ouch. 

For today’s collectors, many companies still produce trading cards in many different categories like sports and entertainment. A complete set (704) of 2026 Topps baseball cards will set you back about a hundred bucks.   

But if you really want a challenge, see if you can accumulate a complete set of Pokémon cards. Google says that as of mid-2026, there are over 18,300 unique English Pokémon cards spanning more than 125 mainline and special sets. 

Want to trade a Verlander rookie card for a Skubal rookie? 

Contact Rick at dave@tri-citytimes.com