Baseball Cards Big Business Even Before MLB All-Star Game Came To Town
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- Baseball cards are not just for kids. At a Target Store in a Milwaukee Suburb in May, surveillance video shows people not just fighting over baseball cards, but at one point someone draws a gun and police are called.
The cards have become big business, really big business. Just ask Mike Fruitman, the owner of Mike's Stadium Sports Cards.
"Buying a card is like buying stock in a company," Fruitman explains, "A lot of the cards will be individually numbered, a lot will have a piece of the jersey and an autograph on the card as well."
He says some cards can go for over $1 million. He showed CBS4 some of the well-known players, "These are certified autographed cards of Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle. Joe DiMaggio."
One of the biggest names in baseball card makers is Topps. They don't cost a nickel anymore and they don't come with gum.
"After the pandemic, people turning to collecting, in general, filled a lot of people's time. Seeing the values skyrocket both environmentally and financially has been amazing."
And the MLB All-Star game has been good for business... cards going back to the days of black and white.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger spotted some of his favorites, "Yogi Berra, Hank Aaron, Eddie Matthews, Willie Mays, these are the guys I grew up with."
There was another card for "Bob Clemente," most knew him as Roberto.
As for that fight in Milwaukee, it began when someone cut in line for baseball cards at Target. Now the retail chain is no longer selling them in stores, only online. The company says the policy is for the safety of its employees and customers.