Since Baseball and Football become chief diversions for the American public, sports cards became avenues of fantasy for young children. From the early days of trading and bicycle spokes to the most current higher value packs, sports cards have provided the necessary access to the sports world.
The golden era of sports card collecting occurred in the 1990′s when raising values and a new idea created a market that was definitely boom or bust. The new idea was the inclusion of game-used materials into individual cards. At first, the inclusion of signed pieces made the search for cards frantic. However, the inclusion of memorabilia turned card collecting into a virtual hunt for the “golden ticket”.
In the 1990′s and 2000′s, a collector could acquire memorabilia from current stars, hot prospects, former players, Hall of Famers and even politicians. Yes, politicians, like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington made appearances in the sports card world. In turn, this influx of different kinds of memorabilia drove the values and searches for prized sports cards through the roof.
In the end, the game used/memorabilia frenzy changed the landscape of sports card collecting forever. Collectors now felt closer to their heroes than ever.