That ’70s Hobby: How Collecting Baseball Cards Evolved in the 1970s

The 1970s were a time of turbulence. Coming out of the revolutionary ’60s, the country faced rolling waves of political, financial and social change that ultimately impacted every aspect of life. The hobby was no exception, although those changes might not have been obvious to the average collector. With a powder-coated stick of gum as the “hit” in every pack, kids remained the biggest consumers of trading cards as the decade kicked off . Drug stores were the go-to source for the latest packs, the playground was where collections were perfected and rubber bands and shoeboxes were the prevailing means…