My First Cards

The gum was stale, the corners were soft, and nothing in that pack would ever grade a 10.

But for me, it was perfect. Fifty cents for a chance at wonder. I remember the bell over the door, the sun on the rack, and the way my hands shook as I flipped each card.

The first card was a backup catcher I didn't recognize. The second, a pitcher mid-windup. By the third, I was hooked — not on any one player, but on the stories each piece of cardboard contained.

I didn't know I was building a collection — I thought I was just having fun. But that's how the best collections start: with joy, not strategy.